compact residential fridge

[TOMMY47]

As I posted before, Fridge conked out on gas and did seem to not work on electric (although might be working now).
Question--Anyone use a compact home fridge in rv ?

Saw a Fridgeadaire model LFPH44M4LM at LOWES FOR $199.
4.4cf--separate freezer compartment.
Runs at about 1.5 amps and 140 watts.
I have a 200w inverter that I could hook up to house battery while driving and could plug in to shore power when at a campsite with electricity.
Also have a 90 ah battery separate from everything else.
Does it sound doable and will the fridge withstand the road vibrations OK?
Looking for opinions or answers based on experience.

[timmer594]

I actually had the same problem and was going to put in that same fridge. Mine started working for now. But. I was not gonna run it while traveling. It should stay cold for hours. Then plug in at campsite or run genny a while.

[tvman44]

I have always wondered about compressor type fridges especially in a rear kitchen like ours. I think all the bouncing with the compressor mounted on springs would eventually crack the tubing on the compressor due to metal fatigue from all the bouncing. Anyone put a compressor fridge in the rear of a trailer? :@

[TOMMY47]

Thanks for the responses. BTW--I do have a 1000w inverter on the separate battery.
Right now, the fridge is working correctly on electricity. I'll find out soon enough if the gas will work again.

[Golden_HVAC]

You probably have a modified sign wave inverter, and need a pure sign wave inverter to run the high torque refrigerator motor.

The pure sign wave inverters are a bit more expensive, and probably a 600+ watt rated one would be needed to run a 1C for a couple of seconds.

That means #2 wire with a 100 amp fuse. At least 4 batteries to supply the power, so the voltage does not dip below 11.5 volts on compressor start up.

I have 4 each golf cart batteries with a total capacity of 440 amp hours at 12 volts. This holds about 2,500 usable watts before depleting the battery below 50% capacity. You don't want to go below 50% very often, or the battery will not last very long.

You also need a way to recharge the battery from time to time. Solar is the way to go.

Fred.

[westend]

I recently installed a small, 1.8 cu. ft. dorm fridge. Tested with a Kill-A-Watt meter running for a few days, the fridge draws about .8 amps. The startup surge is considerably more. Initially, I had it powered with a 600w Samlex pure sine inverter. If I warmed the compressor in the fridge, running it with 120v AC from shore power, the 600w Samlex would run it for the first start. After that, the locked rotor draw would pull the inverter down so it went into protection. I replaced the Samlex 600w with the newer Xantrex 1000w Prowatt pure sine inverter and have had no problems.

Doing the 120v->12v conversion, you will see a draw of 18 amps continuous during the duty cycle. Typical duty cycle in summer temps is about 1/4. If you draw your 90 AH battery down to 45 AH (typical capacity standards), you should be able to run the fridge for about 10-12 hrs. before needing a recharge.

[John___Angela]

TOMMY47 wrote:
As I posted before, Fridge conked out on gas and did seem to not work on electric (although might be working now).
Question--Anyone use a compact home fridge in rv ?

Saw a Fridgeadaire model LFPH44M4LM at LOWES FOR $199.
4.4cf--separate freezer compartment.
Runs at about 1.5 amps and 140 watts.
I have a 200w inverter that I could hook up to house battery while driving and could plug in to shore power when at a campsite with electricity.
Also have a 90 ah battery separate from everything else.
Does it sound doable and will the fridge withstand the road vibrations OK?
Looking for opinions or answers based on experience.

The only problem I see is the inverter. Although the fridge won't draw much the compressor will take a whack more to start. I would look at a 1000 watt sine wave model. Once the compressor is turning it won't draw much power but you need to have the current capacity for start-up. Other than that I see nothing wrong with your plan considering your particular type of camping plans. The inverter will probably run you a few hundred but you can use it for other things as well. Good luck. Let ub know how it goes.

[2oldman]

I have a ton of refer posts, but nothing with your exact specs.

A 200w inverter may be cutting it close. Refers have a big startup surge, so make sure those 12v wires are plenty big and short.