Compressor refrigerator opinons
The wife and I are trading up from our trusty old 2004 Rockwood 1940LTD popup to a 2022 Wolf Pup 14CC. We're pretty excited, we went the the Cleveland RV show last weekend after browsing a bunch of s...
Forum Discussion
I went to the Wolf Pup website but could find no information on either the compressor refrigerator choices or the solar panel packages. First thing I noticed was the very low cargo carrying capacity for all of the model choices. I would look at that very carefully since CCC is using based on minimal options. At a minimum with a compressor refrigerator, you will need to add a larger than standard battery bank and numerous solar panels and a generator with fuel.
Anyway get the specs and do the math. A small compressor unit is likely to pull at least 5 amps. You need to plan for use in warmer weather, opening and closing the door and perhaps also adding room temperature drinks and food. I would figure at least 80% running. Hence, around 100 AH/day power consumption. That means a battery bank of at least 200 AH just to run the unit for one day. I would at least double that to 400 AH of battery bank; i.e., at least a half dozen car sized batteries. You will need quite a few solar panels totaling hundreds of watts to power the unit. How many depends on your camping style. If you camp in cloudy, rainy weather or in the woods, or in the Fall-Spring season when the sun is low, then solar will do little or nowhere near enough and you will need to run the generator for hours a day.
Another downside is the construction of the RV. Mine was setup at the factory for a compressor unit so I cannot convert without plumbing for propane and cutting vent holes in the siding and roof.
On the positive side if you camp almost exclusively in RV parks with power, a compressor unit will work better and cool down faster.
Anyway get the specs and do the math. A small compressor unit is likely to pull at least 5 amps. You need to plan for use in warmer weather, opening and closing the door and perhaps also adding room temperature drinks and food. I would figure at least 80% running. Hence, around 100 AH/day power consumption. That means a battery bank of at least 200 AH just to run the unit for one day. I would at least double that to 400 AH of battery bank; i.e., at least a half dozen car sized batteries. You will need quite a few solar panels totaling hundreds of watts to power the unit. How many depends on your camping style. If you camp in cloudy, rainy weather or in the woods, or in the Fall-Spring season when the sun is low, then solar will do little or nowhere near enough and you will need to run the generator for hours a day.
Another downside is the construction of the RV. Mine was setup at the factory for a compressor unit so I cannot convert without plumbing for propane and cutting vent holes in the siding and roof.
On the positive side if you camp almost exclusively in RV parks with power, a compressor unit will work better and cool down faster.
