Fridge and Solar Charging

[i_squared_r]

I am looking to buy a fridge for my new Tacoma and keep it cheap because there are other things that i'm saving for. I will use this fridge for camping, keep drinks cold for mountain bike trips, and for road trips. I'm looking for the following:

Iceco JP40 with slide (25% black friday) $546
Renogy Solar Panel Starter Kit $180
-100W 12V Mono Solar Panel
-10A PWM Wanderer Charge Controller
-and wiring+brackets

The idea is that I can always expand on this later and add a 2nd battery with ACLR. But right now that isn't in the budget. I will be running a fridge off this, charging phones, and an LED strip inside the tent. I have a lithium jump starter for redundancy, but I was curious if this kit is good? Or if someone has used these products and regretted it? Thanks!

 

[RoarinRow]

I bought a similar solar kit except the one I bought from Amazon came with a 30amp PWM charge controller with the same 100w panel. This powers my 1000w inverter and battery for my fridge etc. no regrets.

 

[i_squared_r]

I just ordered the JP40 and slide. Then I was looking at the renogy panel and I didn't realize how large it is. I think a portable 60W solar panel will work better for me. Like jackery or similar

 

[Yroundrdn]

Not sure what the draw on that fridge is but mine is .7Ah . The last fridge I had had a draw of 2.6Ah so as you can see, that can make a big difference. What did not work for me on the last set up was 100 watt panel, 2 costco deep cycle batteries that were charged from the vehicle as well as the solar. The panel could not keep up with how quickly the batteries drew down when parked over a day.

What did work is my current set up. Smittybuilt fridge powered from an independent AGM battery that is charged from a Noco charger, plugged into the Tacoma inverter while I drive, (there is a mod for this). 1 good AGM last considerably longer than 2 costco batteries but also cost 2X. This will run the fridge in heat for about 30-40 hours before I get close to 50% or 12.2 volts on the AGM. I recently started using a 60 watt foldable solar panel, ($100 Amazon), into a 20 amp controller which keeps up with the fridge just fine even in the winter thus extending my time indefinitely.

What I learned from the two systems is get a good battery once, and an efficient fridge, and you will save a lot of drama and $$ in the long run.

 

[i_squared_r]

The maximum power draw on the fridge, Iceco JP40, is 60 watts. But like all fridges the duty cycle isn't 100%. The total demand would depend on compressor efficiency and insulation. I chose the Iceco because the price was competitive and came with a german danfoss compressor. It should be efficient, but there are variables like daylight hours, temperature, overcast days, how many overcast days, how often that I drive etc. I'm trying to think of this mathematically:


I'm thinking that the battery shouldn't go below 80% charge. (50% for a deep cycle battery)
(60w/12v)=5A fridge draw
80% charge on a 70AH battery
(70AH*0.8)=56AH
Don't want to go below the 56AH threshold
70AH-56AH=14AH
(14AH)/(5AMP)=2.8 hours
Okay so this is easier to conceptualize. Leaving the fridge open for more than 2.8 hours would cause irreversible damage to the battery's cells. But that's unlikely. What is the actual duty cycle of a fridge in a hot climate? I don't know. My guess is 30%
(5AMP)*(0.3)=1.5A
(14AH)/(1.5)=9 hours
Well.. A hot summer night here is only 8 hours. I think it's safe to say that it's very unlikely to kill the battery overnight. I think i'll try this with a 60W solar panel and monitor the voltages. If I start seeing less than 12.3V (80% charge) then I will look into adding a deep cycle battery. I have a duralast group 27 marine deep cycle in my boat. I have a JL audio system that puts that battery through 8 hours and it still has 30%. I discharge that battery and charge it back up every weekend and it survived 1 summer so far. Only $95 and I can put a $25 battery tray in the bed.

 

[Yroundrdn]

Great plan and since you have the stuff you need, you can always up the battery down the road if needed.
All I know is the fridge is the one item I will always have in my overland vehicles.