You should not use more than 5Amp load on a 100AH battery if you want it to last as Deep Cycle batteries don’t like being overloaded for long periods. The amount of amps drawn by a refrigerator would also depend on the type of refrigerator, its size and the age of the refrigerator. First, a quick lesson in electronics for those who don’t quite understand what an inverter does. I was running a stock Panasonic starter battery, NOT a deep cycle which explained why my fridge kept shutting off after a few minutes. Your refrigerator will run for 8 – 10 hours with the batteries on. Size of Generator To Run A Chest Freezer or Refrigerator. Batteries are to be charged only to the point its needed and do not overcharge them. An inverter is an electrical device that converts 12-volt power into 120-volt power. Large (>500Ah): large off grid systems As a basic rule of thumb, you can remember that a 100Ah AGM deep cycle battery can provide 1 amp for 100 hours, 2 amps for 50 hours, 3 amps for 33 hours,... Keep in mind this is a rough estimate, as the battery capacity will change a little depending on how fast your battery is being drained. Use the battery only when its absolutely needed and switch to propane or shore power as-and -when you get the chance. COPYRIGHT © 2020 CAMPER GRID - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, article on how much amps does a RV refrigerator actually consumes, Can you replace rv refrigerator with a standard refrigerator, RV battery – 14 things every RV owner should know, here is a post that i had published on keeping refrigerator cool while traveling, What Makes Airstream Trailers Expensive and Popular, RV Air conditioner leaking – reasons and solution, How Much Do Pop Up Campers Cost (With 14 Examples), Top 10 Best Travel Trailers For Full Time Living, Top 10 Best Class C Motorhomes For The Money. We recently came across one example that we'd like to share with you, to give you a rough idea of what to expect. A battery bank designed to power an average American household for three days would need to supply 90 kilowatt-hours of energy. Isn’t it? The batteries will need to deliver 20 Amps to run the refrigerator (240 Watts/12 Volts = 20 Amps). Batteries are a form of DC or direct current. Having said this about lights, you don’t really have to replace all the lights. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. However, in reality, if you discharge a lead-acid battery (what you likely have in your RV) more than 50% of the rated capacity you will greatly shorten the life span of the battery. It takes a whole lot more than a refrigerator does. Having a number of batteries totaling more than 800 amp hours can help in boondocking. Among other appliances a TV would take less than 100 watts. Average run cycle is 10 hours. If you travel more and camp for weeks – get two Adventure Kings AGM Deep Cycle Battery 115AH – and match a solar panel to this battery bank. When replacing your batteries, first check your battery compartment and document the depth, height and width. A refrigerator requires lots of power. You may want to defrost the fridge once in while only though. If there are other accessories connected to the same battery, the runtime may decrease significantly, depending on the demand of those other accessories. Include frozen food if possible. If you are going to put other appliances or components on battery as well, then be sure they are efficient enough . A deep cycle battery is designed to use a little bit of power for a long period of time. A RV refrigerator on an average would draw around 150-180 watts while running. Let’s assume this is tested in a laboratory where the outer temperature is 90°F or 32°C. This consumer managed to find out that his refrigerator consumes anywhere from 290mA (.29 Amp-hours) to 610mA (.69 Amp-hours), depending on the outside air temperature and other similar factors. I've camped for 7 nights running an engel 60ltr fridge/freezer set at … We recently came across a consumer, who purchased one of our Group 31 batteries to power his fridge on a camping trip. For the perfect setup you will absolutely need at least one auxiliary deep-cycle battery to run your fridge and 12v accessories this is because if you run it off your starter battery, you risk draining the battery too flat and not being able to start the engine again. It isn’t good to run a battery all the way down to zero during each charge cycle. While you are bondocking, apart from generator you also need to use batteries to power some of the appliances. Here’s what to know and what to do… There’s no need for a “Super Max Turbocharged Fuel Injected 500-Horsepower Big Block” generator to get the job done! And, you will need to use generator more often and even the battery would drain faster. Dometic CoolPower RAPS44 - This is a portable heavy duty 12 V battery that is the ideal choice for running a portable compressor fridge or freezer for long periods of time. The starter or cranking battery on your car is designed to give a high discharge of power known as cold-cranking amps to start your vehicle, followed by a period of recharging from the vehicle’s alternator. 4 modules in series and a Victron Orion DC-DC that takes 18-35V input to convert to 12V which in turn will run my Waeco portable fridge. First, a quick lesson in electronics for those who don’t quite understand what an inverter does. Even with automatic chargers, that turn off on themselves there is a slight chance of overcharging. These can vary from powering a blender or TV for an afternoon of tailgating or keeping food refrigerated during a month-long camping odyssey. A starter battery is designed to use a lot of power for a short period of time (starting a car). Save fuel. Many applications that include refrigerators also have other electrical accessories, like lights, radios, etc... which may also draw current. Battery Cycle life considerations. On the other hand, Battle Born 100 Ah 12 Volt LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery costs several times more than lead-acid batteries and tolerates 5-10 more charging/discharging cycles - it costs more at first, but saves money (and weight) in the long run. The 12 volt deep cycle RV battery is more common than 6 volt RV batteries. But, running a propane fridge during travel is not ideal and you should avoid it. So, if a refrigerator consumes on average 1 amp per hour, and is the only appliance running from a 100 amp-hour battery, you should be able to have the refrigerator run for around 50 hours before recharging becomes necessary. Here’s what to know and what to do… There’s no need for a “Super Max Turbocharged Fuel Injected 500-Horsepower Big Block” generator to get the job done! However, there are other factors to consider. Think it's a 720. Here is how you can power your refrigerator with a battery in an emergency!This Inverter can be used: http://amzn.to/2xHBlXw¿Hablas español? Your refrigerator will run for 8 – 10 hours with the batteries on. It isn’t good to run a battery all the way down to zero during each charge cycle. Battery Cycle life considerations. In general, you risk damage if a rechargeable lead-acid battery is drained below 50 percent of capacity, so you safely can draw 105 amps for only 30 minutes. Even though there are lots of limitation with solar powered energy, it still can power bigger appliances like refrigerator or air conditioner. This means that even the simplest daily operations inside the RV won’t proceed as expected. This may allow the refrigerator in this application to operate well beyond ten days. Need help with OPTIMA products? NOTE: These times assume you discharge the deep-cycle battery 70% (30% of total charge remaining), and they assume that your battery has 100% of its' listed capacity. A propane run refrigerator consume very less of LP and thus it is best option during boondokcing, However, while the RV is on road, its better to not run the propane based refrigerator due to various risk factors. A slightly different example is a 60 watt fridge running on a 12 volt power source uses 60 /12 = 5 amps, but only while the motor runs. Therefore a 100ah (amp hour) battery will last for 1000 hours. With RV being moving vehicle, the absorption mechanism works best for them. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. This time is less for a long road trip. You really need to re-charge when the batteries get down to only around 12.0VDC which is considered 50% drained. Normal deep cycle batteries have a cycle life of about 1500 times, when you only use 30% of their capacity. Typically you run an inverter off of your car's battery or off of a deep-cycle battery that you buy specifically to power the inverter. C (amp hours) = 0.12 Amps * 24 hours = 2.88 amp hours (keep going, not done calculating yet) Step 2. A refrigerator normally run of a AC power and using an inverter the DC from a battery can be converted into AC and then power the refrigerator. For example, we will run the refrigerator for an hour and then turn it off to run the well pump. This time is less for a long road trip. Deep-cycle batteries are a type of lead-acid battery, and is similar to the one you can find in boats and golf carts. How to keep food cool during the on road time. If the battery was designed for deep-cycle use, it should be able to handle such use. Your 12-volt battery is what supplies power in your RV; from the air conditioner, water heater, refrigerator and furnace among others. This means that even the simplest daily operations inside the RV won’t proceed as expected. Think it's a 720. **Guidelines may be exceeded or not reached. If you compare this with other appliances then air conditioner is other appliances that consumes similar or more watts. Size of Generator To Run A Chest Freezer or Refrigerator. Owing to the high demand of power, you need to get yourself the deep cycle batteries as they are meant to store large amounts of power. i'm trying to figure out just how long this fridge could run without running the engine to charge battery. A 100 ampere-hour deep-cycle battery with a power inverter can power a 32″ LED TV at 35 watts for 34 hours, or a smaller 20-watt TV for about 60 hours until the battery is fully discharged. RV refrigerator is an important appliances while camping in RV. A deep cycle battery is designed to use a little bit of power for a long period of time. What Can we Learn from This? An LED light would consume way lesser than normal lights. A very small user of power is a 1.2 watt LED light running on a 12 volt power source will use 1.2W / 12V = 0.1 amps. A smaller boondocking fridge consuming less than 70 watts can last longer than 30 hours. Equipped with premium cranking power and impressive cycling capability, they are perfect Running (9) 17W lights 120 V AC using an inverter powered by two 105 Amp-hr deep cycle AGM batteries in parallel. Well, it depends on lots of factors and battery may not be the ideal way to power refrigerator or any other bigger appliances. Need a new boat battery? I am going to build a portable battery pack from Leaf modules soon. One method is getting multiple batteries and connecting them together. The table below gives you an indication on how long you might be able to run it for without recharging. More importantly, it lets you run your appliances off of stand… With residential refrigerator, boondocking with shore power will be difficult. How long would my setup last Along with 110 V electricity power they also run on propane and DC battery as explained above. For the purposes of this example, we will be focusing on the 75 amp-hour number. Defrosting again will take more watts. Like having a LED lights instead of normal ones will save a lot. How Long Will My Motor Run. However, in reality, if you discharge a lead-acid battery (what you likely have in your RV) more than 50% of the rated capacity you will greatly shorten the life span of the battery. With 2 way refrigerators being more common now, you are left with only propane as the source while traveling. Most of the deep-cycle batteries available are usually 27, 4d, and 8D, which have ratings for 90 Ah, 150 Ah, and 220 Ah, respectively. The advantage of using a good quality deep cycle Lithium Battery is your depth of discharge can go down to 75%. A typical deep-cycle RV battery will be rated around 80 amp-hours, which in theory would supply one amp for 80 hours. This charge may be from the vehicle's alternator, a portable generator, or an appropriately sized solar panel. While going down the road, if you make halts in between then make sure to turn on the propane as source. More amp hours the batteries give more the number of hours refrigerator will run. With this, check the meter reading and see how many amps are being drawn. For example, a brand new 100ah AGM deep cycle lead-acid battery will have around 50 usable amp-hours, divide that by a medium-sized furnace that uses 7.6 amps and you can technically run your RV furnace for 6.5 hours in moderately cold weather without damaging your battery. Car Battery: 12VDC * 50AH = 600 Watt Hours (keep in mind a car battery is a starter battery, not a deep-cycle battery and you will damage it by powering appliances for any length of time) Inefficiencies of the car battery with inverter will be about 15%, so: 43 watts / 0.85 = 50.59 watts being drawn from battery So, if a refrigerator consumes on average 1 amp per hour, and is the only appliance running from a 100 amp-hour battery, you should be able to have the refrigerator run for around 50 hours before recharging becomes necessary. Lets assume my deep cycle battery has an RC rating of 140. It keeps the food cool and fresh. If you like to camp in RV parks and mostly run using shore power, your needs will be minimal. I saved a few pennies and ordered an Odyssey (2150T) group 31 battery. In short, it turns battery power into useable household-type power. Having more number of batteries will provide for more hours. In short, it turns battery power into useable household-type power. Therefore, the A.H. drain will be 160 A.H. Having most of your appliances on DC power in parallel will lead to draining of the battery. chargers for laptop, etc. But....the fridge motor does not need to run all the time, in fact this model indicates it only needs to run about 15% of the time. 600 watt hours from Battery / 50.59 watts per hour by Fridge = 11.86 hours when running 20 minutes per hour until 100% discharge. Our YELLOWTOP batteries are the best fit for the job. If your fridge is drawing 1amp then the PowerTop’s 135AH battery will be able to run for 67 hours. This will allow for longer usage. Most common dometic or narcold refrigerators made specially for RV can last for around 6 to 8 hours on 12 … When one is boondocking, you would be using battery to power not only refrigerator but also other appliances like water pump or lights. He believes in spending time doing Outdoor activities. chargers for laptop, etc. With undercharging, the time that a battery can hold reduces and over time they will stop charging completely. On an average with good care and charging as per recommendation a RV battery can last for more than 5 years. Make sure you charge the batteries fully before turning off the charging. We frequently come across questions from consumers who want to purchase a battery to power their accessories, but don't know how much run time they will get in their application. So in theory the battery when full should sustain the fridge 102/2=51 then 50/2.5=20 hours ? Here is how you can power your refrigerator with a battery in an emergency!This Inverter can be used: http://amzn.to/2xHBlXw¿Hablas español? A typical deep-cycle RV battery will be rated around 80 amp-hours, which in theory would supply one amp for 80 hours. Connecting batteries in series increases the voltage but not the amps. The important specification in these applications is not cranking amps, but Amp-Hours or Reserve Capacity, with physically larger batteries generally having more capacity than their physically smaller counterparts. RV refrigerator starting watts are high but that’s an one time consumption as you don’t turn off turn ON the refrigerator too often. A refrigerator when in running condition may not be a high power eating appliance but an air conditioner is definitely consumes more. You would at-least need 700 amp hours to run for a day. Mostly the automatic ones, but that can be bad for the batteries. Our BLUETOP batteries are high-performance AGM marine batteries But, will it run for longer hours? Also, some people get the generic WalMart batteries or Costco deep-cycle batteries because they have a good warranty. To increase the amps, connect batteries in parallel. Regardless of what the total draw is in a given application, it is important to remember that proper battery voltage is the key to long battery life. Using the inverter calculator, indicates ~14.35 Amps DC load and then running the sizing calculator suggests that I need battery capacity of 306 AH 20 hrs. In this case, a single group 24, 12 v deep cycle battery rated around 80 Amp hours will be sufficient. propane is a good alternative to shore power except when you are going down the road. Furthermore, it should be a deep cycle one, and can operate based on the run-time expectations, with the engine turned off. For example, if you connect two 6 Volt batteries in series then that will give you 12 V but the amps wont increase. then run an inverter off the deep cycle to power fridge and a few misc. Also, if you use the refrigerator more often then the drawn amps will be more. Amps, watts, voltage. A refrigerator too can be powered using a 12 V dc battery. While you are camping deep inside without any hookup, you need to take help from these other sources to keep the appliances running. For example, if your pump is drawing 120 mA and you want it to run for 24 hours. So, point of the matter here is, use the refrigerator minimal way and minimum features ON. With newer models you can get LED installed from the beginning itself. No matter whether you have a travel trailer or a class c RV make sure the batteries are given enough care and proper charging. The watt meter shows that the fridge generally draws between 0 and 45W which seems fairly consistent with the 986Wh per day rating. Read my previous article on how much amps does a RV refrigerator actually consumes, it will make things much clearer to you. Now that we have some numbers about the battery and the motor we can start putting it all together. So, while bondocking how much battery do you really need then? If you were to swap the batteries over, you would probably find that they would still work. How long will my OPTIMA battery power my refrigerator. To make a battery compatible with an AC device, you need to convert one form of power to another, which is precisely what your inverter does. It uses ammonia and hydrogen that mixes with water to produce the cooling effect. Not nearly as long as a deep cycle auxiliary battery or power pack. I'm currently travelling Aus and I just took the century marine battery out of my boat. Average run cycle is 10 hours. Furthermore, it should be a deep cycle one, and can operate based on the run-time expectations, with the engine turned off. A refrigerator too can be bad for the 34M ) batteries will need battery with power. Best for them the ones that get used most and plan for the batteries my deep cycle AGM batteries parallel. 70 % and this will extend the usage overall battery being used in application... 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Average would draw around 150-180 watts while running also use solar panels have also how long will a deep cycle battery run a refrigerator popular with efficiency... The purposes of this example, we will be 160 A.H way lesser normal... Of lead-acid battery, you will need to re-charge when the batteries over, you probably... Undercharging, the shallower a discharge cycle, the absorption mechanism works best them... Doesn ’ t really have to replace my standard battery with a deep cycle one, is... Will deeply-discharging a battery is likely to last power will be focusing on the amps increase. Still can power bigger appliances run the refrigerator minimal way and thus running them battery... As explained above pump occasionally their capacity accessory loaded vehicles no need to run a generator full to! Way to power refrigerator or any other bigger appliances road trip perfect for accessory loaded vehicles duty! One you can assume 80 amp-hours of usable power is no need to help... 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