SOLAR vs 12 VOLT FRIDGE TEST | BOONDOCKING WITH A 12 VOLT FRIDGE | ROCKWOOD 2109s

[@Edwardsjourney]

Our Microlite came with a 200w solar panel and I had the factory install a second. I have not installed but have purchased 2 100-amp 24 group lithium batteries that should fit in the double battery box that came with the trailer. So, we will have 400w of solar on the roof and 200 amps of battery power. Basically, what you have, and your video shows we will be just fine with this set up. Thank you for your video.

[@reneepowell8541]

Thanks for sharing your experiences here! This is exactly the information I was wanting...our new rig has the 12V fridge and we are conducting similar experiments (in our driveway, as we speak) on how much power this will deplete from our battery bank. Our new rig has a very similar setup to yours as far as solar, Victron shunt, and lithium battery bank goes. Our previous rig had the two way fridge and we only used a small 165W portable panel with 2-6V golf cart batteries wired in series...we could boondock for days on end, running fridge, lights, water pump, heater, occasional movie night, etc. even with poor solar capture on occasion. Not sure we'll be able to do that with the new setup, but guess time will tell...

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Really depends on location , what the weather is like and how many days you are out. We just got back from our labor day 3 day trip and our site was completely in the shade with no chance at solar. So we had to improvise and use the generator a bit to keep the power up. But in full sun, we have shown we can last a while if we have adequate solar. Good luck with your new rig.

[@LarryBabbitt]

Hi, thanks for the testing. Did you say somewhere what batteries you had on your rig? We have one lithium 100 amp hr battery with only 190 watt solar panel. That can't get it done in our boondocking as your tests already proved. 11:30 AM CST

[@reneepowell8541]

@@LarryBabbitt we have 2-100Ah lithium batteries with 400Watts of solar on the roof. Unfortunately, we haven't had an opportunity yet to test this setup while boondocking for an extended time. We're planning for a trip in January to southern AZ for a few weeks so we'll see how it goes. I'll try to remember to post here to share our experience.

[@woodwarddlw]

This is the type of review I was looking for. Thanks!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Glad it helped you out !!

[@freetoroam7769]

My neck of the woods, as I've driven that canyon highway many times.. Spring camping is great in this region, while everything is still green, yet days are usually warm. I dry camp here in Eastern Wa. about 95% of the time, so rely on being self-contained. I'm finding that two AGM batteries in my truck camper are barely adequate for the cooler weather when the furnace cycles all night. I run the fridge on propane. Recently had put to bed two, 1-year old AGMs. They are toast. The 30,000 BTU furnace in my 2018 Bigfoot camper just consumes too much energy, and ever since I hit 50% or slightly less state of charge on the first trip after buying the batteries last year, the dual -battery setup started it's downward spiral to death. Now I can barely run lights and the radio, so don't plan to use the camper again until can get this resolved. I want lithium, but that would be quite the undertaking for just weekend camping. Considering dual 6V golf cart batteries, if I can find in a size no larger than Group 27. My battery compartment is tight. Also considering upgrading the solar from the current single 150W panel to two or three panels. I do like to boondock in the winter too, which is a struggle. I'm enjoying your channel.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Appreciate the great comment . If you are leaning to 6v and already have issues with amp hour usage then Lithium would be the play , plus a lithium setup will be far smaller and lighter . Plus some of the 6v systems are almost at entry level lithium prices. But if you camp below zero then you should get lithium with low temp charge protection. Costly up front , but only get stung once with the price vs killing off AGM batteries prematurely. Plus solar and lithium will allow for faster and higher charging profiles.

[@tommyNix4098]

I mostly boondock and I have a 12v fridge. I can charge my 200AH battery in a couple of hours using a small generator, and that is enough charge to keep the fridge going for two or three days.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We are hoping that to be the case for us once we switch out our old lithium converter. Our current setup has a low charging rate , but hopefully with our new WFCO auto detect system we will be able to combat in less than desirable solar conditions. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Great comments Tom !

[@Foxdude92]

This is good information because I am shopping for a trailer and it seems all new trailers only come with 12v setup. Long gone are the two way fridges.

[@georgemaze7926]

Thanks for making this video

[@UniqueAdventurez]

You are very welcome , we appreciate the support !!

[@ChasingOurSunshine]

Great review & way to get out there and soak up that solar!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

It was totally a perfect solar weekend, especially for us here in the northwest in April. Thanks for checking it out as always guys !!!

[@MattJones1829]

Thank you sir for the info! We boondock several times per year at traditional archery events in Pennsylvania. We ONLY use our battery to run the circuit board "stuff" for the fridge running on propane. No lights, water pump...nothing else is used; we're pretty militant about it so as to "save the juice" for the fridge circuitry. I'm guessing if we upgraded to two 6-volt golf cart batteries and say...200 watts of solar, we could keep the batteries pretty topped of. I know two of the events we boondock from Saturday morning to the following Sunday morning, a full eight days. As long as we can keep the electrical fridge "guts" running without extra batteries or needing a generator, we'd be tickled!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Really depends o. Your overall power needs. But if you have good sun and not running heavy electrical draws I think 200 watts should be able to keep up. But I would recommend having something as a backup just incase weather isn’t good . Grew up doing archery and is a great sport !

[@TheDealHunter]

Enjoyed this video. Another fun experiment would be to cover one of your panels and run the same test with similar conditions. Since you stated that you were basically topped off by 12:30, I think you could have captured even more 91 amp hours if you battery was bigger. Another test option would be to start the morning with a more depleted battery. Maybe even down to around 50 amp hours or 75% depleted. I bet you could capture 140 or more amp hours in ideal conditions like you had on this day.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Mark, great ideas. I think we can see about fitting in and doing some more testing from a lower power level to see what we can bring in and also to see what is the bare minimum needed for the 12v fridge in perfect conditions. I do feel that for piece of mind that I wouldn't want less than the 380 watts of solar that we already have. Love the great comment and will put these ideas into video's !!!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

This test confirmed what we thought that with 380 watts of solar in great conditions that you can combat the power usage of a 12v fridge. What are your experiences with your 12v fridge ?

[@oysterfleet5669]

Exactly what I was looking for. I still have a propane refrigerator and was wondering about power usage and solar for a compressor fridge. I do have 2 portable solar panels that i put out on long stays. One is a briefcase type with glass panels and works great. The other is a flexible panel that I keep under the mattress that takes up zero space.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

If you have ground chasing solar and roof mount solar you could be in. Enter shape then we were . We are also going to be looking around a ground system as well.

[@phyllisreischl4683]

Thanks for doing this test. We are currently searching for a new rv. I completely understand the benefits of the 12 volt fridge, but it seems more stressful trying to make sure you have enough power, not to mention all the talk of: shunts, different controllers, panels, and batteries. It seems complicated for this old school camper and not near as relaxing. If you had it to do over, would you get a 12 volt again? We are currently looking at your brand of trailer but are leaning toward a used one with 2 way fridge as we go unplugged quite often. I'm also loving your campground reviews!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We love what the 12v fridge brings and the only thing I hate it for is its power consumption. We do want to off grid more throughout the year and it all comes down being able to properly power it. It is a neucence . but with lithium prices continuing to drop it getting cheaper. If you don't want to worry about power and power usage than the 2 way fridge is for sure a better option today, but the gap for everyone is narrowing. Thanks also for checking out our campground reviews. Great question.

[@bigfish222]

Glad it worked out. I'm assuming you did the test near the summer solstice. I wonder how it would work at the winter solstice. I like the idea of a DC frig. Just you need a massive solar array and battery bank to be worry free. I think double your setup would be perfect. Thanks for the video.

[@bigfish222]

Sorry I see it was in April now.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Yep , still pretty early in the year , but still put out decent numbers. And with us being in the Pacific NW we also get a ding for not having optimal solar conditions as well !!

[@RobertJory10]

would be interested in seeing how you replace the PWM

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We actually have a video documenting the process with us going from the PWM to a Victron MPPT. You can’t find it on our channel, in the RV mods playlist.

[@angelolamantia]

Great content thanks! Everyone on KZbin has videos with $10k of battle borne batteries and thousands of watts of solar. This is real world stock setup with just an upgraded battery.😊

[@UniqueAdventurez]

For the most part it is a lower power setup. Perfect for us right now and we now know that in full sun we are going to be good to combat that fridge. Glad you got something out of it !

[@GimpyCamper]

Great video

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Appreciate the support !!

[@thewanderingshores]

Another solid video. Those panels are performing pretty well fo you guys. Do you think you will switch out for an MPPT? At this point I don't think you really need to based on the power you are using currently. Did you figure out how much vampire draw you have in the rig with the fridge off?

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We have been toying with upgrading to a MPPT , but have wanted to see how much rely on the solar . But since making this video I think that’s the direction we will be going. I’m going to be doing some more testing on the draw without the fridge a bit down the road . We did do a overnight trip without the fridge and the power savings were astronomical. Thanks for checking in with the video Kyle !!

[@matsulli2086]

Very helpful. Been thinking of a 12v fridge replacement of my propane fridge. I have 200a lithium and 400w of solar. Still comparing 12v vs residential. Still happy with the fridge?

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We do still like the benefits of the fridge with the extra space and the safety to run while we are on the move are great benefits. You definitely need to have the power supply to keep up with it. Depending on how much dry camping you do. You may have 1-2 days of dry ability on 200ah, depending on your ability to bring in solar. Hope that helps

[@winstonrobinson6732]

Thanks for the great usage tests on your 12v fridge. My new TT has a 8 cu ft Furrion 12 v only fridge so haven't had a chance to see how much draw it will have over 24 hours and don't know where to find the amp draw? Nice info from your tests. Thanks

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Yours is just a tad smaller , so I would assume it might be a smidge more efficient with power . . May have to check online for the draw info . It shoo-ins have a sticker with the range on it somewhere. But regardless , all 12v fridges eat the power and should all have lithium setups if you do any dry camping . Good luck with your new trailer

[@scoobiedoo2517]

Impressive

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Thank you !!!

[@travelrush507]

We have to try dry camping, have fun.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

It’s a lot of fun , we love be challenged and the places you can go to get more disconnected. It’s our favorite way to camp !

[@michaelroach1119]

I have a Cannon 12v refrigerator on a newer 2021 Wolf Pack, with the Juice Pack system. The trailer came with a 50 watt panel mounted on the roof. We added two, 200 watt solar panels on the roof, giving us a total of 450 watts. I took it to Stanley Idaho for 3 days. I still needed to use my generator. Thinking of adding another 100 watt panel and add a 3rd battery. Thoughts?

[@UniqueAdventurez]

I was trying to do some research on the Juice pack systems and form what i saw it uses a 12v or 2 6v batteries (did say it was a deep cycle system), which to be honest is not really an upgrade. a 50 watt panel will do nothing for a 12 v fridge as far as charging. I think your solar is correct in the 450 watts , which is comparable to what we have. Your issues is that with lead acid the batteries cant absorb as much of the power as you are bringing in so I think the issue is the batteries. I have said that lithium is a must with 12 v fridges. I would recommend getting at leaset 200 amp hours depending on how long you dry camp, maybe even 300 just to be sure. Let us know if you have any other questions and good luck with the trailer.

[@4314832]

just grab a 200 watt portable folding panel so you can move it around by hand, that's what I do and its the best way if found

[@UniqueAdventurez]

We are working g on that option as well to get some extra coverage . Sounds like your portable panel is doing well ?

[@EarlBalentine]

It would be nice to know how many wats is the fridge consuming when the compressor kicks on? Shore power.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Usually about 6-8 amps so 72-96 watts.

[@jakeh409]

Very good review! What size is your fridge? Thanks, Jake

[@UniqueAdventurez]

It is 10.2 cu ft. Thanks for the awesome comment Jake !

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Actually checked again and it’s 9.8 cu ft

[@johnschindler349]

Does the truck charge the batteries when going down the road

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Great Question John. Not anything noticeable. To get effective truck to RV charging we would need to install a Dc-Dc charger.

[@mikelagos7329]

Thinking of getting a 12v fridge for our class c motor home. We have 2 6V golf cart batteries 22ah each and 400Watts of solar on the roof. We also have a built in onan generator. Do you think we would have any issues? Only camp in the summer months here in BC, Canada.

[@mikelagos7329]

Sorry 225ah on the golf carts.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Great questions . As you saw we can get by with the 400 watts of solar with having good conditions. The problem lies with your battery capacity . With 225ah of lead acid batteries and using the 50% rule you really have 112.5ah usable power, which would be around a days worth of conservative power. Lead acid batteries also can’t harness as much of the solar as they can need to be charged at a lower rate to not fry the batteries. So you may not be able to even harness as much as we do since we have lithium (which can take more power faster). You then might be relying on the generator more than you would like to due to the lead acid and also with you being farther north having less ability to harness as much solar as us down the the states. If you were going to be dry camping often I would suggest looking into upgrading into lithium batteries and depending on your power usage (what things you like to run on power) I would suggest At least 200ah of lithium as the minimum and deposing on how many days you are out at a time and power usage maybe even as high as 300-400ah. Really depending on your power needs and how much you don’t want to be stressing about having good solar. This was a great question Mike , hopefully this helps !!

[@johnkauffman1191]

Guarantee being a trailer manufacture, they probably use the cheapest solar panels. I seen some solar panels that are made for homes that are close to 565watts And they can be used they come with a excellent 15/20year warranty They’ll add about 120 pounds worth of weight to the roof but. I’m thinking on my 83 holiday rambler that I’m doing imperial. I have enough room to put eight of those panels up on top and a walkway in the middle where are my three roof vents are and my AC.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Our panels have done decent (with the issues we have had with the solar). They are 2 190 watt go power panels. If you can get up to 8-565 watt panels on your roof that will for sure help bring in some serious power !!! Thanks for the great comment John and good luck with the solar. Do you have a 12v fridge in your trailer ?

[@2hotscottpro]

Mine runs with 100ah bat and 300 watt panel on 4 hours of sun with 30 amp mttp controller.I think lol Installed a monitor and shunt so I’ll keep an eye on it.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

For lithium having a shunt is the way to go for monitoring !!! We are currently switching to a MPPT victron solar controller

[@ellafields9424]

I didn't hear the size of frig.. Isn't that a major consideration?

[@UniqueAdventurez]

sorry if I didn’t get it in there. it’s a 10.2 cu ft fridge. This video is a continuation of a video we had done where we went into a little more depth on the actual fridge. should ha restated the fridge better.

[@ellafields9424]

First ever vidio 4me.. didn't see others. Thanks 4 reply 😇

[@Abeaness]

What’s the make and model of the 12v fridge you’re referencing?

[@Abeaness]

Just curious what the manufacture notes for the power draws and such compared to what you experienced

[@UniqueAdventurez]

It is a GE fridge . Model # GPV10FSNBSB

[@DianeLStyma]

Sun solar. Beautiful and renewable!!!!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

It is wonderful , that is for sure !!

[@PaynefulT]

Not sure this will work for me, sun always goes east west where I camp.

[@UniqueAdventurez]

I would look at rv positioning to help assist or also combat with a ground solar unit to chase the sun