#18536
Trevor Thompson
Participant

Just realised I forgot one comment I wanted to make. Don’t confuse a proper fridge (as I described fitting) with an electrical cool box. They are totally different.

Electrical cool boxes are based on a peltier effect electronic ship. They cool the inside 15 degrees cooler than the outside if I remember correctly.  So when its 35 degrees outside its 20 degrees inside. That is not going to keep milk from going off! To do that they consume typically 7.5 amperes constantly.

A proper fridge uses an electrical compressor and the same liquid/gas system you have in the fridge at home. They cool to sub zero temperatures if required. Ours takes 2.5 amperes when the compressor is running. It runs about 50% of the time. As in it runs for 90 seconds then it goes off for 90 seconds. So the average is something like 1.3 Amperes constantly coming from the battery, and the fridge is at about 5 degrees inside, and its 35 degrees outside it. Our solar panels can give up to 5 amperes in the med. So you can see that the solar panel will provide ample power for a proper fridge (which is keeping food fresh) – but has no chance of powering an electrical cool box (which isn’t keeping food fresh).

 

Trevor