Solar dramas!!!

Check the amp draw on the back or side of fridge, and compare that to what you have in capacity, remembering fridges etc will spike when first starting, google is your friend.

Is it a caravan fridge or a household fridge ?
You charged all day to 12.6 VOLTS....that's not fully charged.
As said you need to find the current draw of the fridge.....but it sounds like it is too much for either the battery or inverter or both.....only running with the addition of solar.

Re The Frig, is it a 12v Compressor Fridge or a 240vac that you are running on the inverter. Brand/Model? To Me: 140Battery and 250 Solar Ok for a 3way Frig running on LPG. ( Similar to our Campervan set up but yours slightly bigger).
When our Battery is Fully charged it reads 13.3v
I only use a 150watt Inverter to charge the shaver battery everything else is 12v/LPG.

Large Inverters have a highish standing loss even when not in use so can flatten your battery, best to get an inverter that does the job..

If its a compressor Frig, I would be looking at a minimum of 2 batteries and a minimum of 500w of solar on the roof with adequate cabling to reduce losses and a more suitable inverter ( But then again we do not use a 240Vac Coffe machine or a 240Vac toaster or Microwave if needed would use the generator.)

Note I am not a solar expert but have put Solar on our Tandem Caravan and Long wheel Base High roof Sprinter Campervan years ago and both systems are still working successfully..

Suggest more research and $ needed.

G'day Leigh,
Assuming you are running a 240v fridge that draws say 3 amps @ 240v it will draw 20x that out of your battery.
So thats 60amps per hour so 140ah battery is dead flat in a couple of hours.
Sorry but drawing that much power from your system it can never work.
There are many other factors to consider & I have simplified it somewhat so you can get a simple understanding of what is happening.

Cheers
Stu

Leigh
A charged battery will be 12.8 at rest. You don't charge it to 12.6 amps, that is a confusion of terms I think. A fridge will take at least 11 amps draw WHILE running. Starting load on battery is much higher, around 35amps. PLUS. Using a fridge on an inverter, linked to a battery is possible but an inefficient way to have a fridge. However, if it is the only possibility, then the battery capacity is far too small to run for long without inverter dropout at startup voltage when battery is down a bit. I use my 240v ac house fridge, about 400 L , on battery and 1000w psw inverter. It draws 11 amps while running, lots more on startup, but do have 200ah of battery attached AND 450 w of solar. It does the job but lesser sun days will deplete the batteries below 12v if not careful. I use two solar systems on it, one 240W running 40v to an MPPT charger to the 12v. The other is a so called 250 w panel running 18v to another MPPT charger and also charging same batteries. Overall your solar input is not enough and the battery capacity for over night use also needs an upgrade.
Using two panels of suitable size and in series, 40v with capable charger, gives earlier starting of charge early on and lasting longer while overcoming long lead input , my situation, to charger at batteries.

I don't think that domestic fridges are as well insulated at fridges designed for RVs. I have a 210 litre 12 volt fridge freezer that averages 2.5-3 amps during normal weather. I think with yours running off an inverter I'd be surprised if it used less than 80 amp hours per day. Maybe boot it up on mains power then switch to battery once it's cold.
Your solar panel will probably give you about 60 amp hours a day at a guess. That's, at another guess, a 20 amp shortfall in full sun, which would drain your battery in six hours.
So maybe there is not enough grunt in the system - more battery power, more solar and perhaps a better (or smaller) fridge might be on the cards.
Solar4RVs has an excellent solar/battery calculator which will tell you where you stand for any location in Australia at any time of the year.
Solar calculator
Running your battery down will bugger it pretty quickly. And 12.6 volts is way off full charge. Maybe get it checked.
In the car I have 200 watts of solar on the roof running a 95 litre Evakool off a little 85AH battery, which is all that will fit under the bonnet. I still need to run the engine every couple of days if the sun is patchy.
Keith

G'day Leigh,
Just to explain the 20x rule a bit more but keeping it simple.
This calculation does not specifically relate to your 240v fridge but it should give you an idea why most people have issues running ANY 240v appliance thru an inverter. In addition to the following you get system losses that need to be allowed for.
SO lets say you have a 240v appliance that uses say 500w at 240v.

amp = watt / volt
Amp = 500/240
Amp = 2.08.

So looks like thats not much?
Now substitute 240v for 12v

amp = watt / volt
Amp = 500/12
Amp = 41.66 Ouch!

So your battery be totally flat with no solar in 3 hrs. This would quickly damage the battery as you should not discharge below 50%.
Also note the wire from 12v battery to inverter needs to be pretty heavy to carry these currents.
I see this situation over & over with friends that buy large inverters to run 240v power tools & wonder why their 12v battery goes flat in less than 1 hour.
Hope this simplified explanation helps.
Cheers
Stu

To be honest, with that explanation, you should seek professional help from someone that can observe what is going on. It sounds impossible to diagnose from afar with your description. I think you are mixing up volts, amps, amp hours and watts.

I think it is ( not) working as you could reasonably expect though.

Leigh, Instead of spending $2000 on a new frig spend it on upgrading your solar and battery system. You won't be sorry.

Racey

Leigh,

How long have you owned the van sounds like you may have just purchased it?

If you have just purchased the unit was the inverter already their for the fridge,
if so ask the previuos owner how long the battery could supply the fridge?

Putting a three way in is not just a simple replacement, you'll need to have gas
connected to it and a seperate power circuit from the car to power it installed.

the minute i read the word kings, i knew your problem. The battery box is wired for a torch light. Even the inverter wiring is 6mm inside the box.

I,ll also bet the supposed 140 amp/hr battery is a lot closer to 110 amp hr battery.

G'day Leigh,
If you have not left your battery flat for long it will likely be ok.
Just a few things to consider before you buy a 3way fridge.

Running on 12v they draw at least 10 amp so best only to run on 12v when powered from the alternator. When you stop for the night then switch to gas. No need to switch to gas for morning tea or lunch stops though.

Other option is compresser fridge Engel, Waeco, Evakool etc. These use much less power but of course you don't have the gas option if you camp in one spot for a while so will have to ensure your Solar is up to the job.

So which is best? Depends on your style of camping. For me its 12v compressor fridge with small Solar panel for top up because we move camp frequently & the alternator takes care of my 2 off 120ah batteries.
If you plot in one spot for a while maybe 3 way using gas is a good option then if you have days of cloud cover you can still keep things cold.

Cheers
Stu

Leigh R2 I have only been using agm batteries for only around 5yrs, through my research and as others have explaind the heavier the battery the better the quality. I have an aussie battery and their weight is lower than what it should be for their size so your not getting what you pay for. Lot's of these companies have also been reducing the batteries weight over time and sometimes increasing their ah capacity so if you do the reasearch you'll find that doesn't add up and to put it bluntly we are getting ripped off.

The same thing is happening with solar panels if you find a genuine reputable company and compare for eg their 200w solar panel dimesions to other brands who mark the same size panel up to 250w or larger just to get sales. I bought a 170w panel 5yrs ago the same company now markets it as a 200w so hopefuly techknowledgy has improved to justify that if not buyer be ware.

You said your getting rid of the power hungry fridge is it a 240v house fridge or a proper 12v compressr upright fridge and how old is it ? I was wondering why you run it through an inverter because that will use little bit more power, a true upright 12v compressor fridge doesn't need one, would be a lot more efficent on battery power, is designed to run while your driving and keep items cooler and constantly more stable than a 3way fridge can as well.

You will also find a 3way fridge is very power hungry and won't last more than a couple of hours on a battery.

Silly decision to get a 3 way fridge if not intending to run it on gas. 12 of it is JUST for Emergency or car running with appropriate wiring, another minefield there too. A 3 way running on it's 240v heater element will also use more than the fridge you already have. Far better to firstly learn about what you need than to knee jerk buy another item which won't necessarily suit your purpose .

perhaps you should outline exactly what you have and the components capacities, sizes current draw, etc, and state what you want to achieve, is it for camping or home use, static. on the move, in a vehicle etc.
Only after we know what your intentions are can anyone here, be able to give accurate solutions. Don't go and buy something else which if you don't understand about either, it will see you waste money and still not have what you require.

Your last line in post says " turned the fridge on and immediately went to 11.9amps" THAT HAS TO BE VOLTS! You must learn the difference between these basic factors to understand about what you are dealing with.

.
Hi Leigh,

You seem to be in deep trouble.
I note that you said "the battery is from Aussie Solar batteries in Nambour". I am a skilled electrician and live near Nambour. If you would like me to visit you and provide assistance then contact me via email on "allanb.qld@gmail.com" and provide your phone number.

Hi Leigh R2,

Let me first say that I am not an Auto Elec. or an expert in all things 12 volt, nor do I have any affiliation with any company or business. There are others (like Allan B) who are expert in these things.

There has been some very good advice offered in some of the responses, and some not quite as good.

From my research and experience, for any 12 volt system that requires “long” low to medium current draw (AmpHr) usage like 12 volt compressor fridges, (as opposed to very high current draw appliances), Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries are far more efficient than an AGM or other Lead Acid deep cycle batteries, (an AGM is one type of Lead Acid Deep Cycle battery).

As others have stated, a 3 way or absorption type fridge is not very efficient, especially on 12 volts. Even the newer “tropical” models will struggle in hot humid conditions, even when running on LPG. A 12 volt compressor fridge will draw far less power than an absorption fridge when running on 12 volts. Another disadvantage of an absorption fridge is that you will most like need two x 8.5 kg LPG bottles to keep your fridge going, particularly if you have gas hot water or gas heating as well. This means weight on the draw bar. If you only need gas for cooking, you could possibly get away with two x 4.5 kg LPG bottles, saving weight. As others have stated, running a 240 volt compressor fridge on 12 volts through an inverter is also an inefficient use of power, as the inverter itself will also draw power from your batteries.

Compressor fridges even though they are more efficient, have their drawbacks. They need an adequate battery capacity & charging capacity to be self sufficient. This is where LiFePo4 batteries with the appropriate solar capacity & charging system shine. For the average say 200 Ltr caravan fridge, 200 AmpHr of LiFePo4 battery capacity, along with 400 watts of solar with the appropriate DC to DC Charger should see you able to stay “off grid” for several days without much difficulty providing you have enough sunlight during the day. Of course, if you are using other “power hungry” appliances in conjunction with the fridge, this will have an effect of the ability to stay off grid for longer. One advantage of LiFePo4 batteries is that they will charge must faster, with the appropriate charger, than an AGM battery. They will also continue to deliver in excess of 12.5 Volts, down to about 15 to 20% State of Charge (SOC) without affecting their longevity, compared to about 60% SOC for an AGM.

Hope this has been of some benefit.

Macca.