waeco power usage

Submitted: Thursday, Aug 02, 2007 at 22:04

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ross

Hi forumites. Last week I connected my waeco 50 fridge(new type) to an105 amp Dacor sp? deep cycle sealed battery.
I used the 12V cable and fitted eye fittings and screwed them direct to the terminals.

At -7 degrees I got 6 days I think(couldnt remember the what day I started the test on : ) ) until the battery voltage dropped to about 11v from 12.8v
I guess 6 days is right as it seemed to drop the voltage by a 1/3rd of a volt per day.
It was on the low setting ,so I expected it to drop to 10.?
I guess it was some inefficiency in the wiring not allowing the voltage to drop below 11v

I opened up the fridge 3 times a day with only some frozen 2 litre bottles in there and the room temp was normal insulated household temp with the reverse cycle heater running on the cold nights.

I also have an inverter. If I connect it to the battery and run the fridge through the inverter would the power drain be higher or lower than using the fridge it in its 12volt mode?
I guess it would drain the battery a little quicker ,probably due to some inefficiency but I would be interested in any opinions

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Reply By: Crackles - Thursday, Aug 02, 2007 at 22:41

Thursday, Aug 02, 2007 at 22:41

Forget the inverter Ross it has loss's of it's own making run time far less. 6 days is extra ordinary for a 50L fridge & not something you would expect in the car on a trip. General use in warm conditions often sees 25 to 30ah+ not the 15ah per day you got.
Cheers Craig..........

AnswerID: 255568

Reply By: Member - Matt M (ACT) - Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 07:58

Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 07:58

Agree with Craig. On the road under a range of conditions, my Waeco 50 averages about 25 Amps per day. The voltage cutout settings work on the voltage at the compressor, not the battery. So you should expect about 1 volt difference. So your cut out figure is about right. I think that the lowest setting is 10.4 volts, or about 11.4 volts at the battery.

Matt.

AnswerID: 255607

Reply By: Gronk - Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 08:33

Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 08:33

6 days sounds pretty good, but if it was my battery, I wouldn't be draining it down to 11V !!
Not unless I had to ( read the beers had to stay cold ).......

11.8 to 12V is the preferred lower voltage to achieve good life out of your battery, but as said above.......if it means the beer goes hot.....well, the battery may have to suffer !!!!!!

AnswerID: 255612

Reply By: ross - Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 08:52

Friday, Aug 03, 2007 at 08:52

Thanks for your replies. I realised this didnt reflect real world usage but I was keen to see how far it could be stretched if needed.

I have a Yamaha 1000 genny as well which I can charge up the battery to keep it in its preferred range.
I may go solar when I have some $$$

AnswerID: 255615