doin the maths- engel power consumption

Submitted: Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 19:54
ThreadID: 89858 Views:11611 Replies:2 FollowUps:8
This Thread has been Archived
Hi all, doing some research before replacing our Trojan marine battery in the camper. I was doing some loose mental math as to my power usage on the engel but got a bit lost trying to workout if there is a prediction on how long it cycles for at the different dial settings. I started out using maximum 4.2 amps and cycling 50%, however on reflection- with the fridge (its a 57L combo) running on no 5 and keeping the freezer nice and frozen, it would problably be running close to 100%. Short of sitting there measuring each time it cycles on and off is there a better way of doing my calculations.The Troj was down to 12v(under load) after 12 houirs which is the worst it has performed. It is now 5 years old and has been mistreated terribly in the past. I was hoping to replace it with another battery and get about 48 hours before having to recharge. My caclulations suggest a 130ah unit should achieve this however want to be more sure of the numbers before making a purchase. Also is it true that Engels don't have a low voltage cutout and will suck a battery dry?ta, doc.
(ps -I know this falls under the dreaded battery/12 volts suject heading- play nicely everyone!)
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: luke80 - Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 21:41

Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 21:41
The 57L combo pulls an "average" of 4 amps per hour. You cannot divide this directly into the amp hours a battery has as they say to allow 20%. 130 amp hour battery divided by 4 amps equals 32.5 hours, minus 20% equals 26 hour run time. No Engel's don't have battery protection cutout like Waeco etc.
AnswerID: 469035

Follow Up By: oldtrack123 - Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 22:11

Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 22:11
Hi Oz Doc

Engels generally draw between 4.4 & 4.7amps when actually running.
The problem of determining the actual run time is ALL the variables
Such as ambient temp
thermostat setting
door opening time & frequency
warm loads being put in
Amp hrs used could be as low as 25or 30per 24hrs in cold weather, fridge not on freeze ,& not being loaded with warm goods

OR could be as high as 120amp hrs per 24hrs if on max freeze or being constantly loaded with warm goods [cans]

Normal average use is around 60<80amphrs per 24hrs.
Remember you should not take the battery below 50% capacity if you want long battery life.
Engels do not have a low voltage cutout as low voltage cannot harm them [unlike Waecoes]
But you should have a low voltage cutout on your van /aux battery as standard to protect it from over discharge

Peter
0
FollowupID: 743370

Follow Up By: oz doc - Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 23:12

Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 23:12
Thanks guys. Doesnt sound like my maths was too far off. I think someone on this site did a test once and actually measured the run time of their fridge every hour, and used this to guestimate their power usage. Pity someone hasnt come up with an electronic monitor which can give you this information. We can send man to the moon- surely we can measure a bit of current?doc.
0
FollowupID: 743372

Follow Up By: luke80 - Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 23:57

Tuesday, Nov 01, 2011 at 23:57
Yeah there are plenty of variables but 4 amps per hour average is the figure Engel use for the 57L combi, I used to sell them. It's not usually too far off for normal usage according to what customers used to tell me. Yes low voltage won't hurt the engel but maybe the battery.
0
FollowupID: 743373

Follow Up By: Member - Captain (WA) - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 00:15

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 00:15
Plenty of devices available to measure the power consumed. I have added the Watt Meter to my Evakool to measure exactly how many amp/hours it draws. In the pic below its the blue device connected to the cables near the stubbie holder. Cost was ~$35.



Another type is the Nasa BM1 battery monitor. While the pic below shows the instataneous amps and volts with battery state of charge (was my solar input), other screens show the cumulative amp hours used for the total power draw in my camper. This one costs ~$200.



Cheers

Captain
0
FollowupID: 743374

Follow Up By: oz doc - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 08:16

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 08:16
Thanks for that Captain. So does the watt meter show the cumulative amphours drawn too or just the current 'current' draw. Where did you get it from. Ta , doc.
0
FollowupID: 743379

Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 10:01

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 10:01
Here is the manufacturers web site. From there you can download the manual and wiring diagram.

There is a bit on that page that says "A resettable Amp Hour counter is provided for checking the efficiency of the charging system or keeping a track of power consumption." To use this, set the device up to monitor the fridge current, reset it to zero and let it rip. At the end of some time (one or more days) check the total amp hours used. Divide this by the total hours run. This will give you the average Ah (amp/hours) usage.
PeterD
Retired radio and electronics technician

Lifetime Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 743382

Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 15:21

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 15:21
Good onfo Captain.
What brand is the Watt Meter on your Eva Cool?

VKS737 - Mobile 6352 (Selcall 6352)

Lifetime Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 743397

Follow Up By: Member - Captain (WA) - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 16:45

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 16:45
I bought my Wattmeter from the link below, a local reseller who is a regular on the MySwag forum. It works fine for what I wanted and its price of $35. One limitation is that the total amphour value cannot exceed ~50 a/hrs. Something to do with internal memory limit but as long as you know, just monitor how long you keep it on for to work out the average amphour draw.

Watt meter - Getaway Gear

The Nasa BM1 obviously does a lot more, but at some 6x the price, so it should.

Cheers

Captain


0
FollowupID: 743408

Reply By: The Bantam - Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 11:01

Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011 at 11:01
As has been posted before the real issue is the variability...AND the freezer.

There is amssive difference between running a fridge at arround +2C and a freezer at -15C.

I have 2 identical WACKO's on my 90AH battery I can run the fridge ( assuming it and its contents are prechilled) for 2 to 3 days no problems with out starting or charging, but running as a freezer I will not get a full day, running both overnight is a bit of an ask.

its all about heat ( or cold losses) the colder it is the more it will draw and plenty off it....and the hotter it gets outside the worse it gets.

Unless you have a huge battery I would not expect to run the freezer at a safe temperature in addition to the fridge more than overnight without charging.

And namn right the engel does not have a low voltage cut out...this is good and bad.

Off the shelf seperate low voltage cut outs can be easily baught...even Jaycar has them.

cheers
AnswerID: 469057

Sponsored Links

Popular Products (9)