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Post by jdawson2010 on May 12, 2020 13:37:21 GMT -5
I recently purchased a KZ C231BHKSE Travel Trailer and am interested in information on power consumption and ability to utilize the refrigerator while camping off grid. (The fridge is a Everchill Model WD-282FWDC) My trailer is pre-wired for a Furrion Portable Solar Power Charger. The question is if I purchase a solar panel which looks like it is limited to 10A, how long can I realistically use the refrigerator before the battery will not hold a charge. Conversely, how much solar / battery capacity would I need to add to camp off grid?
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corny
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 20 
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Post by corny on May 12, 2020 19:56:48 GMT -5
According to your owners manual you would need minimum 10.7v - 17v DC and 15+ amp draw. Your quandary is why I made sure I had a propane powered Norcold refrigerator that only needs 0.5 amp @ 12v DC when I purchased my new Connect. It looks like you would need considerably more solar panels than the 10 amp, and have a site with full sun. I carry a 2000 watt Honda generator to help charge my battery as needed and occasionally run the microwave when camping off grid. The trade off was a slightly smaller 8 cu ft refrigerator for the dual propane/ electric versus the 10 cu ft 12 V only model.
If you recently purchased your RV would the dealer be willing to trade your DC only fridge for a dual powered propane unit? It seems to me that if you are going to be off grid a lot then the propane fridge would be preferable.
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Post by laknox on May 13, 2020 11:12:25 GMT -5
IMO, "solar pre-wiring" is pretty well useless as, like the rest of the rig, mfrs use the cheapest junk they can get away with. If the solar charge controller is NOT MPPT, dump it. Likely the wiring is pretty anemic as well, which will =greatly= affect charge capacity.
IMO, ignore the solar pre-wire (except to maybe use the existing wiring to pull through heavier gauge wire), install a good MPPT charge controller and heavier wire, go for 100 watts of solar (absolute minimum, 200 would be better) and use 2 6v golf cart batteries.
Lyle
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usmc8511
Newbie RV’er
2020 KZ Sportsmen 250THLE
Posts: 6
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Post by usmc8511 on Jun 9, 2020 14:15:40 GMT -5
IMO, "solar pre-wiring" is pretty well useless as, like the rest of the rig, mfrs use the cheapest junk they can get away with. If the solar charge controller is NOT MPPT, dump it. Likely the wiring is pretty anemic as well, which will =greatly= affect charge capacity. IMO, ignore the solar pre-wire (except to maybe use the existing wiring to pull through heavier gauge wire), install a good MPPT charge controller and heavier wire, go for 100 watts of solar (absolute minimum, 200 would be better) and use 2 6v golf cart batteries. Lyle I am in the "business" (Communications, but I do a fair amount of solar) and agree with everything said here. You have pre-wire, nothing more. There is NOT a solar charge controller installed, just a Furrion connector that is wired to the battery. Go heavy on the wire, and a MPPT over PWM will work better, but in order to take advantage of the MPPT you need a higher Voltage panel than 12v. An MPPT will charge more and faster during peak sun hours than a PWM controller. By the way 12v solar panels are the most expensive per watt so buying a MPPT controller allows you to use and take advantage of a higher voltage panel. Get a good controller, don't get the 10a chinesium for 11.99. Spend more even if you stay PWM. You don't want a fire. Make sure you get a negative ground controller. There will be no advantages to using a positive ground on an RV/trailer. |
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