6V 250amp batteries info

[romany]

OK I know I haven't got a van at the moment but thinking ahead and possibly having to go with a compressor fridge to get the layout and manufacturer we want, my son who works in a marina suggested I might like to try these 6v 250 amp batteries they use on their electric hire boats two of these put together are slightly longer and wider than my 12v 110 amp I normally use but would obviously give me 12v 500 amp,

Now although trained in mechanics (many years ago) electrics was never my strongest discipline.

So do any of you techies out there see any problems with this idea.

 

[romany]

Sorry first mistake should be 250 amps not 500

 

[JockandRita]

@romany.

We have 2 x 6v traction batteries rated @225Ah, connected together giving us 12v @225Ah, and have been using them for years now. They are supplemented by 2 x 85w solar panels, and a Sterling B2B charger, when off grid.
It has been a very successful set up, however, we do not operate a 12v compressor fridge, which may well require a larger battery bank for your needs.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[ericroy]

We HAVE RUN a compressor fridge quite successfully off two 225Ah 6v batteries wired in series for the last five years. We have 240 watts of solar and can typically manage off-grid from April to September.

Compressor fridges and solar are a match made in heaven - in the hottest, sunniest weather the fridge consumes most power when the solar output is at the highest.

 

[romany]

We HAVE RUN a compressor fridge quite successfully off two 225Ah 6v batteries wired in series for the last five years. We have 240 watts of solar and can typically manage off-grid from April to September.

Compressor fridges and solar are a match made in heaven - in the hottest, sunniest weather the fridge consumes most power when the solar output is at the highest.

Thanks Ericoy that's very helpful, I notice you have a 240 watt solar I have been running my previous vans on a 100 watt system with a 12 v 110 amp battery and have stayed off grid for months with no problems, of course there was no compressor fridge running off those systems.

Do you have any idea how much power your compressor fridge takes on average

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[daved2524]

OK I know I haven't got a van at the moment but thinking ahead and possibly having to go with a compressor fridge to get the layout and manufacturer we want, my son who works in a marina suggested I might like to try these 6v 250 amp batteries they use on their electric hire boats two of these put together are slightly longer and wider than my 12v 110 amp I normally use but would obviously give me 12v 500 amp,

Now although trained in mechanics (many years ago) electrics was never my strongest discipline.

So do any of you techies out there see any problems with this idea.

I have 400watt of solar and 480 amp of batteries and I would not run my fridge / freezer on the 12v system as it uses too much out of the batteries. I find it much better to use gas.

 

[DBK]

I have 400watt of solar and 480 amp of batteries and I would not run my fridge / freezer on the 12v system as it uses too much out of the batteries. I find it much better to use gas.

But yours isn't a compressor fridge.

 

[JockandRita]

But yours isn't a compressor fridge.

My thoughts too.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Nasher]

I have a 110ah, leisure battery, no solar and a Waeco CRX-50 compressor fridge

With a bit of planning, I get 3 days power from my leisure battery, usuage includes a bit of TV, lighting, water pump & diesel cooker and I've had the same leisure battery for 3 years

 

[daved2524]

That’s fine but I do know that fridges and freezer takes a lot out of the batteries when off grid. I was told by the supplier of my 5th wheel unit never to leave the fridge freezer on 12v over night when off grid or it will flatten my batteries and it dose. My fridge/freezer is 110v / 12v and gas. It must be the type I have that’s the problem off grid

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[daved2524]

T

I have a 110ah, leisure battery, no solar and a Waeco CRX-50 compressor fridge

With a bit of planning, I get 3 days power from my leisure battery, usuage includes a bit of TV, lighting, water pump & diesel cooker and I've had the same leisure battery for 3 years

That seems good it must be my set up that’s the problem.

 

[daved2524]

The Waeco CRX-50 is consierably smaller than the fridge / freezer I have but still it seems good

 

[Nasher]

The Waeco CRX-50 is consierably smaller than the fridge / freezer I have but still it seems good

My method is: Turn fridge up to max coldness (setting 4) whilst on EHU at home, for 12 hours before setting off

Fill with everything already cold from home fridge - including still frozen homemade ready meals about an hour before leaving (still on EHU)

Drive to destination (disconnect EHU first!) , the first time I need to open the fridge, I turn it down to setting 2

Try not to open the door too much

Keep van cool inside if it's a warm day

That way I manage 3 days (2 nights) without EHU and leisure battery is still in good condition after 3 years

And for completeness, I should add that when away from EHU for longer periods of time, I have a generator (only used in a suitable environment)

One thing I was advised is to wire the fridge directly to the leisure battery (fused obviously) as many of the 'control panels' can give power loss & the Waeco fridges will run up to 24 volts, so no additional voltage regulation is required

Hope this helps

 

[Gaston aires]

Do compressor fridges not run off gas as well ??
Phil

 

[DBK]

That’s fine but I do know that fridges and freezer takes a lot out of the batteries when off grid. I was told by the supplier of my 5th wheel unit never to leave the fridge freezer on 12v over night when off grid or it will flatten my batteries and it dose. My fridge/freezer is 110v / 12v and gas. It must be the type I have that’s the problem off grid

Sorry to bang on but I think you are just confusing things. There are two main types of fridge or freezer used in leisure vehicles, absorption or compressor types. Absorption models create cold from a heat source. This is fine when running off gas but to create heat from 12 volt electricity is very inefficient compared to using the same 12 volt supply to drive a heat pump which is what happens in a compressor fridge or freezer.

You can run absorption fridges off solar if you have enough panels and the sun is shining but it isn't widely done. A compressor fridge is the usual solution as it will use a lot less power than an absorption running on electric and perform much better in high ambient temperature.

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[Lenny HB]

I know quite a few Funsters use 2 X 6 v traction batteries successfully. My only concern would be if one fails you have lost all power. If you have 2 x 12v batteries and one fails you can disconnect it and still have power from the good battery.

 

[NickandClair]

I know quite a few Funsters use 2 X 6 v traction batteries successfully. My only concern would be if one fails you have lost all power. If you have 2 x 12v batteries and one fails you can disconnect it and still have power from the good battery.

It is the same old story with battery banking in general. There is always the element of risk if one battery fall out of bed, with 6v even more that you've lost that temporary life line of just one unit till you sort something out.
Then the risk of one battery getting damaged as a result of the other failing. It's a never ending battle with batteries...……………. or is it?

 

[funflair]

Do compressor fridges not run off gas as well ??
Phil

A compressor fridge works by compressing (using 12v or 240v) a gas to liquid which creates heat which is lost at the back of the fridge, the compressed liquid then drops in pressure as it is passed through a restricter allowing the liquid to change back to gas which takes heat to make the change in state, the heat comes from the inside of the fridge making it colder, the gas is not used as it is simply recycled around the system.

Or that is my take on it anyway.

Martin

 

[Misterg]

I was told by the supplier of my 5th wheel unit never to leave the fridge freezer on 12v over night when off grid or it will flatten my batteries and it dose. My fridge/freezer is 110v / 12v and gas. It must be the type I have that’s the problem off grid

Your fridge freezer (an absorption fridge) will use something like 8 amps continuously on 12V - almost 200 amp hours in a day - which will flatten a typical leisure battery in less than half a day. The 12V option is really only there to keep it going between stops while the engine is running. However, once you've stopped, it will run for weeks on a few kg of gas - ideal for "off grid" use .

The CRX50 (a compressor fridge) uses something like 30-40 amp hours a day, but can only run on electricity. Maybe you'd get two days out of a typical leisure battery without any solar or driving to top it up.

6V traction batteries (like Trojan T-105 and their many copies) are 225AH at the 'standard' C/20 rate, but more like 250AH at a lower discharge rate (C/100) more typical of M/home use. They will also tolerate a fairly deep discharge repeatedly. You might be able to run a CRX50 for 3-4 days without solar / driving / much other usage, or even a bit longer if you're prepared to take them past 50% discharged and have the means to fully charge them fairly quickly afterwards.

 

[ericroy]

Do you have any idea how much power your compressor fridge takes on average

Current draw when running is about 3A, but it probably only runs about 25% of the time on average. So I make that about 18Ah per 24 hour period. The fridge is a Vitrifrigo 60-litre. It would obviously use more/less depending on contents, external temperature and how well it is installed in your van. Ours has good ventilation for air to circulate over the back in our self-build.

Note that our batteries are the Trojan T105s and they still seem to be working well as they approach their 5th anniversary.

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[daved2524]

Your fridge freezer (an absorption fridge) will use something like 8 amps continuously on 12V - almost 200 amp hours in a day - which will flatten a typical leisure battery in less than half a day. The 12V option is really only there to keep it going between stops while the engine is running. However, once you've stopped, it will run for weeks on a few kg of gas - ideal for "off grid" use .

The CRX50 (a compressor fridge) uses something like 30-40 amp hours a day, but can only run on electricity. Maybe you'd get two days out of a typical leisure battery without any solar or driving to top it up.

6V traction batteries (like Trojan T-105 and their many copies) are 225AH at the 'standard' C/20 rate, but more like 250AH at a lower discharge rate (C/100) more typical of M/home use. They will also tolerate a fairly deep discharge repeatedly. You might be able to run a CRX50 for 3-4 days without solar / driving / much other usage, or even a bit longer if you're prepared to take them past 50% discharged and have the means to fully charge them fairly quickly afterwards.

Thanks for that I was begging to think my system was not working as it was supposed to. I do only use the 12v system when traveling then back to gas when I stop and go off grid. I empty it when I go on a ferry

 

[Lenny HB]

Your fridge freezer (an absorption fridge) will use something like 8 amps continuously on 12V - almost 200 amp hours in a day

It is not continuous as it is controlled by the thermostat probably on for considerably less than 50% of the time but ours does draw 12-14 amps when cooling.

Our solar regulator has an AES output that is connected to the fridge when the batteries are charged the fridge switches to 12v. The regulator controlls it in ½ hour blocks so the fridge does not keep switching between 12v & gas and doesn't put too much drain on the batteries