Lithium Question (2 Viewers)

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Apr 27, 2016
7,011
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Manchester
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A class Hymer
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Since the 80s
Many European MHs can switch the 12V fridge element to run off the leisure battery, without the engine running. My Hymer does this. I have to switch the fridge to manual 12V (ie not on auto select). This runs the battery down quite quickly, so it's not used much, but I have used it on a ferry and in the Tunnel. If your MH doesn't have that facility, then you can run it off the inverter. Because of the inverter losses it will take an extra 10% or so, but that may not be a problem with a big enough battery.
 
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PeterCarole29

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Jul 23, 2013
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Renault Master Fleetwood
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Id love to, but the boys have mega autism (non-verbal and semi-verbal) and the younger (the semi verbal one) only eats eight things, four of which you can't get outside UK!!! Has anyone ever seen Yorkshire puds in Carrefour or SuperU?!!!
This might not be very helpful at the moment you can make a brilliant toad in the hole in a romoska and as your going lithium it’s a life changer
Also air fryers may do Yorkshire puds
Sorry it’s not answering your original question
 
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Nov 2, 2022
412
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Gloucestershire, UK
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Since 2016
Thanks everyone. How long will your setups power a fridge? Im thinking of the 8 hours+ time on the Portsmouth St Malo ferry.
Our Thetford fridge is compressor only and draws 3.6A when on the running duty cycle. I have extrapolated that it will run 10 days on our 230Ah Lithium battery with no other consumers other than a Battery Master.
 
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SMB

Apr 26, 2013
1,237
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Spain
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25,710
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Coachbuild
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Fulltiming since February 2013
Our Thetford fridge is compressor only and draws 3.6A when on the running duty cycle. I have extrapolated that it will run 10 days on our 230Ah Lithium battery with no other consumers other than a Battery Master.

Unless this is a one off... how about investing in a 12v freezer box?
I have one I used to use for Kerry's [RIP] frozen raw food blocks.
Works a treat
I've got an Alpicool 25l 12v cooler/freezer which I use when travelling solo, brilliant. Hardly makes a dent in the current AGM battery overnight. The only downside is it can only be a fridge or a freezer, not both at the same time but not a problem for me. No need to use the fridge on gas when staying on aires without hookup

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Feb 27, 2020
392
710
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69,051
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pilote diamond 783
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2 years
two fogstar 460 in mine, orion xs, 100/30 mppt and the ip22 mains charger ,+cerbo shunt etc. just back from croatia and never went lower than 89%. game changer really.
 
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Al n Val

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Oct 28, 2019
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Well I contacted 3 battery manufacturers they all if you can get one large it’s better than two smaller. Reason less complicated

It’s not complicated Mike at all, I can see both my 280ah Drift batteries either on the Fogstar app, the Xiaoxaing app and the Victron shunt

and if 1 goes t!ts up i’ve always got the other to fall back on
 
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Feb 27, 2020
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Two is better than one , there is no question on this subject to a couple of downsides, if in parrallel you benefit from double the current capability of both BMS ( must be matching). you have and element of redundancy if one battery failed. Downiside is you have slightly more wiring to link them together and you have additional space taken up and weight. As mentioned earlier I have the two 460 fogstar's. they play together quite well and have a combined BMS capability of 400amps. The newer fogstar 460 has a 250amp bms. so can technically better cope with a 3kw inverter.
 
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Jan 29, 2012
276
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Bolton
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Autotrail Delaware
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5
The only reason I would consider two / one battery is if a single battery couldn't handle the load placed on it, which will be down to BMS and manufacturing design.
Roamer can handle 250amps well my single 460 can
 
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Jan 29, 2012
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Bolton
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Autotrail Delaware
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It’s not complicated Mike at all, I can see both my 280ah Drift batteries either on the Fogstar app, the Xiaoxaing app and the Victron shunt

and if 1 goes t!ts up i’ve always got the other to fall back on
Alan when I say less complicated I mean 1 BMS less wires if you have more than one your BMS dosnt talk to the other so after 12 months or so you probably need to level them up ? But there’s nothing wrong with more than one. It’s like built in heaters better off without if you can less to go wrong. That’s what I was told with the manufacturers 👍

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DDJC
Nov 22, 2018
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Unless this is a one off... how about investing in a 12v freezer box?
I have one I used to use for Kerry's [RIP] frozen raw food blocks.
Works a treat
Got one already! A Dellonda or something. Brilliant kit, far better than the van fridge. Trouble, is we therefore have two fridge freezers we need to keep powered 😔
 
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DDJC
Nov 22, 2018
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This has been extraordinarily helpful. Can i then confirm my understanding?

1. So i find out the amperage draw on the van fridge\freezer, (230v, 12v, and gas) and the draw of our coolor box (12v and 230v) and i get my total amperage need?

2. That amperage reduces if i turn the fridge down from 5 to 2?

3. 12v is less efficient, but the 230v inverter runs the battery down quicker.
 
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Apr 27, 2016
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2. That amperage reduces if i turn the fridge down from 5 to 2?
Some 12V fridge elements are not controlled by a thermostat, they are on all the time. Mains 230V elements will be controlled by a thermostat. The fridge temperature control turns up/down the set point of the thermostat. The thermostat is the simple on/off type, so if it switches the element off for 50% of the time it will use only 50% of the power.

The total power required depends on things like how often you open the door, and whether you are adding warm beer cans to cool them down. On a ferry, the door is kept closed, and everything is already cooled, so that's the best situation for using minimum power. You may find that powering via 230V is less power overall than the 12V element, even accounting for conversion losses in the inverter. Maybe you can try it out at home while it's parked on the drive.

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Al n Val

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It’s like built in heaters better off without if you can less to go wrong. That’s what I was told with the manufacturers 👍

That’s what Steve at Roamer told you because they’re batteries didn’t have heaters Mike

I know your happy with your’s mate so that’s all what matters 👍
 
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Nov 2, 2022
412
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Gloucestershire, UK
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Burstner Eliseo C602
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Since 2016
This has been extraordinarily helpful. Can i then confirm my understanding?

1. So i find out the amperage draw on the van fridge\freezer, (230v, 12v, and gas) and the draw of our coolor box (12v and 230v) and i get my total amperage need?

2. That amperage reduces if i turn the fridge down from 5 to 2?

3. 12v is less efficient, but the 230v inverter runs the battery down quicker.
1. The amperage will not be continuous especially if a compressor fridge. The actual current drawn does not vary by much. It is the on-off duty cycle that varies.
2. The on duty cycle will reduce so the amount of overall power over time reduces.
3. Not sure that is correct for a 12V compressor fridge. Ours is very efficient.
 
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Nov 20, 2017
495
647
Worcestershire
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51,424
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Dethleffs
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Since 2015
No idea what an Air Fryer is, I'm guessing it's a kitchen thingy. Not my department. :D
Air fryer Same thing only on steroids you also end up with a tan golden brown! Oh! and crispy ! Still hope for though you Jim , it seems you’ve stumbled across the the door 🚪 labelled kitchen. It’s a start. (y);)
 
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