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View Full Version : Using a mini fridge with inverter?


t0mills
05-06-2009, 02:31 PM
I've got a week long trip coming up soon. I had planned on buying one of the EdgeStar Fridge/Freezers, but missed their first sale ($399) and was waiting to see if they would drop them back down again.....but now they are sold out.
So, it doesn't look like I will be getting one in time for my trip.


I have a small 3.2cu/ft stainless steel mini fridge that I keep in my garage. It runs off of 110, and is pretty quiet.

My question is... Have any of you guys ever ran one of those in a vehicle? I have a power inverter that is rated at 750w continuous, and 1500w peak.

The vehicle is a suburban, so there is plenty of room, and I have no problem rigging up some sort of latch that will keep the door closed tight when the vehicle is moving.


Any feedback/opinions are appreciated!
jham
05-06-2009, 04:03 PM
any offroading in the trip or just pavement?
t0mills
05-06-2009, 04:27 PM
any offroading in the trip or just pavement?


Mostly pavement, with a few dirtroads thrown in the mix. Pavement will be all scenic highways through Colorado/Utah.
go4aryd
05-06-2009, 05:05 PM
If you shake up consumer fridges, you are likely to mess up the condensor. I forget the exact problem it can create, but if you don't care if it quits you have little to lose. I have had problems when moving my kitchen fridge via moving truck.
dustboy
05-06-2009, 07:44 PM
but if you don't care if it quits you have little to lose.

Except your food spoils on a weeklong desert expedition and you have NO COLD BEER!:sombrero:

I'm curious about this one too. I'll never be able to afford an Engel, but it seems like there's got to be a cheaper way.
Aggie
05-06-2009, 09:09 PM
I'm curious about this one too. I'll never be able to afford an Engel, but it seems like there's got to be a cheaper way.

Yeah a Cooler and Ice... LOL.
go4aryd
05-07-2009, 01:12 AM
No matter what you pack, even without a fridge or cooler, it can't be worse than what you would eat on an extended backpacking trip. :)
Northern Explorer
05-07-2009, 03:37 AM
What is the power consumption (amps@110vac) of the refrigerator?

What percent of the time are you expecting the refrigerator compressor to run?

How many amp hours do you have in your battery bank?

What is the efficiency rating of your inverter?

How long do you plan on running the refrigerator before recharging the batteries?
shawkins
05-07-2009, 03:44 AM
I'm curious about this one too. I'll never be able to afford an Engel, but it seems like there's got to be a cheaper way.
Craigslist is your friend! I got my 45 qt. Engel for $300 or $350.
E9999
08-30-2009, 11:14 PM
I did some tests trying to run a mini fridge off an inverter.

Was possible at least statically, but ended up blowing up my 400W (600W peak) inverter on startup, even though the fridge sucked only something like 80W when running steady IIRC.

Also the vertical door is a serious drawback.

Also I can see with my new 12V freezer (that has an inverter built in I believe) that it sucks more power on 110V than on 12V, which I attribute to losses in the inverter.

So, altogether not a great way to go IMO.