Preparing a 12V DC fridge for PV use

doive1231 · Feb 9, 2013

Hi,

I want to set up a PV system to power my small fridge. It's like the ones you can buy in Argos that run on 240V AC or 12V DC. They do not have a thermostat and so end up freezing their contents if left running (I use an mechanical timer at the wall socket). Like this:

Buy 6 Litre White Mini Fridge at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Fridges.

The fridge comes with a DC power lead with a car cigarette power connector and I was wondering can I just cut this cable and attach the positive and negative leads to a 12V sealed acid battery? The battery will then be charged from a 20W solar panel with a charge controller in between. The fridge is rated at 40W and I probably will add a DC timer if this setup is plausible? Is using the cut DC power lead plausible? Thanks, Dave

Marvo · Feb 9, 2013

You could cut the 12v power lead off the car adaptor but why not just buy a new lead with the right plug and keep the car adapter in one piece?

Also if you're only using a 20watt panel and the fridge is 40w consumption then by the time you add up the innefficiencies of the battery charger you're system is very undersized and you'll probably only get 20% run time capability even on a very sunny day.

doive1231 · Feb 9, 2013

Hi,

Thanks for this. I was going to add that the fridge would run for between 5 and 10 hours per day dependent on the season so I will have to look at the panel size. I sold my car and so I don't think I will need the lead in the future. That I can do this is good to know anyhow.