ARB fridge. Goal Zero Extreme 350 Power Pack

[Christophe Noel]

This is so outside my scope of expertise.

I have a brand new ARB 47q fridge. I have access to a Goal Zero Extreme 350 Power Pack at a very low cost - below wholesale. Here's my question:

The ARB site says the fridge will draw roughly .87 amp hours under pretty normal conditions. Conditions that suit my needs, anyway. The Goal Zero site says the 350w Power Pack will provide 33ah of 12v power.

Am I correct that those numbers suggest I'd get roughly 33 hours of power for my fridge from that fully charged battery pack?

http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/64/Extreme-350-Adventure-Kit/1:3/

 

[Honu]

I have one of the original arb/engel fridges and we use the goal zero stuff I have two of the 350 packs

forgot the actual times I got but I think it was under 24 hours ? I know I was thinking it might make a easy way to bring it out and hook the 350 up to it and just recharge daily
so inside the house put stuff in the fridge and got into it like we do and I know it was not going to work and I think it was under 24 hours actual time on my fridge before it was down near the last bar on the 350
I think I determined I could use it 24 hours if I did not open much but also did not want to run y 350 down to nothing daily
again I kinda forgot cause it was just not going to be a good idea I got a 125 amp hour battery at sams club put it in a case and I got 4 nights 5 days without charge real world on trips

I kept mine at the just above 32 mark mine has that dial and temp gauge we got into it to get out milk etc.. which in real world is opening taking out the zone baskets on top get the milk out put back in etc..

hope this helps though

for car camping I do love the 350 with the lights and our breeze fan etc.. but we like it with out two kids 3 and 8 and dog etc.. if I was on my own or just wife and I ? not sure I would care if I had the extra light or not I got a good deal on the power packs

 

[goodtimes]

It looks like that is a 33ah battery - which means you'll get a usable 16ah out of it (you should avoid discharging it below 50%).

 

[Christophe Noel]

It looks like that is a 33ah battery - which means you'll get a usable 16ah out of it (you should avoid discharging it below 50%).

The tech guy at Goal Zero said these power packs are regulated and can be drained completely without any harm to the system. He said the 350 will provide very close to the full 33ah rating.

Looks like that's the direction I'll go. I just needed a reserve system to run the fridge for those short 24ish hour periods that the car is parked on trips.

 

[Corey]

Flounder I have gotten close to five days running my fridge without starting the rig up.
You can get a solar panel too to recharge the 350 system while it is in use with the fridge.
I use my pack mainly for their led lanterns and recharging camera batteries.

 

[pods8]

The tech guy at Goal Zero said these power packs are regulated and can be drained completely without any harm to the system. He said the 350 will provide very close to the full 33ah rating.
.

Then they either have a larger battery than 33ah and they regulate it so you can't drain it all the way out or they're lying (or just omitting you'll seriously reduce the lifespan of the battery, which I'd consider lying in this case).

Here's a lifecycle chart example:

 

[spikemd]

I just bought the Extreme 350 from Goal Zero at a Costco roadshow to run my ARB at night and not draw down my main deep cycle/starting battery. I also like the fact that I can run the Light-a-life's and other devices from it if I need to without depending on my main battery. When I look at cost for a dual battery system, they come out pretty close (without solar panels). Obviously, a dual battery system has 3 times the capacity, but you lack portability and for me, I would have to fabricate a tray, do the wiring, additional weight of the battery, etc. Goal Zero is plug and play and no headaches.

If you have solar panels, you probably need 60 watts to be able to charge the battery as fast as you are discharging it running the fridge. With panels, I think you could sit indefinitely with cold beer on hand (assuming you have sun). I haven't purchased solar panels yet, as I do a lot of driving on most of my trips and will be charging it via 12v accessory socket. Then at night, I will have a fully charged battery to run the fridge and lights at camp.

I like the portability of the system and you can use other solar panels that are cheaper and get an adapter. It has the charge controller built into the unit so you don't have to buy a separate unit. Yes, it is pricey at first, but when you try to piece together everything they did, you will not have a package as convenient and compact as they have come up with.

For charging the Extreme 350 via the truck 12v, you need to buy a separate connector ($12).

I will be using it next week for 8 days in Death Valley and will report back.

 

[Waltzing Matilda]

thanks for report. will look for your DV post trip report. I'm a newbie, w/lots of questions re:truck camper, a fridge, and power. (Have car/rv/backpack camped lots in the past but never set up my own truck so I'm learning a lot from this site.)

I'm in process of setting up a small (6 foot) Callen on top of a lifted B4000 (basically, a Ranger), to camp and travel, and if I enjoy it and have time/money,may upgrade to a popup.

(I'm in San Diego, and FWC is at a road show this weekend. Thought I'd go look to get some ideas and start saving lots of $$).

Re:energy: I just purchased a goalzero 350 w/inverter and a 30 watt panel at costco road show- $480 for the setup. Sounds like I need to find the car charger you mentioned- I see one on their website, is this the one? http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/39//5:7/

Costco sells a A deep cycle marine/RV battery w/115 am hours for about $80, but I owned a boat and dread dealing w/batteries again, and I'm also looking at using the 350 and panel at a house in Baja that's off the grid and using the solar set up there at some point as well as in my truck. So despite the 3X cost, it seems better/more versatile....I hope!

Fridge: Costco also had 28 qt. igloo "iceless" coolers that run on 12v or house current, cost $90. I bought one, it's on probation (love costco return policy). They seem to draw a lot of power- 3 to 5 amp/day. Is that high?

Maybe I should look at an ARB fridge? Is it larger? more or less energy efficient? and where do you purchase them? I was advised not to get a propane fridge in my small camper, due to small space, so I'm looking for electric only. But if others have experience with this, please Let me know. I will use propane stove.

Thanks in advance for advice/suggestions/recommendations on these topics.

Lori

 

[Waltzing Matilda]

just looked up ARB. nice equipment, time to start saving more $$...

 

[Waltzing Matilda]

I'm considering an EdgeStar. Found a 63 qt for $419, free shipping.

To run the fridge I have the goalzero 350 charger with 30 watt panel. Will that be sufficient or should I get another panel to be safe?

Good deal? Enough power to run it?

I Welcome your feedback!

 

[Corey]

60 watts is a better cboice.
That is what I run with the Goal Zero and to charge my rigs battery.

 

[spikemd]

I'm considering an EdgeStar. Found a 63 qt for $419, free shipping.

To run the fridge I have the goalzero 350 charger with 30 watt panel. Will that be sufficient or should I get another panel to be safe?

Good deal? Enough power to run it?

I Welcome your feedback!

I have two friends with Edgestars 40qt and both had problems initially that they had to fix. They also draw twice the amount of power based on an article in Overland Journal. Larger fridges use more power. I will let you know if the Extreme350 will work as a standalone power source for the ARB after next week. If you are going to need to charge the Extreme solely by solar then I would pick up another Boulder30 panel to cut the recharge time down.

I havent decided on which solar panel I am going to be using. I dont need them on this trip since we will be driving each day.

I have the Costco deep cycle/starting battery in my rover which I think is rated at 115ah. Since I live in a warm climate, I dont care about cold cranking amps. Since I was previously using the oem wiring, the fridge would occasional cut off. I have since rewired the rear of the vehicle with a dedicated 10g wire and added more accessory sockets.

I also like the portability of the system and that I can power lights/fridge away from the vehicle.

 

[kevint]

I believe the .87 amps average is optimistic. I recommend considering it might be 1 amp or slightly more based on various tests I've reviewed. In my calculations for my ARB I use 1.13 amps.

 

[4x4junkie]

They also draw twice the amount of power based on an article in Overland Journal.

I ain't seen the later article, but I think I can guarantee you it's FoS.

I've run controlled power consumption tests on my Edgestar 43qt and it's quite very much inline with that of other fridges (better than the Waeco/Indel/Truckfridge units due to it's thicker insulation).
The Edgestar's hardware and electrical cord however are no doubt very cheaply made. But if one is willing to deal with fixing these items (metal handle & hinge replacements can be gotten at most hardware/home improvement stores), I think they can be an exceptionally good value.

And agreed, 30W of solar won't be enough to keep a fridge going, 60W is usually the minimum needed (more would be better still if you want to keep it going indefinitely, giving you enough power to both run the fridge and recharge your battery at the same time).

 

[kevint]

100 W of solar for indefinite use, I think.