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Old 05-26-2019, 03:00 PM   #1
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Are Norcolds more energy efficient today?

We have a 2001 E350 RB50 plan with the original refrigerator which the literature says is a TEK II Dual Voltage 120v AC, 12/24v DC, Model DE451, either a 3.5 or 4 CF. We don't have any complaints about how it runs and usually run it at or below level 3, down to 2 or less if it's cold out or we want to conserve battery. Our house battery is a 200 amp, 4D deep cycle AGM and has served us well all but the times below.

We have about run the battery down a couple of times, mostly when I have felt the need (security) to drop the penthouse down and close windows on very hot days when I've had to leave the van unattended for the day; we're taking no shade and maybe 100F out. All other appliances were off except detectors and windshield and windows covered to keep out sun. We turn the fridge down to 2 or less to conserve power but it still ran the battery down. It also happened a couple of times when it was super-hot out and the sun covered a bit.

A few folks have suggested a passive fan/vent in the roof might keep things cool enough inside with the top down to solve the problem. But we are wondering if in the past 18 years Norcold has built a more energy efficient fridge that uses less power and would also take care of this problem. Or if there is some maintenance we could do on the existing fridge to help out.

If anyone has any info or suggestions on this we'd like to hear it. We live in Utah and tend to camp out in the desert heat a lot. Thanks in advance!

Scott

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Old 05-26-2019, 03:47 PM   #2
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Sounds like Solar will solve your issue - especially in the environment you've described. Could be as simple as a Solar suitcase if you're not interested in a permanent mount.
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Old 05-26-2019, 04:00 PM   #3
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I'm not sure I get your meaning, AWOL. "Solar" or "Solar suitcase"?

We've got a 120 watt Kyocera on the roof with a Blue Sky Solar Boost 2000E charge controller on it now. Are you suggesting a more efficient solar panel?

Thanks!
Scott
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Old 05-26-2019, 04:10 PM   #4
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I'm getting the impression from what I'm seeing online that Kyocera isn't available for the rv market anymore?
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Old 05-26-2019, 04:41 PM   #5
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Sorry - In the initial post you didnt mention having Solar, so it seemed like a simple solution for your problem. Now that you revealed you have Solar, I would suggest a Solar suitcase to compliment what you already have - couple recent threads on these. Just one that comes to mind;
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...els-23929.html

Since you have Solar, and seem to park with a considerable amount of sun to begin with, It may be your house battery that needs to be replaced. You mentioned you drained the battery several times, this alone may have shortened its life.
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Old 05-26-2019, 05:41 PM   #6
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How old is your house battery?




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Old 05-26-2019, 05:42 PM   #7
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Thanks again AWOL, much appreciated, we'll consider both options. The house battery seems to recharge just fine these days, but it sounds like they might never be quite as capable of holding a charge after running them down a couple of times- is that the case?

We'll also continue to seek info regarding any improvements made on the fridge in the past 18 years, too.
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Old 05-26-2019, 05:45 PM   #8
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Herb, it was replace in Feb 2016 according to the receipts the previous owner passed on to us.
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Old 05-26-2019, 06:09 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Makalu1 View Post
Herb, it was replace in Feb 2016 according to the receipts the previous owner passed on to us.

OK, that should still be good, though it all depends on how well the battery has been taken care of. When you say that battery has been run down a few times, how low did the battery voltage get?




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Old 05-26-2019, 09:19 PM   #10
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Herb, the charge status on the Solar Boost usually reads around the high 12s to mid-13s. When it went down to its lowest it read 7. something. The first time I didn't even realize there was an issue until my propane detector went off at 2am telling me it went on internal power. I turned on the engine long enough to get me through the rest of the night and the next morning it returned to the high end again. This has happened about 3 times. I do not claim to fully understand all of this- but by god I can learn!
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