Pulled the trigger on arb 63 all-weather fridge + goal zero 1000- which solar panels?

[jd-santaclarita]

Hi all - I'm rapidly making progress on my trailer build. I pulled the trigger on a goal zero yeti 1000 and the all-weather arb 63qt fridge/freezer that i didnt even know existed until today: https://ok4wd.com/arb-all-weather-63qt-fridge-freezer. That thing looks awesome. I originally decided on a diff brand and then realized that it wouldnt fit (trailer with lid only gives me 18" in height). Stumbled onto the all-weather ss arb that can supposedly handle 365 of outdoor, wasnt cheap but I am stoked and feel like its a great investment. Anyhow, I need to figure out some solar panels to make this all work. I camp all over california, lots of sierra nevadas and sometimes finding full sun maybe a challenge. Lots of 2 day trips but also lots of 5-6 day basecamp type trips, so I'm looking for flexibility. I'm thinking about trying to get 150 - 250 watts of panels to keep the fridge along with all the other gadgets powered up without worry. Is there a go-to setup I should look at and kinda of leaning towards portable/flexible/suitcase so its not stuck being mounted in place.

Thanks all,
JD

 

[dj311]

Are you planning for the Yeti to power the ARB? If so, I'm curious as to how well it does and how long it can keep it going. I've been considering a similar setup but for small business operations (not overlanding). Currently I'm going with a 50qt Pelican cooler and ice packs rotated daily.


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[jd-santaclarita]

Yes, I'm hoping that the yeti 1000 + the solar panels power the ARB + misc stuff like laptop, iphones, bluetooth speakers and some misc lighting. In my mind that yeti 1000 is going to power everything....but I am not sure what the reality is. I assume most of the variability is in the solar power ability to keep it charged.

 

[tlrols]

I use a Zamp 160 watt "suitcase" to keep my A-Frame trailer charged, works great. It is a complete package with a padded carrying case, a charge controller (with voltmeter and ammeter), and a wiring harness that plugs directly in the trailer and it comes with clamp on cables that can attach to a battery. In excellent sun I have seen it crank out as much as 13.5 DC Amps. The BD-35 compressor is pretty common in most frig/freezers...it is quite well behaved when it comes to power use. The current draw is reasonable at around 2 to 6 amps an hour. The current use of course depends on outside temperature and how cold the frig is.

The Yeti 1000 appears to provide ~83 Amp-hours at 12 VDC. At 3 amps an hour the Yeti 1000 by itself would power your ARB for ~27 hours. If you had 100 watts of solar you could get something around 50 to 70 amp-hours into a battery or the ARB frig (lets assume it is summer). Figure the solar covers the frig for 8 hours AND charges the battery fully. Even if you had to use the battery for 16 hours you would likely only use 48 amp-hours.

The point of all the nattering above is that with a 100 watt solar panel you really could run that ARB forever. The solar panel will keep the battery well fed. More wattage is always better. You have a nice setup in that ARB and for maybe $400 to $600 you can get a rather large solar array solution (~200 watts with a complete package) to keep your beer cold in the woods.

One thing to remember is that the compressor runs to reach a setpoint temperature and shuts off. The frigs don't run constantly unless you are in them all the time. My Engel hardly runs at all at night and I use it as a freezer.

 

[dj311]

Does anyone permanently mount their solar panel to their Jeep or trailer?


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[tlrols]

I have two 100 watt flexible panels mounted to my trailer...it is an A Frame type pop-up trailer (similar to an ALiner). It works and combined with my suitcase array I have 360 watts of solar. Honestly the suitcase is where you should begin since it is so much more flexible (as in movable, multi purpose, etc). The trailer mounted stuff is sort of a fire and forget thing for me, I know i am going to get some sort of energy even if it isn't optimally placed. I would suggest you get the flexible panels if weight is a concern of yours. The flexibles are very light...maybe 5 pounds maximum. The rigid hard glass panels are 25 to 30 pounds. They ARE very rugged though and likely will last much longer. The price seemed to be about the same.

It might be useful to go here and read about Zamps stuff:

https://www.zampsolar.com/rv-solar-kits/portable-rv-solar/

I have NO connection to them other than purchasing their equipment. I can tell you that their stuff is first rate with the best fit and finish in the business. It IS expensive, and any panels with glass are heavy. I have a long cable with padlock that I use to keep the panels from running off.

I would suggest that you use Zamp as perhaps the gold standard to measure by and see if your time and money can do a better job than they did. I help make, transmit, and distribute electricity for a living and I just handed my cash over since integrating a solar panel, charge controller, etc seemed a whole lot like my day job to me. I happily wrote a check for the plug and play solution so I could spend more time playing outside.

 

[dj311]

Thanks tlrols!


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[jd-santaclarita]

I ended up going with the renogy eclipse 200w suitcase, open box deal at $400. At that price, feels like its a good deal and a good price to value as folks seem to like renogy. I'll report back when it arrives on how it performs. Oh, it comes with a solar controller, but I am assuming that I would bypass that and wire it directly into the goal zero yeti 1000 since it has its own controller correct? Would love advice on how to wire it and what cable/extension cable I should get to connect these 2 together and give me at least 30' of range.

Thanks,
JD