Edgestar Fridge/freezer?

[hoser]

Though I haven't tried it yet, I believe it is possible to do a simple mod on the Waeco's (or any fridge with a Danfoss compressor) to reduce power consumption. I think the larger CF-80 already has this feature.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9170

 

[Grim Reaper]

Though I haven't tried it yet, I believe it is possible to do a simple mod on the Waeco's (or any fridge with a Danfoss compressor) to reduce power consumption. I think the larger CF-80 already has this feature.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9170

I know the BD50F I used to make my fridge you can change the compressor speed by changing the resistance on the controller. The main controller is the same for the 35 and 50. So it would work for all of them.


Yep here is the specs.
http://www.rparts.com/Catalog/Major_Components/compressors/Danfoss/danfoss.asp

I haven't played wit the speed on mine but the resisters it has in it should be in one of the middle speeds. I think it is actually the second lowest. I was thinking of making a rotary switch so I could control the power draw. Its a pretty simple set up.

http://www.rparts.com/Catalog/Major_Components/compressors/Danfoss/BD50F_compressor.pdf


There is a really nice digital controller available but it is over $250. It however is very intelligent in the way it works. If it sees a big temp drop it will put the hammer down till it starts to catch up then back off the compressor speed to conserve the battery.

http://www.great-water.com/pages/Temptech/Temp_tech.htm

Mine is power pig.

The BD50f is a little big for the box and I am running it has an air exchange evaporator like a regular home fridge. The good is the box stays a more uniform temp and actually cools down faster. I can get the box down to freezing in 15 minutes on a 80f day.

The bad is I am running two fans, one on the evaporator and one on the condenser.

 

[Bayou Boy]

The Edgestar pulls 4.5 amps on 12 volt. In amps it all seems very close because the numbers are small, but if you convert them to watts (a more familiar measurement, same as your light bulbs) then the power drawn now seems to be more drastic:
Engle 8.4 - 30 watts
Waeco 45 watt average
Edgestar 54 watts.

From post #5

The 54 watts could be an average.
But if the Edgestar is only pulling 54 watts while the compressor is running then it averages a lot less. Probably less than the 45 watt average of the Engel.

I guess it's time for another email to Edgestar. I'll get in touch with them after Christmas.

 

[hoser]

Grim Reaper, that indeed is a smart controller. I would guess the soft start-up would extend the life of the compressor and be a bit nicer if one sleeps in the same area as their fridge (not that it is excessively loud as it is).

I'd be interested to see some custom built fridge set-ups.

 

[Bayou Boy]

The 54 watts could be an average.
But if the Edgestar is only pulling 54 watts while the compressor is running then it averages a lot less. Probably less than the 45 watt average of the Engel.

I guess it's time for another email to Edgestar. I'll get in touch with them after Christmas.

So the email response was this.

That 4.5 amp rating is the average running amperage while the compressor is on. When the unit is not running the compressor, e.g., when the set temperature has been achieved, the running amperage is quite a bit lower, although I do not have the non-compressor amperage rating at hand for reference.

Is this the same rating method as the Waeco or is the Waeco rated as a total average as the compressor cycles on and off?

 

[Martyn]

So the email response was this.



Is this the same rating method as the Waeco or is the Waeco rated as a total average as the compressor cycles on and off?

So what is the power draw when the compressor is not on? Should be next to nothing.

WAECO works on the % of time the compressor is running at a given ambient temperature. You can get the numbers from http://www.waeco.com/en

Edgestar should be able to give you comprehensive power consumption numbers including, % of time the compressor is running at a given ambient temperature, minimum and maximum amp draw. But to get real numbers you would have to replicate the test done in the Summer edition of The Overland Journal.

I get the feeling who ever is e mailing you from Edgestar doesn’t have all the information you need at hand, or it’s not available.

 

[Martyn]

If you go to http://www.nationalluna.com/downloads.html and download the Freezer Performance Tests you'll see the types information and testing that manufacturers should conduct and collect.

Having the information available to consumers make the purchasing process so much easier.

There is also an interesting rant about fridge testing here http://www.egplant.com.au/egshell/liemack/default.cfm

 

[Bayou Boy]

I was looking back at fridges and found this thread at ih8mud. Some real user experiences. Looks like this one is back on the table.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/204722-edgestar-fridges.html

 

[08whitex]

I have this fridge and I love it. I even left it on at 32* for 24 hours on a stock nissan battery and had no slow starting at all. I would recomend this fridge to anyone