Data Logs: Current Draw and Temp from a Norcold 630C
- Thread starter TreeTopFlyer
- Start date
TreeTopFlyer
Adventurer
I did another test yesterday afternoon, maybe 3hrs or so. I think setting the fridge right off the bat to #4 is too much for it to handle. It got cold, the inside walls of the fridge had ice on them, but the interior air temp was still high, I think in the mid 60s. This time the fridge was full, 12pack of beer and a large jug of water. I didn't bring the logs with me to work but the compressor never cycled. It acted much like Sunday's test of a 3/5ths full fridge starting out at #4. Sunday, the fridge ran for hours without every cycling. Sunday did get a lower temp, but I attribute yesterday afternoons temps to the large jug of water being harder to cool down.
I took the fridge out of the truck and plugged it into AC in the garage to do some overnight logs. I took the water jug out, left about 8 cans of beer in it. I plugged into AC power because I didn't have my AC cord setup for logging and didn't feel like splitting my fridge cable so. I only logged temp this time. I set the fridge to #2 and the fridge performed fine, you could see the temp swings when the compressor cycled. The temps ran around 40-45 degrees. This temp range for setting #2 concurs with Saturday's test.
Before I left work this morning I put the large jug of water in it along with the 12 beers and will check the data when I get home. This will be a test at #2 with a full fridge.
On the Norcold site it does mention to let the fridge cool down for 8-10hrs. I'll check the logs when I get home, then go for #4 and see how things go from there. I did buy an angle finder so I can check where I was at Sunday at the lake and possible rule out angle being the issue. If need be, I may find a repair facility and have the refrigerant checked.
I took the fridge out of the truck and plugged it into AC in the garage to do some overnight logs. I took the water jug out, left about 8 cans of beer in it. I plugged into AC power because I didn't have my AC cord setup for logging and didn't feel like splitting my fridge cable so. I only logged temp this time. I set the fridge to #2 and the fridge performed fine, you could see the temp swings when the compressor cycled. The temps ran around 40-45 degrees. This temp range for setting #2 concurs with Saturday's test.
Before I left work this morning I put the large jug of water in it along with the 12 beers and will check the data when I get home. This will be a test at #2 with a full fridge.
On the Norcold site it does mention to let the fridge cool down for 8-10hrs. I'll check the logs when I get home, then go for #4 and see how things go from there. I did buy an angle finder so I can check where I was at Sunday at the lake and possible rule out angle being the issue. If need be, I may find a repair facility and have the refrigerant checked.
TreeTopFlyer
Adventurer
Thermal Mass Differences
Okay, sorry for the delay in postings but I have been busy,lazy and needed some time to gather and put things together.
So a few things, two previous logging runs I have not posted, I am not sure what happened with the probe. I may have hooked it in the wrong channel. I had some very strange readings, one being a temp run in the 250 degree range. I think that was me pluggin it into the wrong channel port. I also had another run where the fridge didn't get past 60ish, but I think that may have been because it was left in my garage when it was 82 outside. It got hot I am guessing inside the garage. I really think I am going to put another probe in the mix to gather outside ambient temp. It would really help tie together how this compressor reacts to outside temp and how much delta T comes into play.
So, that aside, I managed to get a test run of the fridge full on temp setting #4. I had the fridge running all night on temp #3, cooling down, everything ready to go for a #4 run. I wanted to make sure the fridge was cooled down enough. In previous testing, running the fridge full right out of the gate without any previous cooling to setting #4 hasn't been very spectacular. With the fridge full it seems to put a hell of a load on trying to get the fridge down to temp. Further testing will need to flesh this phenomenon out.
So, back to the task at hand, comparing the difference between a fridge lightly loaded to fully loaded and how the temperature differentials contrast. I took a snap shot of a previous test run and a fully loaded test run at temp setting #4. It's a time span of about 3hrs. With the fridge near empty, the temp was still dropping down, the downward slope was much steeper than was the fridge full slope. The downward slope of the Full Fridge was very gradual, it was dropping but nowhere near as fast. However, you can clearly see the difference in temperature swings. The full fridge is much much flatter. The contents in the fridge being cold helped keep the swings low(thermal mass). The amperage draw was pretty much the same, low and consistent. I was wondering if voltage mattered, I don't think it did since the near empty test was done using 12V and the full test was done using 110V, just a sidebar I was concerned about.
I do plan to do more testing regarding thermal mass. I have a cookout down at the lake this Saturday that I plan to do some test runs while I am out and about. I also plan some tests using frozen bottles of water since it has often been mentioned in posts that folks do this to help out the fridge AND provide cold water for drinking.
In the works is a transit bag test. I am working on getting a bag. I think that the transit bag testing will help illuminate the benefits of having the added insulation. But time will tell.
Here is the thermal mass comparo
Okay, sorry for the delay in postings but I have been busy,lazy and needed some time to gather and put things together.
So a few things, two previous logging runs I have not posted, I am not sure what happened with the probe. I may have hooked it in the wrong channel. I had some very strange readings, one being a temp run in the 250 degree range. I think that was me pluggin it into the wrong channel port. I also had another run where the fridge didn't get past 60ish, but I think that may have been because it was left in my garage when it was 82 outside. It got hot I am guessing inside the garage. I really think I am going to put another probe in the mix to gather outside ambient temp. It would really help tie together how this compressor reacts to outside temp and how much delta T comes into play.
So, that aside, I managed to get a test run of the fridge full on temp setting #4. I had the fridge running all night on temp #3, cooling down, everything ready to go for a #4 run. I wanted to make sure the fridge was cooled down enough. In previous testing, running the fridge full right out of the gate without any previous cooling to setting #4 hasn't been very spectacular. With the fridge full it seems to put a hell of a load on trying to get the fridge down to temp. Further testing will need to flesh this phenomenon out.
So, back to the task at hand, comparing the difference between a fridge lightly loaded to fully loaded and how the temperature differentials contrast. I took a snap shot of a previous test run and a fully loaded test run at temp setting #4. It's a time span of about 3hrs. With the fridge near empty, the temp was still dropping down, the downward slope was much steeper than was the fridge full slope. The downward slope of the Full Fridge was very gradual, it was dropping but nowhere near as fast. However, you can clearly see the difference in temperature swings. The full fridge is much much flatter. The contents in the fridge being cold helped keep the swings low(thermal mass). The amperage draw was pretty much the same, low and consistent. I was wondering if voltage mattered, I don't think it did since the near empty test was done using 12V and the full test was done using 110V, just a sidebar I was concerned about.
I do plan to do more testing regarding thermal mass. I have a cookout down at the lake this Saturday that I plan to do some test runs while I am out and about. I also plan some tests using frozen bottles of water since it has often been mentioned in posts that folks do this to help out the fridge AND provide cold water for drinking.
In the works is a transit bag test. I am working on getting a bag. I think that the transit bag testing will help illuminate the benefits of having the added insulation. But time will tell.
Here is the thermal mass comparo
TreeTopFlyer
Adventurer
2-Day camping with the Norcold
We did a 2-day campout at a nearby state park. I loaded the fridge full all food as referenced by the pic below:
Was able to packup everything(I used to rock Tetris) but the kitchen sink, but that's another project in the works(12gal hot water system). The dog had just enough room to lay down.
The fridge ran from around 10am Friday when I left for the park until 2pm Sunday when we returned. I started the truck 2 times just to make sure it still turned over, never a problem. Let the truck run for maybe a minute.
I thought I had spaced the log intervals enough to give me 3 days of data but it was only about 2. The logger gave up the ghost Sunday at 4am.
Friday was breezy with the temps in the 80s, the fridge stayed in the truck with the windows rolled down and the back hatch open. A few times I rolled the windows up halfway and closed the hatch because I took the kayak out fishing. This is most evident on Saturday from about 1pm-4pm, it was hot that day and I was on the water for quite some time. At night I turned the thermostat to around 1.5 during the day it was at 2.5. The temps at night were maybe 50s-high 40s, sunday night being the coldest of them all.
Overall the fridge averaged about 1/2 to 3/4 of an amp draw per hour. Not bad at all. I haven't yet put in a dedicated 12V outlet for my Aux battery but the 55Ah capacity shouldn't be a problem. You're looking at a consumption rate of about 12-18Ah/day. If you are wanting to supplement with solar and figure in maybe 4-6hrs of good day light, you'd need about a 30-35watt solar system setup. Or just run the vehicle for a few mins a day.
Until I get a transit bag, I think I am done testing for now.
2-Day Trip Logs
We did a 2-day campout at a nearby state park. I loaded the fridge full all food as referenced by the pic below:
Was able to packup everything(I used to rock Tetris) but the kitchen sink, but that's another project in the works(12gal hot water system). The dog had just enough room to lay down.
The fridge ran from around 10am Friday when I left for the park until 2pm Sunday when we returned. I started the truck 2 times just to make sure it still turned over, never a problem. Let the truck run for maybe a minute.
I thought I had spaced the log intervals enough to give me 3 days of data but it was only about 2. The logger gave up the ghost Sunday at 4am.
Friday was breezy with the temps in the 80s, the fridge stayed in the truck with the windows rolled down and the back hatch open. A few times I rolled the windows up halfway and closed the hatch because I took the kayak out fishing. This is most evident on Saturday from about 1pm-4pm, it was hot that day and I was on the water for quite some time. At night I turned the thermostat to around 1.5 during the day it was at 2.5. The temps at night were maybe 50s-high 40s, sunday night being the coldest of them all.
Overall the fridge averaged about 1/2 to 3/4 of an amp draw per hour. Not bad at all. I haven't yet put in a dedicated 12V outlet for my Aux battery but the 55Ah capacity shouldn't be a problem. You're looking at a consumption rate of about 12-18Ah/day. If you are wanting to supplement with solar and figure in maybe 4-6hrs of good day light, you'd need about a 30-35watt solar system setup. Or just run the vehicle for a few mins a day.
Until I get a transit bag, I think I am done testing for now.
2-Day Trip Logs
Conrad_Turbo
Observer
I am not on here very often but this should be stickied...
Almost sound like a rep for the company as you've got me wanting to buy the unit!
Almost sound like a rep for the company as you've got me wanting to buy the unit!
TreeTopFlyer
Adventurer
off-roader
Expedition Leader
Interesting exercise I'd like to undertake with my ARB 50qt. You mentioned this is a Hobo data logger. Is this an expensive instrument? If so, can it be rented somewhere? TIA.