I think its time for a Solar Panel

[adventureduo]

My son is famous for standing in front of the home fridge with the door open for minutes at a time and I have to constantly remind him to make up his mind of what he wants prior to opening the door

LOL I hear that Andrew loud and clear.

I guess i need to learn how to double fist instead of coming back for a beer every 3 minutes :sombrero:

Also, i had my bait in the fridge, so while fishing i grabbed bait a million times throughout the day.

 

[Andrew Walcker]

LOL I hear that Andrew loud and clear.

I guess i need to learn how to double fist instead of coming back for a beer every 3 minutes :sombrero:

Also, i had my bait in the fridge, so while fishing i grabbed bait a million times throughout the day.

Beers the exception as opening for it does not cause any drop in fridge temp, now keeping the bait next to beer is suspect...:shakin:

 

[ntsqd]

What I'm hearing is an overwhelming need for a Jetboil and a coffee press.

 

[ExpoMike]

I notice a huge difference in the longevity of the trailer batter based on the ambient tempature and even more if my kids are with me. I think the biggest loss in battery efficiency comes from how many times the fridge opens and closes. My son is famous for standing in front of the home fridge with the door open for minutes at a time and I have to constantly remind him to make up his mind of what he wants prior to opening the door

Yea but how does he know what's in the fridge? :elkgrin: :wavey:

 

[tdesanto]

...but in this case the extreme heat made the fridge run way more than normal...Just thought it was a interesting observation from the triple digit heat.

Dave, just curious about 2 things:

1) Was the trailer in the sun most of the time, i.e., no shade around?
2) Was this before or after you had the trailer painted a darker color?

Regardless of how you arrive at the deicison to get a solar panel, I think it's a wise choice. The ability to silently (no generators) extend your trips and not worry about running out of power is always a plus.

 

[adventureduo]

Dave, just curious about 2 things:

1) Was the trailer in the sun most of the time, i.e., no shade around?
2) Was this before or after you had the trailer painted a darker color?

Yeah the trailer was in the beating sun 90% of the day. Basically like parking in a open lot in the middle of the desert. However, i left the back door closed and had the fridge inside and out of the sun for the whole day. The only time i left the fridge out on the slide was at night.

This was last weekend, with the new paint job.

I have a picture of the Two Zone wireless i need to post. It showed ambient in the shade @ 101 degrees and the fridge was 33 degrees at 10am. Pretty warm out. Like i said earlier, the fridge was working OT.

 

[tdesanto]

Yeah the trailer was in the beating sun 90% of the day. Basically like parking in a open lot in the middle of the desert. However, i left the back door closed and had the fridge inside and out of the sun for the whole day. The only time i left the fridge out on the slide was at night.

This was last weekend, with the new paint job.

I have a picture of the Two Zone wireless i need to post. It showed ambient in the shade @ 101 degrees and the fridge was 33 degrees at 10am. Pretty warm out. Like i said earlier, the fridge was working OT.

I guess I was thinking that the temp inside the trailer, with the darker paint, would still be warmer than it used to be. This would make the fridge work a little harder than it used to.

About the Two Zone wireless: will it trasmit data from the fridge to the truck while the trailer is fully closed? I had thought that there was no way it could get the signal through all that metal. If it does work that way, I need to contact Wil right away and get one.

 

[Tucson T4R]

...........About the Two Zone wireless: will it trasmit data from the fridge to the truck while the trailer is fully closed? I had thought that there was no way it could get the signal through all that metal. If it does work that way, I need to contact Wil right away and get one.

I use the Two Zone on my trailer and it transmits through the metal storage box the fridge is inside and into my truck wih no problem. It's nice to be able to see the fridge and storage area temps from inside the cab while towing.:victory:

 

[tdesanto]

I use the Two Zone on my trailer and it transmits through the metal storage box the fridge is inside and into my truck wih no problem. It's nice to be able to see the fridge and storage area temps from inside the cab while towing.:victory:

That's exactly what I was thinking.

 

[adventureduo]

Yep, works through the metal.

However, for some reason i cannot get my two zone to work in the cab of my rig. I think it's getting interferance from all the rest of the electronics i have.

I know its not a distance problem , cause i can walk across the street and it transmits just fine.

 

[FlyNdrive]

I'm glad you sparked this conversation. I'm in a need for another form of backup and redundancy. I'm going somewhere hot and sandy next summer (even though it's winter there) and need something to start the vehicle in case of battery drainage.

I like the flexible models. They roll up and take a small space.

Sunlinq Portable Solar Panel Charger 12W 12V

Flexible Solar Panel - PowerFilm R15-600 (10 Watt)

Any suggestions?

-Ben

 

[adventureduo]

FlyNDrive, do a search on Solar and you'll come up with a ton of posts and great information on backup power. It's been discussed many times here. My post was geared more towards how i was amazed at how the heat created so much energy usage.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Dude!

As good as home no electricity.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=5008C700&categoryid=2210

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

LOL I hear that Andrew loud and clear.

I guess i need to learn how to double fist instead of coming back for a beer every 3 minutes :sombrero:

Also, i had my bait in the fridge, so while fishing i grabbed bait a million times throughout the day.

Ahha...There's your problem. Bait!?! I thought you bait fishermen kept it in Folger's cans (That's what the movie said at least)? You'd save a lot of power if you flyfished.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

I guess i need to learn how to double fist instead of coming back for a beer every 3 minutes :sombrero: .

I can help with this! :ylsmoke: