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Old 09-08-2016, 05:30 PM   #1
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Fridge replacement

Saw this at BJ's wholesale club. What a great looking fridge.
Whirlpool 3.1-Cu.-Ft. 2-Door Refrigerator/Freezer - BJ's Wholesale Club

Has a very small compressor. 52 Watts
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:14 PM   #2
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Be aware that the fridge is 120v only. No 12V or propane energy source.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:52 PM   #3
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True, it is 120 VAC. How long would it run on a standard 12VDC battery using an inverter when the fridge pulld 52 Watts?

With a freezer on top And fridge on the bottom, a great price, It may be perfect for the person that camps in campgrounds or someone who would normally replace a broken fridge with an ice box.
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:00 PM   #4
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120V motor will most likely need a pure sine wave power inverter. Which could kill price advantage comparing to a 12V compressor fridges. Also home type fridges are not designed to work in vibration environment.
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:38 PM   #5
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The motor won't care pure or modified sine wave inverter, but you may need over 300 watts to start it.
If it's well insulated it may average less than the 50 or so watts listed.

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Old 09-08-2016, 07:43 PM   #6
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Many motors behave poorly with modified sine wave. Be careful.
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Old 09-09-2016, 08:12 AM   #7
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And just last week there was a post where someone bought a used boat fridge, 120VAC with a built in inverter and he said it woeked great. If you are thinking of installing a ICE BOX i stead of a camper absorption fridge, this just might be the answer. And now we will get the naysayer that tells us the down side of that.
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Old 09-09-2016, 08:26 AM   #8
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I may have been the poster with the Norcold 704DE from a boat.
That was a swing compressor, which does not exhibit the starting surge than rotary compressors do.
The swing compressor is a solenoid that is driven back and forth by the alternating current and the first cycles if the solenoid doesn't make a full stroke it doesn't care.
A rotary compressor must make that full stroke plus the surge of the motor starting so it needs a lot more current capability to get it running.
I doubt that the fridge motor cares if it is a sine wave or not. Sensitive electronics don't like the square wave due to the spiked associated with them.
I tried a dorm type of fridge before I got the Norcold unit, but my 300 watt inverter would not start it, but fault out when the motor tried to start. Not a problem with the non-pure sine wave, but rather the high starting current typical of this type of thing. You may need a MUCH larger inverter to take care of the surge. 300 watts won't handle starting a 50 watt motor in a dorm fridge.
Some people have had a problem with them with a 1000 watt inverter. The starting current is immediate and large and the inverter senses it immediately and faults.
However since the fridge is just a motor and thermostat I doubt that the modified sine wave would damage it, but to each his own.
The same 300 watt inverter will happily run the Norcold 704DE in 120 volt mode if that counts for anything.
By the way I am a beginner with electrical things only having worked with that stuff for 50 years or so.
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Old 09-09-2016, 10:09 AM   #9
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From https://www.altestore.com/blog/2015/...he-difference/ :

In general, because the total harmonic distortion is higher in modified square wave inverters, motors will run hotter (less efficiently, consuming up to 30% more energy than with pure sine wave inverters), and likely not last as long.
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Old 09-09-2016, 10:48 AM   #10
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That $100 dorm fridge might not last 30 years.

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