Boon Docking with Samsung - Energy saving tips?

[Smitty77_7]

I've read many with Samsung's, and other residential fridges, turn their fridges off overnight or while traveling or both.

 

I have not heard of turning down, well up, the temps for overnight. Say bump up the temps of the fridge to 45 and the freezer to 8 (or something like that)? Should cut down on the number of cycles the fridge goes thru to keep things at 38/-2 temps (or whatever you set yours to).

 

Opinions on if this is worthwhile, or other tips?

 

TIA, best to all,

Smitty

[Yarome]

If it was cool enough overnight... and I kept my coach unheated.. I could see maybe turning it off overnight, but I wouldn't mess with turning the temperatures "up". Of course.. in that condition (cool overnight and unheated coach) it probably isn't going to run all that often anyway, so I would just be inclined to keep it on. That being said, it probably depends too on what's inside. My grocery stops are often a few weeks apart, so keeping my fresh food stores fresh is paramount. If it was just beer and ice tea I would feel more at ease with turning it off overnight. KWIM.

 

IMHO, it's going to burn more juice bringing your reefer back down in temp the following day than it would simply maintaining a constant temp.

[Bill Joyce]

"IMHO, it's going to burn more juice bringing your reefer back down in temp the following day than it would simply maintaining a constant temp."

That is my opinion. I know one member was using an appliance timer for his residential at night, off for 3-1/2 hours, on for 1/2 hour, off until morning when the solar could start charging. He was going to do some testing to see if it really helped with total 24 hour electrical usage, but I don't think it ever happened.

[oldjohnt]

Smitty, I realize my small dorm room size electric fridge isn't on the level you are operating, but I never change the t stat and let it run 24/7 when dry camping as it only requires around 30 Amp Hours per day to operate which my battery bank and solar panels keeps up with.

 

I can understand how when you're plugged into shore power setting the temp lower would then save on subsequent dry camp energy use BUT ONLY UNTIL SUCH TIME THE DOOR IS FIRST OPENED after which anything saved is pretty well lost. However, if you're plugged into shore power but then un plug at night and aren't opening and closing the door, sure you are saving/conserving battery and inverter use.

 

I guess I'm saying sure, anytime you're plugged in if you set the t stat lower that can save later dry camp battery use, and sure if while dry camping the t stat is lowered or the fridge is turned completely off that saves/conserves stored battery energy DURING THAT TIME, HOWEVER other then that I don't see all that much advantage in lowering the t stat or turning it off as it then later takes energy to bring the temp back down UNLESS THE NEXT DAY YOURE PLUGGED IN OR DRIVING in which case battery energy is replaced.

 

Its back to conservation of energy and Heat lost = Heat gained I learned way back in thermo class. If all is the same when you save energy by lowering the t stat it takes more energy to cool the fridge back down, but the difference is WHAT ENERGY SOURCE ARE YOU USING, stored battery energy which must be replaced or if you're using utility energy. So it makes sense to lower the temp at night to conserve stored battery energy provided the next morning you're either driving or plugged in such that energy can be restored.

 

Playing with temps or partial shut downs could save energy WELL DUH but temper that with when and how the energy will get replaced like driving or plugging into shore power.

[Smitty77_7]

Thanks all! I should have provided a bit more info"

 

1) Samsung is new, as well as other electric components that until I move them to a dedicated circuit that I turn off overnight - do draw more power. On the Samsung, I did turn of the Ice Maker, and suppose I should look over how well the doors were fitted (look good alignment wise, but maybe their off a bit) - as I was surprised at how often the Samsung is on. Seems to be on more then it's off...

 

2) I have 1200W of good output solar panels, so am topped off very at night when the sun goes down. (Just looked at the MidMite Classic, and it's cranking about 46AH's.) So in the AM when the sun is up, I'm not to worried about the fridge consuming a bit more in the AM when the sun comes out, and or if we are driving the next day with the engine feeding the charge.

 

Wirth all of the changes on the electric draw front, we're on a trip where we've been learning how it all sorts out:)! And, thinking about conserving energy where practical overnight.

 

On opening the door when the fridge is off, or set at higher temps. We do have the setting available for rapid cooling. I could use this once the sun coms up, to keep things OK temp wise. The DW is mostly concerned about the frozen fish, chicken.

 

Smitty

[Bill Joyce]

We have this wireless thermometer set in our residential fridge - http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Refrigerator-Freezer-Wireless-Thermometer/dp/B004QJVU78. (It does require a Lithium AA for the freezer). My view is it is better to know how cold the freezer is than to guess and be wrong. A Kill-A-Watt would also be useful, then you would know how much the fridge really uses of 120 volt and from that you can get get approximate amp-hours. Our 24cuft Whirlpool side-by-side uses around 110 amp-hours in 24 hours. We can't go overnight with the fridge off, after around 4 to 5 hours the freezer is over 20 degrees.

[Jack Mayer]

My 25 cf. GE side by side uses about 105 Ah in 24 hours. We leave ours on power all the time.

[wa_desert_rat]

Turning the refrigerator off at night does make sense under some conditions. Remember that if you have solar panels once the sun starts shining you pay nothing for any extra power needed to draw the contents of the fridge to their usual cold temperature. If you have lots of liquids in that fridge then their high specific heat will cause them to warm up slowly (which would, of course, help in keeping the fridge cold even with power on). But if you have extra power - or a smaller battery bank (or one nearing the end of service) then this could be a reasonable way to keep from working that battery bank too deeply.

 

If you've sized the panels and the battery bank (and the inverter and refrigerator) properly you shouldn't need to do this. But if your bank is sucking down below 12vdc in the morning then you could try the technique and see if it helps. I think I'd invest in some of those portable ice cubes that are sealed in plastic and put them at the top of the refrigerator. Those are filled with liquid with an even greater reluctance to give up their heat.

 

WDR

[GlennWest]

Fridge in our Teton came in it so probably not very energy efficient. Runs on 4 12v batteries and an inverter while we travel. Sometimes that is all day. Batteries aren't badly drained and charge back up rather quickly when we hook back up. A modern unit should use way less energy. Can't see any benefit in turning it off.

[shaman52]

One way I have found to save energy while boondocking is to turn off the 120v circuit breaker (inverter sub-panel) serving our Directv receiver, Amp, Winegard controller and signal router at night. That circuit was using about 8 amps per hour.

 

This might make more amp hours for your Samsung unit.

 

Good Luck!

[Smitty77_7]

Thanks David.

 

And yes to dedicated On/Off power feeds to the entertainment related gear, I'm going to KISS this, and have the two power outlets involved controlled via a wall switch. (Easier then getting into the CB Board to On/Off things. The CB Board is in the bedroom, and the DW sleeps in a few hours more then I do each day.) The outlet feeding the DVR, Stereo, BlueRay is the 2nd to the last one in line. The last outlet, coming out of that same leg, is the TV and Trav'ler power feeds. So one switch will power off both outlets.

 

I mentioned in another post, that we're really doing OK with AH usage overall. Still just learning how the fridge and newly added electronics all change what we were accustomed to on power consumption. In the last 6-7 days, the lowest AM SOC was 78%, and that is after the coffee pot and about 30 mins of Diesel Hydro Hot and the front of the coaches registers fans running.

 

If I recall correctly, you posted you had gone with the Sharp/Panasonic Solar Panels? I looked them over, ended up with X's 5 of their 48V 240W High Efficiency panels. Appreciate your info sharing as I went thru that part of my upgrades...

 

Best,

Smitty

[Yarome]

...In the last 6-7 days, the lowest AM SOC was 78%, and that is after the coffee pot and about 30 mins of Diesel Hydro Hot and the front of the coaches registers fans running.

 

It sounds like you might be tryin to fix somethin that ain't broke. If that's your lowest draw in a week after your morning routine... running a residential... then you're sittin pretty. I can't imagine any energy savings you might be able to eek out would be worth the expense with your current setup.

 

That's assuming you have enough panel to top off your batteries at a decent hour.. which it sounds like you do. On an average day I like to see my bank topped off around the noon hour.

 

Bill had a great suggestion as well.. putting in some type of internal temp monitor. I went with a wireless dual temp sensor as well.