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Jeff Urban Jeff Urban is offline
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Default Refrigerator current load

We measured a new fridge at the store, had to talk the manager into it but I built a box with a cord and outlet and a wire looped outside for a clamp on ammeter.

We got a peak of like 9 amps or so to start but then it went be;ow one amp.

However if the thing has not been in service the condenser is not pressurized which does make the compressor draw more. We didn't want to hang around all day so we took the data and went on to other things. This was for a solar powered camper made out of a box truck.

The trend now is for a smaller refrigeration system that runs longer. The peak at startup is one issue but there are so many others. Manufacturing costs, weight/freight. It all needs to be considered when you make decisions like that in design.

There are drawbacks. I would bet real money that if you put a new and old fridge out on 100ยบ in the sun the old one could cool the food but the new one would not. But how many people are going to do that ?

So you might have 80 watts for 6 hours but with an old one you would have 160 watts for 3 hours. The lower drain means less loss of power in the house wiring, and not contributing as much to peak demand.

Thing is, after the startup surge, take and run the thing for a couple hours with the doors open. Then you get a worst case scenario value for its current drain.