The Winnebago View is built with not only in-house innovations of Winnebago, but is also equipped with additional, high-quality accessories that add to the upscale look and feel. One such feature is the Norcold, 10 cu. ft., compressor-driven, double door, 12V refrigerator and freezer. Recently, one of our guests performed their own experiment to test the limit of this capable refrigerator to see just how long the refrigerator will run on batteries alone.
Continue reading to learn the results of this test.
Setting Up the Experiment
Our guest first decided to test the refrigerator in their Winnebago View when planning a Marine ferry ride from Bellingham, WA, to Haines, AK. The trip is generally 67 hours, so the test was meant to determine if the refrigerator would be able to keep its contents cool for the entirety of the trip or if they would have to empty it out beforehand. Without running the chassis battery or using solar, the test would rely entirely on the (2) Lithionics 125AH lithium-ion phosphate batteries installed in their View.
A few variables were set to make sure the test was as consistent as possible and confirm the refrigerator would be the only piece of equipment using the batteries. The manual disconnect switch was used to remove the inverter as a load since it would have minor, steady state load if connected. For the test, the motorhome was kept with shades closed at the same location for the entirety, and both the refrigerator and freezer temperatures were kept at the same settings throughout. The refrigerator was set at 5 of 5 and the freezer was set at 2 of 5. All that was left to do was monitor the battery charge via the Bluetooth connection from their mobile device.
Reviewing the Results
Under the controlled conditions, the battery readings were at 56% after 48 hours, with monitored current readings showing anywhere between 0-2 amps. After 69 hours, the batteries were reading 36% and were still in the yellow zone of the battery status indicator. Because the intended ferry ride would only be around 67 hours, it was decided to end the test after the 69 hour mark, but the results demonstrate that the true runtime exceeds 70 hours.
With a total of 250AH from their (2) lithium-ion phosphate batteries and knowing the remaining percentage was 36% at the 69 hour mark, we can determine that the refrigerator used approximately 160AH during the test. Over the runtime of the experiment, that averages at about 2.35 amps per hour. Because the output voltage of the lithium-ion batteries is 12V, we know that the total power usage over 69 hours was a mere 35-watts.
Real World Follow Up
With the test complete and results showing they would be able to keep their refrigerator and freezer stocked, they were ready to start their adventure and ferry ride from Bellingham, WA, to Haines, AK. Their statistics showed the same results with little variance. The refrigerator and freezer settings were, respectively, 5 of 5 and 2 of 5. Also, the battery charge reading started at 100%, and after the 67 hour ferry ride, the reading was 36%. Our guest was also happy to report that even the ice cream remained frozen once they reached Alaska.
Thank you to our guest, Dave, for conducting this experiment and sharing his findings! We greatly appreciate you taking the time to show the incredible efficiency of both the Norcold 12V compressor-driven refrigerator and the Lithionics lithium-ion phosphate battery system.
Want to learn even more about the Winnebago View? Call a Lichtsinn RV Sales Consultant today!
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