Norcold Refridgerator Model N822 (Power Input) / Zamp Solar

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X-Roughneck

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Norcold N822, Refrigerator / Zamp solar related question...

I am in the process of purchasing a Aspect 30 J that has a 30 Amp Zamp Solar system installed.  This particular RV currently only has a 100 watt panel on the roof.  The Zamp 30 amp system can be upgraded easily and is capable of supporting 510 Watt input according to the man I spoke to at Zamp.  There are currently 2 more available expansion ports on the roof that are unused and I plan on adding 2 more Zamp 170 watt solar panels to give me a total of 440 watts on the roof.  Keeping the 100 watt panel as is.

This RV has a 1000 watt inverter. The guy I spoke to at Zamp recommended upgrading the coach batts to 24 group, Dual Purpose AGM batts.  He said that because the House batts share duty cranking the 4K Onan generator I would need this dual battery style and could not go with the 6volt grouping.

I have attached the photo that the seller provided to me of the refrigerator data plate.

Looking at the plate I think I can run off 110v, DC, or Propane.  Am I correct? 

Also what do the experienced members of the board think about 440 watt input on the roof?  I am wanting to try some dry camping. I realize that running the AC is not do-able off batts.  My biggest power draw off the inverter would be the refrigerator and my CPAP machine I wear at night, and a bit of TV in the evenings. 

I think my biggest challenge dry camping with the Aspect 30J will be the small fresh, and gray tank capacity.

Interested in some input from experienced members.
 

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Looking at the plate I think I can run off 110v, DC, or Propane.  Am I correct? 
Don't think so. The amperage shown for 12V (10 watts) is for the 12V control signal circuit board, not for cooling. You seem to have a refer that will run on propane and 120V for cooling purposes.


(To cool using DC you would require about the same wattage as the AC (120V 300 watts), but much more current as it is the same element that is used.)
 
Alfa38User said:
Don't think so. The amperage shown for 12V (10 watts) is for the 12V control signal circuit board, not for cooling. You seem to have a refer that will run on propane and 120V for cooling purposes.


(To cool using DC you would require about the same wattage as the AC (120V 300 watts), but much more current as it is the same element that is used.)

Thank you, Sir,

Are there any Aspect 30J or members of the board, or solar owners that can give me some feedback related to the performance of having 440watt of solar input, Zamp 30 Amp Controller, 24 Group AGM dual Purpose batts and 1000 watt inverter. I am wanting to power this refrigerator, CPAP, interior lights, and a bit of TV, satellite rec in the evenings.  Providing there is sunlight can I generate enough power to keep up utilizing house batteries.
 
Run the Refer on propane for starters.That CPAP is going to be hard on the batteries, especially if it uses a humidifier.
 
This RV has a 1000 watt inverter. The guy I spoke to at Zamp recommended upgrading the coach batts to 24 group, Dual Purpose AGM batts.  He said that because the House batts share duty cranking the 4K Onan generator I would need this dual battery style and could not go with the 6volt grouping.
That guy is wrong. A pair of 6v GC2 batteries wired in series is electrically indistinguishable from a pair of 12v wired in parallel. Either can crank the genset fine and will handle all other 12v chores as well.  Either pair will have more than enough cranking amps to start a big V8 engine, let alone an Onan 4000 genset. It's only a 9.5 hp engine!

Your fridge CANNOT cool using 12v power - it is as Alfa39 describes.
 
X-Roughneck said:
.....Also what do the experienced members of the board think about 440 watt input on the roof?
I added two 140 watt Zamp panels to the roof of our 40' Horizon and I would have added another couple if I had enough room (I have a bunch of stuff on the roof.) Add all of the panels you can - no such thing as having too much solar capacity, you will have some gray overcast days and the panels only put out peak power at certain sun angles. (Caveat - match solar capacity with how much storage capacity you have)

X-Roughneck said:
I think my biggest challenge dry camping with the Aspect 30J will be the small fresh, and gray tank capacity....
Yup, you nailed it. I assume you will be towing a vehicle, if so a small pickup truck or SUV could hold a water bladder you can fill up before dry camping. You could also carry one of those portable tanks for black/gray water and haul to a campground dump if that's where you would be dry camping. I've been on water and electric sites before and the campground manager or owner said it was fine to run the gray on the ground which I think is perfectly okay but many commercial and non-commercial campgrounds will not allow that.

A few years ago we participated in an off-road event and everybody was drycamping on a ranch, we ran our graywater down a gopher hole  :)

We carry 100 gallons of fresh, 65 gray and 50 black in our Horizon - we can easily drycamp for a week with daily showers and could stretch it much further with strict water rationing but that's not us, we like our comfort - our generator is running 24 hours a day (where allowed) and the air conditioner is on.
 
Good idea.  I will look into the bladder. 

I am still trying to sort out the tow vehicle.  Due to economics, self inflicted poor by retiring right at 57, I would prefer getting rid of the Mazda CX-5 that would have to be dolly TOAD and getting a 2014 Honda CRV.  I think I could come out with no set up cost out of pocket for a Blue Ox and the installation of the tow plate on the CRV.  This way I could also have the one insurance payment on the vehicle.  We are a one car family BTW.

I could still be a one car family with the CX-5 but just not sure I want to hassle with ratcheting down the tires if going the dolly route.
 
A tow dolly would be a bit of a hassle but towing 4 down can be as well. You can't back up 4 down (not sure if you can back up a tow dolly) which means always planning ahead. Good luck which every way it goes.
 
You aren't suppossed to back up with a tow dolly either. It can be done though. I pulled into Flying J in Billings and was going around to the back to pull in to a pump on the outside of the islands. I mistakenly took the McDonalds Drive-Up lane for a way around. No way to go forward. Backed up about 100ft. with the tow dolly.
 
Backing a car on a dolly is like backing any wagon with front and rear axles. Farm kids learn it at an early age, but adults struggle trying to get the hang of it. 
 
John Hilley said:
You aren't suppossed to back up with a tow dolly either. It can be done though. I pulled into Flying J in Billings and was going around to the back to pull in to a pump on the outside of the islands. I mistakenly took the McDonalds Drive-Up lane for a way around. No way to go forward. Backed up about 100ft. with the tow dolly.

Yikes!!!  In case I am even in Billings and visit that Flying J, I may need your number to throw out a lifeline.  That could have gone badly for sure.  I bet after that you park on the very edge of the Grand Canyon when you go out to visit.  ;D
 
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