Nova Kool R3800 AC/DC Refrigerator

[mikeehlert]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I think that your refrigerator draws 4.4 amps per hour??

Have you determined how many hours the compressor is running?



Do you have solar?? Are you pleased with the performance of the Nova Kool??? It's an AC / DC only unit, correct??

IDK what it draws or how much it runs. Have the standard Paseo 190(?) watt solar. Two AGMs 224(?) amp hours. Recently converted to DC only due to board failure under warranty. 12.7v at bed time, 12.4v in the morning.

[BillsPaseo]

Originally Posted by mikeehlert

IDK what it draws or how much it runs. Have the standard Paseo 190(?) watt solar. Two AGMs 224(?) amp hours. Recently converted to DC only due to board failure under warranty. 12.7v at bed time, 12.4v in the morning.

The Paseo has two 105 AH batteries, and one 100W Zamp solar panel. We added a second 100W Renogy panel on ours.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by mikeehlert

IDK what it draws or how much it runs. Have the standard Paseo 190(?) watt solar. Two AGMs 224(?) amp hours. Recently converted to DC only due to board failure under warranty. 12.7v at bed time, 12.4v in the morning.

It's 5.2 amps per hour when it's running.....6200 is a very nice unit... I wish I had the space for this...6 cubic feet of refrigerator and 2.5 cubic feet of freezer.

If you are NOT having issues and have the same 224 Amp hours of batteries with a 190 solar panel. I see no reason why I wouldn't be able to make the small R3800 with only 2.2 amp hours per hour work....

12.4 in the morning is perfectly fine on the batteries...

I suppose you run some lights at night and use the bathroom..?

I noticed that the Paseo is offered with an option for a 100 watt solar panel system and LED lights....is that what you did or do you know that you chose a 190 watt system?

I don't anticipate opening and closing the refrigerator door unnecessarily.... I imagine you are pleased with the Nova Kool performance? Is it fairly quiet?

I'm thinking that the compressor 12 volt refrigerator/ freezer is safer, easier to use, doesn't need leveling, and probably less complicated than the propane gas absorption refrigerators.... It likely holds the temperature more evenly....

Is this your experience?

I see you converted to a DC after a "board failure", under warranty? This was the Paseo... not the Nova Kool?? Correct?

I see you added the extra solar panel.....

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by BillsPaseo

The Paseo has two 105 AH batteries, and one 100W Zamp solar panel. We added a second 100W Renogy panel on ours.

Bill,

Is this correct... only 105 AH?? Or is that the usable hours at 50 percent . ???!

If it's 105 AH...is that on a 6 volt or 12 volt system...?

I have two 6 volt batteries at 224 Amp hours in series... to create a 12 volt system....

Just curious.....

[mikeehlert]

Originally Posted by BillsPaseo

The Paseo has two 105 AH batteries, and one 100W Zamp solar panel. We added a second 100W Renogy panel on ours.

Thanks Bill

[mikeehlert]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

It's 5.2 amps per hour when it's running.....6200 is a very nice unit... I wish I had the space for this...6 cubic feet of refrigerator and 2.5 cubic feet of freezer.

If you are NOT having issues and have the same 224 Amp hours of batteries with a 190 solar panel. I see no reason why I wouldn't be able to make the small R3800 with only 2.2 amp hours per hour work....

12.4 in the morning is perfectly fine on the batteries...

I suppose you run some lights at night and use the bathroom..?

I noticed that the Paseo is offered with an option for a 100 watt solar panel system and LED lights....is that what you did or do you know that you chose a 190 watt system?

I don't anticipate opening and closing the refrigerator door unnecessarily.... I imagine you are pleased with the Nova Kool performance? Is it fairly quiet?

I'm thinking that the compressor 12 volt refrigerator/ freezer is safer, easier to use, doesn't need leveling, and probably less complicated than the propane gas absorption refrigerators.... It likely holds the temperature more evenly....

Is this your experience?

I see you converted to a DC after a "board failure", under warranty? This was the Paseo... not the Nova Kool?? Correct?

I see you added the extra solar panel.....

See BillsPaseo post for correct solar and battery numbers.
The Nova Kool is very quiet and does a great job. The controller board on the Nova Kool failed due to a programming problem at the factory. They had a whole run of them a couple years ago. Lots more about this on the Face Book Paseo and Travatto forums.

The ability to run all the time regardless of leveling or driving is a major advantage. One of the most common issues on the RV forums is “my refrigerator won’t cool”. It’s almost always one of the three way units. Amanda cycle is not a good choice for mobile Applications IMHO.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by mikeehlert

See BillsPaseo post for correct solar and battery numbers.
The Nova Kool is very quiet and does a great job. The controller board on the Nova Kool failed due to a programming problem at the factory. They had a whole run of them a couple years ago. Lots more about this on the Face Book Paseo and Travatto forums.

The ability to run all the time regardless of leveling or driving is a major advantage. One of the most common issues on the RV forums is “my refrigerator won’t cool”. It’s almost always one of the three way units. Amanda cycle is not a good choice for mobile Applications IMHO.

Sorry....in not familiar with that?? Or did you mean something else to say??

Regarding the "bad batch" of failed boards....if I were to get a brand new one right now.... I imagine that this is not an issue??

On power, I was reading that a good rule of thumb is take the maximum amount of amp hours this would run....in my case 2.2 amps per hour times 24...or 52.8 and double it....105.6..... to get to a 50 percent battery level....

I have 112 available amps on my two 224 Ah deep cycle 6 volt batteries..... plus, I have a solar panel system ...

SO..... it's pretty quiet...... you can't hear too much at night.....

And, it's even possible to freeze an ice cream bar....???

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

……………....in my case 2.2 amps per hour times 24...or 52.8....……..

To rephrase your statements in math terms:

2.2 [amp/hour] x 24 [hour] = 52.8 [amp/hour x hour] = 52.8 [amp], does this make sense?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

To rephrase your statements in math terms:

2.2 [amp/hour] x 24 [hour] = 52.8 [amp/hour x hour] = 52.8 [amp], does this make sense?

So.... you think it's enough or not??

[eric1514]

I installed a Novakool R3100 in my van. Sitting on the floor of the coach, wired up temporarily, it drew 2.2 amps. I just turned the thermostat up until the compressor started and measured the electricity through my Trimetric.

Now, installed in the cabinet with two additional fans to aid cooling (one thermostatically controlled and one that turns on with the compressor just like the factory fan), a resistor in line to speed up the motor and a digital thermostat, the fridge will draw almost 4 amps. It is 72 in the coach right now, the thermostat is set for 35 degrees (8 in the freezer) and the thing runs 15 minutes off and 10 minutes on. The van is also under a cover so cooling through the vents is impaired. It will be in the high 90s maybe even 100 today. The fridge will be running continuously come this afternoon and I will use about 50ah of battery. I'm in absolutely direct sun from about 10:30am to 5:00pm, but again, under a cover. It will be 100 in the van.

I have 210AH of battery and 300 watts of solar. Uncovered, I can recover those amps by noon or 1 pm and stay almost full until around 6:00pm. The fridge will use about 20ah over night. This is basically an empty fridge with no thermal mass in it. The thermostat kicks on at 36.1 and off at 35 so it's holding very steady until late afternoon when the temp will rise to 37.8 or .9 and the the fridge will not turn off. Again, that side of the van is in direct sun although under cover. My very well running absorbtion fridge would have been in the high 50's and frozen over night.

I'm going camping next week in varying temps so I'll have some real world experience to relay.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

So.... you think it's enough or not??

Enough in amp/hour, or amphour, or amp, or hours, or miles, or weekends or you know what I meant.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by eric1514

I installed a Novakool R3100 in my van. Sitting on the floor of the coach, wired up temporarily, it drew 2.2 amps. I just turned the thermostat up until the compressor started and measured the electricity through my Trimetric.

Now, installed in the cabinet with two additional fans to aid cooling (one thermostatically controlled and one that turns on with the compressor just like the factory fan), a resistor in line to speed up the motor and a digital thermostat, the fridge will draw almost 4 amps. It is 72 in the coach right now, the thermostat is set for 35 degrees (8 in the freezer) and the thing runs 15 minutes off and 10 minutes on. The van is also under a cover so cooling through the vents is impaired. It will be in the high 90s maybe even 100 today. The fridge will be running continuously come this afternoon and I will use about 50ah of battery. I'm in absolutely direct sun from about 10:30am to 5:00pm, but again, under a cover. It will be 100 in the van.

I have 210AH of battery and 300 watts of solar. Uncovered, I can recover those amps by noon or 1 pm and stay almost full until around 6:00pm. The fridge will use about 20ah over night. This is basically an empty fridge with no thermal mass in it. The thermostat kicks on at 36.1 and off at 35 so it's holding very steady until late afternoon when the temp will rise to 37.8 or .9 and the the fridge will not turn off. Again, that side of the van is in direct sun although under cover. My very well running absorbtion fridge would have been in the high 50's and frozen over night.

I'm going camping next week in varying temps so I'll have some real world experience to relay.

Seems like ...20 amps over night is not a lot of power....
Are you saying 8 or 12 hours?

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

So.... you think it's enough or not??

Reading c o m p r e h e n s i o n. You have not provided information to us to make a yes or no absolute statement. What is your amp hour/day budget? In other words, how much battery do you use now. How long do you want the battery to last?

You would be fine for overnight assuming fairly full batteries, most likely. After that and past days 2 and up things get iffy, again depending on how many amp hours are consumed.

Judging by my usage patterns, which are quite light, I would want at least another 100 watts of solar more than what you have for more than a two night stay. But that's for me and not wanting to run the genny or start the vehicle engine. I stay at a place for one to two weeks quite regularly. My 150 watts of portable solar works fine for me, but I do not have a compressor fridge. My LP unit works great, temps in the mid 30's even with 100* outside and inside temps.

Or... just get it installed and see if it works for your way of traveling. If it works, fine, if not, start another thread and ask for advice.

Again for me, I'd be OK on the batteries but would add 100 watts of solar for the way that I travel/camp.

Another thing or two to keep in mind. Roof top solar will not harvest as much power from the sun, it's an angle thing, compared to portables. 30 to maybe 45 amp hours would be a good guess for your system as you have not provided actually numbers to show how many amp hours you are harvesting per day. The amount of solar available on a daily basis will vary depending on weather, trees, latitude, how clean your panels are, etc.... It's a lot less difficult to give an answer based on real data vs assumptions and hopes, and then it's still not exact, just better odds. Real world experience counts for a lot here.

Go for it, it's only(your) money.

[booster]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Reading c o m p r e h e n s i o n. You have not provided information to us to make a yes or no absolute statement. What is your amp hour/day budget? In other words, how much battery do you use now. How long do you want the battery to last?

You would be fine for overnight assuming fairly full batteries, most likely. After that and past days 2 and up things get iffy, again depending on how many amp hours are consumed.

Judging by my usage patterns, which are quite light, I would want at least another 100 watts of solar more than what you have for more than a two night stay. But that's for me and not wanting to run the genny or start the vehicle engine. I stay at a place for one to two weeks quite regularly. My 150 watts of portable solar works fine for me, but I do not have a compressor fridge. My LP unit works great, temps in the mid 30's even with 100* outside and inside temps.

Or... just get it installed and see if it works for your way of traveling. If it works, fine, if not, start another thread and ask for advice.

Again for me, I'd be OK on the batteries but would add 100 watts of solar for the way that I travel/camp.

Another thing or two to keep in mind. Roof top solar will not harvest as much power from the sun, it's an angle thing, compared to portables. 30 to maybe 45 amp hours would be a good guess for your system as you have not provided actually numbers to show how many amp hours you are harvesting per day. The amount of solar available on a daily basis will vary depending on weather, trees, latitude, how clean your panels are, etc.... It's a lot less difficult to give an answer based on real data vs assumptions and hopes, and then it's still not exact, just better odds. Real world experience counts for a lot here.

Go for it, it's only(your) money.

I doubt we will ever get any actual use numbers or other useful data. AFAIK, RS does not have a battery monitor, so he has no idea if his 224AH or batteries is really 224 or a bunch less than that do to degradation or less than full charge, and also has no information about how many AH he gets on a typical or bad solar day, or how many amp hours he uses during a day. But, we all are supposed to be able to tell him if he can run a compressor frig with his system, or not, for sure.........

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Seems like ...20 amps over night is not a lot of power....
Are you saying 8 or 12 hours?

.....12.....

[booster]

Originally Posted by eric1514

.....12.....

Of course if he really used "20 amps overnight" for twelve hours, that would be 240 amp hours, but of course units don't matter


If indeed you really meant he used 20 amp hours overnight, that is not all that far out of line in 12 hours. For us, about 4AH will go to the detectors and another 1-2 to the shore charger which stays active with it's monitor. Nights are cooler so frig is usually under 10AH. If we have devices on charge overnight or run the furnace we can get higher than 20 but rarely to 30AH unless you include the TV/DVD in the evening, lights, inverter run for microwave, etc.


Knowing what you use under various conditions is important, that is why so many of use recommend having a battery monitor.

[RossWilliams]

You have not provided information to us to make a yes or no absolute statement.

As you point out, without real world experience that information does not exist. So its kind of silly to complain about it.

With the information he has provided, it would seem likely he will be fine most of the time. It would appear he could continuously run just his refrigerator compressor for about 3 days on his batteries alone. He has a generator or can run the engine to recharge if he runs short.

How well it works will depend on a combination of actual solar production and other uses. He has limited control over the solar production, but quite a bit of control over other uses. He can, to some extent, adjust his other uses to match the solar production. There is also the likely real world effect that less sunlight producing solar will often mean the compressor will run less to keep the refrigerator cold.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by RossWilliams

As you point out, without real world experience that information does not exist. So its kind of silly to complain about it.

With the information he has provided, it would seem likely he will be fine most of the time. It would appear he could continuously run just his refrigerator compressor for about 3 days on his batteries alone. He has a generator or can run the engine to recharge if he runs short.

How well it works will depend on a combination of actual solar production and other uses. He has limited control over the solar production, but quite a bit of control over other uses. He can, to some extent, adjust his other uses to match the solar production. There is also the likely real world effect that less sunlight producing solar will often mean the compressor will run less to keep the refrigerator cold.

Maybe, this is not an issue??. I don't know..
My two 6 volt AGM batteries @ 224Ah in series for a 12 volt system are charging via shore power and of course my solar panel is running 24/7... I can see it's charging right now.... here's a couple pics....

The batteries are two years old.... and while it's charging .. my indicator says it's half full... maybe it's just a solar controller situation as to not "overcharge"...

I expect that by the end of day...it will be a. full 100 percent charge..... but, I'll find out.... Also... my Fantastic Fan is running currently... it's hot here....

I know if I were to turn on the engine and/or drive somewhere...it would be at the full battery indicator very quickly.....

Hopefully, my batteries can last another 2 or so years....
If not, they can always be replaced....

Don't know if I could get larger capacity 6 volts ....as in more than 224 Ah each.

Edit.... looks like it's 3/4 full..... there's one more light just to the left and that does light up after the engine is running for a short time.....

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Maybe, this is not an issue??. I don't know..
My two 6 volt AGM batteries @ 224Ah in series for a 12 volt system are charging via shore power and of course my solar panel is running 24/7... I can see it's charging right now.... here's a couple pics....

The batteries are two years old.... and while it's charging .. my indicator says it's half full... maybe it's just a solar controller situation as to not "overcharge"...

I expect that by the end of day...it will be a. full 100 percent charge..... but, I'll find out.... Also... my Fantastic Fan is running currently... it's hot here....

I know if I were to turn on the engine and/or drive somewhere...it would be at the full battery indicator very quickly.....

Hopefully, my batteries can last another 2 or so years....
If not, they can always be replaced....

Don't know if I could get larger capacity 6 volts ....as in more than 224 Ah each.

Edit.... looks like it's 3/4 full..... there's one more light just to the left and that does light up after the engine is running for a short time.....

None of that stuff tells you if your batteries are reallyfull, you really only know that with a monitor. This has been the point all along, as you have been assuming you have full 224ah of battery capacity when it is highly likely you don't because nothing you have can tell you accurately. If you do get to a true full, from then on you will be overcharging and not know it, especially when driving.

[BillsPaseo]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Bill,

Is this correct... only 105 AH?? Or is that the usable hours at 50 percent . ???!

If it's 105 AH...is that on a 6 volt or 12 volt system...?

I have two 6 volt batteries at 224 Amp hours in series... to create a 12 volt system....

Just curious.....

Yes, the Paseo has two 105AH 12V batteries.