Portable Power Stations
- Thread starter Mudhorn
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TRUSTYAXE
New member
I bought a Jackery 240 a while back to add inline to my 12V fridge wiring. I am powering a Dometic CFX-28 and it works great. Now I use my OEM fridge switch to charge the Jackery while moving or let it charge off my deep cycle for a while when parked. It doesn't take long for the Jackery to come back to 100% once the fridge is cooled down and starts to cycle. I also have one of their 60w solar panels that I can throw on the dash and plug into the Jackery. Pass through charging is a nice feature, its really a lot of bang for your buck as in the past you would need a charger controller and inverter to have all the same functionality.
I've got a Jackery 500 and their Solar Saga 100w panel. Works great to run the fridge and whatever else needs powering while camped. The Jackery recharges off the 120v inverter in the truck while driving and the solar if we're parked long enough to deploy it. Fridge just runs off the Jackery and it works great.
At some point I'll backfeed my aux fuse box off the Jackery so it powers whatever other accessories are wired in the truck if needed but really the fridge is the most important.
At some point I'll backfeed my aux fuse box off the Jackery so it powers whatever other accessories are wired in the truck if needed but really the fridge is the most important.
I am not in the market for any power stations but consider the recharge lifecycle of most lithium ion batteries is approx 500 recharge cycles or about 2-3 years of average use before they degrade to the point where it barely holds a charge. If you want something with higher recharge cycles you should look into lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4). For example the Dometic PLB40 is based on LiFePo4 batteries however it does not have a 110v port. These types of batteries should last approx 10 years of average use while maintaining near full capacity.
Mudhorn
New member
How many hours are you powering the fridge when only on the Jackery power (at camp) at night (no solar available)?
Mudhorn
New member
Thanks, I will look at the brand.
TRUSTYAXE
New member
I have not stayed anywhere overnight yet, been a kinda stupid year and its been stupid hot down here. So I can't provide any real data there. But going from a warm fridge (109 deg out) to 34 degrees and maintaining it for around 4 hours pulled the little 240 down to around 80%.
With the Jackery 500, based on discharge rates I've measured, my 50 qt ARB should run for about 42-43 hours without any sort of charging input. That's with the fridge set at 33F and normal open/close activity to dig for stuff.
Crikeymike
Senior Member
I have a Rockpals 330W. I chose not to get a bigger option so that it could charge by solar fully within one day, and it does. I ran my fridge for 3 weeks on a trip this September and never had an issue with it. It also recharges off a cigarette lighter just as quick as solar, so when I was driving between campsites, I'd get it back to full juice no worries.
And yeah, I don't expect it to last forever. My only problem will be making sure I use it every now and then at home when I'm not on a trip.
And yeah, I don't expect it to last forever. My only problem will be making sure I use it every now and then at home when I'm not on a trip.
I have similar results. I also have an ARB 50qt and use the Jackery 500 when I don't want to drain the battery in the 4runner. I got about 48 hours with the fridge temp set to 29F before the battery life on the Jackery showed 16%. I'm sure I could've squeezed another 1-2 hours, but didn't want to run the battery too low. Ambient temperature was about 70-80F so results vary.
Remember that the lithium cells in these can be discharged fully, unlike the 50% discharge you're not supposed to exceed with AGM or other lead/acid chemistries.
Ambient temperature has a lot to do with the discharge rate too; this weekend when I was out, had the hatch open for many hours in camp and it was 90-95 degrees in the little canyon we were in. That of course makes the fridge work harder.
In any case, the solar would have topped it off nicely if I was in the sun
1000% agree. I have about $1500 into goal zero system and it’s failing miserably.
ElJefe
Member
Thats good to hear. I just ordered Rockpals new 500 watt power station. Excited to get it and try it out. Looked good and a lot cheaper than other brands.
ElectroBoy
Banned
I recently bought a Jackery 500 in a group buy, which still may be going on, see this link:
Group Buy: Jackery Explorer Portable Power Stations and SolarSaga Solar Panels
I’m very pleased with it. I run it in pass-through mode; it powers my 12V fridge while driving and the Jackery is being charged from a 12V port (cigarette lighter port) during the drive. In this mode it supplies about 65W to the fridge when it cycles on to cool, 2W when idle. During this time the Jackery draws about 38W to charge itself. This way you can keep the Jackery topped off while driving.
I’ve run the fridge for over 25 hours and the Jackery was only down to 42%. Of course it depends on many factors like ambient temperature, fridge setting, power draw etc., but it works for me.
It’s a “power station” with 12V DC outputs, USB outputs, a 120 VAC output, and can be charged from 12V DC, 120VAC (with an included power brick), or a solar array. Plus you can move it into your house for emergency power.
Check it out to see if the group buy is still going on. Plus there’s a Jackery 1000 model available.
4RExplorer
New member
Check out Mobile Solar Power Made Easy! - Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power!. The host, Will Prowse, also has a YouTube channel. He is extremely knowledgeable about portable power stations, solar power, and LiFePO4 and other types of batteries.
tylertenny
Member
The only things that I ever need to charge while we're camping are our phones, a tablet, and a portable fan/LED light. Since I don't need too much power I just use one of these. I've been kicking around the idea of getting a portable fridge but am still on the fence since most of our trips are short enough to use coolers without it being a hassle. If we decide to go the fridge route I would probably get a Jackery power station and a solar panel. I've seen a couple of vehicles on YouTube and Instagram that have these hood mounted solar panels. They seem a bit pricey but I really like the idea of making them look like some kind of hood wrap.
Here’s a link to a post I made awhile back regarding the efficiency of my Dometic CFX3-35, Jackery 500, and Goal Zero 100 watt suitcase panel.
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3523311-post59.html
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3523311-post59.html
