John in the Woods
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2020
- Threads
- 24
- Messages
- 535
- Reaction score
- 1,118
- Location
- Blacksburg VA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Gladiator Rubicon Diesel
- Build Thread
- Link
- Occupation
- Semi-retired noisemaker
- Thread starter
- #106
I've written about the electrical power challenge with my EcoFlow/Iceco VL60 dual fridge setup before. Remembering those, before heading this time I ordered a second 110w solar panel from EcoFlow along with a cable to connect it to my year-old 110w panel, and a few extension cables. Unfortunately (due to when I ordered them and not EcoFlow) the cables didn't get here in time. Armed with just one short cable, I went out with the Iceco getting juice from EcoFlow River Pro (a little more than 700w), with that battery taking power from the cigarette lighter while the truck was diving, and one 110w solar panel when I was at camp.
The short version is there must be some kind of cycle that runs sometimes on the Iceco that really sucks power, or the EcoFlow has an occasional glitch, and it gets masked when the panel or the truck are supplying power. I kept a detailed log of power input and levels throughout the trip. There were a few days when I drove and the battery didn't gain much, but the big losses came at night when there was no inputs. Typically, I'd leave the fridge closed for about 12 hours overnight, and I added an insulating cover on this trip to help hold the cold in. About half the nights, with air temps from the low 80s to mid 60s, the fridge would draw the battery down about 10-15%. But the other nights, with similar outside temps, power would dive from 40 to 50 percent. That puts you behind the 8-ball as far as charge recovery after that, since with the truck running the EcoFlow takes in about 90w and add 10 percent an hour, and at best I could get the single panel to produce 85w, and that only lasted through peak sun.
I made this a bit of an obsession during the trip, and if it wasn't for my buddy letting plug into his house power for an overnight about halfway through the three weeks, I definitely would have had to shut things down at some point.
If I was breaking camp every day and making an 8-hour drive, I'd be fine. But stay in a spot or get a cloudy day, and things quickly get too close for confidence. If I added some camp lights or other power needs, this system would be sunk.
So, if your thinking about doing this, here's a few lessons I've learned and now relearned:
Since coming back, I added about 50 feet of solar power cable extension to keep the panels in the sun, and the harness to run two panels together and double input. I'm hoping with 220w of panel (maybe 180w actual at peak sun) I can turn the corner on the EcoFlow/Iceco setup and get on solid ground.
But, the smart way still seems to be some DC-DC house power system with a Lithium battery that can take a charge much faster from the truck and store electricity deeper than the EcoFlow. I'm looking at a 100ah house power setup install as soon as I get back to my garage up north.
I like my Iceco fridge, and i was surprised at how tough and solid the extra cover was. It has a no-skid bottom, vents where they're needed, a side pocket, and zippers and hook-and-loop that's very easy to deal with. I assume it helped as a thermal blanket, but it wasn't a game changer that way.
Because it's too tall to fit under the tonneau cover, the fridge gets a ride in the cab. Easy to access, but getting it in or out require taking off the door.
The new EcoFlow 110w panels are easier to set up, and hit the upper 80s in watts under midday Florida winter sun. Before 11 or after 3, or if even a small shadow ran across one of the panels, and the power output drops significantly. As pictured, about 90 minutes before sunset, All I could coax was about 10w.
The short version is there must be some kind of cycle that runs sometimes on the Iceco that really sucks power, or the EcoFlow has an occasional glitch, and it gets masked when the panel or the truck are supplying power. I kept a detailed log of power input and levels throughout the trip. There were a few days when I drove and the battery didn't gain much, but the big losses came at night when there was no inputs. Typically, I'd leave the fridge closed for about 12 hours overnight, and I added an insulating cover on this trip to help hold the cold in. About half the nights, with air temps from the low 80s to mid 60s, the fridge would draw the battery down about 10-15%. But the other nights, with similar outside temps, power would dive from 40 to 50 percent. That puts you behind the 8-ball as far as charge recovery after that, since with the truck running the EcoFlow takes in about 90w and add 10 percent an hour, and at best I could get the single panel to produce 85w, and that only lasted through peak sun.
I made this a bit of an obsession during the trip, and if it wasn't for my buddy letting plug into his house power for an overnight about halfway through the three weeks, I definitely would have had to shut things down at some point.
If I was breaking camp every day and making an 8-hour drive, I'd be fine. But stay in a spot or get a cloudy day, and things quickly get too close for confidence. If I added some camp lights or other power needs, this system would be sunk.
So, if your thinking about doing this, here's a few lessons I've learned and now relearned:
- An EcoFlow River Pro simply cannot keep up with a good-sized fridge for an extended period, unless you're driving 8+ hours a day or running multiple 110w solar panels (actually, I can't vouch for that last one, but it seems to make sense. I'll test it next time out in a few weeks).
- Even with the insulated cover, which is tougher and more substantial than I expected, the Iceco VL60 can sometimes (not al the time) suck power pretty aggressively.
- I'll also note that in "eco" mode, I still had to up the temps on both sides to 41 degrees to even limp through 10 days remote at a time. Because the fridges can be a little uneven in their cooling, I lost a good porterhouse during this trip. That was a sin. If you want frozen stuff, you're going to need a better power equation.
- Drawing from the car battery through the power plug (aka cigarette lighter) just does not recharge the EcoFlow fast enough.
- I couldn't get the EcoFlow to feed off the Jeep inverter in the back (something kept tripping), but as inefficient inverting DC to AC just to convert AC back to DC might seem, it looked like the EcoFlow would allow much more power to feed in that way. If you can work that out in your rig, feed it that way.
Since coming back, I added about 50 feet of solar power cable extension to keep the panels in the sun, and the harness to run two panels together and double input. I'm hoping with 220w of panel (maybe 180w actual at peak sun) I can turn the corner on the EcoFlow/Iceco setup and get on solid ground.
But, the smart way still seems to be some DC-DC house power system with a Lithium battery that can take a charge much faster from the truck and store electricity deeper than the EcoFlow. I'm looking at a 100ah house power setup install as soon as I get back to my garage up north.
I like my Iceco fridge, and i was surprised at how tough and solid the extra cover was. It has a no-skid bottom, vents where they're needed, a side pocket, and zippers and hook-and-loop that's very easy to deal with. I assume it helped as a thermal blanket, but it wasn't a game changer that way.
Because it's too tall to fit under the tonneau cover, the fridge gets a ride in the cab. Easy to access, but getting it in or out require taking off the door.
The new EcoFlow 110w panels are easier to set up, and hit the upper 80s in watts under midday Florida winter sun. Before 11 or after 3, or if even a small shadow ran across one of the panels, and the power output drops significantly. As pictured, about 90 minutes before sunset, All I could coax was about 10w.
Sponsored
Last edited: