How To Determine How Long A Battery Will Last When Powering A Portable Fridge

Published 01/25/2023

Products Featured in This Question

Go Power Industrial Pure Sine Wave Inverter - 3,000 Watt - 12V

(174)

$1131.99

Go Power Lithium RV Battery - Deep Cycle - LiFePO4 - Group 31 - 12V - 100 Amp Hour

(7)

$619.00

Question:

if i use a 3000 watt inverter on a 12 volt batter how long can i run my portable fridge with draws 65 watts

asked by: Freddy

Expert Reply:

Watts divided by volts equals amps, so 65 watts divided by 12 volts is going to equal 5.42 amps. Your battery should have an amp hour rating that you can divide by 5.42 amps and then you'll know exactly how long the battery can maintain the draw from the fridge.

For example, the Go Power Lithium RV Battery # 34282738 has a 100 amp hour rating so you would get 18.45 hours out of the battery. That being said a fridge isn't going to constantly be running and depending on the climate you could use more or less power (i.e. the fridge will run less in cooler temps than on a warm summer day).

A 3000 watt inverter, like the Go Power Industrial Pure Sine Wave Inverter # 34278157, is a bit overkill if you're just using it for the fridge since it's only pulling 65 watts. You could easily get away with a smaller one like the # WC3720 you were looking at. You'll just want to make sure that you don't power any sensitive electronics (cellphone, computer, etc.) with an inverter that isn't Pure Sine Wave.

expert reply by: Kevin C