Anyone here know about lithium batteries to power up Foodtrucks?

Dude I've been thinking about your fudge business for like twenty years including that special pan you used and that you used to have state of texas tins. I am so happy you're still doing this.

 

I am not an electrician, but I feel like this would be straightforward for one wouldn't cost too much to have them look into it.

 

1. My cousin's husband (cousin-in-law?) is named E Moreland. I am certain it's not you.
   
   
2. This reads like the setup for a dirty joke about battery powered fudge packers.
   
   
3. ChatGPT answer (you should always run questions like this by ChatGPT or Gemini or some other LLM):

Below is a focused diagnosis + step-by-step checklist (do these in order) and fixes that are most likely to solve your 5-minute run then shutdown symptom.

Quick summary of the likely problems

1. Voltage / configuration mismatch — your fridge is 240 V AC but a common Redarc 3000 W inverter (R-12-3000RS-NA) outputs ~100–120 V, not 240 V. If the inverter is only 120 V it will either not run the 240 V compressor correctly or will be running through some converter/transformer arrangement that trips. Master Overland+1
   
   
2. Huge compressor start (inrush) current — refrigeration compressors produce a large short surge (LRA/locked-rotor) when they start. That surge can trip inverters, battery BMS, or a protection breaker, even if steady-state watts look fine. This is a very common cause of an inverter cutting out shortly after startup. Reddit+1
   
   
3. Battery / wiring / BMS protection or voltage sag — if the DC voltage sags under start current the inverter or the battery BMS can shut everything down. Bad/undersized DC wiring, fuses, or connectors increase voltage drop and trip protections. Redarc’s Alpha150 batteries have high continuous discharge specs (200 A each), but how they’re wired (series vs parallel) matters. Redarc Electronics
   

Immediate checks (do these first)

1. Confirm the inverter output voltage
   
   • Find the exact model number on the inverter and confirm whether it outputs 120 V or 240 V. If it’s the common Redarc R-12-3000RS-NA (12 V input), it outputs ~100–120 V AC, NOT 240 V. If your fridge is 240 V, that’s a critical mismatch. Master Overland+1
     
2. Confirm battery bank voltage/configuration (do NOT repeat the question to me — check the bank)
   
   • Measure DC voltage at the inverter input with a multimeter while the fridge is off and while it starts. Nominal should be ~12.7–13.0 V (per battery) if 12 V system; if you see much lower (e.g. <11 V under load) you have sag. If the batteries are in series (giving much higher voltages like 24/36/48 V), the inverter may not be the right type.
     
3. Check inverter error lights/messages & breaker/fuse
   
   • Most inverters show a fault code or LED pattern for undervoltage, overcurrent, overtemperature, or short. Note which fault appears at shutdown. Check DC and AC breakers and any fuses (inverter input fuse, battery isolator, AC outputs).
     
4. Check wiring & cable gauge
   
   • Measure/inspect battery → inverter cable size and connections. High start currents need thick cables and tight, corrosion-free lugs. Voltage drop can make the inverter think it’s undervoltage and shut down.
     

Tests you can run safely

• With fridge off, try a known resistive load (e.g., a 1200–1500 W kettle or heater) and see whether the inverter sustains it. That tells you if the inverter and batteries can handle steady loads.
  
  
• Use a clamp meter on the AC or DC side during compressor start to measure actual inrush amps (gives the locked-rotor info). If you don’t have one, a professional electrician/technician can do this quickly.
  

How the fridge compressor surge causes a shutdown

• Many compressors briefly draw many times their running current (LRA). Even if your running power looks low, the brief surge when the compressor kicks in can be large enough to trip:
  
  • the inverter’s overcurrent protection, or
    
    
  • the inverter’s internal supply if DC input sags below the inverter’s cutoff, or
    
    
  • the battery BMS which disconnects to protect cells. Reddit+1
    

Practical fixes (ordered)

1. If the inverter is 120 V but fridge is 240 V — this is a showstopper: get a proper 240 V inverter or use a split-phase/2-inverter setup designed to produce 240 V. Running a 240 V compressor from a 120 V inverter via some hack is unstable and will cause trips. (If you are in a 120 V country and the fridge is 240 V, you must correct this.) Master Overland
   
   
2. Add a fridge soft-start / start-assist device — these reduce compressor inrush very effectively. Brands/solutions exist for commercial compressors (soft-starters, hard-start kits, inrush limiters). This frequently fixes repeated trip-after-a-few-minutes problems because the compressor doesn’t slam the inverter/batteries. Examples: commercial soft starters / inrush limiters / current limiting relays. JustAnswer+1
   
   
3. If inverter is sized correctly but still trips:
   
   • Ensure battery bank is correctly wired (parallel for capacity if you need 12 V) and BMS settings allow the transient current.
     
     
   • Increase cable size and check lugs/torque.
     
     
   • Consider adding an AC soft-starter or time-delay so the inverter doesn’t have to start multiple compressors at once (if you have more than one fridge).
     
4. Measure and compare numbers: ask QualServ for the fridge starting (LRA) and running current / watts for the model you have — they can provide the locked-rotor amps. Then compare:
   
   • Inverter surge capability (your Redarc 3000 W has a short surge rating up to ~6000 W <1s). If the LRA at 240 V is >6000 W equivalent at your DC input, you’ll trip. Master Overland
     
5. If the battery BMS is cutting out: check battery manual/specs. Redarc Alpha150 batteries are rated for high continuous discharge (200 A each), but if you have three in parallel you’d have lots of available current — if they’re configured differently (series) or the BMS settings are limiting, that will cause trips. Confirm battery wiring matches inverter requirements. Redarc Electronics
   

Recommended next concrete actions (what I’d do if this was my van)

1. Verify inverter output voltage (model plate) — if it’s 120 V and you need 240 V, stop testing further until you have a correct inverter or transformer. (Danger otherwise.) Master Overland
   
   
2. Check inverter fault code when it shuts down and take a clear photo of the inverter label + error LEDs — that gives the exact reason.
   
   
3. Measure DC volts at inverter while compressor starts (multimeter) — if voltage drops below inverter cutoff you’ll see it.
   
   
4. Call QualServ and ask for the fridge’s LRA/start current — pass that to whoever installed your inverter to size a proper soft start or inverter.
   
   
5. If mismatch or excessive surge: install a soft-start kit on the compressor OR upgrade to a 240 V inverter with adequate surge capacity.
   

Helpful links / references

• Redarc Alpha150 battery specs (12 V 150 Ah, 200 A continuous discharge). Redarc Electronics
  
  
• Redarc 3000 W inverter specs (12 V input, outputs ~100–120 V, surge ~6000 W <1s). Redarc Electronics+1
  
  
• Notes on compressor inrush and soft-starters / inrush limiters. JustAnswer+1
  

 

So I dont know much about specifics of van power systems, but I do know just enough about electricity to be a danger to myself and others. So take what I write with a grain of salt.

Batteries wired in series or parallell? Probably a stupid question showing how much I dont know about van power systems.

Once everything shuts down, are the batteries still showing they are charged?

'The system shuts down' - does that mean the batteries trip and go offline? Or can you plug a lamp in and still get power? Or is there like a "chunk" and the whole system shuts down requiring a reset? Do you have to flip a breaker or reset a panel or something to get it started again?

Refrigerators are known for huge current draw. If it was a voltage issue it would trip as soon as it turns on, which is when voltage draw spikes to power the compressor.

Shutting down after five minutes sounds much more like a amperage issue generating heat the system can't get rid of fast enough, tripping a safety. If you turn it immediately back on, do you get the same 5 minutes? Or does it shut down after a couple of seconds with it reseting back to five minutes if you wait a
while?

The 5 minutes timer suggests too much current draw generating heat, but I cant say.

One more experiment I would consider - cool the fridges to operating temp from house power via an extension cord or somrething and then once they are fully cold, switch to van power and time if it takes longet than the 5 minutes. Once the fridges get cool, they draw less because they are just having to maintain instead of actively lowering temps.

The key to troubleshooting is always isolate, isolate, isolate until you find which specific component is causing the issue. So isolate the fridges and see if they stay cold on mains power. Then stress the inverter individually, then the batteries individually, etc. Run stuff that draws less power like a light or a clock radio and see if they kill the system.

If I were to make a reckless nostradamus guess based on limited info, my guess would be too much current being draw, generating too much heat triggering thermal shutdown.

Basic analogy that makes electricity more cognatively managable - think of your power lines as a water hose - voltage would be the amount of water pressure pushing the water out of the hose, current is the actual flow rate of water out of the hose. Reductive and not 100% accurate, but good for cognative manipulation if you arent super comfortable with the logic of electricity.

Sorry that's kind of rambling, and all over the place but that's my mind.

 

150ah makes a lot more sense than 150v. High voltage batteries do exist, obviously, and if that is what you have, you probably shouldn't touch it. 12v, 150ah, burn hazard, not shock.

Anywho, the fact that it works for a bit before shutting off has me thinking you have cells out of balance, or just a weak cell. Most Battery Management Systems will shut things off if it reads a cell too low, which could cascade into trying to run the kitchen off of two batts, which may now be in a current overload.

But that is all a big fat guess on limited info.

 

So those batteries definitely aren't 150v batteries. Do you mean 48v?

diysolarforum might be a good place for you to ask as well

 

Real food trucks use propane

 

I have two posts in mind.
1. 220. 221. Whatever it takes

and


2. 1.21 GIGGAWATTS!!??

I’m grateful I could help in some small way

 

we've got a guy near us who specializes in these systems, you might find someone near you who does the same or perhaps this guy would do a consult by zoom or something

https://www.powerofadventure.us/

 

Does the battery have a bms that you can read? Most modern consumer batteries have a bluetooth connection so you can see individual cell states. Older batteries might have a serial port to connect, or CANbus.

 

I have one of these but without food truck, do you want to partner?


https://www.vevor.ca/voltage-conver...kQDU4Cy-anJqUTh6e6cFVu1cpnV08W_RoCsl8QAvD_BwE

 

I run my house off batteries. One guess is your inverter is under powered. Usually inverters can "over clock" for about 5 minutes to handle surges but will trip if the draw is sustained. Your fridge is probably drawing too much as it gets cooled down. You should be able to put an amp meter on your fridge cord to measure the draw.

One work around may be to get your fridge down to temp using grid power and bypassing the inverter, if you can. Just plug the fridge into your wall. Once it's at temp, then I bet it's fine to maintain that temp off the batteries. It's unlikely you'd be sustaining >3,000 watts of power on your fridge once it's cooled down.