Another update: this whole project that began as a simple “Just add solar panel and MPT and new LifePO4 battery to power the fridge” has turned into an overhaul of the entire electrical system nightmare. A quick weekend project into months of research and analysis, and (many) more parts.
And the thing that’s holding everything up, apparently one of the most contentious subjects on the internet which I thought would be a relatively simple subject and already handled by previous owners- grounding.
I’m going to have to start a separate thread and get to the bottom of all the conflicting information out there. And hopefully get this “little” project done before summer is over!
Edit: New thread on grounding issues linked below 