Running a fridge

[bensmatrix]

Hi

We are heading up the Coral Coast and into the Pilbara soon so I have been considering some options for cold food storage. We usually have a couple of eskis with ice bricks and frozen bottles which lasts three nights or so but there will be times when we will be at one site for up to 5 nights - and probably not near a shop.

Has anyone used an Engel plugged into the rear 12 V with any success? I'm sure it would be fine for a day or two but I'm paranoid about draining the battery and being 'stuck'. Obviously we would need to run the car each day - and probably would be anyway as we check out the sites in the area - but if anyone has any experience doing this, your tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ben

[omvanders]

I'm keen to see what responses you get Ben, as I've been wondering a little about such things too, given a possible trip to Darwin this year in the FL2.

I can say that I have found that our Evakool Fridgemate 55L ran well via the rear socket (works with ignition switched off) when we took the FL2 to Sydney but at no point did I have to even think of leaving the fridge on overnight in the car as we had night-time access to 240V.

I do vaguely recall reading somewhere that the FL2 will sense when things are marginal and turn off power to that rear socket if need be. I don't know how true that is and am not game to test it out!

Cheers
OMV

[FITZ]

Yes I've used an Engel in my Freelander. Fitz perfectly;)
It will happily run overnight on "ref" setting. No issues in the morning.:D
Some considerations.
I'm in Victoria and generally use it in the high country, so cooler nights
I only do this when I am assured I have a fully charged battery. So I run the car every day. Im usually out and about anyway but will run the engine and crank the cooling up for 20min in the morning and evening if not travelling.
I keep the fridge full - easy - you can always fill with beer as the food supply dwindles. Just really chill them when you run the car.
And on that note I really chill the contents when ever I run the car, just short of freezing the stuff.
If the car is parked out in the sun during the day (i try to avoid this) I throw a down sleeping bag around the fridge to further insulate it, but obviously leave the cooling vent uncovered.
Never had food go off.
Whether this is overkill I don't know, I would like to measure the battery charge after a night of running the fridge.
Hope this helps.

[bensmatrix]

Hi Fitz

Thanks for your reply. Good to hear you've had some success running one. Good tip to use extra insulation when in the sun. And of course the fridge full of frosties will help!

Cheers

Ben

[bensmatrix]

Thanks omvanders. I'll see if i can find out about that 12V turning off in low power - would be a handy feature. Might be a comment about that elsewhere in the forum.

If we end up using an Engel I'll repost how we went.

Cheers

Ben

[harlie]

Install a 2nd battery just for the fridge. Best car mod ever.

Our Evacool lives in the car, you don’t need a big battery, I have a 35ah AGM (fully sealed) unit that runs the fridge for 24hrs no worries. The camper has a 130ah, and I figured if I needed refrigeration for more than 24hrs I would either have 240v or the camper.

Admittedly I don’t have a Freelander and my battery is under the load space floor, but if you don’t have anywhere to install a battery permanently the AGM or Gel batteries can be fitted safely inside the car. A bit of creativity, and you could safely charge a small (like 28-35ah) battery from the rear socket. Make up a wire to go from battery to socket with a Voltage Sensitive Relay in it – don’t forget fuses. Anything bigger than 35ah would need a bigger supply for charging.

[mikehzz]

I have a second battery pack that gets charged all day and has the fridge plugged into it. When the car gets turned off the fridge keeps running on the battery pack. My car battery is never directly running the fridge, as I've been caught with a flat battery before.

[Reads90]

I have a second battery pack that gets charged all day and has the fridge plugged into it. When the car gets turned off the fridge keeps running on the battery pack. My car battery is never directly running the fridge, as I've been caught with a flat battery before.

I have the same sort of thing

I have an Hyundai ix35 as a company car and that has a plug in the boot but goes off with the ignition.

I wanted a fridge because I drive all round north NSW and Qld. Right out to the outback. So wanted a fridge for food and drinks while I drive in the middle of nowhere. Also got annoyed at paying $4.50 for a bottle of water. When you can get 24 for $8 at coles.

I bought a weaco Cool Power battery pack. You plug the fridge into this and the cool power into your socket in the rear of the car and when the car is driving it charges the battery pack and then when you leave the car the fridge runs on the battery pack.

Would certainly recommend it.

[mikehzz]

And I have more than one car so the battery pack can be in whatever car I'm using.

[Reads90]

And I have more than one car so the battery pack can be in whatever car I'm using.

Yeah they are a good idea

My other cars are all landies and they all have twin batteries but useful when I change company cars which I do pretty often with the k's I do

[Reads90]

This what you want. This is what I have and this one is in WA

http://bit.ly/1fZFt8P

[drivesafe]

Hi Ben and try doing a driveway test.

When you have a few days where you know you don’t need your FL, park it in your backyard and simply run your fridge.

Make sure you use the fridge like you would when on a trip.

Just keep an eye on the voltage and when it gets down to 12.0v, stop your test and this will give you a fairly good idea of what to expect when on a trip.

[bensmatrix]

Well after all that i'm sticking with good old fashioned ice in an eski! Thought I had an Engle lined up but my brother-in-law nabbed it. But I did have it confirmed that with sensible power management you should be able to run one form the 12V in the back. Still not sure about the FL2 auto power down feature that was mentioned earlier though. And re. putting an extra battery in - from what I gather, there isn't really enough room in the bonnet so unless you are willing to sacrifice some interior space I suggest we all save up and get a Disco! Keep cool folks! Ben

[354 chamberlain]

Ben
I use a 70 ltr eva cool fridge /freezer and it runs no worries off the rear socket ,the eva cool uses the same compressor as the engel .However I was always concerned about a flat battery especialy up here in the top end when you leave the fridge running during the day and the car locked if you are doing day trips ect. The solution I came up with was a thumpa power pack secured near the passenger side wheel arch behind the rear seat and straped to a battery tray that is screwed to the spare wheel cover,acess to the spare wheel is not a problem and the pack can be removed to jump start vechicles or to run the fridge in camp .
Doug