12v Cigarette plug in back enough for fridge?

[CyberRube2]

I’m ordering a Engel MT45 platinum as part of their Father’s Day deal. Do I need to do a better wiring job to run it or will the cigarette plug do fine that’s in back of Jeep? If I’m going to run wired direct to battery, how do I tap that into the wires for fridge?

 

[68camaro]

My cigarette lighter plug in back of my 2014 grand cherokee had no problems running my ARB frig when rig was running, no problems whatsoever. However, because I use my ARB frig 24/7 I had house battery installed in rear cargo area that is connected to engine battery with a separator inbetween them so house battery does not drain engine battery, but engine battery charges house battery when rig running.

This is perfect setup for me and over a year with no issues.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've had the cigarette plug work loose a couple of times in the 11 years I've had an Engel. I might mention mine isn't a standard cigarette outlet but one of those Blue Sea lock point ones, which might be a factor in it holding decently. Wiring wise I've run ours on the stock rear outlets in a 4Runner and a Subaru Forester without issue, but those were never off pavement much.

Blue Sea 1011 Panel Mount 12 Volt Cigarette Lighter Dash Socket

Panel mount 12 Volt receptacle features a water tight cap and is designed to withstand wet environments. Manufactured with marine grade materials. The receptacle can be mounted in a standard 1 1/8 inch hole and is easy to install.

powerwerx.com

 

[CyberRube2]

Thanks guys. I won’t have it plugged in 24/7, only when camping so if I don’t have t9 modify wiring much that would be great.

 

[ratled]

Even though I don't run an ARB I did use the ARB wiring kit. That is a long run to ask of a OEM thin wire. I also changed out my plug to the ARB on the fridge so I could the twist lock on the wiring kit.

Wiring kit If you use the Expo promo code it gets cheaper and there is no sales tax from Northridge but a lot of other places sell it too

 

[NatersXJ6]

Pull your quarter trim and look at the wiring. It is probably 18 gauge. People say the fridge will run, but my experience for the 2 days I tried it was a low voltage cutoff on the fridge whenever the Jeep was off, not to mention, the Jeep cuts all power to everything but the power point in the console about 45 seconds after the ignition is off. Double check it against that outlet, I never did.

If all you are doing is keeping drinks cold on the trail, that might fly.

I suggest you take the time to wire it properly.

 

[mep1811]

MIght be better to run the ARB circuit and have a dedicated power supply for the fridge.

 

[jadmt]

I have a 2018 Rubicon recon and the back plug-in struggled to run an arb 50. I ran the arb harness and 100% better.

 

[Beowulf]

I have found that running larger wire has benefitted the fridge and battery draw. Now there is a dedicated 10g run directly to a Marinco locking plug. Additionally, I have shortened the fridge plug wire as well. Since that is the bottle neck of smallest wire gauge, I wanted that to be as short as possible.

With all this extra work, it seems the fridge runs more smoothly and I have noticed reduced voltage drop on the battery after being parked for multiple days without the engine running.

 

[dreadlocks]

I dont believe engel has a low voltage disconnect, ARB definitely does and will get finicky as all heck w/undersized wiring and end up shutting on/off and cycling a ton w/out cooling because the load drops voltage too low.

Fridge coming unplugged because of shifting gear or someone digging through stuff usually is a terrible experience.. I either hardwire my fridges or use locking plugs.. put I suppose duct tape might work.

 

[rustypayne]

I would just try it before committing to the expense of additional wiring, especially since you're only looking for weekend use. I ran my Dometic 50 that way for a couple months and it worked fine before I built my kitchen and added a second battery. Just be careful that you don't get stranded with a dead battery to start your vehicle, even if it does have a low voltage cutoff.

 

[MattJ]

This section of the forum that might be helpful: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/power-systems-12v-solar-gen.48/

 

[XJOverlander]

Run the wire, cry once. It has been hit and miss on some of my builds so i always tell anyone running a fridge to have a dedicated circuit. If they want the fridge installed, i will only wire it to a dedicated source. Blue sea has some nice setups which make it worth the time to run some 8-10 awg to the rear. The most popular is the 4353 about $50 . it has a build in circuit breaker but i still install a 20 amp fuse near the battery connection.


F250's have had the problem of voltage drop even on the front socket, that same guy that keeps coming in wanting new fridges because they work at home but not on his $ 70k truck and is reluctant to spend $80 on some good wiring.

JK's have been about 50/50 dont know why unless its a weak battery.

 

[CyberRube2]

I like that option! Thanks. I’ve decided to run the dedicated wire. It’s not hard on a Jeep anyway.

 

[WOODY2]

I dont believe engel has a low voltage disconnect, ARB definitely does and will get finicky as all heck w/undersized wiring and end up shutting on/off and cycling a ton w/out cooling because the load drops voltage too low.

Fridge coming unplugged because of shifting gear or someone digging through stuff usually is a terrible experience.. I either hardwire my fridges or use locking plugs.. put I suppose duct tape might work.

If you read the Engle owners book it describes how to set the low voltage feature. I had to look myself.