12V Socket for Fridges: clever ones?

[articulate]

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Riiiiiight. As if this thread isn't right up your alley - if you knew how to plug in your fridge you wouldn't be thinking of selling it. :yikes:

Okay, now that we've swept out the trash (AH-HEM), let me hit some of the finer points some of you fellas have made:

• Custom make a socket holder with an electronics project box
• Use the sock/box/plug combo from AT
• SWR found a really cool one
• Use a metal angle bracket (self-made) to hold the socket
• Re-orient the one I have to a vertical position
• JCWhitney has something that may work too

The only trouble I've had with my current silly set up is that the plug has worked itself loose 2 or 3 times in the last year - and only from the cord getting pulled while sliding the fridge out. Crawling inside that cavern I use for the fridge ain't fun.

So,what strikes me as the best ideas are either vertically re-orient the socket I have, or get the measurements of the AT box and use that one (hint hint . . .). It's possible to make a similar box or rigid bracket, but my issue is the plug coming out of the socket, not the mount coming loose.

I like this one, but the clearance between the fridge and back wall when the slide is closed probably doesn't leave enough space. Sure is purty.

 

[Dave]

Could you not make a project box that fits over the entire assembly that would hold the plug in place? What I mean is, both the plug and outlet are enclosed in the box leaving just enough space for them both to fit, which seems like it would keep the plug from working loose from the outlet. Make a little cutout for the power leads to enter the box and another little cutout for the lead from the plug to the fridge.

Or even make it so a cut out in cover of the project box just fits over a section of the plug itself to hold it in place. I don't remember the detailed ergonomic features of the Engel plug, but is there a notch or a groove or something that you could butt up against the lid of the box to hold the plug in place?

 

[TeriAnn]

Here's a photo of my situation. I need to screw a socket into the wall back there. Flush mount - while cool - is no good. The connection won't be protected on the backside.

Silly question, well two actually.

1. Why do you need to have a connector back there? Connectors have this way of becoming unconnected or oxidized over time. Why not a barrier strip & ring connectors, or a soldered splice there instead? It would produce a more reliable connection. If you wish to use the fridge somewhere else get a second connection cable. A connector is just one more potential circuit failure point. Also if you make the connection to the refrigerator cable half way along the side wall you can get away with a shorter moving cable length. A back wall connection maximizes your cable length and the chances of things getting tangled.

2. It appears that you are planning on running your refrigerator inside a small area enclosed on 5 sides. What provisions have you made for dissipating the heat generated by the refrigerator? A refrigerator produces both cold and heat. The better the heat coils can dissipate heat the more efficiently the refrigerator will run. Ideally you would put the refrigerator in the drawer so that the air vent end is at the open end of the drawer and the refrigerator would stick out enough for free air circulation at all the refrigerator's air vents. Another option of course is adding a 12 V fan through a hole on one side of the vents and an exit hole on the other side of the vents.

Anyway my 0.02 dollars worth for whatever it is worth in today's market.

 

[ntsqd]

The locking plug/socket combo would very likely meet your needs for it not coming unplugged. The one that I tested really didn't feel like I was going to be able to remove it without unlocking it first.
Suggest going to a West Marine and looking at - playing with them.

Reading up on the posts since my last a thought struck me. Why is the socket all the way in the back? Could it not be closer to the front where it is more accessible? The 12VDC power cord on my older fridge is quite long. If the later models didn't change this, reaching a more forward mounted socket shouldn't be a problem.

EDIT:
I like TeriAnn's fan idea. What would be nice would be if the fan ran when the fridge was on and did not when it is off. Several methods to do this come to mind. Choice would depend on portability needs.

 

[BlueFly]

The only trouble I've had with my current silly set up is that the plug has worked itself loose 2 or 3 times in the last year - and only from the cord getting pulled while sliding the fridge out. Crawling inside that cavern I use for the fridge ain't fun.

Mark, I'm thinking that the problem is not so much with your 12v plug, but with your cable management system. I'd think that no matter the plug you use, you'll have problems down the road if there's still strain at the connection when you open the drawer.

What if you just isolate the plug end with a cable clamp or two down in the back corner?

This is a great thread - I'm in the process of installing a fridge under a countertop and need to think this stuff through too. I've also thought of a fan to help with ventilation but don't know enough to figure it out. I can follow directions pretty well though, if anyone wants to suggest part numbers and how to wire it in. I know there are variable speed fans that come on/spin faster when temps rise - that would be cool...

 

[Dave]

What if you just isolate the plug end with a cable clamp or two down in the back corner?

And that's exactly how you simplify something that I was making far too complicated. :clapsmile

 

[Photog]

I agree with Teriann.

Think about how Nissan would have wired it, if they built it. I guarantee it would not be a "cigarette lighter" socket (call it a power outlet if you want to).

The location you have the socket, is not accessable for use by any other equipment. You won't be plugging in an air compressor, etc., so it won't matter what connector you use.

This is what I would do:
Move the plug-in-point, up closer to the fridge drawer, reducung the length of loose wire.

Use one of the Weathertech connectors (get a heavy one from any vehicle in a junkyard). Cut the power cable and solder it all together.

To be able to use the fridge in other vehicles, I would get two of the Weathertech connectors, and add the mating piece to the loose end of the cut cable. Or buy an extra power cable.

As for the fan, it could be thermostat controlled, and enabled only when the fridge is turned on.

 

[hoser]

Anderson plugs could be used as well.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Now we're into a good candidate for one of the various electronics project boxes. Mount it flat to that rear wall with the wire & socket entering on the side(s). You can buy water resistant (proof?) project boxes from places like Allied Electronics or Newark. Might cruise those pages anyway, may be an existing option that will work for you right out of the box.

The West Marine sourced locking items linked above are pretty nice parts. The socket will accept any normal plug without issue. The locking plug has a little rubber seal around it's base that engages the outer edge of the socket. It goes in like a normal plug, but is then is twisted a 1/4 turn to lock. Reverse to unlock. They are a major feature on the YJ from Hell, every socket and plug on the unit was one of these parts.

This is pretty much how I put an outlet in the back of my truck, project box with a marine 12V outlet mounted on the bed rail under the lip of the WilderNest. Simple, lots of space for wiring future things into. Gaskets, grommets and silicone as necessary to provide waterproof-ness. Doesn't have to be expensive to be effective.

 

[articulate]

Hmmm, I don't know. It's been a snowballing process to get to where I did: with the socket in the back of the compartment. If you could get up close and personal with my set up, you'd understand why I've got the plug on the inside of the back wall, and why I didn't cut to cord to hard-wire it. But there may be a possibility of moving the connection forward and onto one of the sides. But I I've been down that road when I first installed it. Snowball . . . now I'm here.

However, I did recently add a tight cable clip to the cord. Good call.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Hmmm, I don't know. It's been a snowballing process to get to where I did: with the socket in the back of the compartment. If you could get up close and personal with my set up, you'd understand why I've got the plug on the inside of the back wall, and why I didn't cut to cord to hard-wire it. But there may be a possibility of moving the connection forward and onto one of the sides. But I I've been down that road when I first installed it. Snowball . . . now I'm here.

However, I did recently add a tight cable clip to the cord. Good call.

Aloha! Mark,

While I was searching for you...........I also wondered why you didn't just hard wire with a switch! But it's not for me to say. You said what you wanted........so I tried to help.

But here is the rub...............


Warm Beer will Always dictate the Outcome!



............:friday:





.......hehe


.....long live ExPo!

 

[kcowyo]

Okay, now that we've swept out the trash (AH-HEM).....

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[Scenic WonderRunner]

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......................DUDE!







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[Honu]

was at bass pro the other day looking at sockets for some trailer ideas
and saw this one
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_66962____SearchResults
not sure if it could be anything close to what you are thinking ?

 

[Desertdude]

Food for thought:

I find the idea that we are still using this 1950 legacy "Cigarette style" 12 volt connection ludicrous. Some connections should be twist-lock, and others tiny USB based on power draw.