ARB fridge power
- Thread starter trouthead
- Start date
jimi breeze
jimi breeze
I have the same fridge. I have it wired to an auxiliary battery and haven't had any power drain issues. Just run your engine to charge the battery. If you plan to park your rig for a week you will most likely drain your battery. Keep a check on your voltage and you'll be fine.
Sardog1
Observer
Same fridge here too. I have a 105Ah AGM battery charged from my XJ's alternator through a "smart battery isolator".
http://www.ase-supply.com/Cole_Hersee_Smart_Battery_Isolator_p/ch-48530.htm
I ran welding cable from the engine compartment to the back of the interior with Maxi-Fuse protection at both batteries.
So far I've never had the opportunity to go more than two days without running the Jeep so I can only estimate that I'll get a solid 3-4 days before needing to charge again. I recently installed a National Luna dual battery monitor so I'll be able to have a better idea as to how much juice is left. You'll love the ARB fridge! Been using mine for two years now. Nice not buying ice or dealing with soggy food.
Went from this mess:
To this:
http://www.ase-supply.com/Cole_Hersee_Smart_Battery_Isolator_p/ch-48530.htm
I ran welding cable from the engine compartment to the back of the interior with Maxi-Fuse protection at both batteries.
So far I've never had the opportunity to go more than two days without running the Jeep so I can only estimate that I'll get a solid 3-4 days before needing to charge again. I recently installed a National Luna dual battery monitor so I'll be able to have a better idea as to how much juice is left. You'll love the ARB fridge! Been using mine for two years now. Nice not buying ice or dealing with soggy food.
Went from this mess:
To this:
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ethernectar
Adventurer
Previously I had an IWB dual battery setup in a 4Runner, now the National Luna power pack in a tundra. Keep the fridge full and it will run longer. It is really nice to have things cold, but not wet and messy. Depending on the weather I get two days of runtime if parked, but that's pretty rare. If I'm going to be sitting for that long I throw out a solar panel just to help mitigate the drain.
BigSwede
The Credible Hulk
I don't know what battery you have, but you can probably go overnight without a problem. Longer than that, hard to say. Your fridge will use at least an average of 1 amp, more in hot climates. Your battery likely has somewhere in the 45-75 amp-hour capacity range, but you don't want to drain it below 50%. You do the math.
Serg5000
Adventurer
Although it's not recommended. You can plug it into the cig lighter outlet and it will be fine. As I have done this multiple times until I ran a designated outlet for it. The other thing to remember is the fridge has an auto shut off when the battery voltage is getting low. As the battery voltage rises, it will again come back on on its own. With a good deep cycle battery this can be avoided. I have used my fridge on four day trips only to run the engine on day two and the day we come home and the battery is always ready to start our jeep. There is no need for a second battery. Also. The low voltage settings can be change up or down manually.
This fridge is the single best investment we have made for our off road adventures. You will love it for sure.
This fridge is the single best investment we have made for our off road adventures. You will love it for sure.
moabian
Active member
I've used numerous fridges (Waeco, FridgeFreeze, ARB) in several vehicles and have not found one yet that would run for more than a few minutes off of any stock 12-volt cigarette lighter outlet when the vehicle was not running...regardless of the battery in the vehicle. Those outlets are not made for the kind of power a fridge requires...though they are usually fine when the vehicle is running. If you don't want to worry about it, and if you want to use your fridge on a regular basis, invest in some type of dual battery setup...or at the very least, run a heavier gauge wire to the battery for the fridge. I'm currently running dual Odyssey batteries with the Genesis Offroad kit in a JKUR. I flip the switch for the fridge without the slightest worry of a dead battery.
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I have the truck fridge and love it. I got the 40qt in May and left it running for a week and a half strait. First I put it in my Mazda CX-9 and plugged it into the factory 12v outlet in the back and it does great, nice to have on runs to the store and keep water in for my and the family. I have never had a starting issue and the mazda has sat for 2 days with no issues. I then put it in my camper and plugged it into the 12v under the bench seat to hold my 40 beers:wings: for the weekend. I would run the genet a couple of hours a day for cooking and to charge the batteries (it was in the high 30's at night and the heater was on) but never had an issue. The question is why did I not buy one sooner, just for everyday tasks.
BigSwede
The Credible Hulk
The wires to the cig lighter in my truck are TINY, I wouldn't trust them to run much more than a cell phone charger.
On my recent trip my Engel seemed to run fine off of the aux 12V outlet I installed in the cargo area, which is supplied by 12 gauge wire.
fireball
Explorer
Quick question guys, the 12v power plug at the end of my ARB wiring can be unsrewed, exposing 2 male terminals. I am planning to run these directly to my aux fuse panel. But was wondering if I can just cut the whole plug off and solder directly to the panel. That would make for a bit cleaner connection.
Here is what the end of the plug looks like when the 12v connection (that goes into a cig lighter) is unscrewed. I can either connect to this using female terminals, or cut off the plug completely and just solder into the wire.
Thanks!
Here is what the end of the plug looks like when the 12v connection (that goes into a cig lighter) is unscrewed. I can either connect to this using female terminals, or cut off the plug completely and just solder into the wire.
Thanks!
In California summer, and keeping door open/close to minimum I have observed between 18 to 30Ah use in 24 hour period. Check the current battery capacity to see how long the fridge will run.
For standard lead acid we cannot go below 50% rated, for deep discharge maybe 60-75%.
As an example, if standard lead acid capacity is 100Ah then usable capacity is 50 Ah. So you may be able to use the fridge maximum 2 days without starting the vehicle (assuming 24Ah draw in 24hr)
The charging time will be dependent on alternator capacity, if the vehicle is already electrically loaded you may need to keep engine running for 2-3 hours to add 1 more day of fridge use.
I use dual battery setup (LiFePO4 batteries 100Ah), it can be used till 80% capacity so 80AH. This setup is able to run the fridge for 3-4 days without starting the engine. I am able to add more day with 2hrs of engine run. The main car battery is not used, so will not face engine starting issues.
For standard lead acid we cannot go below 50% rated, for deep discharge maybe 60-75%.
As an example, if standard lead acid capacity is 100Ah then usable capacity is 50 Ah. So you may be able to use the fridge maximum 2 days without starting the vehicle (assuming 24Ah draw in 24hr)
The charging time will be dependent on alternator capacity, if the vehicle is already electrically loaded you may need to keep engine running for 2-3 hours to add 1 more day of fridge use.
I use dual battery setup (LiFePO4 batteries 100Ah), it can be used till 80% capacity so 80AH. This setup is able to run the fridge for 3-4 days without starting the engine. I am able to add more day with 2hrs of engine run. The main car battery is not used, so will not face engine starting issues.