Bit overwhelmed with ARB fridge. Please help me set it up so I'm good to go?

[1Louder]

The arkpak sounds like what I'm looking for. Spendy, but gives me what I need as a house battery. I need to read up on this more and find some you tube videos as I'm confused by where and how you mount it and connect to the alternator for charging, but I'll figure it out.

But back to my dual purpose battery question. The EdgeStar has no options to chose different voltages so once the battery drops to a certain voltage the fridge shuts off and the jeep will still start. That scenario I've been through many times with no issues. My question is with the dual purpose that have the deep cycle option does the voltage remain high enough throughout the draining process to see the benefit of the additional reserve power? Does the voltage on the battery stay above 11 volts for example throughout use thus ensuring the full benefit of the additional amp hours. The specs say the EdgeStar will run when the voltage gets as low as 10.5, but from testing voltages my fridge seems to cut off in the high 11's like around 11.8. This may be an issue with the cooler itself not working correctly. I'm trying to figure out how much time I will get before the deep cycle voltage drops into the 11's.

Thanks!

The middle of this post has your answers, http://www.arkportablepower.com/pages/about-the-arkpak
While it could be hooked up to the alternator via a solenoid that is really defeating the purpose of the Arkpak being portable.

I think I already posted this but here are some comparisons. Your EdgeStar may not run as efficiently as the ARB. http://www.arkportablepower.com/blo...reezer-and-battery-life-what-you-need-to-know

The table in the article shows the information you need to know. All of it is not an exact science because your fridge does not normally attempt to cool 24/7.
From the article, "NOTE: These times assume you discharge the deep-cycle battery 70% (30% of total charge remaining), and they assume that your battery has 100% of its' listed capacity. Therefore, you should view these times as theoretical maximums and discount them a few hours to make sure you don't ruin your battery by over-discharging it."

This is also a good article to read, http://www.solar-electric.com/deep-cycle-battery-faq.html A battery is at 30% when it is around 11.75 volts. You can do a search for State of Charge to see various tables describing this.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

with the dual purpose that have the deep cycle option does the voltage remain high enough throughout the draining process to see the benefit of the additional reserve power? Does the voltage on the battery stay above 11 volts for example throughout use thus ensuring the full benefit of the additional amp hours.

Yes, bigger is better. Standard advice is to never deplete your battery to less than 50% of "full charge." That level will vary depending on the battery and on its condition. Whether your fridge cuts off at 11.0V or 10.6V or whatever, a 100ah battery would run the fridge for about twice as long as would a 50ah battery, all other things being equal.

 

[lchavez]

I just plug my Arkpak into the cig lighter that is only on when the car is running. The fridge is plugged into the Arkpak. When camped more than a day, I use solar to keep the Arkpak topped off. I've got the fridge set to the lowest battery drain setting with this setup. If I'm home more than a day (work from home) I just run an extension cord and plug the Arkpak into an outlet to keep it conditioned. Check out the Arkpak thread, lots of good info. Brett will also answer any questions you may have.

 

[Kcdude]

Got a package today from Powerwerx. Decided to go with a set of SB50 connectors with a source side rubber housing to tuck away the connector when not in use. All said and done $44.00 including shipping and a tool to crimp the prongs. Not bad.

Will post up the final results this weekend.

 

[Kcdude]

Confirmed from ARB that the bottom prong on the fridge is positive lead. Everything else went together nicely and it is a really nice set up.

 

[crussellcampbell]

Hey, wondering where you ended up mounting your fridge monitor? Trying to find a good spot in the 4Runner. Thanks!