Just a question from a keen learner to the knowledgeable techies out there.
The question revolves around powering my Waeco fridge in my 4x4 which has been gathering dust in my shed for years (the fridge not the 4x4).
The fridge, which I have belatedly decided I might add the the back of my 4x4, (due to a recent GVM upgrade) obviously is powered via cigarette lighter adapter when the car is operating.
This question involves powering the fridge when the 4x4 is switched off, as cheaply as possible.
Is there some way to use a solar panel (e.g. attached to your roof rack) to power directly to the fridge or must you have an additional battery installed in the 4x4 to give the fridge power when the 4x4 is switched off?
I have a false floor in the rear of my 4x4 so have some space to mount a slimline type lithium battery etc.
I have always avoided thinking about this due to weight restrictions and extra battery costs.
I know the battery in my Y62 Patrol is so pathetic that an internal light left on will flatten the battery very quickly.
Options for this modification would be greatly appreciated.
PS: I do have an Itech portable mobile type lithium battery power station which I can charge up and use for a limited time for the fridge but this is a messy option due to cords everywhere!
Cheers and thanks.
David.
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Nissan Patrol TIL and highly modified Retreat Fraser full offroad version
TJM know Y62 Patrol and how to fit best choice of battery - their work will not compromise your Nissan warranties. Get them to fit a more suitable plug/socket assembly than cigarette plug, also charging setup for solar - whilst it is there.
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Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
No you do not need another battery, but it is a more expensive option.
You can connect your solar panel to the crank battery to charge it when parked up.
Then connect the fridge (and other accessories, if you wish) directly to the crank battery via its own fuse PLUS an adjustable low voltage disconnect. Set the low voltage disconnect to switch off at about 12.4V.
Low voltage disconnects are readily available and can cost under $10.
If the crank battery gets down to 12.4V it will turn the fridge off leaving plenty of power to start the car. The more solar you have and the bigger the crank battery is, the less likely that the fridge will ever get turned off.
Cheers,
Peter
Depends on what you want to keep in the fridge, if just drinks and getting hot would only be an inconvenience then the cheapest option would work.
If you wanted to keep food at a constant temperature it will cost more.
We run out Waeco fridge continuously in the car. Due to family health issues I plug it in after hospital visits. But in the outback, technically up to 7 days off auxiliary batteries.
But our setup is the fridge plugged into four 26AH batteries (space issues in a Freelander).
Then the batteries plugged into two Victron DC-DC 9amp converters in parallel (you can as many in particular as you want). Actually the voltage I wound back a whisker for the long term life of the gel batteries.
So when the car is running it charges up the auxiliary batteries via the DC-DC chargers.
I replaced the cigarette socket with Anderson plug, as the cigarette sockets overheat due to poor design, had that happen. Also the plug comes loose & fridge turns off.
A few dollars on parts is a lot cheaper than poisonous defrosted food. Also not as if you are spend $100 a month on gas for the fridge.
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Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
Depends on what you want to keep in the fridge, if just drinks and getting hot would only be an inconvenience then the cheapest option would work. If you wanted to keep food at a constant temperature it will cost more.
My son ran an Engel in his FJ40 (with very limited space) for many years 24/7 like this without it ever stopping.
His crank battery was a little larger than the original and there was 200W of solar on the pack rack.
The battery only has to run the fridge at night. Many people turn their fridges off at night, but he never did.
