ARB Fridge Wire/Plug Suggestions

[coloradoclimber97]

Hey everyone, looking for opinions on how to wire my ARB fridge to the battery bank in the camper. Ordinarily this is a pretty straight forward job. However I would like to put the ARB in the cab, which means I need some kind of all-weather plug (preferable next to FWC plug) so I can disconnect the fridge when I take the camper off. Also, what gage would you run?

All comments appreciated.
Mark

 

[PaulT]

Look up how much current the fridge takes. Measure the length of wire you need to reach from the fridge to the power source.

With these two values, you can use http://circuitwizard.bluesea.com/ to compute the gauge needed. The length is the sum of the positive wire plus the length of the return wire.

Paul

 

[FoxenTec]

We purchased the ARB threaded socket surface mount from a online 4x4 shop. I wired the ARB socket from the FWC fuse block using 12 gauge wire. Our run is less then 4' so I was fine with 12 gauge and FWC had also used 12 gauge from their block to the batteries. I really like how the fridge plugs into the socket and then locks in place. I just drilled the hole for the socket (seems like 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" hole saw) and used the threaded nut to secure it to our cabinet. I then discarded the hard plastic cover. I would imagine you may choose a larger gauge wire if you are running further. It looks like the ARB 50qt is drawing approx. 3.5 amps when cooling. I have pictures if needed. We love our ARB fridge!

 

[coloradoclimber97]

Thanks for the input guys. After using PaulT's link for wire size, I was surprised to find I could use 14 gauge wire to run from the cab to camper and back again. However since I have a bunch of 10 gauge laying around, I think I will use it just to be safe.

@FoxTec - Thanks for helping me feel better about spending $800 dollars on a fridge. It's good to hear first hand that they are worth the expense.

Regarding the plug issue, I found a Attwood marine trolling plug (thanks Hodaguy) that will work perfectly for my application. However I keep thinking I'm missing something and that I should be powering the ARB from the truck battery rather than the camper.

Mark

 

[nikonron]

You'll be better off to use the 10 guage as the ARB is finicky about voltage drop. And yes the ARB is worth the money. Ron