My new ARB fridge run test, 6 days of running battery voltage readings

[home skillet]

Seems like this thread got drailed into elecrical, but I wanted to put my 2c in on the temp vs. power issue.

Really nice little study Pods8. That seems to mirror my anichdotal experince with my edgestar 12v. I will say that the power requirnments/draw go up dramatically in consistent 80+ degree weather. I think that there is a curvalinear relationship for sure.

I can get about 3.5 days out of a charge (with some charging through the alternator) with temps consistently above 80. If temps are in the 50s then its more like 5-6 days (with some driving around).

I think the insulation on the ARB might be a little better then the edgestar though not by much. The nice thing is that the fridge will shut down when battery drops below 12v but the cabin lights and other lower requirment components will still work just fine. At least I'm not totally dead in the water.

On my recent 2 week trip I took my trickle charger with me and plugged in for 1 night and made it through with only one day of no fridge. I was driving quite a bit though and this helped. I also had mine set to 37 degrees.

I am now actively looking for a solar set up. I think I will need one for those longer trips. Anything that could help....right?

Home Skillet

 

[pods8]

I think there are some postings out there that the edgestar pulls more amps over a 24hr period in the same running conditions. Maybe like 50%+ if I'm recalling correctly???

I had my fridge running COLD (beers and the young'ns whole milk, etc.) last weekend for 2 days along with my fantastic fan and hardly but a dent in the batteries (green light was still shining fine on the FWC panel, I didn't bother to check the voltage). 90deg daytime and high 60s? at night. However I'm running quite a bit larger battery bank at 210ah. I think you're running a basic marine battery right? If so those are probably more like 70ah.

Yeah the ARB has a voltage shutoff as well, but I don't like to run my batteries down anywhere near where the shutoff settings are. (Low is like 10.1V and high is 11.8V if I recall correctly).

In general for the money right now my leaning is towards a dual battery bank before I'd get into solar personally. Unless you're sitting parked for over a week I'd suspect that would carry you though and you have the reliability of not banking on the sun being out. If after the dual batteries you want more capacity or you're not getting good charging off your truck and don't want to mess with that I'd probably then go solar. Obviously if a good deal on solar falls in your lap who's would turn that down though.

 

[SunMan]

You could just rewire that plug with a fused line to the aux. battery side of your seperator. I didn't realize you already had a plug back there you were using.


Hmmmmm... You are a wise man.

 

[home skillet]

I think there are some postings out there that the edgestar pulls more amps over a 24hr period in the same running conditions. Maybe like 50%+ if I'm recalling correctly???

I had my fridge running COLD (beers and the young'ns whole milk, etc.) last weekend for 2 days along with my fantastic fan and hardly but a dent in the batteries (green light was still shining fine on the FWC panel, I didn't bother to check the voltage). 90deg daytime and high 60s? at night. However I'm running quite a bit larger battery bank at 210ah. I think you're running a basic marine battery right? If so those are probably more like 70ah.

Yeah the ARB has a voltage shutoff as well, but I don't like to run my batteries down anywhere near where the shutoff settings are. (Low is like 10.1V and high is 11.8V if I recall correctly).

In general for the money right now my leaning is towards a dual battery bank before I'd get into solar personally. Unless you're sitting parked for over a week I'd suspect that would carry you though and you have the reliability of not banking on the sun being out. If after the dual batteries you want more capacity or you're not getting good charging off your truck and don't want to mess with that I'd probably then go solar. Obviously if a good deal on solar falls in your lap who's would turn that down though.



Ya, that's good advice. I think I will upgrade the battery and go dual. Cheaper to I bet.

Thanks Pods

 

[pods8]

I finally got around to meeting up with K7MDL (Thanks!) and checked out what those anderson powerpoles are like in person. Decided those were nice and reasonable route to go so I picked up some and build this harness for running my fridge w/o using the cig plug which should have reliable results while bouncing around. Easy enough to plug the cig plug back on when I need to:

 

[UglyScout]

I finally got around to meeting up with K7MDL (Thanks!) and checked out what those anderson powerpoles are like in person. Decided those were nice and reasonable route to go so I picked up some and build this harness for running my fridge w/o using the cig plug which should have reliable results while bouncing around. Easy enough to plug the cig plug back on when I need to:



I'm running anderson connectors on my fridge as well (It must be ham radio thing, I'd never used them until I got my 'nerd name' now I have them all over the place!). I've had my fridge in the bed of my truck the last couple weekends with other crap sliding around and the anderson connectors have stayed connected 100% of the time. I made an adapter from the RV/5th wheel plug in the bed of my truck to an anderson connector so I have easy 12v power in the bed everywhere I go.

 

[24hoursofnevada]

Sorry I'm late to chime in, but ARB and Engel both make hard mount wiring harnesses for their fridges.


Hardwire kit

http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1043



And a posi-fit kit.
http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1001

There are also "Locking" 12 Volt cigarette style aux. ports available. I've used them in places such as the Nevada Trophy and Rubicon and have never had an accessory plug come unplugged.

 

[pods8]

Sorry I'm late to chime in, but ARB and Engel both make hard mount wiring harnesses for their fridges.


Hardwire kit

http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1043



And a posi-fit kit.
http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1001

There are also "Locking" 12 Volt cigarette style aux. ports available. I've used them in places such as the Nevada Trophy and Rubicon and have never had an accessory plug come unplugged.


A couple dollars for some connectors is preferable to $26 for another plug to someone like me that likes working on things.

The problem with the "locking" 12 plugs is you need both the socket and plug to be compatible with each other, the ARB stock plug in a locking socket didn't provide a fit I liked. So it would have required lopping off the ARB plug (which is fused) to add a new plug and fuse holder. Again I thought just adding the connectors and fuse holder to be a nicer route.

 

[MANXMAN]

pods8,

it's been about 3 1/2 years since you started this thread so I brought it back to life hoping to hear if you are still pleased with the ARB 50?

The fridge is very expensive up here so I don't want to buy one without getting some real feedback from an owner.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pods8]

I like mine but it hasn't seen too much camping duty (my build got derailed and I sold my FWC thinking I would be done with the build sooner...). I have our van wired for it and have used it on road trips, etc. It regularly gets used at our house to hold excess beverages in the meantime. IE it has had a good amount of run time on it both AC and DC.

That said if I was in the market I'd likely take a look at the truck fridges that are now out due to their lower cost.

 

[super doody]

I like mine but it hasn't seen too much camping duty (my build got derailed and I sold my FWC thinking I would be done with the build sooner...). I have our van wired for it and have used it on road trips, etc. It regularly gets used at our house to hold excess beverages in the meantime. IE it has had a good amount of run time on it both AC and DC.

That said if I was in the market I'd likely take a look at the truck fridges that are now out due to their lower cost.

Thanks for the insight. Does the truck fridges have twice amp draw when compared with ARB/ Engel?

 

[ski3pin]

May be of interest.....................................

TruckFridge TF51A Test Results

 

[MANXMAN]

I like mine but it hasn't seen too much camping duty (my build got derailed and I sold my FWC thinking I would be done with the build sooner...). I have our van wired for it and have used it on road trips, etc. It regularly gets used at our house to hold excess beverages in the meantime. IE it has had a good amount of run time on it both AC and DC.

That said if I was in the market I'd likely take a look at the truck fridges that are now out due to their lower cost.

Sounds like it has performed fine for you without any issues. That's good to hear. I'm also looking at an Engel MT45, it's considerably cheaper than the ARB but surprisingly much heavier. Haven't heard of the truck fridges before so I'll have a look at them as well.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[pods8]

Thanks for the insight. Does the truck fridges have twice amp draw when compared with ARB/ Engel?

May be of interest.....................................

TruckFridge TF51A Test Results

I was hoping someone tested the portable one, sounds comparable. (Edit look at that, I even post in it. Kids are killing my memory at times...) I know the inplace one pulls a bit more but its got a seperate freezer vs just running as a fridge. I want to say my friends built in one tends to pull more like 1.5ah on average but I honestly can't recall off hand for sure.

 

[Onefin]

http://www.equipt1.com/Downloads/Indel-B/Indel%20B%20Travel%20Box%20Test%20and%20Comparison%20Report.pdf

The indel B is essentially the same as the truck fridge (according to all the techy gear geeks on expedition portal)

I was going to buy an indel B over the truckfridge because of the very strong reputation of equipt as a vender (in case their was a problem or issue).

That said, a good enough sale on brand new arb 50qt fridges came up for me to pull the trigger. http://ok4wd.com/shop-by-category/travel-gear/arb-fridge-freezer

 

[takingatrip1]

I have an ARB 50qt hard mounted /hard wired in my Ram truck. It's on 24/7 with no problem with any starting issues as a daily driver. I keep it set at 28 degress and drinks stored in the lower section dont freeze. I also keep greek yogurt in the upper compartment with no issues with spoiling. ( I used yogurt becuase it would be obvious if it spoiled and it's sealed so if that happens it wouldnt be smelly in the truck).

This is with the battery the truck came with (econo power) which im told is a reconditioned interstate. I've got a jumper box in th truck just in case. I intended on changing the battery out for a "quality" battery but since this is working im going to see how long it lasts.

Ive had this fridge in a Jeep and now in the truck for 3 years. It's hands down the best money i've spent on camping gear. It was painful to shell out that cash but once i did i've never regretted it.

Hope this is helpfull for someone considering an ARB fridge