Fridges and just one battery

[Nanook]

Since this thread started, I mounted a waterproof Anderson plug on my bulbar to my starter battery and when on the beach all day I trickle charge the starter battery via solar through the plug.

[eksjay]

If you have an ARB classic fridge freezer, could you please do a small write up of how long you have owned it, size in litres, how many times a year that you use it and in what conditions, and above all, any issues you may have had and what resolved it.

Looking at a 35L or 47L... Thanks....

[Taprod]

Last year after lots of research I went down the separate battery box / fridge route.

I run a 99Ah battery in a kings battery box, charged by a 160w folding Kings solar panel. This runs my 42L aldi fridge for days and days.

The longest trip I’ve done so far has been 4 days and 3 nights. The battery was running the fridge at 2c the entire time and never got anywhere near 50% capacity. With the solar panel plugged in the battery was at float by about 10am each morning.

The fridge itself was $500 new from memory and the 12v system $480 all up.

Well worth it in my opinion. The separate battery box gives me more flexibility to do things away from my vehicle if I need to, like a bbq down by the river where I have to leave my car in the car park.

The aldi fridge is excellent too, as an aside


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[SnakeDoctor]

Single battery here, just the regular battery you get from NRMA/RACQ, runs my 60litre and some camp lights each afternoon / night when away camping. I'll plug in some solar if on the off chance we aren't driving somewhere that day to recharge it.

I do have an AGM dual purpose battery ready to go in from https://www.batteriesdirect.com.au/s...n66-tall).html when I eventually kill my normal battery with the deeper than normal discharges (fridge battery protection kicks in at 12.6v) but it's been fine so I haven't bothered or had an excuse to.

[eksjay]

The Kings battery box has had very good reviews in a number of forums. This would be my pick, and a solar panel/ blanket to keep everything running when far from a mains source.

Engel and Waco have taken turns with their components in ARB fridges according to forum posters elsewhere. The 47L ARB fridge had thermostat issues circa 2012 and 2013. There was a bad production run apparently. But I have not read anything negative about them recently.

[Nanook]

You can pick up the exact same battery box as the Kings one for a lot cheaper off ebay. They are just a generic Chinese made box.

The only difference with the Kings box is it has 2 fused Anderson plugs added to them so if you couldn't be bothered wiring your own, the Kings box isn't too bad.

[eksjay]

I have finally purchased a 47L ARB Fridge freezer, as I now travel mainly in autumn/spring months. Last year I found it too warm for eskis to sustain the ice blocks for consecutive days in the desert. They used to do the trick in my previous life when I was able to travel in winter months. The other reason is that the kids are growing and they eat like Komodo dragons. We need a bottomless portable freezer with meat. It is either that, spear a kangaroo, or go home.

On one of the more recent trips into Port Augusta, I decided to buy meat the night before we left for the Flinders Ranges. Bad idea. Not only was there little choice available, but there were only two decent/recognisable packages of meat remaining on the supermarket shelf. With a portable fridge/freezer, I can now carry the meat all the way to the destination 1500 km from home, instead of taking my chances with frozen horse, camel or goat meat from the local servos along the way. As someone posted earlier, the freezer could be used to freeze anything, including a block of ice in a water bottle, with the aim being to give the accompanying eski a fridge function.

I purchased a Kings Battery Box with the 115 ah AGM battery, and a Redarc smartcharge 10 amp battery charger. I will also be buying a solar panel or blanket that can plug directly into the battery box Anderson plugs (in due Course). The convenience of a proven $2500 dual battery solution was not worth considering given that I am always swapping stuff between two cars, (e.g. air compressor, other equipment etc). I also believe that it would be risky placing any overhead on a cranking battery when in the middle of nowhere with kids, irrespective of whether it is a 2 year old or 23 year old car. I have read reviews on some highly reputable dual battery systems where the starter battery was completely drained. I travel alone in a single vehicle remotely, and this is why I am never without a fully charged heavy duty jump starter battery pack.

Right now, the 47L ARB unit is doing interim house duty as my garage freezer failed last week. I have already ordered a replacement.