ARB fridge/freezer

[Galvo]

Lads,

I’m thinking about getting an ARB 47L fridge/freezer, do I need a second battery for day trips or will it keep things frozen simply plugged into the outlet in the boot? I would very rarely need it to keep things cold or frozen for more than a day before I could plug it back into a 240 socket.

I don’t want to go to the trouble of rigging up a permanent second battery – let alone the space it would take up in the back.

Any advice appreciated. Cheers, Brett

[samft]

it will run fine without the second battery

the problem is when you turn the engine off, the fridge will be running solely on your cranking battery

I believe the fridge has a low voltage cut-off, so it won't drain the battery below cranking capacity

My opinion would be plug it in while the engine is on, and unplug it if you are turning off the engine for more than 30 mins

also check the voltage of your battery when the engine is off, you'll want 12.5v or higher to indicate a good battery, i wouldn't recommend running a fridge from a single battery if that battery is a bit past it's

in general, it's absolutely fine to plug the fridge in while the engine is on

[bodgie]

Originally Posted by Galvo

Lads,

I’m thinking about getting an ARB 47L fridge/freezer, do I need a second battery for day trips or will it keep things frozen simply plugged into the outlet in the boot? I would very rarely need it to keep things cold or frozen for more than a day before I could plug it back into a 240 socket.

I don’t want to go to the trouble of rigging up a permanent second battery – let alone the space it would take up in the back.

Any advice appreciated. Cheers, Brett

I'd go for a second battery with an isolator to reduce the risk of the starting battery going flat.

FWIW, you don't need a big battery, something as small as a 38AH AGM battery will keep the fridge running overnight.

[fester]

If you genuinely only want it for day trips then the standard battery will be fine, however if you start getting into over nighters you would want to be careful and should then be considering additional isolated power. I used to run our Engel for an overnight weekend in our 4.8 Patrol which had a decent cranking requirement no worries and most of the time that was drive to destination and sit for rest of stay. Once or twice we had the slightest hesitation starting so it was on the limit but I knew I had a good battery and didn't push it any further. Also done plenty of day trips in our Challenger without issue. Even better if you are driving around on and off for most of the day like a forestry or beach run etc. A couple of hours running off a standard battery with engine off should be fine, a couple of hours running should amount to only around 6 amps of draw. Just make sure the fridge and contents are fully chilled down to temp prior to use eg overnight. Remember thought the more you are in it the more power it will need so you will have to manage properly.

[Clarky]

get an ArkPac http://www.arkcorporation.com/c/37/a...portable-power & you won't have to worry.

[anthonygubbin]

If its one of the new ARB fridges I reckon you will be fine. Set it to run say at 1deg and then flick the low voltage switch to cut out at 12.4v. By the time the food starts to warm up, that's if it cuts out you will probably have the engine running again. The new ARBs are trick and use even less power than the fridges that were being sold 3-4 years ago. There were blokes I met at Jambo 2012 who weren't running aux's and they had no probs.

Regards A

[Galvo]

Thanks for the replys guys.

The arkpak looks like a good solution if I decide I need it hooked up in the car (or outside) for longer periods without 240.