Ken replied:

Australian 4WD Monthly Sept 2001 edition test of portable fridges lists the Engel MT 45' Amp draw at 1.6 amps average.Peak draw as the fridge compressor starts will be somewhat higher.Suggest you ditch the cigarette lighter type socket in favour of a proper 12 v two pole socket, cig lighter plugs get bad connections and get very hot. Regards Ken

Porl replied:

If no-one replies to this look at one in a shop and underneath or on the side it will have a metal plate or something with the voltage details and the peak amp draw as is required by law - from memory it is about 2.7amps. I run a waeco with a higher peak amp draw from the back of my Prado with a 120W and 15amp max (or maybe that was 10amps, whatever). The waeco has a peak amp draw of about 3.7 and I have never had a problem - but i always draw it down to operating temp. on 240v before I go out which may help, and I have never been on the road with it yet for more than about 4hours at a time. The 24v socket idea is excellent and I will get to doing that soon, more efficient, better for the fridge, more reliable, marginally less battery drain because of the efficiency etc. But the 120W socket does work and if you have what i think you have it is a marine grade socket that is far better than an ordinary cigarette style socket like found in my gemini.

All Terrain 4WD Adventures replied:

Rob,

Just throwing my two bobs worth in the ring, I run a Engel 40l and the current draw is 0.7amps to 2.6amps so in theory the 120w/12volt socket would be fine. In practice thought these OEM sockets are installed at a cost and as such have been wired with a gauge of wired just enough to do the job and along with this style of plug socket can introduce losses or voltage drop in the system. On short trips this would be fine but extend your trip for a couple of days then I say install a new larger gauge cable with a better locking style of plug. Why you ask, well for starters bumping along a trail the standard plugs are prone to falling out or atleast dislodging far enough to disconnect the fridge from the supply without you realising. ( I have seen it happen and before you know it those frozen steaks and cold beers aren't cold anymore.) The next reason is voltage drop and losses in any 12volt car system and by the time the volts reach the back area of the car after passing through various forms of connectors and cable it can result in less energy being able to be delivered to the fridge unit.

Stuart.

Graham replied:

Rob,
My Brother WAS running his 40 l Engel from the factory fitted socket in the rear of his Pajero. The socket just did'nt cut it. The fridge ran poorly and probably more of a worry was that the plug was almost too hot to touch after about an hour. Upgrade your wiring as well as the socket without delay.

Cheers,

Graham

Mark replied:

I ditched the standard ciq style sockets for the reasons mentioned above. I use a plug socket arangement made by Britax now which provides a much better contact. Good low loss cable is important as the more the voltage drops the more current the fridge will pull, beware of cheaper 12volt cable that looks heavy but is all insulation and little copper within (more strands the better for conductance). Boat shops seem to carry the best range of 12v connectors and good Quality low voltage cable as boats run low voltage everywhere at greater distances. Don't forget a blade style in line fuse as close to the battery as poss if your going direct.

bill replied:

Rob, I use a Finch 3 way which uses much more current than the Engel. I have run it every day for a fortnight on a trip to the centre and on numerous shorter trips without problems. It cools down in an hour or so and I have to be careful to avoid freezing the beer!! The socket I use is not a cig lighter socket though - it is in the back of a Prado and is purpose built for heavy use.