Waeco thumper etc

Ferret,

Have a look at their Amp/Hour rating. The Super Cheap job is designed as an emergency start thing. It's battery is only around 20 A/H and it is not a deep cycle. To aviod stuffing it you don't want to run it down below 50% which gives you 10 useable amps. The latest Engels draw 2.7 amps and assuming it is only running half the time it means the little battery pack would be good for about 7 hours, less in hot weather. Great for picnics but hardly for camping.

As for the Weeco and Engel packs thye are around $500 - $600 for a 48 A/H pack which is not all that flash when you can get a 100 A/H AGM fully sealed battery, smart solenoid wired to the back of your vehicle and the battery installed in a tied down box with a couple of sockets for under $600.

I've been looking into this and researching it for weeks. It is the best alternative I can find. The advantage of an AGM over a conventional deep cycle is that a very low AGM will fully charge from your alternator in 2-3 hours whereas a normal DC will only absorb about 5 A/H. Don't know how fast the Engel/Waeco pack will charge, but if you are running it from a cig socket their max output is 10 A/H.

Jim.

Yeah....... Jimbo pretty miuch sums it up to a tee.

I used to run a Waeco ( Blue Apple ) Outback to run my fridge, but have since gone down the dual battery road, much better.

I only use my Outback coupled with a 20 watt Solar Panel to run my CPAP each night.

Go for the Deep Cycle 100 amp job, install some weapon cable, solenoid & relay / isolator and you won't regret it.

I run 2 vehicles, so I have had Anderson Plugs installed in the cabins of both, and simply load my battery along with my fridge.........simple

Benefit of a battery pack like Waeco's is that you are not tied to the vehicle. If you want to take the fridge out for an extended picnic away from the car, then you can take the battery with you. Likewise for some camping spots that don't let the vehicles close enough to the tents. If its just for use in the car, then yes, there are cheaper alternatives.

we recently got a Monsoon on special for the same price as an outback. Show special. we got one of these as it is to be used with several vehicals and in the boat. it has twin 24 amp/h batteries and switches both on to start a vehicle. when using with a light etc you can only flatten one battery and the other is still available for starting.

I know this thread has almost run its course, but I have been following it and doing some reading. I'd like to throw up my thoughts to get some feedback.

I am planning an extended trip where we will be stopping for one or two nights at a time, on average, and maybe 5 nights at the most. I am planning on buying a Waeco 40 lt fridge, replace the vehicle battery with a 100AH AGM battery and buy a Waeco Thumper (or similar) for an emergency starter.

The AGM battery will recharge faster and provide more amps for the fridge while camping. The Thumper will also give the short term flexibility to remove the fridge from the car.

This will be my first fridge and I am looking for flexibility. Some camp sites don't permit vehicles into the camp area. When we go to these places I'll remove the AGM bat from the car and run the car on the standard car battery.

Are AGM batteries recomended for regular vehicle starting?

Ferret, I know I do not address your original question, but it is on the same topic.

All comments greatly appreciated
Thanks
Paul.

Have a look at Post 12990. I know the Optimas can start but are very expensive. Talk to the bloke at Federal Batteries, 1300 133 980, he is a bloody expert.