Anderson Plug

Submitted: Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 16:35
ThreadID: 139655 Views:11045 Replies:6 FollowUps:21
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Has anybody put Anderson plug on their Engel 45 litre Fridge? If so where do you put fuse as fuse for engel is in cigar plug?
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Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 16:47

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 16:47
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Philip,

You can place an inline fuse holder close to the input to the Anderson plug. Probably more convenient than in the Engel cable.

Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 17:43

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 17:43
Can you run a fridge successfully off a Cigar/Cigarette socket? I found the plug falls out after a few bumps. Michael
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:03

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:03
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Well Michael, I would never trust a 'cigar plug' for a fridge. I would use an Anderson, or as mine is, hard wired.
However, I am stuck with cigar sockets for some things, an example being the charger plug for my satphone.

From time-to-time I have "tightened-up" cigar plugs to grip better in the sockets. It involved bending the side contacts of the plug to project further out and thus be tighter in the socket. I won't try to describe the technique but it involves getting a small screwdriver under the contact leaf and levering it into more projection. Usually works but maybe not to be tried on a plug/charger that you consider irreplaceable. lol
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Allan

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Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:15

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:15
Actually a plug just as good , and in some aspects even better than an Anderson is the original Engel '2 prong' that 'screws' into the Engel female socket that has fuses on both +/- wires .....
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:16

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:16
Do not ruin your Engel lead. By an Engel Aspan fitting that is hard wired, unscrew the tip off the main Engel lead, them simply screw in the Aspan....will never fail
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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:19

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:19
Allan, i misread that, my Anderson plug is also hard wired, the only way to go. Michael
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:36

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:36
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Michael, I'm getting confused. My fridge is not connected via Anderson plugs. The original fridge cable still plugs into the fridge body but the cable is connected directly to the nearby 12v fuse block... thus "directly connected"..... well, half-directly connected?
If ever the fridge OEM socket failed, I would replace it with an Anderson screwed onto the fridge casing.
The Anderson are a bit lumpy for some applications but they're inexpensive and damned reliable.
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Allan

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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 19:30

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 19:30
Allan, Anderson plugs are perfect in the right application. a clever plug and socket! Michael
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 20:37

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 20:37
"into the Engel female socket that has fuses on both +/- wires ....."

Why would you need a fuse on both the + and - wires?
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 22:39

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 22:39
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Frank, the "Engel '2 prong' " plug is made in Ireland. Two fuses are to be sure, to be sure. lol

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Allan

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Follow Up By: nickb - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 14:30

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 14:30
I thought I was reading Friday Funnies!!!
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Follow Up By: Grizzle - Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 at 13:56

Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 at 13:56
My understanding is when you unscrew the end of the lead the fuse is in the part you don't use as its a temperature fuse to protect against a poor connection
. The fridge has an on board fuse. So if you go anderson plug you don't need another fuse.

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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:13

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:13
Philip

Do not cut and ruin your standard Engel lead, they are around the $70 mark to replace.

If you want a 100% positive connection, buy an Engel Aspan fitting that has inline fuses in the lead. You unscrew your tip from the main Engel lead, line up the post in the Aspan fitting and screw up....it will not come out on the roughest of roads.


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Stephen
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:24

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 18:24
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So Stephen, why does Engel not supply this you-beaut Aspan fitting in the first place? They charge enough for the fridge to be able to include it. But, they offer it as an optional part for $60.

On principle alone, I would rather fit an Anderson for $10 and be done with it!


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Allan

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 20:08

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 20:08
If you cut your original lead, put an Anderson plug on, you are then stuck by having to install an Anderson plug into every vehicles you want to use it in. If you want to use it in another vehicle with a standard cigarette socket, it will cost you $70 for a new J Cord.

On the other hand buy an Aspan, you just screw back on your original tip to go in any vehicle
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 22:35

Saturday, Feb 08, 2020 at 22:35
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Well actually Stephen, it would cost me $10 for an Anderson plug...... installed in the new vehicle!

Sorry mate, I do understand your love affair with Engel.... I just don't share it. lol
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Allan

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Follow Up By: Stevemac - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 07:38

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 07:38
Jaycar sell generic Engel leads for $30
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Follow Up By: Gbc.. - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 07:53

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 07:53
Nearly everything I own has been converted to Andersen’s. In the unfortunate event I have to plug Anything into a cigarette plug ( eg the power outlet in the wife’s car boot) I have made a short cigarette to Andersen jumper.
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 09:33

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 09:33
You don’t have to have a “love affair” with anything to offer the correct advice! Anderson plug is overkill & fallible, how many of us have arrived somewhere to find that their trailer Anderson plug has ground itself off on the track surface. I have never had the Engel Aspan socket fail.
Alan B, when you bought your household fridge did they supply a power point?
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Follow Up By: Gbc.. - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 10:14

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 10:14
More a case of being able to move fridges (I have 3) between cars and campers, run the compressor off various power feeds, plug panels in anywhere etc etc etc than any sort of love affair. You have to draw a line and standardise plugs somewhere and I sure as hell won’t be using an Engel plug between the car and camper. I have had fake andersens fail but never a genuine one.
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 10:21

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 10:21
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Shaker,

I know Stephen well, very well personally, and the comment was an "inside joke". Stephen does love Engels and fair enough, they are good quality. I am not so keen on them due to noise issues and consider them overpriced. To buy a replacement Engel power lead is $70 but an equivalent quality product can be had from Jaycar for $19.95 including a Merit connector.
And I still consider an Anderson plug to be universal and superior to the Engel Aspan connector costing $60.

I don't know "how many of us" have destroyed trailer Andersons..... you tell me. I can only assume any such were either a) improperly installed, b) improperly connected, or c) cheap knock-offs rather than genuine Anderson.

No, the fridge came with a plug that mated to an Australian Standards approved socket, and if I did need to install a socket for the fridge it would cost me $6.00

Cheers
Allan

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Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 13:12

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 13:12
Anyone who has an Anderson plug worn away on the road, simply didn't check to see if it could drop that far. Thinking people ensure the plug IF it ever came out, could not possibly drag on the road. Others possibly don't do anything to prevent that happening it seems. If the vehicle Anderson is near central then there is little is any force ever presented to it to loosen during travel. You see lots of them offset. I replaced one for a bloke outside the Pink Roadhouse Oodnadatta, who had worn away 90% of the plug. He didn't have spares.

I have a small Waeco and needed a connection at the fridge, ie hard wired. I used two larger crimped spade terminals, solders to the wires and used Selleys Knead It to create the actual plug to go in the back of fridge. Far more secure than the original which was inclined to get warm. Screw strip terminals at the supply end. The Engel lead also runs off screw strip connectors and CAN be removed if required.

Engels over priced? A bloke I communicated with a few years ago went to S Africa, Bought a 40 litre unit, very conscious of $ he purchased a new one, in box, which had been shipped directly from Australia. In Australian dollars, he paid a little over HALF, the same box cost in Oz. He could not believe the mark up here. Asia, to Oz to S Africa and still far less than us.
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Reply By: Member - Outback Gazz - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 08:34

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 08:34
For what it's worth - I have three fridges and all are connected to battery via anderson plug and inline fuse like the one in Allan's first reply - never had any problems over thousands of kilometres of outback travel !

Cheers and cold beers
Gazz
AnswerID: 629976

Follow Up By: Member - Bigfish - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 09:09

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 09:09
Same here. 3 fridges and all on anderson plugs. No issues whatsoever.. Solid dependable connections that wont rattle loose. Just bought a new 80 litre dual zone and first job even before firing it up was to convert to anderson plug. I see many camper trailer owners are now going this way (on the forums at least).
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Reply By: nickb - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 14:35

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 14:35
I too put Anderson plugs on all my Portable electrical equipment. Haven’t had a failure yet. No fuse on my fridge lead, it has a fuse elsewhere in the supply line. There is also a fuse on the fridge itself.
AnswerID: 629985

Follow Up By: Kazza055 - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 15:54

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 15:54
I have also converted all my bits to Anderson but also have ciggy plugs and socket with Anderson but have never seen needed to use the.

The best thing with using Anderson is that every time you plug them in they rub together cleaning the contact surfaces.
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Reply By: swampy - Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 16:55

Sunday, Feb 09, 2020 at 16:55
Hi
if u use a quality turn and lock cigar lighter connector never had an issue. I imagine if u use the smooth internal bore female socket there would be issues ,,male would slip out.
But hey I don't go mountain climbing with my rig ,original set up works for me .
My Engel sits inside camper door way and shifted outside when setting up camp , no problemo.
AnswerID: 629986

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