Engel Wiring
Submitted: Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00
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Member - Sam
For those of you with the Engel Fridge/Freezers, I am interested in how you tackled the wiring. Did you make use of the existing wiring with the cigarette lighter adaptor, or did you modify this to hard-wire it directly into the vehicles power supply or another method? cheers, Sam
Reply By: Willie - Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00
Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00
Sam, It is a matter of personal choice. You can run the Engel through the cigarette lighter socket or you can hardwire it onto the battery. With the latter you can add an in-line fuse if you wish. You can hardwire the fridge through your vehicles' fuse box. I have the latest 32 litre Engel and it works
well through the cigarette lighter. I may still hardwire it through the fuse box. My previous 15 litre Engel gave me 17 years service without problems although the plastic body had to be modified after being smashed on the
Canning Stock Route.That fridge is still working. Cheers, Willie
AnswerID:
5398
Reply By: Member - Nigel - Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00
Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00
I personally wouldn't rely on a cigarette lighter socket to keep an electrical connection in a vehicle that is going offroad. I ran a twin 6mm cable from my aux battery (fused at the battery) to the rear of my vehicle and then use a inline plug.
AnswerID:
5399
Reply By: Mark - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Sam,
I have the same setup as Nigel and would strongly recommend it over using the vehicles ciq lighter socket. Before I put in the heavier cable the voltage drop was so great on the ciq lighter and extension cable that the fridge refused to work after one day. After installing good quality low loss cable the same fridge runs for 2 to 3 days now. I use the britax type plugs as they make a much better electrical connection, boat shops usually carry a good selection of connectors for 12 volt. Try and keep the cable run as short as poss and place an inline fuse as close to the battery as you can.
Cheers
AnswerID:
5405
Follow Up By: Member - Sam - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Mark and Nigel, Did you cut the cable with the cigarette lighter adaptor on the end and fit the better plug, or did you tackle this another way?, cheers, Sam.
FollowupID:
2331
Follow Up By: Mark - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Sam,
I actually replaced the cable on the fridge as
well ,the original cable was too light and although only 1.5 metres long it all adds up to the overall voltage drop, the lower the voltage at the compressor the more current is drawn from the battery. My fridge is an Evakool SK60 so not sure how good the original cable is on the Engels. I also made up a short cable with a britax female on one end and a standard cig plug, this is used as an adapter in case I need to temporarily transfer the fridge to another vehicle that only has the ciq lighter socket. Remember to keep all cables as short a practically possible, it really makes a difference at 12 volts.
Cheers
FollowupID:
2334
Reply By: Member - Nigel - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
I cut the cable off and soldered the new plug on. I used 50A anderson plugs, which are a total overkill for a fridge, but that allows me to connect the fridge to the battery on the trailer as they are all the same connector.
AnswerID:
5406
Reply By: Member - Sam - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Beaut! Thankyou gentlemen for your input. Much appreciated. cheers, Sam.
AnswerID:
5407
Reply By: tim - Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00
You will find that the cig. lighter also only runs with the key in the accesoriess position.
Tim
AnswerID:
5417
Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Tuesday, Aug 06, 2002 at 00:00
Tuesday, Aug 06, 2002 at 00:00
Sam, David wrote an article in the Vehicle Setup Feature about Engels. Hard wiring is relatively easy but it is advisable to use a 2nd battery if you are doing this. Take a look at the article here or navigate to it under Hot Topics - Vehicle Setup Feature and look for the Fridge feature. The last paragraph has some wiring tips.
AnswerID:
5429