running fridge off prado power socket

Couple of questions ?

You want to use a seperate battery in the cargo area ?

How do you plan to recharge it.

Use existing 12v socket ? How ? If its a seperate battery , are you going to wire the battery into the system somehow.

If so ? Why. Why not just wire a socket onto the battery , so it then becomes fully remote (take out to the camp site).

You can try it, if the fridge won't run or shows an error message then take it as probably not being a problem with the fridge. More scientifically you could read the volts at the point. The 50 has a 10.5 volts cut out and will not run below this.

I had a similar system and it failed periodically at the most inconvenient times. Now happy with a duel battery setup and chunky cables. No longer sweating on the fridge working.

Kind regards

You can afford a brand new Waeco 50 but are not keen on the cost of installing a dual battery setup??

85amp/hr Deepcycle Wetcell Battery $120
Arrid or Redarc Smart Realy $139
Leads - $50 (max!)
Battery Tray to suite vehicle $?
Installation: 2 beers and a saturday morning.

You bought the Prado ($$$$$$$$$$)
You bought the Weaco ($$$$)
You want to skimp on the dual battery setup? (######)

Do yourself a favour and set it up right the first time. Much less hassle in the long run.

Cheers, John.

With Waeco it is absolutely unnessessary to run a duel battery system as the fridge will cut out when the voltage gets low enough to risk starting not the car. I have a CF 50 and run it in 2 vehicles. One is the Hilux that has 2 batteries fitted. I run it off the second battery and get 5 days of fridge running before it cuts out.

The second vehicle is the Laser with its little battery (a quarter the size of the hilux). This will run it for 2 days before it cuts out and still allows the starting of the engine.

I advise you if you are planning on running the fridge for more than 4 days without starting the engine then go the extra battery and you may get more time than 4 days. If you are not planning to run the fridge for more than 3 days without starting then save your money (up to $500.00). The fridge will run perfectly on a single battery and still allow starting. Remember that the fridge has a safety cutout that will not allow your battery to go flat.

Having said that then the next question is:

Will the factory power outlet on the Prado supply the correct amps and volts needed to power the fridge for 3 or more days? From experience with Toyota power outlets in several vehicles I would say no. For the cost of 5 metres of 6 mm cable and a solid plug and socket (about $50.00) I would just hard wire it from the starting battery and have a quality power supply without interuption.

Also if your battery is old then it may not provide the correct power anyway. It may pay to get an Auto Elec to test the battery, then the power outlet and they can check it against the requirements of the fridge. This will tell you what you need.

Jon,
I have a Prado TD and have a thumper, which I carry as a spare battery in the car and had it connected to the rear outlet (150w) and ran my CF 45l Waeco off the thumper.This proved a complete failure since the plug setup could not deliver enough amps to charge the thumper and run the fridge and luckily we stayed at caravan parks where I could charge my thumper up from 240v with the inverter.
I now have my thumper hooked up to the main battery with the correct regulators etc, and have recently fitted a set of relays so as to charge the thumper and the batteries in my camper when we are on the move.This works great since I can also run my fridge of the car plug if I think the thumper needs charging, although the car charge is adequate.
Don't waste you time get it hooked up correctly you wont regret the move, next move is to get a solar system.
Bo.

I'm just a retired pen pusher with no electrical training, but I have been running my Engel 30l off the 120 amp plug at the rear of my Prado for 4 years with only the original single battery setup. It consistently works for overnight stays, but I have never asked it to do anymore. The Tojo wiring has certainly stood up to the test and I can't agree with the suggestion that you should replace it just to run the fridge! Can't comment on the battery setup, but I have recharged spotlights and other items off the 120 amp plug which is on the dash without problem.
Tessa

I've got a 90 series and after reading on the 90Scool yahoo site about people running their fridges of the 120W socket and then after 3 days out west finding the connection burnt out i spent my $40 or so and put connection direct from my sole starting battery to the back with clipsal 24v low voltage plugs. I wondered how i'd gotten away with it for so long, lucky i spose. But i've never had it on the wagon for more than a few hours. When installing the new plugs i got to check out the prado wire and bugger me its about as thin as a, well, am struggling for a comparison, I was horrified. So was very happy with the money spent and learnt a bit more about what's under my wagon when doing it. Whole job took about 45min and cost about $40.

If your 50L waeco has a turbo function then my understanding is they pull a fair bit of current when that button is hi so if you use your existing socket have a fire extinguisher handy and up to date insurance (though if the turbo function uses more than 120W then your insurance will be voided, not that you'd tell them).

Runing a 52 litre Waeco off a single battery is fine. I assume yours is a V6 90series. Upgrade the battery to an N70 is a good move. Waecos have a low voltage cutout incorporated.

The rear socket is OK with a current model Engel is fine (amp draw when cycling is 2.8 amps). But your Waeco draws 5 amps when cycling and 7 amps on turbo. The Prado sockets contain a solder fuse and this often melts with this amp draw. You may also have noted that 120 watts is for both front and rear sockets combined.

Bottom line is replace the socket with a Hella socket; and upgrade your battery to a bigger fatter one if you see the need.

Second battery systems for the V6 Prados is expensive as it involves extras like moving charcoal canister and lengthening the starter leads.

Cheers
Phil

Hi jondg

Lets not also forget that the Prado rear plug only works with the keys in the ignit.

Not a good look if you have to leave the vehicle with the keys in and come back to fine the fridge (and prado) gone to a new home!!

As others have already stated - I can vouch for the fact the standard wiring will not allow the battery to fully charge at the back of the vehicle using the stock socket.
I have a CF50 also and am in the process of gathering the bits to do a self install of a dual battery system (Redarc isolator - custom wiring and battery tray and a 700cca battery)
I did run around for the first week of owning the CF50 in my Prado and ran it on a 38ah gel cell (flooded cells are a no-no in the cabin). The fridge runs fine from the gel cell for around 24-30 hrs, but since I only drive 30mins each way to work and back - it cannot recover the gel cell enough after 2 days - the current supply capacity of the stock wiring is limited.
Whereas proper wiring and a 100amp isolater will allow much better charging of the aux battery

so if i do install a dual batt. system.....any advice for dummies
eg what to read, what to buy

or if i choose for someone else to do it.....any recommendations in adelaide
thanks again all