fridge/esky advice needed

Submitted: Tuesday, Sep 06, 2005 at 23:58

ThreadID: 26224 Views:4400 Replies:10 FollowUps:2

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bware

Greetings all,
At the moment we use two eskies when camping and use ice packs until they thaw out then buy ice. This is fine for short trips but longer stays (even 5 days, if not close to ice supplies) are a hassle. I'm toying with the idea of a 40 or 50 litre fridge/feezer within which we can keep the things that need to be really cold like beer, meat, etc and using the freezer compartment to rotate ice packs to keep the esky cold for things like fruit, veg, butter etc. Does anyone use this system? The other option is no esky and get an 80 litre fridge, but if the first way works why spend the extra money?
Secondly, as yet not having a dual battery set-up, Engel etc offer portable deep cycle batteries which means the fridge isn't limited to the vehicle but how long do they last without recharging? And assuming you take the car for a drive every two days and plug the portable battery in, how will this affect your car battery?
I'm happy to spend the money on good equipment(well, not ecstatic) but I like to keep things simple. We can take everything to the extreme but I don't want solar panels or a generator. My father-in-law has his 'ultimate rig'; a big red F150 with a custom canopy and a22ft van. It's got solar panels, invertors, loads of batteries, ALL his tools, an extra fuel tank to run the generator(all under the canopy) and they're all set up to go to places they'll never go. The ford must weigh 3 1/2 tonne without gear in it. Yeah, I know, horses for courses, but that is not what we want to do!
Brian

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Reply By: muzzgit (WA) - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 00:17

Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 00:17

Brian, although you DON'T want to use solar or a gennie, in the end you may need to think about one or the other. Once you get over your reasons and get one or the other, you will kick yourself for not doing it EARLIER !!!

Most 40 or 50l fridge/freezers have only one compartment. It's the bigger ones that can be used as both a fridge and freezer at the same time. If you plan on using a 40 or 50l waeco or engel, or whatever, as a freezer, you will find that battery life is very short. A dual battery setup is paramount and, I have seen vehicles with large fridges that have two aux batteries run together just to get enough power for a few days camping without having to use solar or a gennie.

I run a 50l waeco and our traveling buddies run a 40l engel. We both have a dual bettery system and we can camp in one spot for three days without any problems, even using 12v fluro's at night. We don't need to run the cars or use a gennie or solar, but any longer than three days, my mate takes his solar panels which keep things ship shape. Any longer than 7 days and I take my gennie.

AnswerID: 128773

Follow Up By: bware - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 00:24

Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 00:24

yes, this is the info I'm seeking! Thanks for your reply. and your msg is so-o-o-o true!

FollowupID: 383356

Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 10:30

Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 at 10:30

Yes, I agree with muzzgit re the dual battery setup.
Three days from the secondary battery is a fair statement.

To extend power requirements beyond this, you would need to invest in a Gennie, or solar panel, or do what I have done.

I have the "standard" dual battery setup managed by a Piranha DBS II Electronic controller. The primary battery cannot become drained because all electrical accessories are run from the 55 Ah AGM Secondary battery. This battery will recharge fairly quickly from the alternator if I have to by going for a drive, etc.
However, to extend my fridge life, I chose to include a portable battery supply in the way of a "Thumper" which is rated at 75 usable Amp hours and like the secondary battery, is of AGM style.
The Thumper is also charged via it's own pair of high output controllers, one of which is connected to the secondary battery terminals and one which is terminated in a 50 amp Anderson Connector which provides connection of the Thumper. During normal driving, both the secondary battery and the Thumper can be quickly brought up to (near) full charge in two to three hours.

This option like most others is not exactly cheap. The 75 Ah Thumper and a high output controller package cost in the order of $700 which is about that of a dual battery system installation. But the added flexibility it gives to my camping requirements suit me perfectly.

The "Thumper" is manufactured and sold by Blue Apple and is available in a variety of sizes. The 75Ah unit is the best compromise for output versus portability. Anything bigger becomes impractical to lug around.

Blue Apple trade under another name which I am unsure of (The 12 volt Shop?) and advertise in 4X4 Monthly magazine.

Everybody will have different requirements and solutions and none are necessarily right or wrong.

The solution I have identified above, gives me 6 days of 12 volt supply before I need to consider recharging and that is sufficient for my needs. I also have a Gennie if I need it, but haven't needed to take it with me yet and probably never will.