Trailblaza 240v 12v switching

Submitted: Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 07:45

ThreadID: 34083 Views:7324 Replies:3 FollowUps:3

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H2O

Hi, I am looking to sell my Waeco FF90 and get a Trailblaza 50l-60l (75mm insulation). I have found that the FF90 cannot freeze fish quick enough when running 50% of the time off a generator and the other 50% off 12v battery. I was planning to get a second thermostat fitted to the trailblaza to help the freezing process - can anyone tell me how better the freezer performs with a 2nd thermostat?. The only thing that I need to get my head around is how to get the power into the Trailblaza while camping. The last few trips I have done we have had both engels and waecos and plug them into the genset (240v) and also have them plugged into a battery (12v) and have a battery charger charging the battery. The genset lasts for around 6hrs and when it shuts off the charging of the battery stops and they automatically switch over to using the 12v power. This is a great setup but I have been told that trailblaza cannot do this.

My question is what is the best way to supply power to the Trailblaza? Can I have a battery charger charging a battery that the fridge is sucking power from? I have a honda 2kva inverter genset and use a cheap battery charger (I will have to buy a three stage one I know) to charge the battery so I can run the genset on econo mode. There is a battery charger built into the genset but the documentation says that you have to run the genset at full revs. This doesn't suit as we start the genset up before we leave camp and it runs all day.
Thanks!
Justin

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Reply By: michael & lisa - Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 08:35

Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 08:35

u can run battery charger when the fridge is sucking power 12v or have it plug in to 240 when your honda is running. second thermostat save u from changing the fridge setting. it run good on both12v @ 240v

AnswerID: 173742

Reply By: Member - Brian (Gold Coast) - Monday, May 22, 2006 at 07:17

Monday, May 22, 2006 at 07:17

Talk to the guys at Trailblaza.... the thermostat they use has a wide range, we run ours on "number 3" and get everything to around 2deg C, turning it further, past "muber 5" will have everything frozen. No need for a second thermostat!

Cheers

Brian

AnswerID: 173894

Follow Up By: Wok - Monday, May 22, 2006 at 07:51

Monday, May 22, 2006 at 07:51

Agree with above.

Last version I saw with 230V + 12V still had manual changeover [the 230V supply was linear as well!] Its the KISS principle.

eng

FollowupID: 429862

Reply By: Member No 1- Monday, May 22, 2006 at 08:23

Monday, May 22, 2006 at 08:23

2nd thermostat? why?
the existing one will freeze to around or below -15c if i am not mistaken while letting one to use as fridge only as well when not being as frezer.

run a three stage charger for battery and let fridge run off battery. run gen set when you get back to camp to recharge battery....a 20a x 3 stage charger will put enough oooomphhha back into battery after a couple hrs running to cater for consumption of fridge.... this has been my experience,....why do you run the gen set all day?...just for fridge?

the trailblaza does not have auto sensing mode to determine which power supply it can have.....run the fridge off the battery ....you'll be okay...

AnswerID: 173903

Follow Up By: H2O - Monday, May 22, 2006 at 17:34

Monday, May 22, 2006 at 17:34

The reson I am thinking a second thermostat is beacuse we half filled my 90l waeco with barra fillets and had frozen water in the other half and after 5days the fish was not frozen and I was rotating them around and we were not getting suff out of it. It is not about getting the temp lower just freezing quicker. I thought it may have been my fridge but my mates new 60l engel had the same damas. I had to run the genset all day because my 90l waeco and my other mates 90l waeco work 100 times better of 240v (24v from the converter) rather than off 12v. We also had two fridges hooked up to one battery (4 fridges in total). They seem to run good it the alternator is charging the battery but do not like anything under about 13.5v. They cut in and out all the time. We have both had them back to waeco a few times and still the same....

Sounds like all I have to do is top up my battey of a night with a genset and run the fridge off 12v all the time.... thanks!

FollowupID: 429967