Portable battery power setup

Depends on the wiring. My Subie runs a 40l fridge no problem. But the drawback is that current only flows when the ignition is on.

My learned friend Crazy Dog taught me that, I was quick to relocate it under the bonnet.

Cheers Steve

hmmm .. ok .. what if I was to run heavy wire from starter battery to portable pack stowed on trailer ( which is taken along 9 times outa 10 ) for charging and plug fridge into cig soclet .. or perhaps run lead from pack,back into car for fridge. Gas problem solved,but will I suffer voltage drop ?

Forget using the rear cigi lighter for anything more than just lighting.

With the manufacturers cable size and the length though the wiring loom, you will be pushing to get a solid 3 amps and 12 volts without the wiring heating up.

I have a Gel battery in the rear of my Cruiser (LPG and no under bonnet room) I have 6mm cable/s from the charging battery via a Redarc auto isolator.
Anderson Plug for the rear battery and that pack has the fridge plugged into one of the 3 cigarette outlets.
I also have a 2nd Anderson plug for the camper when needed.

Hi Tony
Is that cable 6MM cable/s meant as plural or 6MMsquare.

If it is 6MM Auto cable it would be undersized to go to your trailer for "efficient" charging purposes.

Regardless of split type battery system used if you use 50A Anderson Plugs then it is advisable to use the largest cable for them which is 6GGe to minimise voltage drop.

Cigarette plugs and other plugs which are generally a power problem for fridges can be replaced with suitable upgraded wiring and a chassis mount (flush mount) multiple Anderson Power pole outlet that is 30A so you can safely run accessories.

Regards
Ian

Crusty,
I would rather spend the extra $$ on putting an AGM inside the vehicle than spend the extra $$ on extra wiring, anderson plugs, and a solution which is hotch potch.

I don't know whether you've already bought the battery, but a flooded deep cycle battery in the trailer will take forever to charge, and will need to be topped up on a 3 stage charger to stop it dying early from sulphation.

An AGM inside the vehicle will charge up in half the time, and will be no hassle - your fridge can stay hooked up to it all the time. A Remco 100Ah AGM will cost you $339 from Whitworths - I'm sure there's a lot of similar or better priced alternatives out there too.

Cheers
Phil

Phil
There are two types of flooded wet cell batteries open flooded and sealed flooded and no one has asked which one he meant.

Any battery will charge better in the vehicle due to the shorter cable run that gives less voltage drop.

I would worry about correct cable sizes and connections .

The real benefit in AGM fast charging comes from high recombination low resistance batteries such as Lifeline ,Oddessey,Optima and Decca Sea Mate.

Flooded wet cell sealed batteries will charge as good as most low recombination high resistance AGM batteries in all applications.

Flooded wet cell open batteries will charge faster than most batteries other than high recombination AGM and Gel if the charging voltage is capable of supplying the necessary voltage to charge them.

The higher the voltage the quicker the charge.

Open flooded wet cell batteries should not be used in an enclosed vehicle due to gassing.

Sealed batteries including AGM will gas also in certain circumstances and if they didnt they wouldnt have a vent on them.
Ian

Gday Ian,
Crusty said "On a budget so pretty tight" so I assumed he wouldn't come at a $600 AGM. I figured a $339 AGM was a better option than a $200 wet cell. I'm sure he'd appreciate your good information.

Cheers
Phil

Ok .. update .. haven't yet bought a battery becasue a bit of research before hand doesn't hurt and I'm sure a couple more trips with esky's and ice wouldn't kill us while we save up a little more.

The cig plug in car is dodgy at best,so no matter what I need to upgrade the wiring and plug,even for running fridge on it's own.
I think I'll go an AGM battery that will solve the problem of gassing in car and running leads to the trailer suffering charging problems.Can I charge an AGM battery off a standard 240v charger (rated for 100Ah deep cycle battery's) or is there a certain type of charger for this purpose also ?