12v refrigerators/freezers (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/6/2025 9:06:22 PM EDT
| Any experience with 12v refrigerators/freezers? Looking at one for overlanding/car camping trips. Thinking something in the 30qt range. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Some good suggestions in this thread from a few month ago https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/Does-anyone-have-a-12v-camping-cooler-fridge-Thoughts-/5-2792881/ |
USN Retired: APR 1988 - MAY 2008
"My center is giving way, my right is falling back, situation excellent, I attack." —Ferdinand Foch
"My center is giving way, my right is falling back, situation excellent, I attack." —Ferdinand Foch
|
Originally Posted By Seabee_Mech: Some good suggestions in this thread from a few month ago https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/Does-anyone-have-a-12v-camping-cooler-fridge-Thoughts-/5-2792881/ Thanks for the link! |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
| I have a Dometic CFX5 35, (not inexpensive) it'll definitely reach the advertised -7 degrees. I used in a semi truck, not for camping so power consumption wasn't a concern for me but would be something to look at for a camping cooler and how to address recharging batteries. |
USN Retired: APR 1988 - MAY 2008
"My center is giving way, my right is falling back, situation excellent, I attack." —Ferdinand Foch
"My center is giving way, my right is falling back, situation excellent, I attack." —Ferdinand Foch
|
I have a National Luna 50L fridge freezer. I had an issue with it and asked the vendor if they could look at it at the nearest overland expo. Sure. one of the guys repaired it. (sensor had fallen out of place) and it still works well. That said I bought it before the huge proliferation of options available today at much lower cost from all the Chinese imports. A lot of folks seem happy with ICECO and Dometic. |
|
I bought this 30 quart model when it was on sale 2 years ago for under $200. Quite a bit more expensive now but they have other sizes cheaper. I have transported it dozens of times running off of the cigarette lighter socket and run it off of battery quite a bit when camping. Can't complain for the price. Gets cold quickly empty and if you put cold things it it then it stays cold. Only complaint, if it is even a complaint is that it takes a a while to get a full load of room temperature water or soda bottles cold. Right now it is in the kitchen holding 20 lbs of cucumbers at 38F until I can pickle them this evening so it is handy even when you are not traveling.  
|
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
|
Originally Posted By BFskinner: I bought this 30 quart model when it was on sale 2 years ago for under $200. Quite a bit more expensive now but they have other sizes cheaper. I have transported it dozens of times running off of the cigarette lighter socket and run it off of battery quite a bit when camping. Can't complain for the price. Gets cold quickly empty and if you put cold things it it then it stays cold. Only complaint, if it is even a complaint is that it takes a a while to get a full load of room temperature water or soda bottles cold. Right now it is in the kitchen holding 20 lbs of cucumbers at 38F until I can pickle them this evening so it is handy even when you are not traveling. www.amazon.com/dp/B08D9M14JG That’s the one I’m looking at most seriously. And, the 53 qt. The brand gets good reviews and I’ve watched a couple YouTube videos with the same conclusion. We have a 26 quart cooler and it has travelled with us a lot but we need to keep stocking it with ice so a 30 qt with no ice needed should work even better. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: That’s the one I’m looking at most seriously. And, the 53 qt. The brand gets good reviews and I’ve watched a couple YouTube videos with the same conclusion. We have a 26 quart cooler and it has travelled with us a lot but we need to keep stocking it with ice so a 30 qt with no ice needed should work even better. Not having to constantly worry about ice is a game-changer both for convenience as well as not having to worry about going to the extra effort of protecting things that need to be cold but also dry from getting soaked. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
|
Ordered a BougeRV 40 quart Rockies. The shipping papers were generated and nothing ever happened. FedEx said they never got it to ship. BougeRV service said we willl send one from Amazon, they have inventory. Same thing happened, UPS paperwork was created but they never got the cooler to ship. Submitted dispute with AMEX and got my money back. After all that, I ordered an Engel factory refurb. It came in a few days and I couldn't tell it wasn't new. Works great. Has no computer, and they sell parts if service is needed. But it is a lot more money. A few days later the second BougeRV unit arrived. I let them know it had arrived, was unopened and they could send me call tags or make me an offer. After some back and forth they accepted my $200 offer. So I got to see both. The BougeRV unit was nicer in many ways than the Engel, but didn't have the stellar reputation for dependability, so I kept the Engel. BougeRV service was fair to me and I can't cuss them. I think they are just selling more than they can keep up with. Sold the BougeRV to my buddy for my cost, so he got a great deal and my wife was happy it wasn't taking up room. |
|
I have two of them that are in constant use. There are a lot of cheap fridges that use a Danfoss/Secop compressor. That said Dometic and ARB (same thing really) are the standard, with Engel’s swing motor being top tier. You really should have an auxiliary battery to get the most out of them. Something in the 100ah/1200wh range could run for days without charging. The newer all in batteries, Bluetooth being the big name, can charge off a cigarette plug. My ARB Classic 50 quart lives in my truck from March through November running off the 100ah house battery and 100w solar panel 24/7. The rest of the year it’s inside as a drink fridge. I’ve had it for 6 years and it’s been great. That being said if I was going to spend ARB money on a fridge, I’d go Engel. My other fridge is an Engel MT27 22 liter fridge. Lives in my work vehicle year round and runs off a Dometic PLB40 during the work week, shut it off the weekend. This thing is flat out awesome. Efficient and COLD. I have to run it on setting 1 out of 7 to keep my food from freezing. If you can swing it, I’d recommend an Engel MT35 or MT45. Only reason I have the MT27 is it was the biggest fridge I could fit in a car. |
| I've had an ARB Fridge/Freezer for 15 years now, and absolutely love it. Quite expensive ($800+ at the time), but there weren't any cheaper options then. Nowadays there are real good, and cheap options. The ARB will keep frozen stuff frozen. Very little energy consumption as well. Great for camping. |
|
After participating in that thread mentioned above few months back, I went ahead and pulled the trigger today. My intended use is to keep the cooler in my work vehicle so that I can eat healthier while on my extended road trips. Initially, I was looking at AnkerSOLIX offerings that utilize an onboard rechargeable battery, but ultimately was swayed by some compelling arguments from members here. I ended up going with a Dometic CFX5 25 Liter unit and an AnkerSOLIX C300 portable power station. This helps me avoid proprietary batteries and the C300 can do double duty for storm preps, tailgating, etc. When I was buying that Dometic it was very hard to resist going with a larger unit since the price bump was so minimal to step up in size, but I stayed firm on the smaller 25 liter model so that it is manageable in the car. Looking forward to trying this out! |
"You have enemies? Good- that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." “In the end, respect is more useful than popularity.”
|
Originally Posted By 9mmCarbine: After participating in that thread mentioned above few months back, I went ahead and pulled the trigger today. My intended use is to keep the cooler in my work vehicle so that I can eat healthier while on my extended road trips. Initially, I was looking at AnkerSOLIX offerings that utilize an onboard rechargeable battery, but ultimately was swayed by some compelling arguments from members here. I ended up going with a Dometic CFX5 25 Liter unit and an AnkerSOLIX C300 portable power station. This helps me avoid proprietary batteries and the C3 hundred can do double duty for storm, preps, tailgating, etc. When I was buying that Dometic it was very hard to resist going with a larger unit since the price bump was so minimal to step up, but I stayed firm on the smaller 25 liter model so that it is manageable in the car. Looking forward to trying this out! I just hook up a cheap 100 ah LiFePo4 battery to mine. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
|
Was researching and found a good sale on the 30qt BougeRV site so I went ahead and ordered it direct from them. Have a FedEx shipping number so hopefully no issues. Have a day trip coming up this weekend and will use it if it gets here in time. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
| I got a tracking number and it’s moving toward my house but unfortunately it won’t be here in time for this weekend’s trip. But, there are many more to come so not a big deal. I picked up a digital refrigerator thermometer so I’ll check the temp settings once I get it. That’s the only serious complaint I’ve read about the BougeRV refrigerator….the temp settings aren’t that accurate. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
| Received the refrigerator. It was delivered on its side so I'm leaving it sitting upright for 12+ hrs before I turn it on. Seems to be nicely made. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Got it running. Very neat gadget. Will be taking it on a road trip at the end of this week. Cools down quickly and is almost silent when running. Got the insulated cover to go with it. Look forward to taking it on some off road trips. The temp settings compared to an inside thermometer seem pretty accurate so far. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
I also received the Dometic CFX5 25L that I ordered this week, and gave it an initial run this week in the work car. I’m very impressed with how quickly it gets down to temperature, especially given how hot it’s been here in Tampa this week. Car temps get VERY high. My only potential gripe isn’t really aimed at the cooler but more at how my power solution seems to be playing out. In the archived thread linked above here, I had been discussing possibly going with AnkerSolix’s new EverFrost cooler that has the onboard rechargeable battery. A poster in that thread made a valid case about not going that route to avoid being locked into a proprietary onboard battery that not only would be useless for anything else but also add weight and physical size to the cooler itself. All reasonable points. It was pointed out that AnkerSolix’s C300 portable power source has the same power capacity rating as the dedicated battery in their cooler, which is advertised as being able to run for well over 24 hours on just one of those batteries. The discussion was that by buying a C300 to keep in the car, I could power any 12V cooler when the vehicle’s 12V outlet is turned off with the ignition and open myself up to choosing any 12V cooler. Of course, the C300 could then also be used for other purposes (camping, hurricane prep, etc.) I got the C300 and have it plugged into the 12V outlet in my work vehicle where it charges as I am driving. The Dometic CFX5 25L was then plugged into the C300 and I noted that the C300 stayed at 100% while driving and powering the cooler. On the evening of my test, I left the cooler plugged into the C300 and turned on (set to 37 degrees) to see if it would make it through the night and it did not. Keeping in mind what time I got home from work the night before, by the time I checked the system the next day approximately 13 hours had passed. The C300 has a capacity of 288mAh which after seeing about a 42 watt draw from the cooler and using easy math explains why it didn’t last all night, but I do have some questions. First- for my test I used the Dometic’s 110V cord and therefore used the 110V outlet on the C300. Is that less efficient that using the cooler’s 12V cord and the 12V outlet on the C300? That is going to be my next test- to use the 12V outlet on the C300 and see if it makes a difference in how long the battery lasts overnight. Next, do these coolers continuously draw the same wattage or do they cycle on and off like a home refrigerator? I’m scratching my head as to why this battery with the same power rating as the onboard battery in AnkerSolix’s EverFrost cooler didn’t make it anywhere near the 24+ hours claimed by Anker. Either their claim on that cooler is BS or my Dometic pulls a lot more power than the EverFrost. On the bright side, when I checked the cooler the next morning and found it to be turned off, the interior was still cool enough that I would be worried about my food being spoiled. Perhaps if I keep the cooler nearly full with water bottles I can keep the contents cool enough to mitigate the effect of the battery not making it until I am back in the car the next morning during the work week. I’d really like to avoid buying a bigger battery for this setup. I’d appreciate any feedback from those who have been down this road and have experience setting up their mobile rigs. Like many here, I am a gear junkie of sorts and justified this purchase by saying I can use it not only for storing food while traveling for work but also when we take road trips. I’m happy with the purchase but would like to fully understand this power consumption issue and make sure I’m not missing anything here. |
"You have enemies? Good- that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." “In the end, respect is more useful than popularity.”
|
The refrigerator uses 12 volts. It will always be more efficient to feed it 12 volts directly. When you use a battery pack with inverter, the 12 volts DC of the battery is changed to 120v AC. You then plug your refrigerator in and take the 120v AC back to 12v DC and then run your refrigerator. Each change results in energy loses. Always run directly whenever possible. I don’t know how much more efficient it will be but if you test it, please post your results! I plan to run mine off my Jeep battery. For overnight I plan to run the Jeep right before I go to sleep and then likely halfway through the night when I get up at night to pee. Then, run it again in the morning immediately upon waking up. Eventually, I’ll probably get a battery pack and run it independently of the vehicle 12v system. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
I use a 12v LiFePO battery to power mine when it's not hooked up to the vehicle. Just bought this one today as it's half the weight of the 48 quart dual zone I have.
|
|
Originally Posted By DaGoose: I use a 12v LiFePO battery to power mine when it's not hooked up to the vehicle. Just bought this one today as it's half the weight of the 48 quart dual zone I have. www.amazon.com/dp/B08D9M14JG I posted a ways back in the thread that the 30 quart is also what I have as well. A 12v 100aH LiFePO4 battery will run it a very long time. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
|
Originally Posted By BFskinner: I posted a ways back in the thread that the 30 quart is also what I have as well. A 12v 100aH LiFePO4 battery will run it a very long time. How long will your battery run it and to what depth of charge? Thanks |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: How long will your battery run it and to what depth of charge? Thanks Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By BFskinner: I posted a ways back in the thread that the 30 quart is also what I have as well. A 12v 100aH LiFePO4 battery will run it a very long time. How long will your battery run it and to what depth of charge? Thanks At the last Appalachian Apocalypse I ran it off battery (as a fridge) on ECO mode for 3 days and still had half capacity left according to the readout on the battery. That weekend wasn't overly hot and I did keep it in the shade. YMMV if you left it in a hot car or tried to use it as an ice cream freezer I suppose. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
|
Originally Posted By BFskinner: At the last Appalachian Apocalypse I ran it off battery (as a fridge) on ECO mode for 3 days and still had half capacity left according to the readout on the battery. That weekend wasn't overly hot and I did keep it in the shade. YMMV if you left it in a hot car or tried to use it as an ice cream freezer I suppose. Good info. Thanks! |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Any experience with 12v refrigerators/freezers? Looking at one for overlanding/car camping trips. Thinking something in the 30qt range. We have one in our camper van. It actually works pretty good, and doesn't use much power. It's just a fridge though...no freezer. |
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: How long will your battery run it and to what depth of charge? Thanks Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By BFskinner: I posted a ways back in the thread that the 30 quart is also what I have as well. A 12v 100aH LiFePO4 battery will run it a very long time. How long will your battery run it and to what depth of charge? Thanks So, for my 48 quart, a 1KWh battery will run it about a day total in 100+ daytime temps (no direct sun) and probably down to 60s at night (was camping in Arizona high desert). |
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: The refrigerator uses 12 volts. It will always be more efficient to feed it 12 volts directly. When you use a battery pack with inverter, the 12 volts DC of the battery is changed to 120v AC. You then plug your refrigerator in and take the 120v AC back to 12v DC and then run your refrigerator. Each change results in energy loses. Always run directly whenever possible. I don’t know how much more efficient it will be but if you test it, please post your results! I plan to run mine off my Jeep battery. For overnight I plan to run the Jeep right before I go to sleep and then likely halfway through the night when I get up at night to pee. Then, run it again in the morning immediately upon waking up. Eventually, I’ll probably get a battery pack and run it independently of the vehicle 12v system. @ColtRifle I was able to conduct a power consumption test utilizing the 12V output of the Anker C300 overnight and wanted to share the results. Starting with a full 100% charge when I got home from work yesterday at 4 PM and having the cooler set to 36°, I checked the set up this morning at 7:15 AM. Remaining battery power was 47% after running for 15 hours and 15 minutes- obviously worlds better than my first usage of the set up while using the 110 V outlet where the battery was completely dead after running for a similar amount of time. So yes, I’ve learned that utilizing the 12 V output is much more efficient and I now feel much better about how this rig will work for my intended usage. I will point out that it is extremely hot here in Tampa, Florida right now and car interior temperatures tend to soar throughout the day. We did get a bit of a reprieve of that late yesterday afternoon when a heavy storm moved through the area, so the temperatures did drop by about 10°. I’m sure this aided in the system lasting a little longer, but nonetheless it’s obvious it will at least make it overnight in these extreme temperatures. System performance will be much better when we are not in the dead of summer. |
"You have enemies? Good- that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." “In the end, respect is more useful than popularity.”
|
I really like them. Being able to carry perishable foods for days not to mention always having a refreshing cold drink of your choice at hand is awesome. Grilling cheeseburgers and a cold beer after three days rolling around the desert/mountains is a real morale booster. I think mine is a 53qt, no idea who made it. When running it peaks around 65 watts. Of course once it has cooled down it cycles and uses less power over the day. I power it off a Jackery. It charges through the onboard 120AC outlet. When the engine is running it charges the Jackery, when shut off the fridge runs on battery power. This mean it keeps running over night and at extended stops. A folding solar panel allows charging when camped for a few days. Anyway they are great and are a standard bit of kit for me. |
If you think I am sexy now just wait until you find out I have full medical and dental.
Personal pronouns are; Bro/Dude
Personal pronouns are; Bro/Dude
|
@9mmCarbine First, warning as I nerd out on this stuff  The C300 is pretty small for continuous use. 288Wh is around 24ah. Looking at the specs on your fridge, looks like it has the same Danfoss/Secop compressor of the larger models so it can pull up to 5 amps when running. There are so many factors at play with cooling; ambient temps, cooling warm food or drinks, etc. When I size a battery for a fridge I look at consumption at a 50% duty cycle as this seems to be the most the fridge will run in our hot summer temps with the compartment full of already cooled food. So figure 2.5 amps an hour in warm conditions. That puts you at 60ah or 720wh in a 24 hour period. This really is "worst case" in my experience. Now you can start figuring out charging to offset that consumption. If just charging your all-in-one battery pack off the cigarette lighter socket, figure on 9 amps maximum. This means you're putting 9ah/108wh back into the battery for every hour you're charging/driving. If you only drive for a couple hours a day, you're only putting 18ah/216wh back into the battery are running in the negative. That is one of the bigger draw backs to the all-in-one batteries that can charge off the alternator. My "lunch box" is an Engel MT27 powered off a Dometic PLB40 (40ah/480wh capacity). Since I drive all day, the battery is only really there to run the fridge when I park at night. The Engel, which is extremely efficient, averages 0.7 amps per hour. This setup works because the car is driven several hours a day. When my car is parked 14 hours between shifts it pulls down 20ah in the summer. I shut it off on my weekend. So this is a round-about way of saying you need more battery to give you some cushion. For an all-in-one, I'd really look hard at the Bluetti AC70. 3x the capacity of your current setup should cover you for a few days between full charges if you're not driving all day. You're in vehicle charging will be limited by the current capacity of the 12v cigarette lighter plugs using an all-in-one. Bluetti does offer an alternator charging setup for their systems that'll give you a lot more charging capacity, meaning you'll get more charge in less time. This is a good solution if you just want easy. Looks like the AC180 with the DC-DC charging setup is a good deal at $698. That being said, I like modularity and serviceability for my house battery in my personal truck. I run a 100ah lithium battery and charge it off a Redarc BCDC 1225D. This gives me 25 amps of continuous alternator charging when driving and it has a solar controller built in. Since this truck is parked more than it's driven, the solar was important to me. A single 100w panel has been sufficient to keep the battery charged and fridge running in the summer. Lithium batteries are really cheap right now, and I really like Ecoworthy batteries. Ecoworthy uses a JBD BMS so you can use one of several apps to monitor the battery; I like Overkill Solar. If I didn't want or need solar charging I'd look at the Victron Orion XS for alternator charging. The charge current can be set at anywhere from .1 to 50 amps, meaning you can set it to match your installation and battery. It's also pretty compact and cheaper than the Redarc. Had the Orion XS been available when I bought my Redarc, I might have gone this route with a separate Victron SmartSolar 75/15 MPPT solar controller. Why do you need or want a DC to DC charger rather than just running cables off the starting battery? The DC to DC charger does two things. First it isolates the starting battery from the house battery so it only allows charging when running. Second, it puts out the correct charge voltages for lithium batteries ensuring you get a full charge. There are really two major cons to DIY. The first is costs; to build my box right now would probably cost around $1200 including the Samlex 600w inverter. The second is deciding how you're going to mount it or transport it. The all-in-ones are nice because everything is contained in a neat package; DIY requires some thought for installation. I used a Packout tool box for mine as it also has a 600w Samlex inverter in it. The pros to DIY are component quality, serviceability, and modularity. I could scale my system up with a second $200 battery. The components in the system are all high quality, so the likelihood of an issue with them is pretty low but knowing if something failed I could service it myself versus junking the whole unit is nice. I am a little suspicious of the inverter in the all-in-ones being capable of putting out their rated power on a continuous basis. I know the Samlex PST-600 in my unit will charge right along at 600w 24/7 without a hiccup. In fact just out of curiousity I used my 800w coffee maker to brew a pot of coffee off of it and it managed it. |
|
Originally Posted By 9mmCarbine: @ColtRifle I was able to conduct a power consumption test utilizing the 12V output of the Anker C300 overnight and wanted to share the results. Starting with a full 100% charge when I got home from work yesterday at 4 PM and having the cooler set to 36°, I checked the set up this morning at 7:15 AM. Remaining battery power was 47% after running for 15 hours and 15 minutes- obviously worlds better than my first usage of the set up while using the 110 V outlet where the battery was completely dead after running for a similar amount of time. So yes, I’ve learned that utilizing the 12 V output is much more efficient and I now feel much better about how this rig will work for my intended usage. I will point out that it is extremely hot here in Tampa, Florida right now and car interior temperatures tend to soar throughout the day. We did get a bit of a reprieve of that late yesterday afternoon when a heavy storm moved through the area, so the temperatures did drop by about 10°. I’m sure this aided in the system lasting a little longer, but nonetheless it’s obvious it will at least make it overnight in these extreme temperatures. System performance will be much better when we are not in the dead of summer. Really interesting results! Looks like that Anker unit is 288wh? If so, my Jeep battery has more like 600+ watt hours so should easily run overnight. I’ll run some tests in the near future. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Really interesting results! Looks like that Anker unit is 288wh? If so, my Jeep battery has more like 600+ watt hours so should easily run overnight. I’ll run some tests in the near future. Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By 9mmCarbine: @ColtRifle I was able to conduct a power consumption test utilizing the 12V output of the Anker C300 overnight and wanted to share the results. Starting with a full 100% charge when I got home from work yesterday at 4 PM and having the cooler set to 36°, I checked the set up this morning at 7:15 AM. Remaining battery power was 47% after running for 15 hours and 15 minutes- obviously worlds better than my first usage of the set up while using the 110 V outlet where the battery was completely dead after running for a similar amount of time. So yes, I’ve learned that utilizing the 12 V output is much more efficient and I now feel much better about how this rig will work for my intended usage. I will point out that it is extremely hot here in Tampa, Florida right now and car interior temperatures tend to soar throughout the day. We did get a bit of a reprieve of that late yesterday afternoon when a heavy storm moved through the area, so the temperatures did drop by about 10°. I’m sure this aided in the system lasting a little longer, but nonetheless it’s obvious it will at least make it overnight in these extreme temperatures. System performance will be much better when we are not in the dead of summer. Really interesting results! Looks like that Anker unit is 288wh? If so, my Jeep battery has more like 600+ watt hours so should easily run overnight. I’ll run some tests in the near future. I wouldn't hook it to the car battery just in case it pulls more overnight and you have a dead battery in the morning. I use one of these to power mine when the 4Runner is off or overnight. 
|
|
Originally Posted By jhon: @9mmCarbine First, warning as I nerd out on this stuff The C300 is pretty small for continuous use. 288Wh is around 24ah. Looking at the specs on your fridge, looks like it has the same Danfoss/Secop compressor of the larger models so it can pull up to 5 amps when running. There are so many factors at play with cooling; ambient temps, cooling warm food or drinks, etc. When I size a battery for a fridge I look at consumption at a 50% duty cycle as this seems to be the most the fridge will run in our hot summer temps with the compartment full of already cooled food. So figure 2.5 amps an hour in warm conditions. That puts you at 60ah or 720wh in a 24 hour period. This really is "worst case" in my experience. Now you can start figuring out charging to offset that consumption. If just charging your all-in-one battery pack off the cigarette lighter socket, figure on 9 amps maximum. This means you're putting 9ah/108wh back into the battery for every hour you're charging/driving. If you only drive for a couple hours a day, you're only putting 18ah/216wh back into the battery are running in the negative. That is one of the bigger draw backs to the all-in-one batteries that can charge off the alternator. My "lunch box" is an Engel MT27 powered off a Dometic PLB40 (40ah/480wh capacity). Since I drive all day, the battery is only really there to run the fridge when I park at night. The Engel, which is extremely efficient, averages 0.7 amps per hour. This setup works because the car is driven several hours a day. When my car is parked 14 hours between shifts it pulls down 20ah in the summer. I shut it off on my weekend. So this is a round-about way of saying you need more battery to give you some cushion. For an all-in-one, I'd really look hard at the Bluetti AC70. 3x the capacity of your current setup should cover you for a few days between full charges if you're not driving all day. You're in vehicle charging will be limited by the current capacity of the 12v cigarette lighter plugs using an all-in-one. Bluetti does offer an alternator charging setup for their systems that'll give you a lot more charging capacity, meaning you'll get more charge in less time. This is a good solution if you just want easy. Looks like the AC180 with the DC-DC charging setup is a good deal at $698. That being said, I like modularity and serviceability for my house battery in my personal truck. I run a 100ah lithium battery and charge it off a Redarc BCDC 1225D. This gives me 25 amps of continuous alternator charging when driving and it has a solar controller built in. Since this truck is parked more than it's driven, the solar was important to me. A single 100w panel has been sufficient to keep the battery charged and fridge running in the summer. Lithium batteries are really cheap right now, and I really like Ecoworthy batteries. Ecoworthy uses a JBD BMS so you can use one of several apps to monitor the battery; I like Overkill Solar. If I didn't want or need solar charging I'd look at the Victron Orion XS for alternator charging. The charge current can be set at anywhere from .1 to 50 amps, meaning you can set it to match your installation and battery. It's also pretty compact and cheaper than the Redarc. Had the Orion XS been available when I bought my Redarc, I might have gone this route with a separate Victron SmartSolar 75/15 MPPT solar controller. Why do you need or want a DC to DC charger rather than just running cables off the starting battery? The DC to DC charger does two things. First it isolates the starting battery from the house battery so it only allows charging when running. Second, it puts out the correct charge voltages for lithium batteries ensuring you get a full charge. There are really two major cons to DIY. The first is costs; to build my box right now would probably cost around $1200 including the Samlex 600w inverter. The second is deciding how you're going to mount it or transport it. The all-in-ones are nice because everything is contained in a neat package; DIY requires some thought for installation. I used a Packout tool box for mine as it also has a 600w Samlex inverter in it. The pros to DIY are component quality, serviceability, and modularity. I could scale my system up with a second $200 battery. The components in the system are all high quality, so the likelihood of an issue with them is pretty low but knowing if something failed I could service it myself versus junking the whole unit is nice. I am a little suspicious of the inverter in the all-in-ones being capable of putting out their rated power on a continuous basis. I know the Samlex PST-600 in my unit will charge right along at 600w 24/7 without a hiccup. In fact just out of curiousity I used my 800w coffee maker to brew a pot of coffee off of it and it managed it. Great post - very helpful. |
Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Charles Reade
|
Originally Posted By jhon: @9mmCarbine First, warning as I nerd out on this stuff The C300 is pretty small for continuous use. 288Wh is around 24ah. Looking at the specs on your fridge, looks like it has the same Danfoss/Secop compressor of the larger models so it can pull up to 5 amps when running. There are so many factors at play with cooling; ambient temps, cooling warm food or drinks, etc. When I size a battery for a fridge I look at consumption at a 50% duty cycle as this seems to be the most the fridge will run in our hot summer temps with the compartment full of already cooled food. So figure 2.5 amps an hour in warm conditions. That puts you at 60ah or 720wh in a 24 hour period. This really is "worst case" in my experience. Now you can start figuring out charging to offset that consumption. If just charging your all-in-one battery pack off the cigarette lighter socket, figure on 9 amps maximum. This means you're putting 9ah/108wh back into the battery for every hour you're charging/driving. If you only drive for a couple hours a day, you're only putting 18ah/216wh back into the battery are running in the negative. That is one of the bigger draw backs to the all-in-one batteries that can charge off the alternator. My "lunch box" is an Engel MT27 powered off a Dometic PLB40 (40ah/480wh capacity). Since I drive all day, the battery is only really there to run the fridge when I park at night. The Engel, which is extremely efficient, averages 0.7 amps per hour. This setup works because the car is driven several hours a day. When my car is parked 14 hours between shifts it pulls down 20ah in the summer. I shut it off on my weekend. So this is a round-about way of saying you need more battery to give you some cushion. For an all-in-one, I'd really look hard at the Bluetti AC70. 3x the capacity of your current setup should cover you for a few days between full charges if you're not driving all day. You're in vehicle charging will be limited by the current capacity of the 12v cigarette lighter plugs using an all-in-one. Bluetti does offer an alternator charging setup for their systems that'll give you a lot more charging capacity, meaning you'll get more charge in less time. This is a good solution if you just want easy. Looks like the AC180 with the DC-DC charging setup is a good deal at $698. That being said, I like modularity and serviceability for my house battery in my personal truck. I run a 100ah lithium battery and charge it off a Redarc BCDC 1225D. This gives me 25 amps of continuous alternator charging when driving and it has a solar controller built in. Since this truck is parked more than it's driven, the solar was important to me. A single 100w panel has been sufficient to keep the battery charged and fridge running in the summer. Lithium batteries are really cheap right now, and I really like Ecoworthy batteries. Ecoworthy uses a JBD BMS so you can use one of several apps to monitor the battery; I like Overkill Solar. If I didn't want or need solar charging I'd look at the Victron Orion XS for alternator charging. The charge current can be set at anywhere from .1 to 50 amps, meaning you can set it to match your installation and battery. It's also pretty compact and cheaper than the Redarc. Had the Orion XS been available when I bought my Redarc, I might have gone this route with a separate Victron SmartSolar 75/15 MPPT solar controller. Why do you need or want a DC to DC charger rather than just running cables off the starting battery? The DC to DC charger does two things. First it isolates the starting battery from the house battery so it only allows charging when running. Second, it puts out the correct charge voltages for lithium batteries ensuring you get a full charge. There are really two major cons to DIY. The first is costs; to build my box right now would probably cost around $1200 including the Samlex 600w inverter. The second is deciding how you're going to mount it or transport it. The all-in-ones are nice because everything is contained in a neat package; DIY requires some thought for installation. I used a Packout tool box for mine as it also has a 600w Samlex inverter in it. The pros to DIY are component quality, serviceability, and modularity. I could scale my system up with a second $200 battery. The components in the system are all high quality, so the likelihood of an issue with them is pretty low but knowing if something failed I could service it myself versus junking the whole unit is nice. I am a little suspicious of the inverter in the all-in-ones being capable of putting out their rated power on a continuous basis. I know the Samlex PST-600 in my unit will charge right along at 600w 24/7 without a hiccup. In fact just out of curiousity I used my 800w coffee maker to brew a pot of coffee off of it and it managed it. First, thank you for such an informative and detailed post. Secondly, no need for the apology on the technical response. Like many people here, I dive deep in things as well. To clarify my situation a bit, on a normal workday I am driving constantly throughout in between visiting accounts, so I do get a good bit of charging time via the 12 V outlet in my vehicle. Especially when I am going to be out of my hometown and driving around the state, I am very confident that at the end of the day I will always have enough battery power to make it until the next morning. I’ve been monitoring the state of charge of the C300 every day while I’m driving. I definitely could have gone with a larger battery power source, but didn’t want to turn my work vehicle into an overlanding rig so I went conservative with this set up to minimize usage of interior vehicle space. I am extremely pleased to have discovered that the C300 lasts much longer when using its 12 V output versus the 110 V output that I initially used. |
"You have enemies? Good- that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." “In the end, respect is more useful than popularity.”
|
Originally Posted By jhon: @9mmCarbine First, warning as I nerd out on this stuff The C300 is pretty small for continuous use. 288Wh is around 24ah. Looking at the specs on your fridge, looks like it has the same Danfoss/Secop compressor of the larger models so it can pull up to 5 amps when running. There are so many factors at play with cooling; ambient temps, cooling warm food or drinks, etc. When I size a battery for a fridge I look at consumption at a 50% duty cycle as this seems to be the most the fridge will run in our hot summer temps with the compartment full of already cooled food. So figure 2.5 amps an hour in warm conditions. That puts you at 60ah or 720wh in a 24 hour period. This really is "worst case" in my experience. Now you can start figuring out charging to offset that consumption. If just charging your all-in-one battery pack off the cigarette lighter socket, figure on 9 amps maximum. This means you're putting 9ah/108wh back into the battery for every hour you're charging/driving. If you only drive for a couple hours a day, you're only putting 18ah/216wh back into the battery are running in the negative. That is one of the bigger draw backs to the all-in-one batteries that can charge off the alternator. My "lunch box" is an Engel MT27 powered off a Dometic PLB40 (40ah/480wh capacity). Since I drive all day, the battery is only really there to run the fridge when I park at night. The Engel, which is extremely efficient, averages 0.7 amps per hour. This setup works because the car is driven several hours a day. When my car is parked 14 hours between shifts it pulls down 20ah in the summer. I shut it off on my weekend. So this is a round-about way of saying you need more battery to give you some cushion. For an all-in-one, I'd really look hard at the Bluetti AC70. 3x the capacity of your current setup should cover you for a few days between full charges if you're not driving all day. You're in vehicle charging will be limited by the current capacity of the 12v cigarette lighter plugs using an all-in-one. Bluetti does offer an alternator charging setup for their systems that'll give you a lot more charging capacity, meaning you'll get more charge in less time. This is a good solution if you just want easy. Looks like the AC180 with the DC-DC charging setup is a good deal at $698. That being said, I like modularity and serviceability for my house battery in my personal truck. I run a 100ah lithium battery and charge it off a Redarc BCDC 1225D. This gives me 25 amps of continuous alternator charging when driving and it has a solar controller built in. Since this truck is parked more than it's driven, the solar was important to me. A single 100w panel has been sufficient to keep the battery charged and fridge running in the summer. Lithium batteries are really cheap right now, and I really like Ecoworthy batteries. Ecoworthy uses a JBD BMS so you can use one of several apps to monitor the battery; I like Overkill Solar. If I didn't want or need solar charging I'd look at the Victron Orion XS for alternator charging. The charge current can be set at anywhere from .1 to 50 amps, meaning you can set it to match your installation and battery. It's also pretty compact and cheaper than the Redarc. Had the Orion XS been available when I bought my Redarc, I might have gone this route with a separate Victron SmartSolar 75/15 MPPT solar controller. Why do you need or want a DC to DC charger rather than just running cables off the starting battery? The DC to DC charger does two things. First it isolates the starting battery from the house battery so it only allows charging when running. Second, it puts out the correct charge voltages for lithium batteries ensuring you get a full charge. There are really two major cons to DIY. The first is costs; to build my box right now would probably cost around $1200 including the Samlex 600w inverter. The second is deciding how you're going to mount it or transport it. The all-in-ones are nice because everything is contained in a neat package; DIY requires some thought for installation. I used a Packout tool box for mine as it also has a 600w Samlex inverter in it. The pros to DIY are component quality, serviceability, and modularity. I could scale my system up with a second $200 battery. The components in the system are all high quality, so the likelihood of an issue with them is pretty low but knowing if something failed I could service it myself versus junking the whole unit is nice. I am a little suspicious of the inverter in the all-in-ones being capable of putting out their rated power on a continuous basis. I know the Samlex PST-600 in my unit will charge right along at 600w 24/7 without a hiccup. In fact just out of curiousity I used my 800w coffee maker to brew a pot of coffee off of it and it managed it. Good info thanks for posting! |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By DaGoose: I wouldn't hook it to the car battery just in case it pulls more overnight and you have a dead battery in the morning. I use one of these to power mine when the 4Runner is off or overnight. www.amazon.com/dp/B084DB36KW That’s why I need to run some tests. I always carry a jump pack and jumper cables just in case. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By 9mmCarbine: First, thank you for such an informative and detailed post. Secondly, no need for the apology on the technical response. Like many people here, I dive deep in things as well. To clarify my situation a bit, on a normal workday I am driving constantly throughout in between visiting accounts, so I do get a good bit of charging time via the 12 V outlet in my vehicle. Especially when I am going to be out of my hometown and driving around the state, I am very confident that at the end of the day I will always have enough battery power to make it until the next morning. I’ve been monitoring the state of charge of the C300 every day while I’m driving. I definitely could have gone with a larger battery power source, but didn’t want to turn my work vehicle into an overlanding rig so I went conservative with this set up to minimize usage of interior vehicle space. I am extremely pleased to have discovered that the C300 lasts much longer when using its 12 V output versus the 110 V output that I initially used. That's a lot of the reason I still run my Dometic PLB40 in my work car; charges off 9 amp cig socket and it's compact  I kind of think the all-in-one units have lost their way a little bit. The PLB40 is the perfect unit (if you skip the glitchy solar charging feature) as it's compact and has a really good capacity.
|
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: That’s why I need to run some tests. I always carry a jump pack and jumper cables just in case. So from experience here... when I first bought my ARB fridge in 2019 I ran it off the starting battery on trips. It works and it probably won't run it flat overnight if you drive everyday. The biggest negative is you'll wear the battery out faster. These starting batteries are not made to be drawn down and recharged constantly. It will work for sometime until the battery will no longer take a charge. How long that will take, I don't know. Just realize that con exists. The old school way of adding a fridge without a second battery was to use an AGM battery but if your charging system does not put out the correct voltage for an AGM you won't fully charge it when driving so you're kind of back to square one. This is where a small "power station" comes into play if you just need to run it overnight. Plug it into cigarette socket that's only on with the ignition and you're set. It's cheap and it works. |
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: That’s why I need to run some tests. I always carry a jump pack and jumper cables just in case. Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By DaGoose: I wouldn't hook it to the car battery just in case it pulls more overnight and you have a dead battery in the morning. I use one of these to power mine when the 4Runner is off or overnight. www.amazon.com/dp/B084DB36KW That’s why I need to run some tests. I always carry a jump pack and jumper cables just in case. I do too, but I know Murphy loves me, so I plan for the worst case
|
| Used it over a multi day road trip….no camping though. Really like it. Very quiet and not buying ice was great. Now looking at battery supply options. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
| We bought a Dometic CFX5 35 back around Memorial Day during a good sale for under $700. Just got back from a 3-week road trip and it was a game changer for us. No more ice, no more hauling the cooler in and out of hotels. I plugged a small Bluetti power station into the truck and the cooler into the Bluetti. The Bluetti was topped off during the day when we were running and powered the cooler at night when we weren't. The cooler worked exactly as advertised. |
|
Originally Posted By searchin4shacks: We bought a Dometic CFX5 35 back around Memorial Day during a good sale for under $700. Just got back from a 3-week road trip and it was a game changer for us. No more ice, no more hauling the cooler in and out of hotels. I plugged a small Bluetti power station into the truck and the cooler into the Bluetti. The Bluetti was topped off during the day when we were running and powered the cooler at night when we weren't. The cooler worked exactly as advertised. Yes, these things are a terrific addition to a road trip. I’m really pleased with my CFX5 25. |
"You have enemies? Good- that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." “In the end, respect is more useful than popularity.”
|
Really loving mine. Now considering a larger model with two compartments for both freezer and refrigerator capacity. Be awhile before I buy another one but now looking at the SetPower units. Probably get one in the 55L capacity range. I have no complaints about the BougeRV one I have though. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Really loving mine. Now considering a larger model with two compartments for both freezer and refrigerator capacity. Be awhile before I buy another one but now looking at the SetPower units. Probably get one in the 55L capacity range. I have no complaints about the BougeRV one I have though. I have the 30 qt and the 48 qt dual zone from BougeRV. The 48 qt is twice the weight of the 30 qt, so keep that in mind especially if you fill it full (had mine over 80 lbs at one point and it was a pain to move at that point). |
|
Originally Posted By DaGoose: I have the 30 qt and the 48 qt dual zone from BougeRV. The 48 qt is twice the weight of the 30 qt, so keep that in mind especially if you fill it full (had mine over 80 lbs at one point and it was a pain to move at that point). Thanks for the tip. If I get a larger one I'm planning to just leave it stationary but still getting used to having a refrigerator! |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By jhon: That's a lot of the reason I still run my Dometic PLB40 in my work car; charges off 9 amp cig socket and it's compact I kind of think the all-in-one units have lost their way a little bit. The PLB40 is the perfect unit (if you skip the glitchy solar charging feature) as it's compact and has a really good capacity.That sounds great. I fold up the rear seat in my pickup, Throw in a 100AH Lifeline Deep Cycle Lead Acid battery, hook that to a 25A NOCO charger and plug the charger into a 120V outlet in the pickup. Connect Fridge to 12V battery with Anderson connectors. Things have come a LONG way in less than a decade. My 50L National Luna dual zone weighs 55 pounds. |
