Thanks for the reply, helping me understand this better! Last question: would a “bad battery” be on the list of potential causes? If so, I assume the voltage at the battery terminals themselves would also drop under load from the fridge running?
Edgestar fridge not running off battery... (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter LS1FJ40
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Possible. You can take a meter reading on the battery while the fridge is running. A strong battery will measure around 12.6V with no load, and should only drop to about ~12.4V with a small load like the fridge. So if you're reading 11.2V at the panel with the engine off and the fridge running, it's possible the battery is going bad or too much loss in the wiring. A meter reading at the battery terminals will tell you whether it's the battery or wiring.
With the engine running all the power is coming from the alternator so the battery doesn't play much of a role.
Okay great stuff here, I will look at my connection also.
Thanks
Thanks
I’ve learned a lot since last writing on this thread and wanted to close the loop with my solution.
Needed bigger wiring as suggested by several helpful folks above. Turns out the wire leading to the rear panel was only 12 AWG and had a couple questionable butt splices in the mix. I replaced this and the ground with 8 AWG and now the accessory panel reads 12.3V with the fridge running. I still have voltage drop from the fuse block to the fridge which must be related to the 14 AWG wire that connects the fuse block to the PowerPole connection. I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and buy the Anderson crimper to rebuild these with proper 10/12 AWG wire.
The other element that may have been at play and why it used to work fine but now didn’t is the fact that AGM batteries won’t properly charge off an alternator and need an actually battery charger to fully charge them. I purchased a NOCO Genius 10 and plan to hook it up to the battery for a couple days before each trip to make sure it is good to go.
Needed bigger wiring as suggested by several helpful folks above. Turns out the wire leading to the rear panel was only 12 AWG and had a couple questionable butt splices in the mix. I replaced this and the ground with 8 AWG and now the accessory panel reads 12.3V with the fridge running. I still have voltage drop from the fuse block to the fridge which must be related to the 14 AWG wire that connects the fuse block to the PowerPole connection. I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and buy the Anderson crimper to rebuild these with proper 10/12 AWG wire.
The other element that may have been at play and why it used to work fine but now didn’t is the fact that AGM batteries won’t properly charge off an alternator and need an actually battery charger to fully charge them. I purchased a NOCO Genius 10 and plan to hook it up to the battery for a couple days before each trip to make sure it is good to go.
well, it's true that as was discussed elsewhere here, AGMs won't charge "fully" if the alternator is limited to 14.2 or 14.4V, but that is more important in the sense that it may possibly affect the life expectancy of the battery, less so about much how much energy it contains, I think (but I'm not an expert). After all, the AGM at rest is around 13V so if it's charged at 14.4V, say, instead of 14.6, before floating it will likely be well charged anyway and even the float level at around 13.5V should be good enough. So, I don't think one should think in terms of the AGM not being charged enough with the alternator for normal tasks. Yes, it may be good for the battery to charge it every so often at 14.6 or a tad more but for camping activities, meh. Unless you are very marginal with the wiring, and 0.1V makes a big difference, then yes, maybe.
Just check it out: charge with an AGM-optimized charger. Wait 24 hrs, measure voltage. Do same with alternator. See what difference -if any- you get after the 24 hrs (be sure it's the same temperature). I bet you won't see much difference.
Just check it out: charge with an AGM-optimized charger. Wait 24 hrs, measure voltage. Do same with alternator. See what difference -if any- you get after the 24 hrs (be sure it's the same temperature). I bet you won't see much difference.
Great stuff in this thread! I have had the exact same issue with my Whynter fridge (basically an Edgestar with a different name on the front). Mine had a partially butchered cord from the PO and a cheap cigarette lighter style plug on the end, I plan to hardwire it to a fuse panel in the cargo area eventually.
Took the fam to Eleven Mile State Park and the fridge ran great all weekend! Morning of the second night battery read 12.0, but a couple hours with the solar hooked up and it had already reached 12.4! I think it’ll be a good setup for extended sitting still with the fridge running.
great to hear. Just keep an eye on the voltage in the evening and morning and you should be good to go with little chance of bad surprise. But if you don't have one already, it's great to have a remote thermometer with an alert just in case.
