Fridge (and accessory) recommendations (2 Viewers)

[MCtree]

I have a 100 quart cooler and used to drop two big bags of ice in it. So about 80 quarts usable. 60 will be on the small side, but assuming stuff on the bottom is easily accessed I think it’ll be ok, I’ll just need to reload warm drinks into it more often when I’m maxing it out with food.

In my case so long as the height and width didn’t change, a bigger cooler would have been fine since the area behind it is pretty inaccessible anyway (and my 100 quart cooler is 38” deep). I will likely put the lithium charger in that spot between the rear of the fridge and the 2nd row, though it makes access to it for any other purpose a hassle.

Teckis300 and others are probably right though, smaller is better. Less power, less weight, more usable trunk space, less expensive, etc.

To be clear, I’m nit-picking. I am very happy with my 75L. It’s a step up from my yeti 75 that I used previously.
Just that I would have gone for a 65 or so if I could do it again.

The 75L Dometic is only slightly larger than the yeti I used previously.
But I failed to consider the space required to properly vent the compressor in the dometic. You can’t just stuff items around the Dometic like you can a yeti cooler.
Or the space the ecoflow consumes (along with space to vent the ecoflow properly).

Though my apologies to you. I wrote my comment before I saw that you had pulled the trigger. Now if feels like I was chiding you for making a mistake. I didn’t mean it that way at all. It’s all a step up from a cooler!

 

[linuxgod]

To be clear, I’m nit-picking. I am very happy with my 75L. It’s a step up from my yeti 75 that I used previously.
Just that I would have gone for a 65 or so if I could do it again.

The 75L Dometic is only slightly larger than the yeti I used previously.
But I failed to consider the space required to properly vent the compressor in the dometic. You can’t just stuff items around the Dometic like you can a yeti cooler.
Or the space the ecoflow consumes (along with space to vent the ecoflow properly).

Though my apologies to you. I wrote my comment before I saw that you had pulled the trigger. Now if feels like I was chiding you for making a mistake. I didn’t mean it that way at all. It’s all a step up from a cooler!

Heh nah it’s cool. So long as it arrives in working condition I’m happy with my decision especially given the cost. I think 60-65L is the right size for me. I probably could get away with 40-50L for short or solo overland trips but for 4-5 days away from civilization this should be solid.

 

[prharper]

Just FYI I would not go the power station route myself.

Small Lithium battery like this:

Valence U1-12RT 12.8V 40Ah Lithium Iron Magnesium Phosphate Battery | High-Capac | eBay

The Valence U1-12RT 12.8V 40Ah Lithium Iron Magnesium Phosphate Battery is a high-capacity, deep-cycle battery that is perfect for a variety of applications, including RVs, solar systems, and more. 40Ah capacity.

www.ebay.com

and a dc to dc 20+amp charger is way better IMHO. (I use a 40 amp dc to dc for faster charging)

On my setup a put a 100watt solar on the roof, and a solar controller charging the aux battery (lithium) and it will run the fridge forever without driving.
Driving an hour or 2+ will recharger the lithium.
No solar & no driving it runs about 3 days in hot weather.

I have a dual battery setup - Odyssey AGM's. Running a National Luna 60L legacy. Love that fridge/freezer. Anyway, I think my secondary AGM battery may be on its last season. I took your advice on the used Valence battery on eBay for $90. Testing out on fridge. Been running empty fridge and freezer for 36+ hours and battery still at 83%. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[MCtree]

I have a dual battery setup - Odyssey AGM's. Running a National Luna 60L legacy. Love that fridge/freezer. Anyway, I think my secondary AGM battery may be on its last season. I took your advice on the used Valence battery on eBay for $90. Testing out on fridge. Been running empty fridge and freezer for 36+ hours and battery still at 83%. Thanks for the suggestion.

Could you clarify a bit?
Have you also been charging your valence battery as well as running your fridge off of it during these 36 hours?

And which DC to DC converter?
And finally, how is it wired in?

Sorry for all the questions!
I’m stuck in analysis-paralysis on how to power my fridge.

 

[prharper]

Could you clarify a bit?
Have you also been charging your valence battery as well as running your fridge off of it during these 36 hours?

And which DC to DC converter?
And finally, how is it wired in?

Sorry for all the questions!
I’m stuck in analysis-paralysis on how to power my fridge.

Don't want to hijack OP's thread. Check out this post:

What have you done to your 200 Series this week?

This is my biggest issue. I love the tools, but it's frustrating that I can't use my batteries in more stuff. In general Bosch has a pretty wide catalog, but a lot of it isn't available in USA. I considered doing their version of "Packout" but most of the cool stuff they do in that space...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[linuxgod]

Hijack away. Y'all have given some good recommendations, which is what this thread was about. It's no hijacking if you're talking about your setup... that's precisely what I was hoping for

 

[prharper]

Could you clarify a bit?
Have you also been charging your valence battery as well as running your fridge off of it during these 36 hours?

And which DC to DC converter?
And finally, how is it wired in?

Sorry for all the questions!
I’m stuck in analysis-paralysis on how to power my fridge.

My existing dual battery setup uses a Redarc BCDC. My secondary Odyssey AGM in the engine bay powers my fridge and camp scene lights. Setup has worked great for years. However, I did several trips last year and the year before where the truck would be parked for 2-3 days at camp or at a hotel. If outside, I used a solar panel to top off but didn't have that option inside a hotel parking garage or outside during foul weather. During the last two camping trips this past fall, the secondary battery was good for about 24 hours or less with the truck parked for days and 2 x 100w solar at camp. It use to last 48 hours or more.

Occasionally I will take a Goal Zero Yeti 1500x power station with me on longer trips and if I plan on needing an inverter to power AC devices (e.g. Nespresso, blender). Another forum member turned me on to the Victron DC charger which can operate in charger mode or power mode. I have another power run from my engine start battery to the back cabin. This gives me flexibility. I can easily switch the fridge power over to the main battery if needed using an Anderson connection. (I do keep a big NOCO jump battery in the truck for backup

I can use that power connection with the Victron DC charger and it will charge the Goal Zero power station while driving. I could also connect the Victron DC charger to this little Valence lithium battery (selecting the right profile on the phone app) and do the same. If I don't need an inverter and want more space and less weight, the Goal Zero stays home.

Putting all that aside, I'm playing with other power options for my fridge. The AGM's are heavy, pricey and you have to be careful about discharging them too much. I'm exploring LiFePO4 options in the cab. Seem to run longer, much lighter and last more years than an AGM. LiFePO4 can be less expense than AGM depending on brand.

If I'm out traveling (wheeling or going from one camp area to the next) and the truck is being driven each day, no issues with batteries & powering the fridge. It's those few occasions where the truck sits parked at base camp or a hotel for a few days that I'm looking at other options so my fridge doesn't unexpectedly run out of power.

I did the dual battery build out 5 years ago. It's worked great, my starter battery has never left me stranded and I have never had any spoiled food in the fridge. Given newer options on the market today, you have more choices and flexibility in run time, less weight and less expensive.

That little Valence 40 Ah LiFePO4 ran my fridge for 48+ hours before I disconnected it. I don't know how much longer it could have run as I'm still learning how to measure SOC on these. Its BMS protocol is proprietary and I don't know how else to accurately measure what's remaining on it.

@linuxgod there is a developer who contributed some Python code to interrogate the Valence BMS but it's limited. You mentioned a coulomb counter to measure charge on another thread. What's your recommendation?

 

[linuxgod]

That little Valence 40 Ah LiFePO4 ran my fridge for 48+ hours before I disconnected it. I don't know how much longer it could have run as I'm still learning how to measure SOC on these. Its BMS protocol is proprietary and I don't know how else to accurately measure what's remaining on it.

@linuxgod there is a developer who contributed some Python code to interrogate the Valence BMS but it's limited. You mentioned a coulomb counter to measure charge on another thread. What's your recommendation?

In my trailer I have an Simarine Pico which does this, among other monitoring. Victron does this as part of their BMS as well. Both of those are probably overkill for you (the Victron shunt is $120).

There are inexpensive shunts available on Amazon or AliExpress which should do what you want. They may skew over time but if you full recharge your battery every so often and "reset" them they should work. Something like this maybe?

https://www.amazon.com/CGELE-Multifunction-Battery-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B08Y61CNLK

This is my battery, BTW, and what the charge/discharge voltages are. As you can see >80% of the charge is between ~13.2 and 13.7V. Also measuring during charge vs discharge has a huge impact on the capacity... i.e. the same voltage might be at 60% capacity if it's charging or 95% capacity if it's discharging. You also can run into issues because different LFP batteries might vary by a few tenths of a volt but with only 0.5V to work with that can have a huge impact on the actual remaining capacity.

All that said you might very well have 80% charge left, only way to really find out is to fully charge and run a columb counter on it and run the battery down to zero. Then you'll know the actual capacity it stores (should be 40ah but could vary), and can monitor usage after that. Note the columb counter should run backwards when charging which should give you a pretty good number to work from

 

[prharper]

In my trailer I have an Simarine Pico which does this, among other monitoring. Victron does this as part of their BMS as well. Both of those are probably overkill for you (the Victron shunt is $120).

There are inexpensive shunts available on Amazon or AliExpress which should do what you want. They may skew over time but if you full recharge your battery every so often and "reset" them they should work. Something like this maybe?

https://www.amazon.com/CGELE-Multifunction-Battery-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B08Y61CNLK

This is my battery, BTW, and what the charge/discharge voltages are. As you can see >80% of the charge is between ~13.2 and 13.7V. Also measuring during charge vs discharge has a huge impact on the capacity... i.e. the same voltage might be at 60% capacity if it's charging or 95% capacity if it's discharging. You also can run into issues because different LFP batteries might vary by a few tenths of a volt but with only 0.5V to work with that can have a huge impact on the actual remaining capacity.

All that said you might very well have 80% charge left, only way to really find out is to fully charge and run a columb counter on it and run the battery down to zero. Then you'll know the actual capacity it stores (should be 40ah but could vary), and can monitor usage after that. Note the columb counter should run backwards when charging which should give you a pretty good number to work from

View attachment 3574191

Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[linuxgod]

Fridge came earlier this week. It’s been running in the garage for a couple days set at 5F and seems to hold it.

If anyone is looking for a deal on an Iceco this is where I got mine. It was $400 vs paying $800 for new, though other than a banged up box the fridge itself looked pristine and if they had sold it to me as new I would have believed it. They have all sorts of sizes available, and all are about half price. I can’t confirm this is Iceco selling their returned stuff under a different eBay name but based on the email I received it sure seems like it…

64QT Portable Car Fridge Freezer 60L Camping Truck Compact Refrigerator Dual USB | eBay

ãMore Convenientã12/24V DC ports are installed on both sides of the fridge. 12/24V DC ports are installed onboth sides of the fridge. Each connection port has a waterproof baffle to provide security.

www.ebay.com

 

[Exiled]

Not a 200 but I've had my Engel now for 20 years and it stays in the truck full-time. I recently reintalled the power cable using a 3D printer cable track to keep it from getting pinched/kinked on trips (it had happened a few times). I'm a big "buy it once" kind of guy so I would avoid the Chinese clones just to save a few hundred bucks. The last thing you need is that fridge failing you in the middle of nowhere.

 

[TeCKis300]

Not a 200 but I've had my Engel now for 20 years and it stays in the truck full-time. I recently reintalled the power cable using a 3D printer cable track to keep it from getting pinched/kinked on trips (it had happened a few times). I'm a big "buy it once" kind of guy so I would avoid the Chinese clones just to save a few hundred bucks. The last thing you need is that fridge failing you in the middle of nowhere.

View attachment 3576366

View attachment 3576367

Nice touch on the wire track!

 

[Desmothedog]

I can use that power connection with the Victron DC charger and it will charge the Goal Zero power station while driving. I could also connect the Victron DC charger to this little Valence lithium battery (selecting the right profile on the phone app) and do the same. If I don't need an inverter and want more space and less weight, the Goal Zero stays home.

Putting all that aside, I'm playing with other power options for my fridge. The AGM's are heavy, pricey and you have to be careful about discharging them too much. I'm exploring LiFePO4 options in the cab. Seem to run longer, much lighter and last more years than an AGM. LiFePO4 can be less expense than AGM depending on brand.

If I'm out traveling (wheeling or going from one camp area to the next) and the truck is being driven each day, no issues with batteries & powering the fridge. It's those few occasions where the truck sits parked at base camp or a hotel for a few days that I'm looking at other options so my fridge doesn't unexpectedly run out of power.

I did the dual battery build out 5 years ago. It's worked great, my starter battery has never left me stranded and I have never had any spoiled food in the fridge. Given newer options on the market today, you have more choices and flexibility in run time, less weight and less expensive.

That little Valence 40 Ah LiFePO4 ran my fridge for 48+ hours before I disconnected it. I don't know how much longer it could have run as I'm still learning how to measure SOC on these. Its BMS protocol is proprietary and I don't know how else to accurately measure what's remaining on it.

@linuxgod there is a developer who contributed some Python code to interrogate the Valence BMS but it's limited. You mentioned a coulomb counter to measure charge on another thread. What's your recommendation?

I just got the victron smart dc to dc 20-30volts 15 amps charger and have a goal zero 3000. I’m intending to do something similar to your setup. Where did you end up mounting the victron and what gauge cable did you go with? Are you using the Anderson port to charge it?

 

[prharper]

I just got the victron smart dc to dc 20-30volts 15 amps charger and have a goal zero 3000. I’m intending to do something similar to your setup. Where did you end up mounting the victron and what gauge cable did you go with? Are you using the Anderson port to charge it?

I mounted it to a piece of plexiglass and a USB fan to cool it and strapped it down to the top of the Goal Zero. It's a 6 gauge copper wire from engine bay to an Anderson connector. A small Anderson connection goes into the Goal Zero on the front solar input. I think the cables shown below are 10 gauge.

@FrazzledHunter gave me the idea here > Alternator upgrade-Is there one? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/alternator-upgrade-is-there-one.1045531/post-14071544

 

[linuxgod]

I mounted it to a piece of plexiglass and a USB fan to cool it and strapped it down to the top of the Goal Zero. It's a 6 gauge copper wire from engine bay to an Anderson connector. A small Anderson connection goes into the Goal Zero on the front solar input. I think the cables shown below are 10 gauge.

View attachment 3576652

@FrazzledHunter gave me the idea here > Alternator upgrade-Is there one? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/alternator-upgrade-is-there-one.1045531/post-14071544

I'd prefer the Victron TBH but I went the $20 route on my 12-24 DC-DC converter.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089M5QBF9

The lithium pack I picked up does 12V and 24V but has a 10A and 200W input limit, so 24V x 8A will get me there. At some point if I find myself needing to add a solar panel I'll remove that and go the Victron route as I've been very pleased with their stuff in my camper.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

I mounted it to a piece of plexiglass and a USB fan to cool it and strapped it down to the top of the Goal Zero. It's a 6 gauge copper wire from engine bay to an Anderson connector. A small Anderson connection goes into the Goal Zero on the front solar input. I think the cables shown below are 10 gauge.

View attachment 3576652

@FrazzledHunter gave me the idea here > Alternator upgrade-Is there one? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/alternator-upgrade-is-there-one.1045531/post-14071544

Thanks for the plug LOL!
The main use for was to charge the Yeti Goal Zero 1500X battery from the alternator; 12V in 24V out @ 360-380W. Peachy.
However, if you have a fridge that can run on 12/24 VDC (many do) and you have a 2nd battery either under hood or elsewhere you can just connect this same unit and have regulated constant DC to your fridge. Our Dometic happens to be 12/24V.
With the Victron you have total control of when to shut off if the battery gets REALLY low. This obviously means no cutoffs when the battery gets below an arbitrary voltage set by the fridge vendor.

This helped us a few times when we flattened our 1500X and had to take it into a hotel room to charge. When this happened we connected the Victron unit to the 2nd under-hood battery and had regulated 24V all night until the 1500X was charged. This prevented a real inconvenience.

 

[Ratchey]

Not sure if you are still looking but Costco has the new Igloo 83 qt dual zone fridge with a Dometic compressor for sale for $750.
Member only item

https://www.costco.com/.product.4000233439.html

 

[linuxgod]

Not sure if you are still looking but Costco has the new Igloo 83 qt dual zone fridge with a Dometic compressor for sale for $750.
Member only item

https://www.costco.com/.product.4000233439.html

I bought the Iceco VL60ProS refurbished on eBay for $400. Very happy with it, my only complaint is it doesn’t have Bluetooth. Thanks for the post though, maybe someone else can make use of that deal