Outdoor Adventure USA

Cnynrat wrote:Wil -

I'm planning on putting one of these in the back of my FJC, and have been working on plans for how to install it in my rig along with storage for everything else. How much clearance do I need to plan on leaving around the fridge for air circulation etc.? I've searched around for a user's manual on line but haven't found one anywhere.

Thanks!

Sorry Dave I missed this. You should plan on leaving about 2" if possible. (you would be fine down to about .5" if need be). The major issues are when the vents are completely shut.

NotAMog wrote:BTW - For anyone thinking of running one on 24volts, ignore the "12 Volt Only" sticker on the cigarette lighter plug. The same cable also serves as the 24 volt connection. I just cut the cigarette lighter cord and inserted Andersen power pole connectors to plug it into 24 volts from my Pinzgauer or reconnect the cigarette lighter plug to use in the car. I can't detect any difference in the sound running on 12 or 24 volts.

You are correct. The engel's are smart... They have a built in sensor that will allow you to run on 12 or 24, and will automatically shut off the 12/24 once the 110 is connected. Works flawlessly every time!

I just received mine yesterday. I can't wait for my southern Utah trip in a week and a half. Gone for one week and no ice needed.

I plugged it into a Kill-a-Watt meter to check the current draw. While not running, it draws. 0.07 Amp. (I guess for the power-on LED indicator. While running it draws about 0.5 Amp. Not bad.

Well, on the Utah trip the fridge ran flawlessly. In the back seat of the Tacoma XtraCab, it is a little tight and access is not the best but not having to deal with ice for days on end on the trail, away from towns, was worth it. With a cooler, you are tied to a town to get ice every couple of days. And having the full interior for food and not ice was great. No soggy food after a couple of days either. I bought groceries for the trip the day before leaving, and didn't buy anything else for a week (except the pancake mix I forgot to bring). Plenty of room for fresh food and beverages for two. I wish I could have had some ice for Crown and Sevens, but oh well.

I bought mine from Sierra Expeditions with all the "Pimp my Fridge" accessories. Great service from Wendy, including replacing the compressor cover dented in shipping. Great job and Thanks, Wendy and Will.

How does this all work when you don't have room for a second battery. Whey they are "at temp" do they not run enough to kill the battery overnight. Do you unplug them. I agree, every one I know that has one of these would never do without it. Please comment on battery/fridge management. Lastly, do you use the freeezer for an ice supply. Cant do an adult beverage without ice.

thanks
David

David,
I only use one battery for the vehicle and the fridge. I never unplug it. As long as I drive a little every other day or so I don't have a problem. At night outside cools off and you don't open the fridge so it tends not to run much if at all. Of course a second battery would be nice for backup if you can do it.

I have a big marine grade battery (only one). With the hot SF Valley temps I can reliably start my truck after 3 days with the Engel running. The fourth day I have about a 30% chance of a start.

David wrote:How does this all work when you don't have room for a second battery. Whey they are "at temp" do they not run enough to kill the battery overnight. Do you unplug them. I agree, every one I know that has one of these would never do without it. Please comment on battery/fridge management. Lastly, do you use the freeezer for an ice supply. Cant do an adult beverage without ice.

thanks
David

You could unplug overnight if you aren't sure about your battery. It would be good to test at a non-critical time before a trip to see how that drain affects the battery. I left it plugged in all the time, but I do have dual batteries and a high output alternator, so I have a self-jump start if necessary, and recharge is quick. We also drove every day, so the drain wasn't extensive. If I didn't have any other power draw overnight, there was no noticable slowdown in the starter. I left the laptop plugged in, in sleep mode, one night and the starter was a little slow, but it started without having to go dual battery. The Yaesu 857D radio has a voltmeter on the display, so I always had a voltage readout on the main battery, which is nice.

We had two fridges on the trip in two vehicles, for 4 people for one week. We discussed having one as a freezer and one as a fridge, but decided to go dual fridge mode, since the only thing we wanted frozen was ice. We opted for beer only, no mixed drinks. I have since decided that we could have put some ice (in a ziplock) in the bottom, with a horizontal divider and the temp set to near freezing. The ice would melt so slowly as to be negligible, I think. I will have to test that out.

This past weekend, I went on a club run to Corral canyon and filled the fridge with Drumsticks, ice cream sandwiches and popsicles. They were a big hit on the hot trail after lunch. I was an ice cream hero. That was how to win friends and influence people. The unIt runs frequently in freezer mode. Temp inside was down to about 2 deg F.

If you are not leaving it in your vehicle full-time (like I do), you can plug the freezer/fridge in at home using 120v plug, and pre-cool the contents. That way, the unit only has to maintain temperature for the first day or so, instead of having to cool the contents first. Also, buying pre-chilled stuff to put in it when away from home will reduce the load on the freezer/fridge...

I have question - can I plug the Engel into the 120V house curcuit with out first unplugging it from the 12v battery system in the vehicle. It would be great for convienece but so far I have not been willing to tempt it. Someone thought that the 120v would over-ride and all would be fine. I can not find any information in the booket that came with the unit on this concept.

toms wrote:I have question - can I plug the Engel into the 120V house curcuit with out first unplugging it from the 12v battery system in the vehicle. It would be great for convienece but so far I have not been willing to tempt it. Someone thought that the 120v would over-ride and all would be fine. I can not find any information in the booket that came with the unit on this concept.

Here's your answer:

You absolutely can plug both 120V and 12V power at the same time - the internal power supply will automatically sense the voltage, and always utilize the higher voltage when available; if the 120V power fails for some reason, the 12V will take over. You do not have to disconnect either one at any time - the fridge knows whats up...