Portable Refrigerators | Power requirements

Arb uses a different socket outlet- it’s a 2 pin and the word is it won’t wiggle out compared to the standard plug. I’ve also read somewhere about “screw-in” but honestly don’t understand this being there are no threads (unless I misread it/thinking of different product/it’s referring to the mounting threads)

 

Gotcha ok thanks. I currently have my fridge plugged into the outlet in the bed but it turns off when the truck is off. Was hoping this harness could solve it for me since its under $50 which is nice.

 

I have the Alpicool C30 and it uses on average 12-24 watts per my meter (when the compressor is running). There is a significant difference in the time it takes to cool down when using 12v vs AC, but once it gets to temperature there is no difference. The issue with using the inverter is that there is around a 20% efficiency loss. That's around 25 hours on the OEM battery assuming you only use 50-60% of its rated capacity and the compressor is always running.

I run one of these: https://ecoflow.com/products/river-max-portable-power-station?variant=39335175979081
It has close to 600WH of power and can push out 1200 watts and provide pass-through power, but they have smaller models as well. I hook the fridge up to the ecoflow, and the ecoflow up to the 12v. I haven't tried hooking the ecoflow up to the bed, as it pulls close to 600 watts charging off AC power. With this set-up, the car recharges the portable battery when on, but the fridge switches to portable battery when off.

 

DIY.

I made a 110AH LiFePo4 a couple years ago. Also did a smaller 25ah version. The big one will run my edge star indefinitely with one 100w panel on the roof rack.

 

Dometic DZ comes with a "standard cigarette lighter". There is a barrel connection, unscrew it and it exposed the two flat blade connectors and the notched plug. Connet that to either ARB or Dometic 12v wiring harness and the plug pushes in, thread the barrel on the connector to make sure the plug doesn't wiggle back out while bouncing down the road.

I missed both that the Dometic plug had a thread on the adapter, and then threaded on ARB and Dometic connectors (I bought two, sometimes I want the DZ75 in the back of the cab, other times goes into the bed. Don't move it loaded (65# empty weight).

As pointed out freezer mode is great for Costco shopping, but sucks power. For off-road, dual fridge as I love fresh fruit & salads.

Solar Panels. Popsicle stick is your friend. 4" tall from the solar panel, if you cast more than a 1" shadow, move that panel. 15° angle is the maximum you want. Catch 22 is parking in the shade to keep things cool, but a solar panel on the roof. Oof.

 

Sweet power pack!

Did you build a BMS (Battery management system) into it?

If there is a build write-up, please post.

 

Never written it up. It's 4S20P, 32650 cells that were bought in bulk. I have a battery spot welder, so making the cells is pretty simple. I used hot glue.

It has a 100amp BMS (small wires), 60amp resettable circuit breaker. Renogy Wanderer solar charge controller. Box from harbor freight. I put large +/- lugs on it in with a big Anderson plug pigtail that connects to a panel in my bed.

The ammo can pack is 4s5p 32650.

 

Complete set up at Costco. Life time returns
Lion Energy LT Off-Grid Kit | Costco

 

Currently have a Dometic 75DZ and considering pairing it with a Jackery 1000. Fridge will be ran pass through the Jackery and when stopped for camping Jackery will run fridge itself. Anyone have experience with this setup? Any feedback.

 

I documented my experience a few pages back on this thread regarding Dometic 95DZ with Jackery 500+100w solar panel. It didn't work out for me. I am contemplating whether I should buy 2 of Jackery 500 or 1 Jackery 1000 to power up Dometic DZ as they way I want to run it (1 side for fridge and 1 side for freezer).

One thing to keep in mind is when you charge the Jackery during the day and hook up the dometic to it, you will not store any energy. therefore you will run out of juice overnight

 

So even if the fridge is not cooling down and running, just on, the Jackery won’t charge? Thinking about trying out the 1000 and if it doesn’t workout then see if it can be returned.

 

have you tried running both sides as a fridge? I know it’s not ideal or why you bought a dual zone but the battery should last a lot longer. Freezers are notorious for sucking down a lot of power which is why I opted for a single zone instead.

It would be a cheap option to get by for now without having to buy more stuff.

 

It’ll be better once I have in hand to know exactly what your saying. Just need to buy the arb power cord

 

When I did my experiment, I was in the desert and it was about 95F outside. I was running 95DZ freezer and fridge since I have ice cream and frozen meat. The Dometic was running almost constantly. I think Jackery 1000 should last longer and also you will use 2x100W solar panel instead of a single 100W panel on Jackery 500. But you will only get up to 65W per panel, not 100W, so in total your input is about 130W to the Jackery 1000. If you use your DZ as fridge on both zones, the Dometic shouldn't use a lot of power and average less than 10W. I ended up returning Jackery 500 and the Dometic. Looking into ARB zero now.

 

I only tried one time and I returned the Dometic since that one trip. The size was an issue for me as well, it was too heavy and bulky. I didn't try to run both zones as fridge but also that defeats the purpose of buying a DZ cooler :> I agree though, this is a good solution (electric cooler with a solar battery generator), I just need to find the right combination for me.

 

^I like the idea of a dual zone, but I'm sure that a freezer side would consume more power. I do take ice cream, I just eat it the first night or it's a bit like soft serve. I keep my single Snomaster at 34-32 degrees, which I find won't freeze water but keeps frozen stuff frozen, especially when on the bottom ... which is where I keep frozen meats.

 

So I'm currently on a three week trip touring Montana. I did the 400W mod and added the 4Runner 120V AC plug on the back of my center console.

The Jackery 1000 charges off that 120V plug while my ARB 37 fridge runs off the Jackery. So far after driving for the day, the Jackery is at or close to 100% charged. Then while parked over the next 12-18 hours it only drops down to mid 80%. We have been driving anywhere from 2 to 3 hours a day while traveling.

I think I posted a few pages back that I will be adding two 100W solar panels to continue charging while parked longer when we start traveling through SE Oregon later this summer. Tested the fridge + Jackery + 2x100W solar panels on a cloudy overcast/rainy day and the Jackery stayed fully charged with the fridge cycling all day.

 

Thanks for this answer, I wo der for those who have a single zone cooler and going on multi day trip, what temperature do you set it to for frozen meats. I agree if you keep the temp at 35/37 you won't use the power too much but I wonder if the meat will stay fresh after a couple of days.

 

What temperature did you set the fridge at?

 

So, here's a trick I decided to try and so far has worked really well. I put some frozen sealed packaged meat items on the very bottom, like Costco's Lemongrass chicken, Costco's Carnitas, pack of brats, homemade chili, etc. Then cut two layers of Reflectix bubble wrap and taped doubled together to make a thicker blanket. I ended up making two of these as I have a divider.

Placed these on top of the frozen food and proceeded to stack foods appropriately thinking that the lower in the fridge the colder it is, the higher the warmer. So far this has worked out really really good with the temp set at 28F.

I'll pull a frozen meat product up from the bottom and place it higher in the fridge the day before needing it so it can start to thaw out.

I found that it is important to put prechilled food in when you add items later so the fridge doesn't have to run as long to cool that item down. When I was held up in a check stand kinda long due to a software glitch, my food started to warm up a bit. Mostly veggies and canned drinks. Some of the veggies started to freeze on me even though they were at the top. So, to combat this the next time, I found that if I bumped the fridge up to about 30/31F for a few hours the new food will cool by proxy with the other cold foods in the fridge and the fridge won't be trying to drive the temps down as hard/fast. Then turn it back down to 28F.

Since my fridge is only a 37qrt, we are selective on what all we pack in there in the first place. Usually only need to open the fridge a few times a day, and quickly at that.