Portable Fridge Question

Hi folks! I found this unit while looking for a portable refrigerator to run off the power plug in the truck bed:

$240 Alpicool CF35 Portable Car Refrigerator,12 Volt Car Fridge Freezer, 37 Quart (35 Liter) Fast Cooling 12V Car Fridge -4℉~68℉, Car Cooler, 12/24V DC and 100-240V AC for Outdoor, Camping, RV, Truck, Boat

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L3FRDP...089-4f9b-a6bb-2e18050961b6&s=home-garden&th=1
We don't need anything to keep in the truck permanently as we aren't campers, just want something to keep the dog's home made food cool on road trips with some room for sandwiches and drinks for the wife and I and not have to mess with ice. From what I've read from a review where the purchaser did some actual testing on power draw, the company advertised 45W and 3A draw is fairly accurate while running. He mentioned that peak draw (I imagine when starting up the compressor) ranged anywhere from 60-85W and about 4.3A. Seems to me that I should be able to run this with no problem off the OEM inverter and bed plug, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any gotchas before I ordered one. Thanks!

 

dont count on that plug for anything... after some time it shuts it self off... look at getting a stand alone inverter if you are planning this.

i personally went with a jackery battery generator for my power needs. its just a little more useful and will get the same job done for me.

 

Same here. Wanted to run the fridge off the outlet. Had to do the 400w anytime mod. See guild outfitters.

 

I don't have the 400w hack. I can't run my cooler/fridge while driving.

 

Running a 12v capable fridge off an inverter doesn’t make any sense when you have 12v available. Is there a 12v plug in the bed?

 

what is the 400w anytime mod? does this make it stay on?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-400w-anytime-mod-3rd-gen.436831/

 

No. Which seems like a ridiculous oversight.

 

Jeebus, it's a 12v fridge. Don't run it off the inverter, are you daft? Plug that beast into the cigarette adaptor/12v plug in the cab. That socket should be able to run 10amps, and that thing only pulls 3-4. (I have one, and i have tested it)

Or you can go all overland bro and install a 12v plug in the bed that tied directly to the battery (don't forget a fuse)

The fridges usually have a built in low voltage cutoff so you dont kill your battery too.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/12v-bed-outlet-install-write-up.378833/

 

Many of these refrigerators are not what you probably expect … and will only lower the temp ~40F below ambient. Read the details closely.

 

I ran a 2AWG wire with a 50A fuse along the engine compartment, down the side of the frame and up into the cubby to power my iceco vl75 fridge and inverter/battery box. Anderson connection on the end to easily plug and play with electronics. The bed outlet is trash.

 

Good point. The one OP linked is indeed the better "Refrigerator" and has a compressor. What you are talking about is usually called a "thermoelectric cooler" and are indeed garbage.

If you are spending at least $250 and the details talk about a compressor then you are usually good to go. You have to watch out of the ones that can't freeze and are called a "cooler" or "thermoelectric cooler"

 

50a is an insane amount. What are you powering back there a whole bank of viair compressors?

12awg wire and a 10a fuse at the battery is plenty.

 

You can get an extension to run off your existing 12v or even better, invest in a small portable inverter/battery that will charge while driving and use the 12v port on that to power your fridge with pass through/offline power.

I’ll bet you find other uses for it while out and about.

 

Make a trailer hitch adaptor. there is 12v battery power at the 7 blade plug.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/7-pin-trailer-connector-wiring-diagram.455153/

 

I appreciate everyone's comments. So, seems that the best options are 1) Put the fridge in the back seat and run the 12v cigarette lighter adaptor into the 12v plug in front (assuming the wire is long enough), or 2) install a 12v adaptor in the the bed wired directly to the battery with a fuse.

Since it will only be used occasionally I would opt for option 1.

 

The Alpicool portable refrigerators are OK and depending on what they are used for are adequate. If all you are talking about is keeping some things cool for trips, day use, etc. it will work just fine. You can plug it into the bed outlet and it will work. As others have said, running DC is going to be better option versus using the inverter that powers the bed outlet. Not ideal but the outlet will work while you are driving and will power the cooler. When the truck is off so is power to the cooler.

If you are looking to do more than just keep things cool while driving and/or planning to camp then you will want to run DC. Unless you run power to the battery the DC will not work when the truck is off. I am not sure how the cooler would hold up to more extreme usage but am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and "buy once/cry once" YMMV

In our case we have a Dometic CFX3-35 cooler when we are camping. We run it off an EcoFlow River Pro using DC. When we are in transit I plug the EcoFlow into the bed outlet to keep it topped off and then when we get to camp I will unplug it. Again, not the most efficient way to run things but it works. I am going to direct wire a DC outlet in the bed to the battery that way I can run the cooler from the battery while charging the EcoFlow via solar. This gives me a couple of options to power the cooler as well as recharge the EcoFlow. Most of the portable refrigerators have a mechanism to keep from draining the car battery when plugged in, not sure about the Alpicool. I won't charge the EcoFlow directlly from the battery, with the truck turned off, as that would drain the battery. It would take a considerable amount of time to charge it using the truck so that would not be an option unless I was in transit or willing to run the truck for a few hours. Obviously, if I have shore power at the campsite all bets are off Hope this helps.

 

Just keep in mind the 12v plug in the cab is only powered when the truck is turned on. Not a show stopper by any means.

 

For my TAT trip last July I anguished over ice vs cooler vs refrigerator. A *quality* ice chest was my choice: Coleman Extreme Marine Ice Chest. No regrets.

 

Redarc bcdc 1240. I have a 200ah lithium battery connected to a 3000w inverter. All contained in a plano trunk. Makes camping (glamping?) easy when you can power anything almost as long as you want. Also have solar for it my vl75 is awesome for making ice, cooling beer, steaks, etc!