12 volt fridge outlet

[B1Toad]

How did you do yours? Did you install a 12 volt socket in the back? I'm thinking of either doing that or going to SAE connectors. SAE connectors are rated for 10 amps and cigar lighter sockets, as far as I know, are also rated for 10 amps although there are some on Amazon claiming up to 30 amps. My fridge will be under 5 amps. I already have a #10 going to the back for the sub woofer which I may even change to a #8 if I see much voltage drop.

The SAE connector would be more solid, but it would also mean modifying the factory cord that comes with the fridge. Anyone use the 12V socket and have issues with it vibrating loose?

PS The fridge will only run off the Jeep when driving and at fuel stops and food breaks, at the destinations it will plug into AC or connect to a LiFeP04 battery if no AC is available.

 

[jscherb]

This is probably more info than you're looking for, but I do have a recommendation to prevent the fridge plug from vibrating loose in the socket (which I guarantee it will do).

I have a dual battery system, with the second battery mounted in the back. The auxiliary battery gets charged by the alternator when the Jeep is running, but when the ignition is off, the auxiliary battery is isolated from the starting battery so the kitchen/fridge can never drain the starting battery.

The auxiliary battery is kept in a tray over the rear inner fender:

If you have an ARB or Dometic fridge (and some others have this too), the plug on the end of the DC cord comes apart - the "cigar lighter" part comes off, leaving a connector that secures with a threaded sleeve. This is the plug from a Dometic with the cigar lighter tip removed.

The two-prong plug goes into the outlet pictured below, and the collar around it screws into the socket so the plug cannot vibrate loose. The ARB socket comes with a housing; in the photo below the socket has been removed from the housing and can be installed without the housing if that suits your needs better than using the housing. The ARB sockets with housing are available lots of places for about $12.

If your fridge does not have a two-part plug like the ARB and Dometic fridges do, ARB sells replacement cords with that plug which you could splice onto your current fridge cord, assuming the fridge end of that cord doesn't fit your fridge.

I've done thousands of road and trail miles with my Trail Kitchen, including camping in the wild in situations where I would not want the fridge to drain the starting battery, so if that's how you plan to use your Jeep and fridge, I highly recommend a dual battery setup with an auxiliary battery for just the campsite accessories.

An added benefit is that in an emergency the auxiliary battery can be used to start the Jeep; I had the starting battery in my JKU fail on a long trip and I've got the same dual battery setup in that Jeep; all I had to do was flip a switch in the dash to use the auxiliary battery as the starting battery. This is the switch in my LJ:

I also have a solar panel that slides out from under the roof rack to keep the auxiliary battery charged for times when I'm using the fridge but may not be starting the Jeep for a few days; the solar panel keeps up with the kitchen/fridge load and keeps the auxiliary battery charged in most situations.

As I said, more than you probably wanted to know, but I've got years and thousands of trail and road miles of experience in both my LJ and JKU keeping a fridge and campsite accessories charged and operating without risking the starting battery.

And if nothing else I highly recommend the ARB screw-type plug and socket; a cigar-lighter type will let you down someday.

 

[Harold&Cat]

I added a 2 port 12 volt plug along with an 800 watt inverter under our cargo platform . I ran a 10 gauge wire for the power ports and a battery cable for the inverter . The 10 gauge is fused at the battery and has power all the time . The cable for the inverter has a breaker and continuous duty solenoid to turn off with a switch on the dash .

 

[Apparition]

This is probably more info than you're looking for, but I do have a recommendation to prevent the fridge plug from vibrating loose in the socket (which I guarantee it will do).

I have a dual battery system, with the second battery mounted in the back. The auxiliary battery gets charged by the alternator when the Jeep is running, but when the ignition is off, the auxiliary battery is isolated from the starting battery so the kitchen/fridge can never drain the starting battery.

The auxiliary battery is kept in a tray over the rear inner fender:

View attachment 582187

If you have an ARB or Dometic fridge (and some others have this too), the plug on the end of the DC cord comes apart - the "cigar lighter" part comes off, leaving a connector that secures with a threaded sleeve. This is the plug from a Dometic with the cigar lighter tip removed.

View attachment 582188

The two-prong plug goes into the outlet pictured below, and the collar around it screws into the socket so the plug cannot vibrate loose. The ARB socket comes with a housing; in the photo below the socket has been removed from the housing and can be installed without the housing if that suits your needs better than using the housing. The ARB sockets with housing are available lots of places for about $12.

View attachment 582189

If your fridge does not have a two-part plug like the ARB and Dometic fridges do, ARB sells replacement cords with that plug which you could splice onto your current fridge cord, assuming the fridge end of that cord doesn't fit your fridge.

I've done thousands of road and trail miles with my Trail Kitchen, including camping in the wild in situations where I would not want the fridge to drain the starting battery, so if that's how you plan to use your Jeep and fridge, I highly recommend a dual battery setup with an auxiliary battery for just the campsite accessories.

An added benefit is that in an emergency the auxiliary battery can be used to start the Jeep; I had the starting battery in my JKU fail on a long trip and I've got the same dual battery setup in that Jeep; all I had to do was flip a switch in the dash to use the auxiliary battery as the starting battery. This is the switch in my LJ:

View attachment 582190

I also have a solar panel that slides out from under the roof rack to keep the auxiliary battery charged for times when I'm using the fridge but may not be starting the Jeep for a few days; the solar panel keeps up with the kitchen/fridge load and keeps the auxiliary battery charged in most situations.

As I said, more than you probably wanted to know, but I've got years and thousands of trail and road miles of experience in both my LJ and JKU keeping a fridge and campsite accessories charged and operating without risking the starting battery.

And if nothing else I highly recommend the ARB screw-type plug and socket; a cigar-lighter type will let you down someday.

I also recommend the ARB screw type connector. Been running it for years.

 

[gasiorv]

Just another alternative, not saying it is the best, just what works for me. I run my fridge off a Jackery and then have the Jackery plugged into the 12V cigarette lighter which is on when ignition is on. That way the fridge is only pulling from the jackery and the jackery is only being charged when the vehicle is running. Pretty similar to the secondary battery setup above but I can move it easily from my truck to the jeep to my wife's subaru. The 1000 jackery will run my cheap amazon 12v fridge 3-4 days in 100 deg summer days without needing a charge.

 

[B1Toad]

Just another alternative, not saying it is the best, just what works for me. I run my fridge off a Jackery and then have the Jackery plugged into the 12V cigarette lighter which is on when ignition is on. That way the fridge is only pulling from the jackery and the jackery is only being charged when the vehicle is running. Pretty similar to the secondary battery setup above but I can move it easily from my truck to the jeep to my wife's subaru. The 1000 jackery will run my cheap amazon 12v fridge 3-4 days in 100 deg summer days without needing a charge.

I saw your setup on an older thread and I really like it but I can't bring myself to spend that much on a Jackery that I don't really need. Most all the portable power stations have inverters built in for 120 VAC which I don't need. My plan, if I need standby 12V power, is to borrow the LiFeP04 out of my motorhome and take it along. There are very few 12 volt only power stations out there and most are only a few hundred watt hours and are still priced pretty high for what they are. Thinking on building one. This little LiFeP04 is over 1,200 watt hours:

​