High output alternators (how much amps?)

[Coastout]

Couple of things to look at to help

Isolate your house and aux batteries with a 1-2-all perko switch

Look into “cooler shock” freeze bags

Pre chill your cooler with a sacrificial bag of ice before you load it

Pack it solid tight with hard frozen not wet ice, block ice even better. Air space is your enemy

Buy a good cooler, yeti or pelican not an igloo and keep it closed in the shade not baking in the sun in a closed jeep

Don’t keep your food in your “beer box” that you are opening all the time, every time you open a cooler you are pulling cold air out

 

[Apparition]

Couple of things to look at to help

Isolate your house and aux batteries with a 1-2-all perko switch

Look into “cooler shock” freeze bags

Pre chill your cooler with a sacrificial bag of ice before you load it

Pack it solid tight with hard frozen not wet ice, block ice even better. Air space is your enemy

Buy a good cooler, yeti or pelican not an igloo and keep it closed in the shade not baking in the sun in a closed jeep

Don’t keep your food in your “beer box” that you are opening all the time, every time you open a cooler you are pulling cold air out

No need to do all that with a refrigerator/freezer.

Plug it into the wall and cool it down to desired temp.

Move it to vehicle and plug it into 12v and maintain at desired temp.

 

[g.hayduke]

Maybe I shouldn’t have gone with a 20 or 40A instead of the 60A DC to DC charger… but I like the idea of a short drive putting my back at 100%.

Why do you care how fast your battery recharges as long as it gets fully charged in a reasonable amount of time?

Those DC-DC chargers are expensive, at least my Victron was. I bought one that was well-matched to the trailer wiring that my vehicle came with. I looked at the fuse or breaker that was on the trailer power feed and bought a DC-DC charger that wouldn't trip it, forget the spec at the moment but definitely <60A. From 60% charge, I'm at full charge after a 2 or 3 hour drive. And if I'm going home, I just plug into house power there to top it off if needed. Good house power chargers are pretty inexpensive.

For 60A that is a lot of heavy wiring just to speed up something that probably doesn't need to be fast. Not to mention the potential alternator upgrade, etc.

I suspect your solar panels and controller may not putting out what they probably should or could. I've been through setting up a similar system that started as a poor performing system that came with my camper. Biggest improvement I made was switching to a MPPT controller and switching to series wiring on my panels. Made a huge difference.

It sounds like you're sort of trying to build a system where you can survive a weekend with your fridge on battery more or less without solar. But you have solar. With solar, most of the time, you should be able to keep your fridge going indefinitely. Otherwise, why bother with solar at all? Just get a bigass battery and charge it at home.

 

[mrblaine]

Unless I was lied to, supposedly my fridge (that I don't have yet and won't be seeing for another 9+ months) will run off 2 car batteries for 4+ days (if pre-cooled) or a 100w roof mounted solar panel indefinitely. And that's with using lights at night. So I agree with the others that a lower draw fridge might be available for you.

There is a Dometic portable fridge/cooler similar to the Engle and ARB offerings that has a stand-alone battery pack in Lithium of some iteration with a 40ah rating. That alone will run the fridge for 2 days with no other power source. 45 quart capacity. With a 100w of good solar, that should extend out for a fair bit longer.

 

[Moglocker]

No need to do all that with a refrigerator/freezer.

Plug it into the wall and cool it down to desired temp.

Move it to vehicle and plug it into 12v and maintain at desired temp.

What fridge do you have,and how do you run it.we are going to do this pretty soon-thanks

 

[toximus]

There is a Dometic portable fridge/cooler similar to the Engle and ARB offerings that has a stand-alone battery pack in Lithium of some iteration with a 40ah rating. That alone will run the fridge for 2 days with no other power source. 45 quart capacity. With a 100w of good solar, that should extend out for a fair bit longer.

It is Dometic and that sounds about in line with what I'm expecting, just not portable aside from the 4 19.5" wheels and tires going under it..

A portable fridge with a battery like that would solve the only con that I have about the cooler replacements since I like to leave my cooler by the campfire.

 

[Apparition]

What fridge do you have,and how do you run it.we are going to do this pretty soon-thanks

Dometic CFX40 (there’s a newer model now).

If it’s in my truck it runs on the 110/120v outlet.

If it’s in the Jeep it runs on 12v from my Northstar group 24 AGM battery. I’ve left it run overnight but never leave the Jeep stationary for a day. I’m a wheeler not a camper.

Dometic will likely have a good Memorial Day sale. That’s when I got mine a few years ago. 20% off and free shipping at the time.

 

[toximus]

If it’s in my truck it runs on the 110/120v outlet.

Would it run more efficiently off the 12v?

 

[Apparition]

Would it run more efficiently off the 12v?

No idea. I need to find my PowerPoint adapter but haven’t seen it in a while.

I have the ARB screw in socket in the Jeep.

Like this

 

[Coastout]

I live on the Texas coast, we run offshore boats in 100 degree weather. Trust me , I know about keeping food cold.

If you have to run a frig , hard wire it , big wire and shortest length possible. No lighter plugs