i have a 2021 Ranger but i do not want to spend a lot of money on it, because i may move to the Ranger just released, anyway i want to feed the caravan fridge direct from the car battery via a circuit breaker and fused line to the fridge, but i still want to be able to run the caravan fridge off the caravan battery,at times, obviously it is not a good idea to feed the fridge off the caravan battery and car battery at the same time, would appreciate advice from others , thankyou
Whenarewethere said
09:12 PM Aug 4, 2022
So when the engine is running you power the fridge & charge the auxiliary battery in the caravan.
You should have a DC-DC charger near the caravan's battery to keep the voltage up for charging.
When you turn off the engine only the caravan's battery is powering the fridge & the DC-DC charger is turned off so you do not flatten the starter battery in the car.
That is how I have it set up in our car (we don't tow).
Move the hardware to the new car.
landy said
10:11 PM Aug 12, 2022
Archy do you mind if I ask what sort of fridge you have in your van, compressor or 3 way. Landy
Aus-Kiwi said
03:02 PM Aug 13, 2022
The Dc 2 Dc charger can be transferred to new vehicle . You may need to go through settings in vehicles system and turn off the smart charging feature ?? Ask the dealer ?
archy said
01:37 AM Aug 14, 2022
hi, 3 way
Whenarewethere said
01:29 PM Aug 14, 2022
A 3 way fridge running off 12v uses in the region of 15amps, apart from using up your battery capacity very quickly. You really need to make sure the wiring is heavy enough.
When calculating wire resistance it is the total length of both + & - so 12 metres from the engine to the fridge is actually 24 metres. There will be a considerable voltage drop if the wire doesn't have enough cross sectional area.
TimTim said
08:08 PM Aug 14, 2022
Hi Archy and welcome,
Firstly we need to establish if you have any form of DC/DC charger already installed in your caravan. Secondly, what I did on my Pajero Sport was not run cables through the fire wall but along the chassis to Anderson plugs at the rear. With this method it is easy to remove and transfer to another vehicle.
PeterD said
09:02 PM Aug 14, 2022
archy wrote:, . . . but i still want to be able to run the caravan fridge off the caravan battery,at times,
Really! Don't you have any respect for your battery. Back in the 1990s when fridges were smaller and only drew 12 A, the following was Dometic's advice.
Suggest buy another compressor type fridge . Much less heart break ! Trust me ! Or run it on lpg ..I went compressor as the lpg is $60/$80 out bush and lasted 2 or 3 weeks . Now ? Months
Warren-Pat_01 said
03:40 PM Aug 16, 2022
G'day archy,
I bought a Fridge Switch & installed it in a protected area under the van out of convenience - it operates (breaks the cct) when it detects no movement of the caravan, reconnects when underway.
We've had no troubles with at batteries.
i have a 2021 Ranger but i do not want to spend a lot of money on it, because i may move to the Ranger just released, anyway i want to feed the caravan fridge direct from the car battery via a circuit breaker and fused line to the fridge, but i still want to be able to run the caravan fridge off the caravan battery,at times, obviously it is not a good idea to feed the fridge off the caravan battery and car battery at the same time, would appreciate advice from others , thankyou
So when the engine is running you power the fridge & charge the auxiliary battery in the caravan.
You should have a DC-DC charger near the caravan's battery to keep the voltage up for charging.
When you turn off the engine only the caravan's battery is powering the fridge & the DC-DC charger is turned off so you do not flatten the starter battery in the car.
That is how I have it set up in our car (we don't tow).
Move the hardware to the new car.
Landy
hi, 3 way
A 3 way fridge running off 12v uses in the region of 15amps, apart from using up your battery capacity very quickly. You really need to make sure the wiring is heavy enough.
When calculating wire resistance it is the total length of both + & - so 12 metres from the engine to the fridge is actually 24 metres. There will be a considerable voltage drop if the wire doesn't have enough cross sectional area.
Hi Archy and welcome,
Firstly we need to establish if you have any form of DC/DC charger already installed in your caravan. Secondly, what I did on my Pajero Sport was not run cables through the fire wall but along the chassis to Anderson plugs at the rear. With this method it is easy to remove and transfer to another vehicle.
Really! Don't you have any respect for your battery. Back in the 1990s when fridges were smaller and only drew 12 A, the following was Dometic's advice.
I bought a Fridge Switch & installed it in a protected area under the van out of convenience - it operates (breaks the cct) when it detects no movement of the caravan, reconnects when underway.
We've had no troubles with at batteries.