ok guys....fridge

[SlidePods]

I am away on holiday at the moment so if you want to know if we can supply you with one you wil have to email Tracey on info@slidepods.co.uk

 

[LemonDrop]

For anyone else with a Beach looking for a fridge I thought I would resurrect this thread. I've been poring over all the fridge related threads and have just stumbled across this one. I found it particularly informative. Pretty much decided on a Webasto Indel TB41 but not quite ready to press the button yet... £550 on a fridge?!

 

[kave]

Either that or buy a cheaper one that will destroy your leisure battery, your choice.

 

[LemonDrop]

Either that or buy a cheaper one that will destroy your leisure battery, your choice.

Yeah I don't fancy that

 

[mr_glasgow84]

Am I correct in saying that when on the move, these types of fridges would need to be plugged into the 12v plug in the front of the Beach and then when on a serviced pitch they would plug into the three pin socket on the rear, thereby using the site’s electricity?

Also, if stopping off for a night or two parked up, with engine off, would the fridge drain the leisure battery if plugged into a 12v plug in the rear?

Sorry for the daft questions, I’m new to this.

Martin

 

[Sp0_0k]

Just plug to any rear socket and forget it. When on hookup it uses leisure battery while it is beeing charged fine. We have 2 50l freezers working in freezers mode when returning from Norway. And they hold fine on leisure battery for 14-16 hours stops.

 

[mr_glasgow84]

I thought I read somewhere that the rear power outlets only worked when on hookup?

Does the leisure battery simply recharge when on the move again?

 

[Sp0_0k]

yep they recharge when on the move and rear sockets are fed by alternator giving 14,8v
when on hookup the voltage goes up as well but in cycles with voltage fluctuating.
Most fridges have battery protection but keep in mind the low (12v)voltage drops fast over long cables. So fridge might shut down way earlier than battery is low.

 

[mr_glasgow84]

yep they recharge when on the move and rear sockets are fed by alternator giving 14,8v
when on hookup the voltage goes up as well but in cycles with voltage fluctuating.
Most fridges have battery protection but keep in mind the low (12v)voltage drops fast over long cables. So fridge might shut down way earlier than battery is low.

That’s almost too technical for me lol

So basically, on the move the fridge will power off the leisure battery which is recharging at the same time...but when I park up, it will continue to stay on so long as I’m plugged in, and for a couple of days if off-grid?

Not quite sure how I overcome the issue with long cables that you mentioned?

 

[Sp0_0k]

yes should be fine for couple days depending on the weather. If too hot can drain battery faster.
Regarding cables, sometimes the fridge placement might not be near the socket resulting in 1-2 meters cable.

 

[WelshGas]

That’s almost too technical for me lol

So basically, on the move the fridge will power off the leisure battery which is recharging at the same time...but when I park up, it will continue to stay on so long as I’m plugged in, and for a couple of days if off-grid?

Not quite sure how I overcome the issue with long cables that you mentioned?

There are at Least 3 x 12v sockets in the rear that run off the Leisure Battery, 1 to the rear of the front passenger seat, 1 near the sliding door/bench seat and one in the boot. These run from the Leisure Battery which will be continuously recharged if the engine is running or if on the Campsite Mains.
The cable from Fridge to 12v socket should be as short as possible to minimise voltage drop off. This will only be a problem if wild camping WITHOUT plugging into a Mains supply.

A long cable from the 12v socket to Fridge can result in a voltage drop along the wire. The Fridge will stop working if it detects a voltage of 11.5v. The Normal 12v supply starts at 12.7v and drops over time if you don't have the engine running or not connected to 240v mains. With a long fridge lead the voltage drop might give a voltage of 12.3v at the fridge so when this drops to 11.5 the fridge stops, but the actual voltage at the Leisure Battery is 11.9v, so the fridge stops sooner than it needs to.

Obviously, you don't have this problem on an Ocean - no voltage drop.

 

[Bramco]

Either that or buy a cheaper one that will destroy your leisure battery, your choice.

Not a helpful statement - dual mode fridges/coolboxes do not destroy your leisure battery. If you check the specs they use about as much power as the more expensive ones. They will run down the leisure battery more quickly as they are on all the time and the more expensive ones cycle on/off as needed to keep the temperature at the right level.

If too hot can drain battery faster.

Actually that's not quite correct either. If the weather is hot then the dual mode coolboxes don't work harder, they just don't cool to such a low temperature. They are normally rated as cooling to 20C below ambient. Interestingly if the weather is hot the more expensive fridges have to work harder, so they will be on more often and drain the batteries more quickly.

yes should be fine for couple days

We can confirm this. In fact for even longer if you have a solar panel.

The cheaper fridges aren't plug in and forget - you do need to think about how you use them, so when on hookpup (240V) and the weather is cool, you need to make sure you set them on a lower setting (little dial on the top) otherwise things can freeze up.

We put the fridge outside the van under the awning when on hookup (we have a y shaped hookup cable, so have an extension outside the van). This also means you don't have any issues with the noise from the fan. Some people find this annoying, others don't.

If we aren't on hookup and wild camping then we often leave the coolbox in the van but unplug it at night - they stay cool enough overnight without being plugged in, again so the fan noise isn't an issue. If it's cool at night then just putting the box outside the van unconnected will keep the inside cool. The hotter it is, the faster it will heats up when not connected.

We've done many long trips (5 to 6 weeks) with one of these coolboxes without any hassle at all.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Invest in a decent fridge box.
I had a Webasto compressor fridge and it was incredibly efficient.
Actually better than the fridge in the Ocean.

 

[Sp0_0k]

There are proper fridges with compressors and coolboxes with Peltier element which are a waste in the long run. They will draw at least twice power on average and have lower and unreliable cooling.

 

[mr_glasgow84]

There are at Least 3 x 12v sockets in the rear that run off the Leisure Battery, 1 to the rear of the front passenger seat, 1 near the sliding door/bench seat and one in the boot. These run from the Leisure Battery which will be continuously recharged if the engine is running or if on the Campsite Mains.
The cable from Fridge to 12v socket should be as short as possible to minimise voltage drop off. This will only be a problem if wild camping WITHOUT plugging into a Mains supply.

A long cable from the 12v socket to Fridge can result in a voltage drop along the wire. The Fridge will stop working if it detects a voltage of 11.5v. The Normal 12v supply starts at 12.7v and drops over time if you don't have the engine running or not connected to 240v mains. With a long fridge lead the voltage drop might give a voltage of 12.3v at the fridge so when this drops to 11.5 the fridge stops, but the actual voltage at the Leisure Battery is 11.9v, so the fridge stops sooner than it needs to.

Obviously, you don't have this problem on an Ocean - no voltage drop.

Thank you sir - this is very helpful. I can't see us wild camping often but if we did, what sort of cable are we talking about to avoid the voltage drop-off? Do these cables have the 12v cigarette lighter type ends? Am I correct in saying that the cable can be as long as I like if I'm plugged in on a site?

If the fridge turns out to be a bit noisy at night, I'd probably look to keep it in a drive away awning to be honest.

Thanks again!

Martin

 

[kp64zl]

A lot discussed in this thread:

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...-hard-wiring-fridge-to-leisure-battery.17642/

 

[Bramco]

There are proper fridges with compressors and coolboxes with Peltier element which are a waste in the long run.

'proper' fridges are 5 to 10 times more expensive than dual voltage coolboxes. What do the coolboxes waste in the long run?

I can only see a waste in spending 5 to 10 times more than we need to do.

£400 is roughly 2 to 3000 miles of travelling in diesel terms.

Every one to their own I suppose......

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you sir - this is very helpful. I can't see us wild camping often but if we did, what sort of cable are we talking about to avoid the voltage drop-off? Do these cables have the 12v cigarette lighter type ends? Am I correct in saying that the cable can be as long as I like if I'm plugged in on a site?

If the fridge turns out to be a bit noisy at night, I'd probably look to keep it in a drive away awning to be honest.

Thanks again!

Martin

Some owners use thicker cable and wire directly to the Leisure Battery. I'm sure someone will pop up with more advice of exactly what to use and how to do it.

 

[Tarquers]

My 2p on the subject, you get what you pay for. Having lived and camped in the Middle East for 15 years I went from cool box with ice to peltier cooler to compressor fridge over a few years, often for up to 5 days off grid. While people are happy with ice boxes, I would never be without the compressor fridge.

Sounds simple but limit the opening of the fridge, keep it full, so operate a beer out, beer in policy will go a long way to prolonging the life of the battery. Most important is allow air to circulate around the fridge which means if you put it under the multiplex, leave space for air movement.

Having just picked up a beach that came with a fridge I now have 2, so anyone wanting one, get in touch.

 

[Bramco]

Fridges come in two types.
A - Compressor
B - Thermo-electric

Type A is significantly more expensive, but uses significantly less power. Type B is significantly cheaper, but uses significantly more power. As power is limited, type A is the one I would recommend.

It draws its power in one of three ways from the leisure battery.
1. Direct from the leisure battery
2. From the leisure battery which is being recharged from the engine
3. From the leisure battery which is being recharged from mains electricity

#1 can work at any time
#2 will only work when the engine is running
#3 will only work when the van is hooked up to mains electricity

Tom, I think you need to edit your reply.

Firstly power is generally only limited when wild camping for more than a couple of days. If you are driving, are on hook up, or have only been on a site for a day or so then it isn't limited.

Secondly, AFAIK, both types of fridge can draw power from either the 12v supplied by the leisure battery or from 230/240V mains when on hook up.

If the fridge is drawing power from the leisure battery then it will work always unless the the leisure battery is flat. If it's on hook up it will always work.

Finally your points #1 to #3 don't make sense. If the fridge is drawing power as you put it from the leisure battery, i.e. on 12V then not being on hook up or not having the engine running doesn't stop the fridge from working. What you are describing is whether the leisure battery is being charged which has nothing to do with the fridge working or not.

 

[mr_glasgow84]

Much clearer in my head now - thanks guys. Just for total clarity, if the van is plugged in to the mains, does the length of the cable matter in terms of voltage drop-off and ultimately, the fridge ceasing to work?

 

[Tarquers]

No....and yes....

The fridge (unless you move to a 240V socket when on mains) will run on 12V supply which is running from the leisure battery regardless. the length of cable will affect the voltage at the fridge, see some of the other posts where people had issues with cutout even on hook up.

when running on hook up the battery will be at float voltage (13.8V) but here your cable length enemy is current, not voltage, so you may end up with excess heat in the cable. minimum cables, minimum connectors always the best way.

Will it damage your fridge? hard to say. cycling compressors on and off is where wear and tear occurs, so the more things you can do to reduce that the better, cables being one of them. If you are still getting cutouts on mains it is either cable length (which can be solved by increasing diameter) or most likely a poor earth.

 

[sidepod]

Well you would need to know what load you have connected inside the van and the length of your hook up cable to do a drop calc.

If you have a stock 25m hook up cable in 2.5mm you’ll have no worries.

 

[mr_glasgow84]

Okay, thanks for the reply - I don’t fully understand but I’m sure I’ll speak to the suppliers before I buy one etc.

 

[Tarquers]

Okay, thanks for the reply - I don’t fully understand but I’m sure I’ll speak to the suppliers before I buy one etc.

if you are planning on mostly using on hookup, you should not have a problem. My Waeco sits in the back under the multiflex and does 3 days on battery.