Portable refrigerator is not working with a full battery while engine off.

[Loopster D.]

Hi VW'ers.
I have a 2016 Beach. One of the first T6's before they came out with the T6.1 that upgraded the whole electrical system.
I have added a solar panel to the system and my leisure battery says 13.3Volts on the inverter.
I have a portable refrigerator, a dometic-WAECO CoolFreeze CFX 35. It usually works when the van is not running and the battery is fully charged. Now it only works when the van is running. I have had issues with both the van and refrigerator before and trying to troubleshoot what is the problem when the battery is full and the fridge does not work while the motor is off.

How can I troubleshoot this?

Thanks.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi VW'ers.
I have a 2016 Beach. One of the first T6's before they came out with the T6.1 that upgraded the whole electrical system.
I have added a solar panel to the system and my leisure battery says 13.3Volts on the inverter.
I have a portable refrigerator, a dometic-WAECO CoolFreeze CFX 35. It usually works when the van is not running and the battery is fully charged. Now it only works when the van is running. I have had issues with both the van and refrigerator before and trying to troubleshoot what is the problem when the battery is full and the fridge does not work while the motor is off.

How can I troubleshoot this?

Thanks.

Such fridges normally have a voltage cut off to avoid running the battery too low.
If you are running the fridge via one of the 12v sockets then due to a high resistance the voltage detected by the fridge electronics may have tripped the voltage cut off.
1. Try another 12v socket.
2. Many members wire in a separate 12v fused feed directly to the leisure battery using Anderson Connectors to connect the fridge when required.

The basic VW wiring to the 12v sockets is quite thin which gives a voltage drop and combined with a less than efficient 12v plug and socket can cause the fridge to cut out, but running the engine or being on EHU raises the voltage of the 12v circuit to 13+volts which is enough to overcome the voltage drop.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Run a direct feed to the battery using some thick wire. This will solve the issue. The wire can easily be pushed under the plastic side trim, using a trim tool (or a spoon!).

AAOTOKK Cigarette Lighter to SAE... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0813P4JHV/?tag=eliteelect-21