the fridge.......

[daisyduke]

i like you both say for someone who knows what they are doing- mine isn't a cali approved dealer !!! so saying they will send it a another dealer which is approve for the repair to be done- relief! another issue is three pin plug not working on hook up and they called me as didn't know where it was to test it!

 

[WelshGas]

i like you both say for someone who knows what they are doing- mine isn't a cali approved dealer !!! so saying they will send it a another dealer which is approve for the repair to be done- relief! another issue is three pin plug not working on hook up and they called me as didn't know where it was to test it!

So is the Mains Charger working on Hookup or is it just the 3 pin socket not working?

 

[Hotel California]

Maybe good to list up the known VW dealers with Cali knowledge in the UK?
So that those with issues contact them instead clueless normal dealers.

 

[daisyduke]

So is the Mains Charger working on Hookup or is it just the 3 pin socket not working?

3 pin socket not working on hook up- i understand only works on hook up but mine doesn't work at all. Hook up works fine

 

[daisyduke]

Maybe good to list up the known VW dealers with Cali knowledge in the UK?
So that those with issues contact them instead clueless normal dealers.

yep Bristol/ Exeter are my closest but apparently Yeovil has just cali repairs unit there.......i made comment about knowing others had vans damaged and whole interiors then having to be replaced so 'marked their card' as it were letting them know i'll be looking for any damage if bodge it and sons trying to do it.

 

[WelshGas]

Maybe good to list up the known VW dealers with Cali knowledge in the UK?
So that those with issues contact them instead clueless normal dealers.

Done. New thread.

 

[SimonB]

On the Cooling the Fridge thread. I put the fridge on at about 6.00am this morning on level 5 and put 4 frozen ice packs in there too. I heard the motor start up immediately.
Using a Wi-Fi thermometer the fridge and the inside of the Cali was at 20C at the time.
Have now finished packing up for a week in Snowdonia and checked the temperature. In the fridge it is now 3C and in the van it is still 20C.
Now I can also check how the solar panel deals with not being on hook-up and see the state of the leisure batteries during the week. Simon

 

[T6 CFO]

On the Cooling the Fridge thread. I put the fridge on at about 6.00am this morning on level 5 and put 4 frozen ice packs in there too. I heard the motor start up immediately.
Using a Wi-Fi thermometer the fridge and the inside of the Cali was at 20C at the time.
Have now finished packing up for a week in Snowdonia and checked the temperature. In the fridge it is now 3C and in the van it is still 20C.
Now I can also check how the solar panel deals with not being on hook-up and see the state of the leisure batteries during the week. Simon

Looks like we are in for some decent weather so hopefully you will arrive back home with 100% in batteries. Enjoy Snowdonia

 

[SimonB]

Update. Cooling the Fridge continued:-
We had some sunny days and some cloudy days, a bit of overnight rain as well. I left the fridge on 5 and it coped well with the heat which was high 20Cs in the van, but a bit less outside with the gentle breeze blowing.
After 4 days the fridge was still going well on level 5 and keeping itself at 3-4C with the wine nicely chilled.
I didn't have a complete understanding of the MPPT reading and texted Roger Donoghue the figures as the picture of the battery showed it as nearly discharged. He explained that if the battery was at, say, 13.8v, nice and full, and being charged, switching the fridge on would drag it down to 12.x volts, and the charger would see this as quite low as it can only gauge capacity by looking at the battery voltage. Switching on your fridge, even with a full battery, will immediately drag the voltage down to 12.2 ish volts. The battery icon isn't a great indicator of charge. It is when you have nothing switched on, and the battery is full, but under load it's not massively helpful.
I had chosen a pitch with a hook up next to it and plugged in on Wednesday morning having arrived on Saturday, it was obviously reading low, as Roger suggested, due to the loading of the fridge. Within 2 hours it was totally full again, so it can't have been down by much in the first place.
I feel much more confident about going without a hook up now if it means that you can camp somewhere nicer, and the fridge will be fine with the solar panel to supply the power.

 

[SimonB]

Further update. Cooling the fridge continued:-
I went off for a few days on 5th of June to help build a cycle path from WsM to Brean in Somerset. The temperature inside the Cali was 28C about 10.00am and in the fridge it was 31C before I left.
I put a couple of ice packs in the fridge and slowly the temperature fell to 7C, a couple of fresh ones a few hours later and it fell a little further, then I turned the fridge on at level 4. The motor did not hum into life as it was already at that temperature.

Over the weekend and the following 4 days it was hot and sunny all day and the solar panel quite easily kept up with the demand from the fridge. The battery charge fell a bit overnight, but soon the batteries were up to maximum again.
It would seem that the initial demand on the cooler to lower the temperature to 6C which I had the last time I tried it, was almost too much for the panel to cope with. This time it was fine as I didn't use the fridge motor until it was already cool.

I would be very interested to hear if other campers have similar results.

 

[WelshGas]

Further update. Cooling the fridge continued:-
I went off for a few days on 5th of June to help build a cycle path from WsM to Brean in Somerset. The temperature inside the Cali was 28C about 10.00am and in the fridge it was 31C before I left.
I put a couple of ice packs in the fridge and slowly the temperature fell to 7C, a couple of fresh ones a few hours later and it fell a little further, then I turned the fridge on at level 4. The motor did not hum into life as it was already at that temperature.

Over the weekend and the following 4 days it was hot and sunny all day and the solar panel quite easily kept up with the demand from the fridge. The battery charge fell a bit overnight, but soon the batteries were up to maximum again.
It would seem that the initial demand on the cooler to lower the temperature to 6C which I had the last time I tried it, was almost too much for the panel to cope with. This time it was fine as I didn't use the fridge motor until it was already cool.

I would be very interested to hear if other campers have similar results.

Why do you use Freezer packs to pre-cool the fridge. Why not plug in the mains and switch the fridge on night before? Or do you not have access to mains power at home?

 

[SimonB]

Why do you use Freezer packs to pre-cool the fridge. Why not plug in the mains and switch the fridge on night before? Or do you not have access to mains power at home?

I have to park on the street outside the house. Sometimes I can use the power, other times not when I can't get near the house. There is also the running a wire out to the Cali, I'm always wary of doing that in case people trip over it or somesuch.
It's no problem putting the ice packs in, I just need to be a bit more organised than usual.

Edit:- If you have easy access to mains power, as WG says, start the fridge up whilst using that and allow it to get cold before running it from the batteries, or alternator whilst driving. Even easier than Freezer packs.

On a different subject, could you explain & show me your iBoost system this weekend please?

 

[WelshGas]

Ah. Makes sense.
No problem. Look for the flag. See you there.

 

[MattBW]

I also have a wifi extender I can show you if you need a demo. That is assuming there is any wifi nearby the site?

 

[GrannyJen]

I often set off with a "frozen" fridge as I often pre-prepare and freeze.

A bag of ice cubes borrowed from the domestic freezer works a treat chilling it off just before departure then let the fridge do the rest whilst on the move.

A nice frozen cordial bottle of Vimto helps, not frozen diet coke though ..... perish the thought

 

[SimonB]

I often set off with a "frozen" fridge as I often pre-prepare and freeze.

A bag of ice cubes borrowed from the domestic freezer works a treat chilling it off just before departure then let the fridge do the rest whilst on the move.

A nice frozen cordial bottle of Vimto helps, not frozen diet coke though ..... perish the thought

Thanks for the tip about the thread. I hadn't realised you could do that. Simon

 

[SimonB]

I also have a wifi extender I can show you if you need a demo. That is assuming there is any wifi nearby the site?

Many thanks, that would be useful. I've missed you at the last two meets up there, I'll ask Martin or Kev to point you out. Simon

 

[WelshGas]

I also have a wifi extender I can show you if you need a demo. That is assuming there is any wifi nearby the site?

According to my iPad Fon app - plenty of free Fon routers the other side of the river from Lower Lode.

 

[California4x4]

What do the level settings on the control panel relate to in terms of fridge temp?

For me just now with outside temperatures between 3 and 7 degrees and daily use so inside temperatures between 4 and 20 degrees, level 6, one down from Max sits between about 3 and 6 degrees.