- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Official 12V Freezer-Fridges - Do they bring the heat?
- Thread starter cruiseroutfit
- Start date
Thought I would bring this back up and see if any of you have any experience with the Smittybilt ones. I'm not a huge fan of the smittybilt products I have seen in the past but the price is definitely enticing. I saw that it has a Dan Foss Compressor I'm not sure who that is but maybe he makes a really good compressor. So anyone have one or any inside info?
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Outdoor-....aspx?t_c=88&t_s=564&t_pt=101601&t_pn=S/B2789
http://www.smittybilt.com/arcticfridge
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Outdoor-....aspx?t_c=88&t_s=564&t_pt=101601&t_pn=S/B2789
http://www.smittybilt.com/arcticfridge
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- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
At $725 I think you'd be better off with a fridge of known quality. The ARB fridge isn't much more and in my experience Smittybilt products are a joke.
That's my general consensus as well but just wanted to see if anyone had any real world experience with one. But 175 bucks is 175 bucks. Although Im sure I could do better on the pricing ith one of the vendors on RME.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Outdoor-...x?t_c=88&t_s=564&t_pt=101601&t_pn=ARB10800472
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I hear ya... I'm still rocking the Edgestar several years later. I used it last weekend matter of fact! If money is that tight, the Edgestar is a great option. It may not be as adjustable or have separate freezer/fridge compartments, draw less amperage or hold the low temps as well as an ARB/Engel, but for the cost it's worth every penny.
http://www.edgestar.com/FP430-Compact-EdgeStar-Portable-Refrigerator-Freezer/FP430,default,pd.html
Home Depot has these Whynter models as well for a reasonable price. I have read that people are pretty happy with them as well on another forum.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Whynter-65-qt-Portable-Fridge-Freezer-FM-65G/202555698
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Whynter-65-qt-Portable-Fridge-Freezer-FM-65G/202555698
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Edgestar/Whynter are the same thing, find the size you like for the best price and call it a day.
JL Rockies
Binders Fulla Expo
- Location
- Draper
I am using my ARB this weekend in my room at Contemporary Resort. With what Disney World charges for dining, even brining lunch, snacks and drinks practically pays for itself.
Utah Bureau of Awesomeness Department.
Utah Bureau of Awesomeness Department.
- Location
- Vehicular limbo
The Whynter/Edgestar models don't have a low-voltage shutoff, do they?
Anybody know what the smallest 12v fridge is, in exterior dimensions? I'm continuing my quest to smallerize, and the smallest ARB and Engel fridges are the same size as my monster Coleman marine cooler. Must have smaller!
Anybody know what the smallest 12v fridge is, in exterior dimensions? I'm continuing my quest to smallerize, and the smallest ARB and Engel fridges are the same size as my monster Coleman marine cooler. Must have smaller!
Last edited:
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Yes, they do. IIRC it's 10.4 volts? Yep.... down at the bottom of the first post. - http://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?65918-Gear-Review-EdgeStar-Freezer-Refrigerator
- Location
- Draper, UT
Hope not, a lead acid battery is considered 0% charge at 11.8V
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Yeah, that's part of the problem and why a dual battery setup is a wise investment should you leave the fridge running for a long time w/o restarting & charging the batteries.
- Location
- Draper, UT
My ARB used to go into power saving mode sometimes. I noticed one day that it seemed to happen when the compressor started so I put in a dedicated 10ga line for the compressor and the problem stopped. I guess the startup current was causing a voltage droop with the factory power port wiring and the fridge would go into battery saver mode.
I've considered a dual batt. system, but have never left it connected without starting for more than overnight.
I have considered a motorcycle battery and a small solar panel though. Would be nice to disconnect the umbilical from the truck when boondocking.
I've considered a dual batt. system, but have never left it connected without starting for more than overnight.
I have considered a motorcycle battery and a small solar panel though. Would be nice to disconnect the umbilical from the truck when boondocking.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I've heard that before, seems like you need a decent sized power cord to keep the fridge happy.
If you add a standalone battery, get a lithium (dry cell) battery. I've been running EarthX batteries in my moto's and they hold a charge very well, don't need to be maintained like a lead acid and are SUPER light weight.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Engel certainly has smaller, we don't ever stock them but we've sold them to EMT/Fire places in the past. Such as the MT17:
http://www.engelcoolers.com/fridge-...oading-models/engel-mt17-ac-dc-fridge-freezer
Internal Dimesions: (LxWxH) 11.5" x 8" x 10"
External Dimensions: (LxWxH) 21.2" x 12" x 14.2" (Excludes Handles = 1.5” Each)
They have smaller too!
- Location
- Vehicular limbo
Oh sweet. I think this is what I was looking for: http://www.engelcoolers.com/fridge-...p-loading-models/engel-md14-dc-fridge-freezer
Lemme get some measurements at home and we'll chat.
Lemme get some measurements at home and we'll chat.
Rot Box
Diesel and Dust
- Location
- Smithfield Utah
So I can't be the only one that has experienced this.. but I'm not seeing much when searching or looking through the manual :-\
I'm getting the ARB fridge wired up in the Jetta and found something that is worrying me a bit.
The good:
Large 8ga cable running to the DC outlet.
Large AGM battery (only one battery)
Car starts fine.
Good ground.
DC outlet reads 12.4V when car is off.
The Bad.
When my fridge is running and I crank the engine over I get the red 'check' light that flashes once every few seconds indicating voltage drop. Once the check light starts flashing the fridge will run for a bit (20 seconds ish?) and shut down. After shutdown (engine running or not) it will start right back up as normal. No check light if I start the car when the fridge isn't running.
Ok, so all the power goes to the starter for those few seconds while cranking which drops the voltage to the fridge triggering the low voltage sensor. From what I can tell the fridge is doing what it should and otherwise operating normally, but is this brownout harmful to the fridge? Do I NEED two batteries?
I had a single battery in my Land Cruiser for a long time and never noticed the 'check' light flashing, but I wasn't looking for it either..
Thanks for any advice.
I'm getting the ARB fridge wired up in the Jetta and found something that is worrying me a bit.
The good:
Large 8ga cable running to the DC outlet.
Large AGM battery (only one battery)
Car starts fine.
Good ground.
DC outlet reads 12.4V when car is off.
The Bad.
When my fridge is running and I crank the engine over I get the red 'check' light that flashes once every few seconds indicating voltage drop. Once the check light starts flashing the fridge will run for a bit (20 seconds ish?) and shut down. After shutdown (engine running or not) it will start right back up as normal. No check light if I start the car when the fridge isn't running.
Ok, so all the power goes to the starter for those few seconds while cranking which drops the voltage to the fridge triggering the low voltage sensor. From what I can tell the fridge is doing what it should and otherwise operating normally, but is this brownout harmful to the fridge? Do I NEED two batteries?
I had a single battery in my Land Cruiser for a long time and never noticed the 'check' light flashing, but I wasn't looking for it either..
Thanks for any advice.
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- Location
- Draper, UT
A lot of new cars have a current sensor on the ground lead. If you run a separate ground for the fridge it can cause problems with the battery monitor.
Rot Box
Diesel and Dust
- Location
- Smithfield Utah
Hmm I hadn't considered that. I wonder if mine does.. I'll look into that a bit more thanks for the reply.
- Location
- Draper, UT
When I ran power to the back of my pickup for my fridge I just tied into the frame for the ground return.