Received the 82 qt & transit bag today. Free monitor rebate paperwork is all filled out & going in the mail later today. These things are excellent & should help us be able to do what we want: stay gone for a long time. Waiting on cap to come in so i can get to making the bedslide. :coffeedrink:
ARB Fridge/freezer questions
- Thread starter TwinStick
- Start date
we run a similar arb set-up, a 82 quart freezer and a 50 qt fridge. I definitely see why you want the storage 
we can go a month without worrying about food. We stock up on meats when we find a good source and freeze them, and we keep fresh veggies and such in the fridge.
the transit bags are worth it for sure and we noticed energy savings. the other big thing is to ensure a lot of airflow to the rear of the fridges. they generate a lot of heat at the compressors and if you trap that heat, they can struggle to stay cool, and maintain temp. also, be wary of that fruit/ dairy section in the rear of the fridges, if the fridge is set at 31 degrees, that rear section may be quit a bit higher, even dangerously so.
if they are under a truck cap, in the uninsulated rear of the truck, bank on them using 50 ah a day, they will run a lot.
we can go a month without worrying about food. We stock up on meats when we find a good source and freeze them, and we keep fresh veggies and such in the fridge.the transit bags are worth it for sure and we noticed energy savings. the other big thing is to ensure a lot of airflow to the rear of the fridges. they generate a lot of heat at the compressors and if you trap that heat, they can struggle to stay cool, and maintain temp. also, be wary of that fruit/ dairy section in the rear of the fridges, if the fridge is set at 31 degrees, that rear section may be quit a bit higher, even dangerously so.
if they are under a truck cap, in the uninsulated rear of the truck, bank on them using 50 ah a day, they will run a lot.
Just got back from a 600 mile trip. Took our 82 qt ARB fridge. Put it in the back seat of our 08' Power Wagon (fold flat floor down, seats up). Worked excellent. Plugged it into my 500/1000 watt inverter, which was plugged into my 12v, 20 amp dash plug. Zero issues. Wires never got hot. It drew 260 watts max & usually ran at 160-190 watts (according to the inverters digital watt meter). I CAN NOT EXPRESS HOW AWESOME IT WAS NOT TO HAVE TO GET ICE !!! We had 120v power when we got to destination.
Just received my free ARB fridge monitor. It was on the counter when we got home !!!
Yes, it sure does put out the heat. I also have one of these on my audio amp ( http://www.walmart.com/ip/Massey-High-Velocity-Fan-9/17129010 ). It also runs off the inverter. The output of the fridge was close to the back of fan, so air flow was not a problem. We took it in the house of the people we were visiting & plugged it into 120v as well. I do have to get some batteries for 12v operation but i will look into that more when i actually retire & can do some remote camping.
"This thread needs pics!"
I know---this is NOT an "off-road" trailer, so no flames please. It does sit high enough to get us well off the beaten path though, in comfort.
So, there is some pics. I don't know how to do pics. Got to have my kid do it.
Love the cap. LED lighting works GREAT at night. Had our 2 bikes in the back of the truck for this trip. 1 piece of 3/4" ply w/3 2x4's under it & 2 block head fork mounts, 2 half pieces of pvc pipe for the rear wheels w/slots for straps to go through & 2 wheel holders bolted to the plywood (speed tested from 80 mph to 0 mph as fast as it will stop). Racks worked great with canoe. Used this as the bar on my roof. ( http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/wonderbar.php ). Had it up to 80 mph w.canoe & camper. Zero issues. No sway at all from semi's passing me or me passing semi's. I can't get gas (which i have to do a LOT at 8 mpg but i get 8-10 mpg empty) without people commenting or wanting to know about the camper/cap/truck etc... . I was able to maintain 70 mph up all the hills in the mountains with cap on, canoe on top, back of truck full & pulling the camper full of water & gear. Hemi's LOVE to rev & have to, get the power out of them.
Just received my free ARB fridge monitor. It was on the counter when we got home !!!
Yes, it sure does put out the heat. I also have one of these on my audio amp ( http://www.walmart.com/ip/Massey-High-Velocity-Fan-9/17129010 ). It also runs off the inverter. The output of the fridge was close to the back of fan, so air flow was not a problem. We took it in the house of the people we were visiting & plugged it into 120v as well. I do have to get some batteries for 12v operation but i will look into that more when i actually retire & can do some remote camping.
"This thread needs pics!"
I know---this is NOT an "off-road" trailer, so no flames please. It does sit high enough to get us well off the beaten path though, in comfort.
So, there is some pics. I don't know how to do pics. Got to have my kid do it.
Love the cap. LED lighting works GREAT at night. Had our 2 bikes in the back of the truck for this trip. 1 piece of 3/4" ply w/3 2x4's under it & 2 block head fork mounts, 2 half pieces of pvc pipe for the rear wheels w/slots for straps to go through & 2 wheel holders bolted to the plywood (speed tested from 80 mph to 0 mph as fast as it will stop). Racks worked great with canoe. Used this as the bar on my roof. ( http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/wonderbar.php ). Had it up to 80 mph w.canoe & camper. Zero issues. No sway at all from semi's passing me or me passing semi's. I can't get gas (which i have to do a LOT at 8 mpg but i get 8-10 mpg empty) without people commenting or wanting to know about the camper/cap/truck etc... . I was able to maintain 70 mph up all the hills in the mountains with cap on, canoe on top, back of truck full & pulling the camper full of water & gear. Hemi's LOVE to rev & have to, get the power out of them.
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Congrats on seeing your idea come to fruition...very sweet!
160-190 watts seems to be a lot for a quality DC compressor-driven fridge.
But I see you were running through an inverter, which is generally less efficient for these things.
Perhaps with a direct 12-V this would drop down to something more like 100 W.
But that is still a lot considering my Edgestar's Chinese Danfoss knock-off compressor draws max. 65 W for 43-qt. fridge/freezer.
160-190 watts seems to be a lot for a quality DC compressor-driven fridge.
But I see you were running through an inverter, which is generally less efficient for these things.
Perhaps with a direct 12-V this would drop down to something more like 100 W.
But that is still a lot considering my Edgestar's Chinese Danfoss knock-off compressor draws max. 65 W for 43-qt. fridge/freezer.
I also had this fan (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Massey-High-Velocity-Fan-9/17129010) plugged in the inverter & on high. So maybe subtract 70-90 watts from that number ?
Victorian
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I was a bit worried about running out of battery power the other day... We spend 4 days camping at the Gorge in Washington State. Day time temperatures where in the T-shirt/ shorts range. I made sure our ARB fridge was packed full and that we only opened and closed it quick to avoid loosing too much cold air. I knew the fridge could run on the car battery for 2 days without sucking it dry. But 4 days was a bit worrisome . In any case, we brought jumper cables Here is what I did to extend the running time: I only plugged the fridge in ones or twice a day for 10 minutes, covered it with a blanket durring the day to keep sun off it and did not introduce new "warm" items into the fridge. It worked! The ARB temperature hovered around the freezing mark the whole 4 days. And the best thing: the jeep started fine after 4 days . Our friends on the other hand, had to buy ice every day and had to deal with that gross water inside the cooler.
Here is what I did to extend the running time: I only plugged the fridge in ones or twice a day for 10 minutes, covered it with a blanket durring the day to keep sun off it and did not introduce new "warm" items into the fridge. It worked! The ARB temperature hovered around the freezing mark the whole 4 days. And the best thing: the jeep started fine after 4 days . Our friends on the other hand, had to buy ice every day and had to deal with that gross water inside the cooler.Just a quick update & a little mod. They both work AWESOME !!! I LOVE these things. There is a lot of truth to the statement "once you have one, you'll wonder how you got along without one". So, the 82 qt has been plugged in to house voltage since the day I got it (except when camping-but still used 120v at campgrounds as well). We use it mostly as an overflow fridge & for me. Cause I friggin HATE diggin around in the big fridge just to find something, it is always jam packed. Can't wait till my kid moves out & stops eatin me outta house & home. So, anyways, I have had one of these on it since new http://www.walmart.com/ip/4-Mini-Personal-Fan-Black/34109009 . My thinking is: (hoping to make it last as long as possible). Anyways, today, I noticed there was a lot of dust in there. So, I took it all apart & cleaned it real good, as well as the fans. While putting it back together, I thought a filter would work well in this application. I used this: https://valuhomecenters.doitbest.com/products/air-conditioner-filter . Cut it to fit the outside slats & duct taped it on. Simple, cheap, washable, effective.