MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: kiwipride on January 03, 2015, 06:28:51 PM
-
Hi
Just had to go back the the mainland from Straddie has our 3way Aldi fridge died. Purchased a Chinese "gearup" 2way from Repco due to budget.
Anyway.....running off a fully charged 120 AH battery, also connect to a 180w solar panel. the thing beeps and stops at 8 deg C even though I have set it to 4 deg C! It doesn't want to get any colder.
Is there something that I am doing wrong?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
Is there a setting for low, med and high.
Mark
-
Is it a compressor fridge or a thermo cooler?
-
Hi Mark
It has a LCD display allowing me to set the temp from -18 to 4
And just a freezer only setting.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
Oldmate, it's a compressor style.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
No drama mate. Tried to find some specs sheet for it without luck
-
Yeah, specs ain't out there. It is a Companion Brand according to the manual.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
Firstly if it is a compressor fridge can you hear the compressor stopping or does it continue to run?
If its continually running the fridge is likely not getting down to temp. You can check this with a thermostat.
Alternatively if the fridge is stopping the thermostat may be innacurate. Finally there may be an Under voltage protection on the frig.
Check battety voltage if its stopping prematurely.
-
Was wondering myself if battery voltage may be an issue as mentioned above...what are you powering the fridge with from the battery set up you have? Is the wiring you are using big enough for the running of the fridge?
-
The fridge does have a low voltage cut off. Around 10.5v I believe..
The compressor gets to about 3-4 dregs above what I have set then stops and beeps. The battery (120Amh) still is at 12.5v or more when it beeps.
Run it this morning direct on the car and it worked great. As soon as I changed it to my other batteries connected to solar it beeped and played up.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
I am connecting the fridge direct to the battery using the supplied 12v cable to a fused cig plug receiver connected to the battery. Battery is connected to 180w solar panels..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
I am connecting the fridge direct to the battery using the supplied 12v cable to a fused cig plug receiver connected to the battery. Battery is connected to 180w solar panels..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Is this the exact same way you connect it to the 4wd battery......is the 4wd running when it runs "normal " ??
What is the voltage at the battery when the solar and fridge is connected and running ??
If you can....try and measure the voltage at the fridge itself when the above is happening ..
Any pics of your setup ??
-
have you got a multi you can put on your battery. my guess is the battery is stuffed. when the load goes on to it, it dies.
you have worked out the fridge is fine, as it works in car.
so what is different between the car set up and the set up you are using it off?
-
Having just been through this it does sound like your battery.
Was the Aldi fridge doing the same thing?
Cheers Nomad.
-
Thanks for all your help..
The voltage at the battery and solar was around 12.6..
The only difference between working on the car is the batteries. None are actually deep cycle.
-
Yes, the 4wd was running for the fridge to work
-
The Aldi one was used on gas
-
Thanks for all your help..
The voltage at the battery and solar was around 12.6..
The only difference between working on the car is the batteries. None are actually deep cycle.
Unhook the solar and see what the voltage is while running the fridge ?
-
I had one of the same Companion style fridges, they need extremely good wiring to run as they draw 7 to 8 amps on start up and running. I had the same dramas with mine and ended up selling it and buying a name brand which only draws less than 4 on start up.
-
take a reading off the battery now that the sun has gone, i,d guess you have been measuring the surface voltage supplied by the solar panels rather than actually seeing what's in the battery. you have a voltage issue IMHO.
jet ;D
-
How much voltage should I have as a minimum out of the fridge end of the plug?
-
It should be in the 12's.
If you disconnect your solar and don't run the car how long does the fridge run before it shuts down and what voltage does it show when it does shut down?
Cheers
-
Without the solar it won't even reach 4c before it beeps and stops compressing. Led readout at that point says 10.9v. When compressor stops it shows back to 12+
-
Your battery is cactus mate .. As soon as the load is applied the battery drops it's pants ..and fridge shuts down on low voltage warning.
Put the fridge on the car and start car for 30 mins ..then 2.5hrs car off 30 mins on and let the solar fill the other stuffed battery all day then repeat the test at days end.
Or get a new battery, but I would have a good look at the solar too.
Jet :D
-
I think you are correct Jet. We never anticipated having to buy a 12v fridge so therefore, I don't have good enough batteries
-
With a high amp draw it would also probably be a good idea to increase the size of the wire from socket to fridge.
Prefferably 8 gauge (8B&S) IMO. (Remember, 8B&S is thinner than 6B&S - as the Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) is an inverse system - i.e. the lower the number the thicker the wire.)
Even with a new battery it will be prefferable to minimise voltage drop on the wire between socket and fridge, to maximise life of the battery.
Likewise, if there is any distance between your two batteries, I would also connect them with 6B&S wire.
-
I have a companion it beeps and cuts out at low voltage you can adjust the cut out lower and also the temp I set mine to is a couple of degrees out so I set that a bit lower as well but it has been trouble free so far and I can run for 4 + days off 2 x 100a/h batteries with not having to top up with solar panels
-
Fish, what cut off did you set it to?
-
B&B, do you mean upgrade the supplied lead between the fridge and socket?
-
B&B, do you mean upgrade the supplied lead between the fridge and socket?
A well known fix for Waeco fridges with similar voltage probs was to redo the lead that comes with the fridge..
Cut the lead off 50mm from the fridge end and solder on a new length of 6mm2 twin ( can also be longer if it suits your needs ), then add an inline blade fuse just before a new Merit style plug on the other end...( will also need a merit socket to plug it in ).......this was mainly to remedy the plug with an internal fuse which was prone to have voltage drop issues , but it also overcame the ciggie plug as well (apart from falling out easily, it is another voltage drop culprit )
-
Seems crazy to me that I need to remake a supplied lead that came with the fridge. But I think that you may be correct. Spoke to Barry at Companion and he was sure (but unconvincing) that the lead is fine and its a battery issue
-
Fish, what cut off did you set it to?
I think 11.4 but just go the lowest see what happens
-
Seems crazy to me that I need to remake a supplied lead that came with the fridge. But I think that you may be correct. Spoke to Barry at Companion and he was sure (but unconvincing) that the lead is fine and its a battery issue
I'm sure it is a battery issue, but the lead is not the problem, but sometimes it's the plug on the end of it...has it an internal fuse ?
Did you damage the plug at the fridge end ?
Ciggie plugs are a well known problem area for fridges..
Easiest way to check if it's a battery problem is to fully charge the battery........let it sit for 4 hrs ( or 10 or 12 )....check the voltage.....connect the fridge and check the voltage after you turn it on for approx 30 secs.....what does it read ?..........if it drops more than 0.5V then the battery is cactus..
-
Seems crazy to me that I need to remake a supplied lead that came with the fridge. But I think that you may be correct. Spoke to Barry at Companion and he was sure (but unconvincing) that the lead is fine and its a battery issue
I am running the original lead but supply from socket to battery is about 3 mtrs of 6mm twin
-
on the display when compressor is not running what does the voltage read ?
-
on the display when compressor is not running what does the voltage read ?
just re-read one of your post sounds most likely battery is gone or it could be the lead from battery to cig socket - what size is that ?
-
i have the supplied waeco lead in my car for 5 years. the only time ive had similar issues to yours kiwi, is when my battery was shagged. I still reckon you battery has dropped a cell or 2 :cheers:
-
As Jet and Oldmate have stated your battery is fubarred. Don't worry about the cable now.
Run it as per Jet's recommendation and when you get off the island get yourself another battery and it will be all good.
:cheers:
-
Heading out fishing tomorrow so I'll try all your suggestions whist I wait for the fish to do their thing.
Will report back
-
I fully agree that some fridges do need the actual supply lead upgraded ..yes waecos were the real offender for this.
However in this case I don't see it actually making much difference if any at all.
The lead will have a pin configuration into the fridge and unless you are going to remake all of this then simply chopping the lead after the plug and joining it will not help in fact i would argue just introduces another failure point at the connection.
The weaco leads suffered from a poorly designed thermal fuse arrangement and as such the chopping of the lead had more to do with getting rid of this than the cable size, many ppl simply cut the that end off and shortened the same cable with a positive result.
So Id say leave your fridge lead alone.. inspect the ciggy plug connection for any movement and if you wish to and I advise too at a later date simply cut the ciggy plug off and replace with a better plug Anderson etc.
In most cases it is the actual plug as opposed to the cable that is the problem. the cable from the end of your supplied fridge lead to the battery is a whole another issue.
baby it through keeping your voltages as high as you can ..constant small charges are better than infrequent long ones so just run that big 4 wheeled generator every 2-3 hrs for a bit, turn the fridge up when the car is running and turn it down when its not running will also help the battery out.
Best of luck mate
Jet ;D
-
Thanks Jet. Will try that tomorrow. When you say "turn it up" you mean make it cooler?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
Thanks Jet. Will try that tomorrow. When you say "turn it up" you mean make it cooler?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Yes mate ..when the car is running let the fridge run flat out as the alt is supplying the power
Jet ;D
-
B&B, do you mean upgrade the supplied lead between the fridge and socket?
Yes, that was what I meant however, from what others have said, you are probably better off just replacing the ciggie plug with a 'Merit' plug and socket. Sounds like the battery is the main problem, unfortunately.
-
Jetcrew is right, as are most others on here. Your battery is cactus.
The issue with ciggie plugs and other types with embedded fuses is the fuse contact points will fail when the battery is lowest. Blade fuses are the best by a long shot.
The other thing is as the battery voltage drops, the compressor slows down so your refrigeration effect is reduced and the motor runs for longer, making the situation worse.
-
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/05/a1ca8cd9c54c983cc69702b87190b4a2.jpg)
Above shows readout on fridge after driving in shift and for 30min or more running on second battery (same as I was using it off the car). As soon as I stopped the car the voltage indicater beeped and the compressor stopped cooling..
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/05/0ce9a20c1b92a684d533178d3d1181c6.jpg)
The photo above is when I then plugged directly into the car vigour connected to the main battery as you can see it was cooling Nicky with the car running again for another 30mins or more
I am now sitting in the car, turned off and the body thing is beeping constantly again and not cooling!?!
-
Forgot to set it to warmer one stopped have done that now and I'll see how it goes
-
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/05/d9b912c139bffd6aee8d385136055192.jpg)
Taking it back I guess. Above is after sitting with the car off for 5min and beeping
-
Doe your car turn itself off when the battery gets to a certain voltage? My Prado does.
I think the fridge seems fine and its only the battery that is f&cked. Is there another power source you can plug it into as a test?
Cheers Nomad.
-
Hi Nomad, yes it starts after the fridge stops, so far I have tried it on the three batteries that I have, but none are deep cycle
-
It doesn't matter if they are deep cycle or not. If the batteries are in good condition they should run the fridge for a decent amount of time in any event. Do do all three batteries do the same thing?
What I mean't about the car shutting down was does it have its own low voltage shut off. i.e if you leave your accessories on, like a radio, does it shut down after a period of time? Alot of modern cars have this so you can't run the battery down.
-
I haven't seen any pics of a low battery ??.....12.2V is a bit low for a 4wd that is running, but shouldn't cause a low voltage shutdown of the fridge..
Is the beeping actually a warning for low voltage ??
-
I haven't seen any pics of a low battery ??.....12.2V is a bit low for a 4wd that is running, but shouldn't cause a low voltage shutdown of the fridge..
Is the beeping actually a warning for low voltage ??
According to the rep, yes..
-
It doesn't matter if they are deep cycle or not. If the batteries are in good condition they should run the fridge for a decent amount of time in any event. Do do all three batteries do the same thing?
What I mean't about the car shutting down was does it have its own low voltage shut off. i.e if you leave your accessories on, like a radio, does it shut down after a period of time? Alot of modern cars have this so you can't run the battery down.
It's a 1991 pajero, so I don't think so.....
-
what do you have the low voltage set to on the fridge ????
-
what do you have the low voltage set to on the fridge ????
10.9
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-
starting to lean towards faulty fridge - now I am a bit concerned as I have only had mine a couple of months now and it would be a pita if it craps itself whilst settled at a camp site with a few coldies on the go, please let us know the out come.... all the batteries you have tried did you clamp directly on them with the lead to socket ? because I have only ran mine as mentioned with 6mm cable from socket to battery and the car has been upgraded with 6mm cable dedicated power from socket straight to battery... you may still have issues with cable size from fridge plug to any of the batteries that you tried
-
starting to lean towards faulty fridge - now I am a bit concerned as I have only had mine a couple of months now and it would be a pita if it craps itself whilst settled at a camp site with a few coldies on the go, please let us know the out come.... all the batteries you have tried did you clamp directly on them with the lead to socket ? because I have only ran mine as mentioned with 6mm cable from socket to battery and the car has been upgraded with 6mm cable dedicated power from socket straight to battery... you may still have issues with cable size from fridge plug to any of the batteries that you tried
I did try a few combos of socket straight to battery using heavy duty alligator clips. Still no good.
-
How long after you turn the 4wd off does it go into low voltage alarm ??
Sounds like a low voltage setting in the fridge is way out ?
-
How long after you turn the 4wd off does it go into low voltage alarm ??
Sounds like a low voltage setting in the fridge is way out ?
Alarm goes off the first time it tries to run the compressor. Limit is set at 10.9
-
looks like you need too take it back - good luck on the replacement
-
looks like you need too take it back - good luck on the replacement
Thanks. I'll report back.
-
Alarm goes off the first time it tries to run the compressor. Limit is set at 10.9
??? Is this after you turn the 4wd off ? what happens if the compressor ( fridge ) is running, then you turn off the 4wd ? if it is 30 secs like you hinted at before somewhere, then the low voltage limit is somehow locked at approx 12.8V or there abouts ?? if thats the case, then faulty fridge, take it back and exchange it..
-
Thats a real bugger.
How long have you got left on the island?
Regards
-
Thats a real bugger.
How long have you got left on the island?
Regards
Leaving on Friday. It's been three weeks
-
Any further news
GG
-
Where did you camp on straddie kiwi?
-
Camped at Flinders. Took that fridge back, ordered a Evakool, now that one won't cool even on 240v (see Evakool thread)
-
Maybe change your forum name to "Passion Fingers" ????????????