Fridge temperature

[Holden_man]

Hi folks,
Just a question regarding fridge temps, the boss bought me a temperature read out for the van the has ambient temp and a sensor that goes in through the door seal and tell me fridge temp. Found it very useful to know if the fridge was going.
What it did show is during traveling with the fridge on dc the temp was increasing to anywhere from 10-14 degrees. Does anyone know if this is quite normal. Should I discuss with the dealer as a warranty concern or not? On a side note the dealers auto Elec did the fridge wire in 6mm from the Prado.
I accept they are not as efficient as compressor fridges.
Interested in others experiences.

Thx
Jas

 

[fishinglizard]

What temps did you get when not traveling?

 

[Holden_man]

When on AC it would come down to 0, with the fridge set on 4 or 5, but after one particular drive it didn't start coming down from 14 degrees for about 4 hours after we stopped. I figured it may have taken that time after being shaken around??
When traveling I would put it on gas at every stop, but that didn't really make any difference to temp.

 

[relgate]

Last trip I did was 2hrs on a day around 25 degrees. Fridge stayed at around 3 degrees. Doing a 4 hour trip in a couple of weeks so will have a better idea.
We have always found it best to turn it on (240) at least 24-48 hrs before and make sure all food is refrigerated first (no warm drinks etc)

 

[Holden_man]

Hi Relgate, will be interested to hear how you go, as you mention, we cooled everything before leaving. When we left Charters Towers the temp was 0 and had been on 240v for the week, and after 3 hrs driving on DC (31degrees outside) the fridge temp was 10. That sort of increase indicates no cooling at all, I reckon. Doesn't seem quite right. I don't think it would be too healthy letting food get to 10-14 degrees. Maccayak mentioned in a previous thread that some people put frozen bottles of water in the fridge when travelling. Maybe this is necessary for hot weather travelling?

jas

 

[relgate]

Have you checked with a multimeter to see if voltage is getting to the rear of the fridge?

 

[Holden_man]

nah, didn't check it, easy enough to do now though. Should it also run off the van battery when on DC when the 12v switch is on?
If so, I could try that as well in the front yard.

 

[brookes2622]

Na I don't believe it does. I was concerned about the same thing and put some voltages in another thread ... now where was that?? I bought a couple of gel baggies and left them frozen in the freezer and I reckon that helped my recent travels.

 

[relgate]

Shouldn't run off van battery at all. Mine is wired direct to tug through 12 pin plug.

 

[brookes2622]

Ha! Found it.

http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/2174-Fridge-voltage

 

[Holden_man]

Shouldn't run off van battery at all. Mine is wired direct to tug through 12 pin plug.

Ah well that buggers that idea, will have to hook it up and check some voltage, thx for the info

 

[Holden_man]

Ha! Found it.

http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/2174-Fridge-voltage

Thx Mate, will have to do some checks on the weekend.

Jas

 

[leesy]

I have a question here, would you expect that if the dealer wired the van with an Anderson connection would they have done to the battery, CTEC unit or fridge? i thought to the CTEC whgich would pass the current to the battery and to the fridge?
Cheers

 

[brookes2622]

Na again I think its a direct connection to the Fridge. I am actually going to do that. My plan is a DCDC charger from the Anderson to the battery and the Fridge via a VSR off the house battery.

 

[Hubble80]

If your fridge is wired via 6mm though your Anderson plug you may be suffering from voltage drop. What is the wiring like in your car??? My fridge is via with looks to be at least 10mm from the Anderson plug. I also have a dual battery setup in my Prado using 16mm all the way to the back. Fridge works well on 12V, however wouldn't leave it on there for too long as it draws MASSIVE current.

You might also want to check if there is a fuse or circuit breaker tripped not letting power to your fridge...

 

[Holden_man]

Hi Hubble,
We had all the wiring done in the Prado by Camperland here in Brissy, it's a 6mm wire that goes to the van via the 12 pin plug. The Panda goes in for it's service/warranty work in a couple weeks. They are going to check it for me, so we'll see what they find.
Thanks for the info though.

We don't have dual batteries yet, it's on the to do list though. Also want to put a bull bar on it, but need to decide on TJM or ARB. Haven't made my mind up yet.

 

[Hubble80]

Hi Hubble,
We had all the wiring done in the Prado by Camperland here in Brissy, it's a 6mm wire that goes to the van via the 12 pin plug. The Panda goes in for it's service/warranty work in a couple weeks. They are going to check it for me, so we'll see what they find.
Thanks for the info though.

We don't have dual batteries yet, it's on the to do list though. Also want to put a bull bar on it, but need to decide on TJM or ARB. Haven't made my mind up yet.

I have also had a look at the wiring diagram for the 150L fridge and noticed that the thermostat adjustment for the fridge is not wired into the 12Vdc circuit, only Gas and 240Vac. This means you cannot set the temperature anyway and the 12Vdc heater is always running and won't cutout.

On the bullbar front, I would go the TJM. I have the ARB Deluxe bar and hate it. It vibrates, wobbles excessively and the paint is chipping off slightly, possibly due to poor fitment. The TJM (in my opinion) is a much nicer looking bar as it follows the lines of the bonnet unlike the ARB which is flat and causes shadowing during night driving. The ARB also has indicator and parker lights which constantly fail, TJM use LEDS in there bars. If I had my way again I'd go with the TJM for my 150. I think the TJM is also cheaper. You will also notice that the ARB bars for EVERY vehicle look the same also.

Good luck with the fridge. Hope they find something conclusive and fix it.

 

[Holden_man]

that's interesting,
I suspect the thermostat is not in the circuit because the 12v heater may not be capable of pulling the temp down. Yep fingers crossed Jayco sort it or I'll be pulling out the multimeter I suspect.
Thanks for your thoughts on the bull bar, will definitely take it into consideration, much appreciated. Good to hear you experiences, certainly turns me off ARB.

Jas