Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Guys,

Looking at the factory plug point in the back of my Patrol, I see that it says "12 V, 120 W max". That calculates back to 10 A. My Engel fridge has a built in factory fuse of 10 A. I have noted that when the Patrol's ignition is switched off, there is also no power in the factory plug point in the back of the vehicle. I have not yet got around to putting in a dual battery system – I will eventually get there sometime in the future. In the meantime, can I conclude that it is safe to use my fridge plugged into the vehicle's factory plug point, acknowledging that the fridge will not be running overnight or when the engine is not running?

Cheers,
Clem

Then fridge draws the max power that that plug and wiring is desgned to provide. Look at the fuse that protects that circuit and if its a 10amp fuse then a continuous 10amp pull is possibly too much. You will also notice that the plug actually will get fairly warm when fridge is running. Maybe its time to take a heavier gauge wire to the back seeing you are considering another batt solution as well. I took a 50sqmm cable to the back and can run my winch from the back if I need to.

Most fridges only draw a steady 4-5A when running, and the Engel is supposed to be one of the more frugal ones.

My only concern is the heat and other issues generated by a bad connection, which is why I have changed my fridge's plugs to small Brad Harrisons.

However, for the short term I am sure it would be fine.

Thank you Peter. That is my thinking as well.

Chris Skinner wrote:Then fridge draws the max power that that plug and wiring is desgned to provide. Look at the fuse that protects that circuit and if its a 10amp fuse then a continuous 10amp pull is possibly too much. You will also notice that the plug actually will get fairly warm when fridge is running. Maybe its time to take a heavier gauge wire to the back seeing you are considering another batt solution as well. I took a 50sqmm cable to the back and can run my winch from the back if I need to.

Thank you Chris. Yes, I will also be using exceptionally heavy gauge wiring when I finally get around to doing the dual battery system.

Clem,

I have a 40l Engel fridge for over 8 years now. It only pulls 2.5A. Its one of the most economical fridges on the market. I have used it in many std car socks with no problems. For extra peace of mind you can change the Fuse on the car sock with a lower one that is in the fridge.

In both my 4.8 patrols I have lost their standard sockets due to the pc boards failing .me and Piet had a think about it and we installed small brad harrison plugs only for a good connection not that we need the amps at all

I've melted one or two of these standard plugs with the fridges on the truck. so I share Peter's concern. But a fuse at the battery tap-off, a relay connected to the "ignition on", a high amp rating 240V switch a proper thick high amp wire to the back and instead of Brad harrison plugs simply good sturdy chocolate blocks and my pre-historic 12V/220v/gas fridge runs well. No voltage drop to the back. If the ignition is off, so is the power supply. Furthermore, I have a switch on the dashboard to turn the power off (override the power-on state of the relay connected to the ignition, but cannot override the power-off state of the relay.)

My typical use, and the fact that the fridges insulate so well, means that I seldom, if ever bother, to connect the gas for standing overnight. As I typically use the vehicle to drive at least a few hours every day, I have learned that installing the second battery will be of very little functional use, never mind the no value for high cost consideration of a second battery set-up.

Be aware of the low voltage cut-out on the fridge. With a normal cig lighter wire to the back you get a voltage drop and as you battery drains you may end up with your fridge cutting out on low voltage long before your battery is close to discharged.

By an large you are much better off running a thicker cable to the rear.