mudrut wrote:

It's worth noting that because of the compressor, the Engel has smaller requirement for startup current. I've found that the 15 amp startup current of the Waeco/ARB can expose limitations in the wiring of some vehicles. All the fridges settle down to draw an average of less than an amp once underway.

BigMike wrote:

Or get an iron man and save some money. Same compressor, same factory

Zagato wrote:

Great, so that's the fridge sorted for Billing chaps Next on the list is a nice big awning Steve, a Foxwing will do, oh and some decent chairs, were going to need a big table and about three of those Bar-B-Q's we had on the plains - that should sort it

Quote:

The nominal current published on the 47L fridge (5.1A) is the maximum current that the fridge could draw. This figure must be published by law but it is not an indication of the current drawn by the fridge during normal operation.

Any fridge with a reciprocating compressor will have an initial startup current. This current will be higher than the normal operating current but will only last for a very short period of time (milliseconds). Once the compressor is nearing its operating speed, the current will be greatly reduced. The compressor in the ARB fridge has a soft start feature so the ‘start up’ peak current is significantly less than for other reciprocating compressors.

It is important to use the correct gauge of wire between the battery and the fridge. This is not because of high current draw but is to minimize the voltage drop. This is to ensure that the customer can achieve maximum run time out of their fridge. (Often OEM wiring for cigarette sockets is fairly poor for running anything of value and hence the ARB fridge wiring loom.

Here are a few comments about power consumption:

There are many ways to describe the power consumption of a portable fridge. Some manufactures quote current draw in Amps, others quote power in Watts and some quote average power consumption in Amp Hour. Amp Hour is a useful measurement because it considers the efficiency of the complete fridge system by calculating the total energy used by the fridge over a 1 hour period. If the amp hour usage is averaged over an extended period of time, for example 24 hours, the average energy usage of the fridge will be determined.

Manufactures that quote average power consumption in Amp Hour will also quote the ambient and cabinet temperatures under which these values were recorded. This is important because it allows the user to reference these figures back to real life conditions. This average Amp Hour value can be combined with the Amp Hour rating for your battery. This will allow you to make an informed estimate about how long your fridge will run for under known ambient and cabinet temperatures from a particular battery

Some compressor fridges have higher current draw than others but they also have a greater cooling capacity. This high cooling capacity, along with an advanced control system and good insulation mean that the compressor will run for a shorter period of time. This means that the average power consumption of these fridges (in amp hour) will be less than other fridges of an equivalent size. For such fridges, it is important that the wiring between the battery and the power socket are adequate to ensure optimum performance of the fridge. In many modern vehicles, the factory wiring of accessory sockets is not adequate for this task.

Pam W wrote:

Not got around to fitting our 47l ARB in the Land Rover yet - needs all the battery stuff doing

I can recommend the BlueSea Controller for battery management, well made, solid and totally un-complicated / fancy. Has a reassuring clunk when the relay engages and is rated to 500amps.

Leeds and MobileCentre sell them I posted up some pics a couple of weeks ago on here.