Fridge on OEM battery - impossible?

[DarkAardvark]

A lot of truth to this. Cheaper for sure and depending on temps the ice does last a while with today's coolers. I did a week long camp out in Colorado last june and if you use block ice it lasts a long time. Not sure what ICE FORM is, I'll look it up.

The problem with it is we had a 120qt cooler and about a 1/3 of it was ice. So you need a bigger cooler which obviously takes up space. If I knew I was going to take my jeep trailer then space isnt an issue and a regular cooler would be the deal. Then again that freaking cooler was HEAVY! lol

Another plus for a regular cooler is there is just something about beer coming out of an ICED cooler that no refrigerator can match.

I have a 74q pelican cooler and it's been keeping ice as ice since I filled it this past Sunday. It's been sitting outside in full sun since then. When it gets too warm, I'll just dump another bag in from the gas station. Jeeps need gas, gas stations have ice.

This guy traveled around Africa and has some tips on how he ran the electrical in his JK




I figure this may help some?

Sponsored

 

[twisty]

I bought a 37 qt snomaster and rail system. The 12v rear plug wont run the system, yet it's not dead. Not sure what the deal is. It runs in my pickup so the cord and fridge arent at issue. Must draw to much?? For now I have it running off the inverter and it works just fine.

It has me wondering if running off the AC might be more efficient anyway?? Regardless I'm running another 12v line to back to it to feed the fridge and the ARB going in,

 

[calemasters]

I just bought a Yeti cooler. 10 pounds of ice last 4 days.

 

[Paul19JLR]

I bought this a couple years ago. Runs our Dometic with no problems. The 12volt port in the Jeep is not a heavy enough gauge.

 

[tonygiotta]

So a few posts have touched on it, but I don’t think the pieces have been fully put together for those not comfortable with automotive wiring. The problem most are experiencing with the factory 12V outlet in the cargo area is due to a combination of voltage drop, and the fridge’s cut-out setting. 12V wiring has significant voltage drop compared to the household wiring we’re all more familiar with. Especially when smaller gauge wiring is used.

Say for example your battery is charged to 12.5V and your ignition is off. Power is sent to your fridge via the factory wiring. Due to voltage drop, maybe only 12.0V makes it to the outlet. This is what your fridge sees and bases its cut-out decision upon. While attempting to cool, your battery gets drawn down to 12.3V, but your fridge now only sees 11.8V at its end, and it shuts down to protect your battery. It doesn’t know your battery still has 12.3V, it only knows that its not receiving enough power to continue running.

The heavier gauge your wiring is, the less it suffers from voltage drop. This is why kits like the ARB outlet kit help. This is a case where bigger (wire) is definitely better. May be overkill, but I like welding cable myself.

 

[Mr. Curti]

I have been running mine off the factory cig plug in the back and haven’t had any problems thus far. 10ish hours without starting the motor, no problem.

 

[twisty]

I have the snomaster LS36 and it wont run off the rear outlet.

I was thinking of installing a separate battery but didnt want to do it under the hood or in the cab. I'm wondering if putting it under the vehicle would work Is there any disadvantage to having it there such as water crossings?

 

[wibornz]

I just bought a Yeti cooler. 10 pounds of ice last 4 days.

What if your gone for 16 days?

 

[wibornz]

Here is my take, I run the OEM battery. I have the 47qt ARB fridge/Freezer with the insulated wrap. I ran the ARB wiring from the battery to the fridge. I Jeep travel alot and have never had a problem. We did 8 days in Moab in July....... Think 110 degrees during the day..... Never a problem. We have been on many week plus trips and some that are closer to three weeks with no problem. I did leave my fridge on in August and the Jeep sat at the shop for some work for 5 days and the Jeep still started right up.

 

[Gee-pah]

Okay--so this post is long. But the 3.6L JL's electrical system has some twists and turns that make explanation, while by no means hard, somewhat drawn out.

~~~~~~~~~~

I'd like to approach the issues with running such cooling appliances from the electrical side of things. Some better understanding of how the electrical system of the JL, at least a 3.6L model, have emerged since this thread first began, along with aftermarket products, DIY solutions, and changes to how FCA accesses the stock batteries, that supplement the voltage cutoff capabilities of such appliances.

This does not address energizing a cooling appliances from an intra-cab battery.

Knowledge of these facts and changes leave you best positioned to optimize your needs.

• If equipped, the cargo area cigarette lighter plug is by default energized all the time. This means than power can be drawn from this outlet, or this outlet used to charge the batteries regardless of the whether the vehicle is "on" (engine is cranked, or the engine start button has been pressed twice with no foot on the brake) or not. As per the owner's manual, you can change this outlet to be connected only when the vehicle in "on"--like the cigarette lighter in the dash, by the movement of a fuse under the hood. For many of you, this is nothing new.
• When parked, the factory configuration of the 3.6L JL has both batteries connected in parallel. Connecting your electrical cooler directly to either the main battery or the cargo cigarette lighter, will, be definition draw current from both batteries. Similarly, an energy source (a solar panel, charger, etc.) connect to either of these points will charge both batteries with the factory setup.
• In any model year 3.6L JL, when you press the start button with your foot on the brake, the vehicle will for an instant disconnect the two batteries and check the smaller ESS/Aux one, situated out of view under the Power Distribution Center (PDC): the black box in the back of the engine bay nearest the passenger's seat on top.
• If this battery lacks sufficient power, and you own a 2018, and that 2018 hasn't been flashed (I'll discuss this below), your vehicle won't attempt a crank. For argument sake the main battery could be battery big and charged enough to power a hospital: it makes no difference. Your vehicle won't crank.
• If this ESS/Aux battery has sufficient power for a crank to be attempted, the vehicle will rejoin this battery in parallel to the main battery, and both batteries together will energize the engine starter.
• A fully charged and properly working ESS/Aux battery alone, has enough power to crank the engine. You could for argument sake take all the cables off of the main battery's negative post, thereby taking the main battery out of service, and not immediately know the difference. I don't recommend this as a permanent change; I'm simply explaining things.
• If you own a model year 2019 3.6L or greater, or your Dealer flashes your 2018 3.6L with PCM update is TSB 18-092-19, the logic your 3.6L follows to crank your engine differs somewhat. For these vehicles, if the aforementioned test of the ESS/Aux battery fails, the vehicle will throw a diagnostic code and then, upon subsequent attempts by the operator to crank the vehicle, switch over to the main battery only and attempt to crank the engine.
• As has been discussed prior, companies like Geneses Off Road have designed kits that allow you to replace both of your 3.6L vehicle's batteries with two identical ones, along with a intelligent system that monitors the batteries and pairs them or isolates them based upon preserving voltage on the battery which effects the engine crank. This logic can be somewhat overridden by the operator to use both batteries to get started.
  
  The kit is relatively expensive as are the two batteries one buys to go along with it. The installation is not IMHO trivial despite excellent videos, especially for those less mechanically inclined. And if you haven't turned off ESS, after 6 ESS events under the same trip, ESS will disengage. It will reset itself after the next cold crank of the engine. It does this because if the vehicle detects identical voltages between what it thinks in this case is (but is not) the ESS/Aux battery and main battery after 6 checks done at ESS events, it assumes there is a problem with the ESS system and disables it for the rest of the drive.
• Poster Jerry Jebiruph has prototyped a DIY system https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/ess-dual-battery-management.60034/ that can be configured and expanded somewhat to allow the 3.6L vehicle to run with its batteries as per the factory, or just one (either) battery, or both batteries connected in parallel 100% of the time, and that can make the vehicle think that it's testing the ESS/Aux (main) battery when it's really testing the main (ESS/Aux) or both batteries. It can also allow external power sources (solar, trickle, battery chargers) to charge both or either battery.
• The implications of this DIY system allow you to do things like the following: You can run your cooling appliance off of one battery. Maybe for example both your batteries are charged from the trip to your location. You isolate them with the DIY switches and then run your cooling appliance off the main battery, or the ESS/Aux battery. Heck, run your cooler with a cutoff voltage that would not even let the vehicle crank (but only on one of the two vehicle batteries.)
  
  Then come crank time, flip the DIY switches so that the vehicle "thinks" that the battery you saved is (or maybe it really is) the ESS/Aux battery (all you need to crank). Crank the vehicle and then change the DIY switches to let the alternator charge both (or just one of the) batteries; the former for the ride home, the latter to run your engine off road long enough while in park to charge the depleted battery and continue your trip with the cooling appliance capable of restarting its energy consumption again.
  
  Yet another scenario. You've run both batteries dry. With a power pack you can charge just one battery, make your 3.6L JL think, with DIY switch changes, that the charged battery is your ESS/Aux battery, crank the engine and then change the DIY switches to let the alternator charge both (or just one of the) batteries. Charging one battery with a power pack is not only faster but provides less risk that you'll deplete your power pack of the cranking power it needs. Your alternator (and a flip of the DIY switches) can charge everything once you get the engine going.
• @Martindfletcher Martin your thoughts on wait time for charging a 3.6L JL that won't crank are more than talk. Here's the skinny: that power source you've got sitting on the main battery's terminals, consistent with the owner's manual and factory wiring, is charging both 3.6L JL batteries (see the point above about the factory setting having the batteries in parallel at vehicle rest.)
  
  And while some of that wait time might be necessary even if you were charging your "father's Oldsmobile" it is especially critical in the 3.6L because with the factory setup, that ESS/Aux battery is going to be tested for power all on its own, the main battery and your charging source disconnected from it, before a crank is attempted, all while that power pack is depleting itself charging both batteries, when it only needs to charge one, AND can be part of the 3.6L JLs test of what the vehcile things is only the ESS/Aux battery.

As you haven't spent enough $ on your cooling appliance, and while the DIY is relatively cheap and easy to install, there's solar power, which I will forgo getting into in this post but for the Cascadia 4x4 offerings of hood solar panels.

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...diator-jt-vss-system-30-watt-hood-solar-panel

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...8-present-vss-system-80-watt-hood-solar-panel

As some irony, the Rubicon hood panel, given the hood design, produces less watts than the non-Rubicon one despite the former vehicle being more the off roading JL of choice. (I think some Gladiator hoods have the same issues.) Cascadia 4x4 is releasing a 40 watt Rubicon version just shy of 30." On the plus side there is talk of Cascadia 4X4 supplementing Rubicon power with fender panels, and anyone JL owner can use the cheaper Rubicon offerings of price and needing power and more and less of a concern respectfully.

OK--this is no doubt bound to generate questions. Hit me up with questions if you like. I'll do my best to explain Jerry's linked hack, now that I get it, along with prior hacks he's devised, and the differences between them.

 

[calemasters]

What if your gone for 16 days?

We are on day 10 of our 14 day vacation. I add ice every 3 days. Did not want to worry about draining the battery.

 

[Martindfletcher]

Okay--so this post is long. But the 3.6L JL's electrical system has some twists and turns that make explanation, while by no means hard, somewhat drawn out.

~~~~~~~~~~

I'd like to approach the issues with running such cooling appliances from the electrical side of things. Some better understanding of how the electrical system of the JL, at least a 3.6L model, have emerged since this thread first began, along with aftermarket products, DIY solutions, and changes to how FCA accesses the stock batteries, that supplement the voltage cutoff capabilities of such appliances.

This does not address energizing a cooling appliances from an intra-cab battery.

Knowledge of these facts and changes leave you best positioned to optimize your needs.

• If equipped, the cargo area cigarette lighter plug is by default energized all the time. This means than power can be drawn from this outlet, or this outlet used to charge the batteries regardless of the whether the vehicle is "on" (engine is cranked, or the engine start button has been pressed twice with no foot on the brake) or not. As per the owner's manual, you can change this outlet to be connected only when the vehicle in "on"--like the cigarette lighter in the dash, by the movement of a fuse under the hood. For many of you, this is nothing new.
• When parked, the factory configuration of the 3.6L JL has both batteries connected in parallel. Connecting your electrical cooler directly to either the main battery or the cargo cigarette lighter, will, be definition draw current from both batteries. Similarly, an energy source (a solar panel, charger, etc.) connect to either of these points will charge both batteries with the factory setup.
• In any model year 3.6L JL, when you press the start button with your foot on the brake, the vehicle will for an instant disconnect the two batteries and check the smaller ESS/Aux one, situated out of view under the Power Distribution Center (PDC): the black box in the back of the engine bay nearest the passenger's seat on top.
• If this battery lacks sufficient power, and you own a 2018, and that 2018 hasn't been flashed (I'll discuss this below), your vehicle won't attempt a crank. For argument sake the main battery could be battery big and charged enough to power a hospital: it makes no difference. Your vehicle won't crank.
• If this ESS/Aux battery has sufficient power for a crank to be attempted, the vehicle will rejoin this battery in parallel to the main battery, and both batteries together will energize the engine starter.
• A fully charged and properly working ESS/Aux battery alone, has enough power to crank the engine. You could for argument sake take all the cables off of the main battery's negative post, thereby taking the main battery out of service, and not immediately know the difference. I don't recommend this as a permanent change; I'm simply explaining things.
• If you own a model year 2019 3.6L or greater, or your Dealer flashes your 2018 3.6L with PCM update is TSB 18-092-19, the logic your 3.6L follows to crank your engine differs somewhat. For these vehicles, if the aforementioned test of the ESS/Aux battery fails, the vehicle will throw a diagnostic code and then, upon subsequent attempts by the operator to crank the vehicle, switch over to the main battery only and attempt to crank the engine.
• As has been discussed prior, companies like Geneses Off Road have designed kits that allow you to replace both of your 3.6L vehicle's batteries with two identical ones, along with a intelligent system that monitors the batteries and pairs them or isolates them based upon preserving voltage on the battery which effects the engine crank. This logic can be somewhat overridden by the operator to use both batteries to get started.
  
  The kit is relatively expensive as are the two batteries one buys to go along with it. The installation is not IMHO trivial despite excellent videos, especially for those less mechanically inclined. And if you haven't turned off ESS, after 6 ESS events under the same trip, ESS will disengage. It will reset itself after the next cold crank of the engine. It does this because if the vehicle detects identical voltages between what it thinks in this case is (but is not) the ESS/Aux battery and main battery after 6 checks done at ESS events, it assumes there is a problem with the ESS system and disables it for the rest of the drive.
• Poster Jerry Jebiruph has prototyped a DIY system https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/ess-dual-battery-management.60034/ that can be configured and expanded somewhat to allow the 3.6L vehicle to run with its batteries as per the factory, or just one (either) battery, or both batteries connected in parallel 100% of the time, and that can make the vehicle think that it's testing the ESS/Aux (main) battery when it's really testing the main (ESS/Aux) or both batteries. It can also allow external power sources (solar, trickle, battery chargers) to charge both or either battery.
• The implications of this DIY system allow you to do things like the following: You can run your cooling appliance off of one battery. Maybe for example both your batteries are charged from the trip to your location. You isolate them with the DIY switches and then run your cooling appliance off the main battery, or the ESS/Aux battery. Heck, run your cooler with a cutoff voltage that would not even let the vehicle crank (but only on one of the two vehicle batteries.)
  
  Then come crank time, flip the DIY switches so that the vehicle "thinks" that the battery you saved is (or maybe it really is) the ESS/Aux battery (all you need to crank). Crank the vehicle and then change the DIY switches to let the alternator charge both (or just one of the) batteries; the former for the ride home, the latter to run your engine off road long enough while in park to charge the depleted battery and continue your trip with the cooling appliance capable of restarting its energy consumption again.
  
  Yet another scenario. You've run both batteries dry. With a power pack you can charge just one battery, make your 3.6L JL think, with DIY switch changes, that the charged battery is your ESS/Aux battery, crank the engine and then change the DIY switches to let the alternator charge both (or just one of the) batteries. Charging one battery with a power pack is not only faster but provides less risk that you'll deplete your power pack of the cranking power it needs. Your alternator (and a flip of the DIY switches) can charge everything once you get the engine going.
• @Martindfletcher Martin your thoughts on wait time for charging a 3.6L JL that won't crank are more than talk. Here's the skinny: that power source you've got sitting on the main battery's terminals, consistent with the owner's manual and factory wiring, is charging both 3.6L JL batteries (see the point above about the factory setting having the batteries in parallel at vehicle rest.)
  
  And while some of that wait time might be necessary even if you were charging your "father's Oldsmobile" it is especially critical in the 3.6L because with the factory setup, that ESS/Aux battery is going to be tested for power all on its own, the main battery and your charging source disconnected from it, before a crank is attempted, all while that power pack is depleting itself charging both batteries, when it only needs to charge one, AND can be part of the 3.6L JLs test of what the vehcile things is only the ESS/Aux battery.

As you haven't spent enough $ on your cooling appliance, and while the DIY is relatively cheap and easy to install, there's solar power, which I will forgo getting into in this post but for the Cascadia 4x4 offerings of hood solar panels.

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...diator-jt-vss-system-30-watt-hood-solar-panel

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...8-present-vss-system-80-watt-hood-solar-panel

As some irony, the Rubicon hood panel, given the hood design, produces less watts than the non-Rubicon one despite the former vehicle being more the off roading JL of choice. (I think some Gladiator hoods have the same issues.) Cascadia 4x4 is releasing a 40 watt Rubicon version just shy of 30." On the plus side there is talk of Cascadia 4X4 supplementing Rubicon power with fender panels, and anyone JL owner can use the cheaper Rubicon offerings of price and needing power and more and less of a concern respectfully.

OK--this is no doubt bound to generate questions. Hit me up with questions if you like. I'll do my best to explain Jerry's linked hack, now that I get it, along with prior hacks he's devised, and the differences between them.

I eventually put a redarc and AAL battery kit in the rear. Now with covid and less driving I still plug the jeep into a battery charger and just have redarc on all the time.

 

[twisty]

I eventually put a redarc and AAL battery kit in the rear. Now with covid and less driving I still plug the jeep into a battery charger and just have redarc on all the time.

what model redarc did you get? And what is AAL battery kit?

 

[Martindfletcher]

what model redarc did you get? And what is AAL battery kit?

https://americanadventurelab.com/product/odyssey-pc1100-battery-mount/

https://redarcelectronics.com/products/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

If I had do it over again I would have skipped the solar input as panel already has the regulation built in.

 

[DanW]

I've been running mine for 2 years off the cig plug in the back. Never an issue. It is a Snomaster LS 35.

More recently, though, I've used a Jackery 240 to run it at night, then during the day, the Jackery charges on the Jeep's 12v. It has charge-through capability, so when the Jeep is running, it is charging the Jackery and running the fridge at the same time. When the engine shuts off, the Jackery powers the fridge. On its own, the Jackery can run the fridge at 35 degrees for about 20 hours.

I bought the Jackery after spending 3 days at Oshkosh last year, where the Jeep wasn't even started, so I needed an alternate power source so as not to stress the jeep's batteries or have the fridge shuf off due to low voltage.

I've also since added a portable 60w Jackery solar panel. On a sunny or even partly cloudy day, it charges the 240 quicker than the fridge depletes it. So by nighttime the Jackery is at 100%. By morning, it is just under 50%. That's set at 35 degrees.

The Snomaster has a proprietary compressor that they claim is more efficient and durable than the danfoss units in others. I'm not sure if it really is more efficient, or not, but they do back it with a 5 year warranty which is the best I've seen. That fridge, btw, runs in my garage when not in the Jeep. These things are amazing. I'll NEVER go back to a cooler with ice.

Sponsored