Powering dometic fridge

[hjdca]

Hello, i recently bought a dometic fridge and i havent use it yet because im still trying to figure out how im going to power it. Dometic offers a hardwiring kit that will provide constant power from the battery when in out camping and that’s the option im might go with….

My question to those running hardwiring kit is…
How long the jeep battery will keep the fridge running before it drops the jeep battery voltage low? I just want to have a rough idea what to expect from the battery itself.
I know a jackery is an option to have that extra power source. I usually camp for two nights.

I am running an Engel 35 with the new BLUETTI Portable Power Station EB70S 800W (Peak 1400W) Solar Generator 716Wh Backup LiFePo4 Battery - 2500 cycles or so. I have the fridge running full time with a portable setup because we still need the full bed once in a while. I plug in both the AC and DC into the Engel - using the AC plut in the bed. When the AC is running in the bed, it runs both the Engel and charges the Bluetti battery (using 200 watts for battery charging and 30 watts or so for the fridge). When the truck shuts off, the Engel switches automatically to DC. I really like the setup and have done some heavy 4wheeling with it already. Here are some pics.

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[Blade1668]

Late to this thread, I have been running a fridge for over a year non stop in my JT until a few months back it was running off of the main battery (starting) but with a 85 w solar system on hood. It was good to go for up to 2 days with out starting easy. I did have a oh crap moment after not driving or starting it for 4-5 days and in and out of the JT. Rainy weather the whole time not any solar charge, I had to jump start.
So if you start up and run it for awhile each day you should be good.
Now for a "common man" "Jackery" as noted; a trolling motor battery and box with a few 12v outlets your out $100 or less maybe.

 

[zxd9]

Here's what I did. I put a 3 way On-Off-On switch in the bed of the truck. One ON leg gets power from the main battery. One ON leg gets power from a Bluetti EB70 battery. When I'm driving I select truck power to conserve the Bluetti. When I'm in camp I plug in the Bluetti and select it for power. Best of both worlds. I also followed this same methodology for some of my lighting on the bed rack.

At house temperatures the Bluetti will power a Dometic CFX3 55IM for over 2.5 days.

 

[hjdca]

Here's what I did. I put a 3 way On-Off-On switch in the bed of the truck. One ON leg gets power from the main battery. One ON leg gets power from a Bluetti EB70 battery. When I'm driving I select truck power to conserve the Bluetti. When I'm in camp I plug in the Bluetti and select it for power. Best of both worlds. I also followed this same methodology for some of my lighting on the bed rack.

At house temperatures the Bluetti will power a Dometic CFX3 55IM for over 2.5 days.

Are you sure you need a switch ? On the Engel I have, I plug in the Bluetti DC cord into the Engel, and plug in the Engel AC cord into the back of the truck (115 Volt plug). The Bluetti charging cord is always plugged into the truck 115 volt plug along with the Engel (I use an octopus on the plug). The Engel always uses AC first when it is on, so, when the truck is running, it is running the Engel and also charging the Bluetti. When the truck is off, the Engel draws the DC from the Bluetti. The Bluetti never charges and discharges at the same time.

 

[zxd9]

Are you sure you need a switch ? On the Engel I have, I plug in the Bluetti DC cord into the Engel, and plug in the Engel AC cord into the back of the truck (115 Volt plug). The Bluetti charging cord is always plugged into the truck 115 volt plug along with the Engel (I use an octopus on the plug). The Engel always uses AC first when it is on, so, when the truck is running, it is running the Engel and also charging the Bluetti. When the truck is off, the Engel draws the DC from the Bluetti. The Bluetti never charges and discharges at the same time.

I don't have the 115v in the back of my truck or that would work great.

 

[Newlife]

Going through this myself currently. I am moving my battleborn 100ah lithium from the 4Runner to the bed of the gladiator. My solution a very low profile box that will house all the dual battery components in it (battery) red arc bcdc 1240d victron manager, and shore charger. In the 4Runner during the summer this allowed our fridge to be plugged in over 9 days without draining the battery out. I believe we were at 12% at the end of the test. This was sitting in the driveway not being started or moved at all. It’s a big expense but we’ll worth it if you spend more than 2 days out. The awesome thing about the redarc vs the jackery is that in 2+ hours the battery is from zero charge to 100%. Easily achieved in a days worth of trail riding or moving from one camp to the next. And with that power we were able to utilize a heated blanket for 10 hours of the night with the addition of a 500w inverter. The inverter has since been replaced with a 1500w inverter with 3000 peak to power some more high draw electronics my wife brings with her (hair dryer)

 

[zxd9]

I went the dual option route. I put an electrical box in with a DPDT switch. I plug my fridge into a cigarette outlet on the box and then select the power source. It can be either the truck battery while I'm driving or a Bluetti EB70 when I'm at my destination.

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