Engel Wiring @ ExplorOz

AnswerID: 5398 Submitted: Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00

Willie replied:

Sam, It is a matter of personal choice. You can run the Engel through the cigarette lighter socket or you can hardwire it onto the battery. With the latter you can add an in-line fuse if you wish. You can hardwire the fridge through your vehicles' fuse box. I have the latest 32 litre Engel and it works well through the cigarette lighter. I may still hardwire it through the fuse box. My previous 15 litre Engel gave me 17 years service without problems although the plastic body had to be modified after being smashed on the Canning Stock Route.That fridge is still working. Cheers, Willie

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AnswerID: 5399 Submitted: Sunday, Aug 04, 2002 at 00:00

Member - Nigel replied:

I personally wouldn't rely on a cigarette lighter socket to keep an electrical connection in a vehicle that is going offroad. I ran a twin 6mm cable from my aux battery (fused at the battery) to the rear of my vehicle and then use a inline plug.

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AnswerID: 5405 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

Mark replied:

Sam,
I have the same setup as Nigel and would strongly recommend it over using the vehicles ciq lighter socket. Before I put in the heavier cable the voltage drop was so great on the ciq lighter and extension cable that the fridge refused to work after one day. After installing good quality low loss cable the same fridge runs for 2 to 3 days now. I use the britax type plugs as they make a much better electrical connection, boat shops usually carry a good selection of connectors for 12 volt. Try and keep the cable run as short as poss and place an inline fuse as close to the battery as you can.
Cheers

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FollowupID: 2331 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

Member - Sam posted:

Mark and Nigel, Did you cut the cable with the cigarette lighter adaptor on the end and fit the better plug, or did you tackle this another way?, cheers, Sam.

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FollowupID: 2334 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

Mark posted:

Sam,
I actually replaced the cable on the fridge as well ,the original cable was too light and although only 1.5 metres long it all adds up to the overall voltage drop, the lower the voltage at the compressor the more current is drawn from the battery. My fridge is an Evakool SK60 so not sure how good the original cable is on the Engels. I also made up a short cable with a britax female on one end and a standard cig plug, this is used as an adapter in case I need to temporarily transfer the fridge to another vehicle that only has the ciq lighter socket. Remember to keep all cables as short a practically possible, it really makes a difference at 12 volts.
Cheers

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AnswerID: 5406 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

Member - Nigel replied:

I cut the cable off and soldered the new plug on. I used 50A anderson plugs, which are a total overkill for a fridge, but that allows me to connect the fridge to the battery on the trailer as they are all the same connector.

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AnswerID: 5407 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

Member - Sam replied:

Beaut! Thankyou gentlemen for your input. Much appreciated. cheers, Sam.

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AnswerID: 5417 Submitted: Monday, Aug 05, 2002 at 00:00

tim replied:

You will find that the cig. lighter also only runs with the key in the accesoriess position.
Tim

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AnswerID: 5429 Submitted: Tuesday, Aug 06, 2002 at 00:00

ExplorOz Team - Michelle replied:

Sam, David wrote an article in the Vehicle Setup Feature about Engels. Hard wiring is relatively easy but it is advisable to use a 2nd battery if you are doing this. Take a look at the article here or navigate to it under Hot Topics - Vehicle Setup Feature and look for the Fridge feature. The last paragraph has some wiring tips.

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