ARB Fridge Power - Can I run it off a USB-C Port in the LC LC?

[CharlesC]

Hey Folks,

I tried searching, but didn't find anything that seemed to match. Let me know if I missed one...

I have an ARB fridge (~10 year old) that I've moved from my FJ to my LC.

It runs great with a Jackery battery that charges off the DC inverter, but I I was also thinking of wiring it into the 12v system as a secondary source.

The "third row" USB-C charge port is about a foot away from the fridge input and I was wondering if I could go through that, rather than hardwiring to the 12v battery.

I'm not an electrics guy, so it might be a silly question, but I'm wondering if that port has the power to do it. I see cigarette lighter chargers for fridges, so it doesn't seem like crazy talk.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

C

 

[DctrEvil]

When on trips, I plug my fridge into the 12v socket on my Ecoflow River Pro battery (720 w/h) full time. Then the battery stays plugged into the vehicle's 12V socket behind the center console. This allows the Ecoflow to charge during driving from camp to camp, but insulates the starting battery from getting drained by the fridge. My fridge can run for a day or two on the fully charged Ecoflow, and the Ecoflow can top off with just a couple hours of 12V power from the engine running.

I had even thought of using the 2400watt inverter to give a super-fast charge to the Eco-flow, but that can overheat, and seems better used for heating my hot water kettle and other shorter tasks, so it just seems simpler to use the Fridge's 12V cigarette plug.

If camping for longer, I'll take a solar panel to help add power back to the Ecoflow to slow the drain.

 

[EOD Guy]

Not to sure if the USB port would provide enough amps. It is super easy to add a 12v pig tail to the 12v battery (rating of 1 on a scale of 1-10). All you need is a pigtail and a nut. There is an unused stud located under the 12v battery's POS post, red protective cover.

 

[drewby]

I personally like a separate 100Ah LiFePo with a 30A fused 12v pigtail. I’ve gotten 6 days of runtime. Add a 12v usb plug with voltage read out for basic usb charging / checking battery voltage. No risk draining your primary 12v battery.

Wattcycle 12V 100Ah Mini LiFePO4... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSKCM593?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

YCIND 3/8" Eyelet Terminal to... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K32TG4X?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

RVBOATPAT 20pcs Battery Terminal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1XSGV25?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

AINOPE Car Charger Adapter, Dual... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08138GVMH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

20-Amp Lifepo4 Lithium AGM Gel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZLDTRZ9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Seratti]

When on trips, I plug my fridge into the 12v socket on my Ecoflow River Pro battery (720 w/h) full time. Then the battery stays plugged into the vehicle's 12V socket behind the center console. This allows the Ecoflow to charge during driving from camp to camp, but insulates the starting battery from getting drained by the fridge. My fridge can run for a day or two on the fully charged Ecoflow, and the Ecoflow can top off with just a couple hours of 12V power from the engine running.

I had even thought of using the 2400watt inverter to give a super-fast charge to the Eco-flow, but that can overheat, and seems better used for heating my hot water kettle and other shorter tasks, so it just seems simpler to use the Fridge's 12V cigarette plug.

If camping for longer, I'll take a solar panel to help add power back to the Ecoflow to slow the drain.

This is exactly what I do. Easy to take out when I'm not using it. Doesn't mess with the car battery. I did this in my Tacoma for years.

I thought for sure that running it this way would eventually kill my Jackery battery but nope, it still charges to 100%, holds charge forever without draining, and works great. Which is unfortunate because I'd like to have an excuse to buy a new battery with all of the cool features but I can't justify it.

 

[CharlesC]

For those charging big batteries (EcoFlow, Jackery, etc), do you find that using the 12v in the rear seats keeps it topped up pretty well? Since the Inverter only turns on when I remember to press the button, a slow charger that works whenever the car is on might actually be a better way to keep my Jackery charged up... I hadn't thought of that before...

I am a little worried about a hardwire to the main 12v system (unswitched) because I don't want to come back to the LC and find that I can't start... I know there are systems to address this (I had a whole dual-battery setup in my FJ), but I'm trying to keep this simple if I can...

Thanks!

C

 

[EOD Guy]

For those charging big batteries (EcoFlow, Jackery, etc), do you find that using the 12v in the rear seats keeps it topped up pretty well? Since the Inverter only turns on when I remember to press the button, a slow charger that works whenever the car is on might actually be a better way to keep my Jackery charged up... I hadn't thought of that before...

I am a little worried about a hardwire to the main 12v system (unswitched) because I don't want to come back to the LC and find that I can't start... I know there are systems to address this (I had a whole dual-battery setup in my FJ), but I'm trying to keep this simple if I can...

Thanks!

C

You could run a sister wire from the center console cigar lighter outlet to a relay, that would switch a 12v pig tail back in the battery area. That way the pig tail would only be hot if the vehicle was in an "ON" state.

 

[CharlesC]

You could run a sister wire from the center console cigar lighter outlet to a relay, that would switch a 12v pig tail back in the battery area. That way the pig tail would only be hot if the vehicle was in an "ON" state.

View attachment 38999

That might be a good way to go!

I don't have the electrician chops to figure out a schematic, but I know people who do.

Thanks!

C

 

[BigMF]

You could run a sister wire from the center console cigar lighter outlet to a relay, that would switch a 12v pig tail back in the battery area. That way the pig tail would only be hot if the vehicle was in an "ON" state.

View attachment 38999

This is EXACTLY what I did for my 780 WH Anker as well as a 500WH Jackery before that and have had no issues. The only problem I've run in to is that the 12V system can only provide up to about 80-100 Watts/hour if I recall correctly.

If your using a LOT of juice daily then the 12V might not be able to keep up. When I say a LOT of juice, I mean like charging a 700WH eBike battery that just about sucks the Anker dry much faster than the 12V system can refill it, so to speak. That is, unless you run the truck for 10-12 hours a day to put the 700 WH back into the battery to keep your fridge running. In those situations, I run a traditional, heavy duty orange extension cord from the 2400W inverter to the Anker which has "UltraFast" mode charging and will charge at 1100 watts/hour. It's really a perfect option for my use case.

 

[EOD Guy]

This is EXACTLY what I did for my 780 WH Anker as well as a 500WH Jackery before that and have had no issues. The only problem I've run in to is that the 12V system can only provide up to about 80-100 Watts/hour if I recall correctly.

If your using a LOT of juice daily then the 12V might not be able to keep up. When I say a LOT of juice, I mean like charging a 700WH eBike battery that just about sucks the Anker dry much faster than the 12V system can refill it, so to speak. That is, unless you run the truck for 10-12 hours a day to put the 700 WH back into the battery to keep your fridge running. In those situations, I run a traditional, heavy duty orange extension cord from the 2400W inverter to the Anker which has "UltraFast" mode charging and will charge at 1100 watts/hour. It's really a perfect option for my use case.

I use three sources to charge my Delta 3 Pro/EcoFlow Fridge........... 12v while driving, solar while parked and the Inverter if I need it to top it off for the evening or to charge the e-Bike.

If I'm at a "improved" site, an extension cord straight into the shore power at the site.

 

[CharlesC]

Hey Folks! Thanks for all the great answers.

I'm leaning towards the 12v sister wire from the rear seat for typical use, with the inverter (or shore power) for recovery after the Jackery runs low. That seems like a well-balanced setup with no risk of waking up to a dead 12v and no start.

BTW, does anyone here have actual specs for the amps on those rear USB-C chargers? I'm sure they're fine for charging a phone, but I do wonder how high they can go (tablet, laptop, camera, etc.)

I appreciate the help!

C