MDH33
Hard Core 4+
When connecting the new fuse block to the second battery, what gauge wire is recommended? Also, can the ground for the second fuse block be run direct from the second battery ground? Clueless about wiring...
EdgeStar Fridge/Freezer 43 qt
- Thread starter Rock Dog
- Start date
When connecting the new fuse block to the second battery, what gauge wire is recommended? Also, can the ground for the second fuse block be run direct from the second battery ground? Clueless about wiring...
Of course there's a scientific answer, and I probably crunched some numbers at the time, but it's been purged from short term memory. I'm pretty sure I wired it with 8 gauge from the battery to the block (back of my cab), and my normal tendency is to drop 1 level from what I determine I need (which means that 10 or 12 is probably sufficient). Everything I run from the fuse block is 18 gauge.
It ultimately depends on how much power you will draw (max draw from all accessories) and over what distance. If it's just a fridge and a radio, then 8 gauge is probably way over built.
If you google 'what wire gauge', or poke around at some of the car stereo sites there's usually a lot of good information about wiring guidance.
It ultimately depends on how much power you will draw (max draw from all accessories) and over what distance. If it's just a fridge and a radio, then 8 gauge is probably way over built.
If you google 'what wire gauge', or poke around at some of the car stereo sites there's usually a lot of good information about wiring guidance.
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
I "think" the answer is yes on your second question Martin but often it is easier to find a closer ground near the aux fuse block rather than running a big ground back to the battery...I'm pretty clueless about wiring too
Missed the ground question...but yes, I think a round trip of like gauge wiring is the best way to go (and its not that much more trouble to run two wires instead of one): red from battery to fuse block, and black from the block back to the battery ground.
Caribou Sandstorm
Hard Core 4+
Edgestar 42 QT refrigerator.....$400.00
Cart Toys installing it.........$75.00
Cold beer or wife's birthday cake staying cool......Priceless
Sorry I read all the notes about ground wire and thought man I am glad I had that installed..sounds like I would have screwed that up if I had tried it on my own....Which I am going to do on the HAM install, can't afford to have Ca toys do it this time...I guess I better go back and read..
Cart Toys installing it.........$75.00
Cold beer or wife's birthday cake staying cool......Priceless
Sorry I read all the notes about ground wire and thought man I am glad I had that installed..sounds like I would have screwed that up if I had tried it on my own....Which I am going to do on the HAM install, can't afford to have Ca toys do it this time...I guess I better go back and read..
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
Chris, It will be great to compare our installs as we use them. I have the old-shool rig, Engel 45, and I'm opting for the dual battery, split charge system. You'll have the new school rig and single battery. 
rover67
Rising Sun Member
Well, my fridge came in the Wed of the meeting. I ordered it on sunday online and Wed after work it was at my doorstep.
I installed it thursday and have been running it nonstop since then, so about a week and a half now. I have to say it has been doing great. I set it at 37 and it stays there, and is pretty quiet too. So far, I have let it run for right at 36 hours straight off of my one big optima yellow top and the truck still started fine... a little slow, but not scary slow. It has been pretty warm lately too and the truck sits in the sun all day when parked.
Anyways, I am stoked, this thing is great. I love having cold water and beer after a nice long MTB ride when i get back to the truck, and with my normal schedule the battery stays charged fine it seems.
So like I said, so far the battery stays charged, but I'd like to build it so I don't ever have to worry about it. I think I want to do dual batteries and a split charge system. That way I can listen to tunes, leave the HAM and CB turned on, and run the fridge when parked at camp. plus that single yellow top is now almost 10 years old.... and i am just waiting for the day it dies.
I saw the hellroaring setup and it looks pretty cool, but the national luna setup looks really sweet.
What split charge systems are you guys running?
I installed it thursday and have been running it nonstop since then, so about a week and a half now. I have to say it has been doing great. I set it at 37 and it stays there, and is pretty quiet too. So far, I have let it run for right at 36 hours straight off of my one big optima yellow top and the truck still started fine... a little slow, but not scary slow. It has been pretty warm lately too and the truck sits in the sun all day when parked.
Anyways, I am stoked, this thing is great. I love having cold water and beer after a nice long MTB ride when i get back to the truck, and with my normal schedule the battery stays charged fine it seems.
So like I said, so far the battery stays charged, but I'd like to build it so I don't ever have to worry about it. I think I want to do dual batteries and a split charge system. That way I can listen to tunes, leave the HAM and CB turned on, and run the fridge when parked at camp. plus that single yellow top is now almost 10 years old.... and i am just waiting for the day it dies.
I saw the hellroaring setup and it looks pretty cool, but the national luna setup looks really sweet.
What split charge systems are you guys running?
rover67
Rising Sun Member
Whoa. I just surfed mud for a while.. my brain is mush. Can you hook accesories to the aux batt on the hellroaring setup? That's all I really want.. is my accesories hooked up the aux batt, and when the motor is running both batts charge like normal.
Marco,
Look back in this thread to around post #36 or so...I "think" with the Hellroaring setup the thought is one battery is the primary and everything runs off it and the second battery is the emergency backup. If you use up all the juice on your primary battery you flip the switch and you have power to start the rig.
I'm back and forth on this myself...I like what sounds like the simplicity of the Hellroaring system but for some reason I've got it stuck in my head that a dual battery system is supposed to be set up so you run most of the accessories off the 2nd battery and leave your primary battery for car stuff
.Plus, it seems to me that having so much stuff wired to just one battery would be difficult at best. My primary battery is already getting busy and I haven't even added an aux fuse block off of it or anything else...
Oh and my Edgestar arrived last week
- The big 63Qt bugger. I haven't hooked it up to the truck yet but I've had it plugged in in the house since it arrived with pop/water inside. I'm pretty happy so far. Pretty quiet. My only concern is the temp seems to fluctuate a bit. I think I have mine set for 40F and it seem to fluctuate around to +/- 3 degress of that when it isn't dead on. Not sure what is "typical" and maybe that is pretty typical.
rover67
Rising Sun Member
I saw that it was supposed to be hooked up liek that but was wondering if it could be done differently.. If it charges both then why not right?
My fridge is set at 37 and it baaaaaarley freeses the water bottles. like a slight crust of ice. don't know if this is what you're seeing or not and didn't know if this was normal for one of these but figured it might be. I haven't watched the temp on mine very closely since it just sits in the truck with the read out towards the back..
glad you got yours though
My fridge is set at 37 and it baaaaaarley freeses the water bottles. like a slight crust of ice. don't know if this is what you're seeing or not and didn't know if this was normal for one of these but figured it might be. I haven't watched the temp on mine very closely since it just sits in the truck with the read out towards the back..
glad you got yours though
Convert
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2005
- Messages
- 1,412
Yes, that is how mine is set up. aux battery powers the second fuse box, flip the switch and both battery's are available for winching
Marco,
What wire size did you use? I'll be wiring mine direct to the battery for now (someday I'll install my
aux fuse block...someday).My plan was to run power back to the cargo area to a cigarette plug. So, wire off battery, inline fuse close to the battery, back to a cigarette plug in the back, then plug in the fridge.
I used the calculator I linked to above as well as this Blue Sea beta version (link) and it looks like 12ga would be best and limit the voltage drop to ~2-3%. 10ga would limit the voltage drop further but 12ga seems like overkill as it is...
For the electrical gurus...The fridge plug has a fuse (not sure of sizing) so what size fuse would you put in the inline fuse by the battery? Fridge supposedly pulls 5.5amp max so should I put something like a 10amp fuse by the battery?
rover67
Rising Sun Member
I have a Subwoofer amp in the rear quarter behind the interior panel that I tied into. It has 4 Ga wire feeding it from the battery with a big inline fuse near the battery.
I went to NAPA and got a box that had 3 cigarette plugs in it and wired that to the amp power wire. It came with a built in circuit breaker so it was ready to go out of the box.
You could Ebay some amp power wire for cheap and add a sub panel in the back of the truck. That's basically where I'm headed...
I bet a 10 amp fuse would be fine, if it ever pops throw a 15 in there.
I went to NAPA and got a box that had 3 cigarette plugs in it and wired that to the amp power wire. It came with a built in circuit breaker so it was ready to go out of the box.
You could Ebay some amp power wire for cheap and add a sub panel in the back of the truck. That's basically where I'm headed...
I bet a 10 amp fuse would be fine, if it ever pops throw a 15 in there
.
Rezarf
Hard Core 4+
Jeff
If your run of wire isn't more than 20 feet or so, 12ga should be fine. I would make sure to fuse it properly... even better is a circuit breaker.
Can't wait to see it installed.
Drew
If your run of wire isn't more than 20 feet or so, 12ga should be fine. I would make sure to fuse it properly... even better is a circuit breaker.
Can't wait to see it installed.
Drew
Caribou Sandstorm
Hard Core 4+
Ahhhh...The fridge thread lives....
Jeff, I am guessing the temp fluctuates because your fridge is bigger?
Jeff, I am guessing the temp fluctuates because your fridge is bigger?
Bigger and with nearly nothing in it
- I didn't expect it to stay right at whatever I set it, just wondering what others have noticed (Edgestars, Engels, etc.) as far as temp fluctuations if they have...My main concern would be setting it to 35F and having crap freeze and explode in the fridge if it fluctuates more than a few degrees. A 40F pop, water, or beer seems about right though
Bigger and with nearly nothing in it
My main concern would be setting it to 35F and having crap freeze and explode in the fridge if it fluctuates more than a few degrees. A 40F pop, water, or beer seems about right though
That does happen. I've had solid water bottles before while everything else was perfect. It seems to happen when ambient temps are hot. Better to have frozen water than spoiled meat!
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
Bigger and with nearly nothing in it
My main concern would be setting it to 35F and having crap freeze and explode in the fridge if it fluctuates more than a few degrees. A 40F pop, water, or beer seems about right though
My ARB has been inconsistent at best, but seems to be worse when the truck is sitting in the hot sun. I just got back from a week camping in western Wyoming, and had it set at 33*F the whole week. Nothing ever froze on the bottom, and the stuff closer to the top stayed reasonably cold. But every fridge is going to be a bit different....
nuclearlemon
Hard Core 4+
for those that have had fridges for a while, is everyone on dual battery systems (it appears so)? eventually, i'll get dual batts, but it will be a while....got to pay for next 6mos insurance, the trip to black hills, roof, etc first 
. fortunately, getting rid of the two cruisers has helped finances quite a bit, so hopefully most will be paid off soon. any length tests on one battery besides nakmans?
i'll be going with the wire the cig liter off the the main battery (p.o. installed aux fuseblock) for now. i see it looks like 12ga/10a fuse should be significant. i will most likely leave it off except for trips. should i block the lid open when not in use to keep smells/mold/etc down?
transit bags are cheap, but do they really make a difference?
waeco owners, what does the turbo button on the control panel do? does it make it cool super fast?
thanks for any help
. fortunately, getting rid of the two cruisers has helped finances quite a bit, so hopefully most will be paid off soon. any length tests on one battery besides nakmans?i'll be going with the wire the cig liter off the the main battery (p.o. installed aux fuseblock) for now. i see it looks like 12ga/10a fuse should be significant. i will most likely leave it off except for trips. should i block the lid open when not in use to keep smells/mold/etc down?
transit bags are cheap, but do they really make a difference?
waeco owners, what does the turbo button on the control panel do? does it make it cool super fast?
thanks for any help