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1300 898 202
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Camping Fridge Hire - Tips and Tricks
Portable fridges have changed the way we camp, but a few tips and tricks can greatly increase the life of your batteries. For long trips a fridge means you can always have good quality food that you know has been frozen and a never ending supply of cool drinks, even in the hottest areas of Australia. On shorter trips it means not having to worry about sourcing and maintaining ice. We hire the EvaKool range of fridges for their durability, strength and insulation. These tips however apply to any portable electric fridge.
Power
Probably the most common cause for fridge problems is a poor power supply or poor electrical connections. A poor electrical supply or connection will result in a loss of current and additional power drain as well as the fridge not working to its optimum. Typically most cars, even with dedicated power outlets do not have suitable wiring from the factory within the vehicle to run a fridge efficiently. Plugging a fridge into the cigarette lighter socket can easily blow a fuse or damage the wiring in the car. Our rental 4wds all have dedicated heavy 8 gauge wiring for the fridge outlets running direct from the auxiliary battery. This heavier wiring reduces voltage loss therefore reducing overall current drain and allowing the fridge to run at its most effective.
Most 12V electric fridges have dual modes, when running on batteries switch the fridge to economy mode to reduce current drain.
Ensure the 12V plug is seated well into the power outlet, especially after driving on corrugated or rough tracks.
When in a powered site make the most of it and use the 240V while it is available.
Heat
Sounds obvious but the hotter the environment the harder the fridge needs to work. If the fridge is in the car try to keep the car in the shade wherever possible, a vehicle in the sun can quickly exceed 55deg C. When the fridge is out of the car also try to keep it in a shaded area with good ventilation around the heat exchanger.
Fridge Use
Before you head off on your trip pack your fridge with your supplies and pre chill the fridge when running on 240V. A well packed fridge helps to retain the cold, loose space in the fridge can cause a loss of cold air to escape every time it is opened. Once on your trip if power drain is a concern try not to use your fridge any more than necessary, constantly opening and closing the fridge massively increases power drain. One way to help with this is to use an esky with your day to day items and save the fridge for the frozen and long term supplies. You can keep a couple of bottles of water, or other fluids in the fridge that stay frozen that you can rotate into the esky each day. For long trips we use techni-ice which is a very effective medium to move from your fridge to your esky and chills well below zero degrees.
Vehicle Dual battery Systems
All our 4wd hire vehicles are fitted with dual battery systems. The fridge and other accessories run off the auxiliary battery. This battery will provide between 1-2 days of fridge power, the vehicles cranking battery is isolated meaning you can always start the vehicle even if the auxiliary battery is fully drained. When the auxiliary battery does run low a short trip of 30-45 minutes to collect fire wood or explore the local area is often enough to recharge the battery. While it is not as effective the battery will charge while the vehicle is idling, but due to the low revolutions of the engine the alternator is not putting out any where near the same amount of power as when driving.
Camper Trailer Dual Battery Systems
All our deluxe hire camper trailers come with a dual battery system totaling approximately 240 amp hours. Depending on your usage of the fridge this should last around 3 days. Note however heavy use with frequent opening on a freezer setting can drain this power within 24 hours. Our camper trailers also come with an anderson plug connection for charging the trailers batteries from our 4wd hire vehicles when moving between camping sites.
Anderson Plug Connection for trailer charging via the vehicle
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1300 898 202 getmeouttahere@rentarig.com.au |
