Location of second battery in 1997 vs wagon

[pathamilton1501]

Most decent car fridges have a cutoff that will trip at a certain voltage...some of the marine batts have 2 taps on them so you can run the fridge lighting of the smaller tap and the car of the normal tap
Optima Blue TOP Battery 12 Volt NEW AGM D34M 750CCA Deep Cycle Marine Dual Boat | eBay
Im not 100% sure if they are internally isolated so draining 1 side leaves the other side charged....check with an auto electrician before you spend the $$$ just to be sure....

The fridge I have is an old Chescold Fridge that im 99% sure doesn't have an auto cut off, which is the main reason why I was asking. I am thinking of upgrading to a more modern one though once I have the money for it. Thanks for the tip though that is definitely something to remember for the future.

 

[pathamilton1501]

any fuse between the battery and load will be rated under the max current the wiring can handle, basically the fuse stops the wires from becoming the fuse and catching fire

No worries thanks very much. Is there a need for one in the battery box as well or do they normally already have one between the battery and the built in cigarette lighter socket already?

 

[Wozza]

yeah the cig lighter is fused form memory its about 25 amps (could be wrong though) pop down to a local jaycar outlet they should have something to put between teh fridge and battery to shut down power at a pre defined voltage something like this Low Voltage Battery Isolator - Jaycar Electronics

 

[pathamilton1501]

yeah the cig lighter is fused form memory its about 25 amps (could be wrong though) pop down to a local jaycar outlet they should have something to put between teh fridge and battery to shut down power at a pre defined voltage something like this Low Voltage Battery Isolator - Jaycar Electronics

Thanks very much, that would be exactly what I am looking for.
I think I have everything I need to get started on it once the car is on the road. Should be a fun little project.
Thanks very much for all your help

 

[pathamilton1501]

Hey everyone,

Another quick question regarding the dual battery setup.
I am looking at a 100amp projecta vsr on eBay and I was wondering if I would get away with using 50amp Anderson plugs and also what thickness of wire and the appropriate what the appropriate fuses would be for the wire size? The aux battery won't be used for cranking at all.

Pat

EDIT: I'm also looking at a narva 140amp vsr, it says I need a minimum of 5gauge cable and an 150amp fuse. How right does that sound and would I be able to get away with a thinner cable?

 

[wamboin23]

I'd be using a Redarc 100a isolator (SBI12). Run 6 gauge cable, fuse or circuit breakers rated at 50amps. 50amp anderson plugs will be spot on.

 

[Andrew426]

Deep cycle batteries dont make for great car batteries.

 

[redvpsenator]

Dual battery set up =pain LOL. Unless you are winching it is not worth the problems associated with it. No one mentioned you need two of the same batteries and they need to be close to the same age or you get problems also with one not charging equal to the other. I pulled one out of my HJ75 cruiser as I do not use the Warn top mount winch now days.
As above you would be better with a removable second battery and solar panel MHO.

 

[Macca177]

You need to get your hands on one of these > NL Portable Power Pack - Dolium Pty Ltd and just drop in a sealed battery - Optima/Exide etc......

I use this for going into the 4by then into the wife's car/boat or a mates vehicle - 12" optima battery I use last about 3-4days from full charge when camping with the fridge

 

[RX25SE]

The fridge I have is an old Chescold Fridge

Is it an absorption type (runs on gas and 240v) or a compressor type (12v and 240v only)?

If it an absorption type forget 12v.
They draw about 7amps continuously and will drain a car battery in a couple of hours. Plus, they will only work when dead level and the 12v heating element produces far less heat than the gas or 240v elements so it struggles to keep things cool. I have one of these and have never bothered with the 12v system.

I would do as suggested in post #6 if it a compressor fridge.