fridge power

[REDARC_Ryan]

I do have one question @REDARC_Ryan on the redarc website it says that the BCDC wont charge a LiPo/LiFePO4 battery in freezing conditions to avoid damaging the battery, but is this based off the battery's BMS? or is this a temperature probe on the BCDC 1225? I ask because i was looking at the newer battleborn batteries that have a built in heater circuit, so the battery can recieve a charge at freezing temps once the battery recieves signal vis internal BMS that it is above 32*F.... if I'm going to do this.. I'm doing it right... and the battle borns have a proven track record, and charge cycles are in the 3000+'s... not to mention they're SUPER light compared to conventional chemistry's and AGM's...

100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Heated Battery Kit - 1 Battery

This 100Ah 12V Heated Battery Kit provides you with a low draw heating solution to help you get out there and stay out there in cold weather!

battlebornbatteries.com

The temperature sensing on our BCDC*D products happens internally, when programmed for lithium batteries (Green and Orange wires Joined together) our minimum charging threshold is 32°F (0°C) and this is sensed within the charger itself.



When the charging profile is set for an AGM battery charging profile (Green and Orange wires separated), the BCDC*D minimum charging temperature threshold is -4°F (-20°C)



With the introduction of smarter Lithium internal BMS’s and internal heating elements, some people choose to place an on/off switch between the BCDC*D Orange and Green battery profile selection wires…





This way, when experiencing extremely cold conditions, the on/off switch adjoining the Green and Orange wires is switched to off i.e. -4°F (-20°C) charging threshold and then can be switched back to on i.e. is 32°F (0°C) charging threshold once the temperatures have increased.



Often we have a work around of some sort!

 

[scott17818]

The temperature sensing on our BCDC*D products happens internally, when programmed for lithium batteries (Green and Orange wires Joined together) our minimum charging threshold is 32°F (0°C) and this is sensed within the charger itself.



When the charging profile is set for an AGM battery charging profile (Green and Orange wires separated), the BCDC*D minimum charging temperature threshold is -4°F (-20°C)



With the introduction of smarter Lithium internal BMS’s and internal heating elements, some people choose to place an on/off switch between the BCDC*D Orange and Green battery profile selection wires…



View attachment 194500

This way, when experiencing extremely cold conditions, the on/off switch adjoining the Green and Orange wires is switched to off i.e. -4°F (-20°C) charging threshold and then can be switched back to on i.e. is 32°F (0°C) charging threshold once the temperatures have increased.



Often we have a work around of some sort!

@REDARC_Ryan oh, ok awesome, that was my next question reguarding the batteries such as the battelborn with an integrated heater.. I would assume that batteries such as the battle-born / Weize / Espertpower and a few other have temperature shutoffs in the BMS that wont accept a charging voltage, and literally cut themselves off to incoming power when temps are below their set threshold.

another question is does the Redarc BCDC 1225 have the voltage spike to wake up a lithium BMS from a deep discharge state low voltage protection? or would I have to do something manually if the system were ever to drain below 10v?

 

[CG87]

I like the Arkpak. I put a 120ah vmax tank in it. Charged with a Renogy 20amp mppt, and a 175 watt Renogy flexible panel when camped. When mobile, I plug the fridge and the Arkpak into a cigarette lighter port, the jeep has 3 front to back. The Arkpak has a 150watt inverter, not much, but plenty for the 50qt fridge, Tablet, phone, drone, and Anker battery packs. My battery stays in float cycle during the daytime even when it's cloudy. This set up also allows me to use it in my RV dry camping.
Running the 50qt Arb fridge/freezer alone with no solar input gets me 4 days with 30% battery left. The Arkpak has a 7 stage smart charger and plugging it into a 120 wall outlet takes it about 26 hours to go from the 30% to 100%. I highly recommend the vmax tank batteries. Also the 2 amp Genius on board charger for the jeep starter battery. I have extension cords running to my Jeep when parked at home. It's a hassle, but I'm not gonna be that guy, that gets stranded, if I can help it. Keep your batteries healthy... not only will they last longer, you know they are operational. I'm looking at the optima H6 battery that's out. Direct fit for the Jeep Jk, and is hybrid type, deep cycle and starting battery. 3 year warranty of course.

 

[CG87]

I like the Arkpak. I put a 120ah vmax tank in it. Charged with a Renogy 20amp mppt, and a 175 watt Renogy flexible panel when camped. When mobile, I plug the fridge and the Arkpak into a cigarette lighter port, the jeep has 3 front to back. The Arkpak has a 150watt inverter, not much, but plenty for the 50qt fridge, Tablet, phone, drone, and Anker battery packs. My battery stays in float cycle during the daytime even when it's cloudy. This set up also allows me to use it in my RV dry camping.
Running the 50qt Arb fridge/freezer alone with no solar input gets me 4 days with 30% battery left. The Arkpak has a 7 stage smart charger and plugging it into a 120 wall outlet takes it about 26 hours to go from the 30% to 100%. I highly recommend the vmax tank batteries. Also the 2 amp Genius on board charger for the jeep starter battery. I have extension cords running to my Jeep when parked at home. It's a hassle, but I'm not gonna be that guy, that gets stranded, if I can help it. Keep your batteries healthy... not only will they last longer, you know they are operational. I'm looking at the optima H6 battery that's out. Direct fit for the Jeep Jk, and is hybrid type, deep cycle and starting battery. 3 year warranty of course.

Also with the Renogy 175 watt flexible panel, I just lay it on the roof rack, and I never adjust it. It performs great. The mppt controller does much better than a pcm. Free indef electricity in the field is amazing to me.

 

[REDARC_Ryan]

@REDARC_Ryan oh, ok awesome, that was my next question reguarding the batteries such as the battelborn with an integrated heater.. I would assume that batteries such as the battle-born / Weize / Espertpower and a few other have temperature shutoffs in the BMS that wont accept a charging voltage, and literally cut themselves off to incoming power when temps are below their set threshold.

another question is does the Redarc BCDC 1225 have the voltage spike to wake up a lithium BMS from a deep discharge state low voltage protection? or would I have to do something manually if the system were ever to drain below 10v?

The BCDC*D’s are compatible to charge Lithium batteries from zero volts and capable of waking up lithium batteries which have ‘gone to sleep’

 

[scott17818]

WELL... after a lot of conideration, and looking at my tax return NOT returning...(I E-filed on Feb 21st, and got my state return, & 1st &3rd stimulus payment, but still have $5500 in income tax refunds in a holding pattern... thanks stimulus payments!). I have decided to go with a slightly cheaper solution.

replace stock battery 24F stock toyota battery with either a Group 31M X2 battery100Ah ($449), or a X2 group 27F AGM ($369) , wire a 6AWG cable to a 4 circuit blue sea fuse box in the passenger side bed cubby, and put a 12v cig plug, and 2 USB outlets up high just below the track system on my tacoma. for now it will serve its purpose.

Later I can add an AUX tray, and the BCDC charger, and move the battery over.... I have a trip coming up this month that I need the power back there for the fridge.. mostly driving during the day, but I need to know the fridge can last for at a minimum 10 hours. and the 40+Ah over stock battery of the X2 should do that.

 

[rsweet]

Running a Dometic CFX 75 on a Renogy premium MPPT with two 100w solar panels and a 100 ah iron phosphate lithium battery...zero issues....runs like it is plugged into A/C.

 

[scott17818]

Running a Dometic CFX 75 on a Renogy premium MPPT with two 100w solar panels and a 100 ah iron phosphate lithium battery...zero issues....runs like it is plugged into A/C.

This is my current setup (just got the new bed rack 2 weeks ago), I dont have anywhere to mount a solar panel at the moment, unless I am stationary (fold out type), or get the Cascadia VSS Panel (85w for tacoma hood).

 

[ProtonDecay]

I have a similar setup: Ranger w RTT, CFX3-75 and this is what works for me:

1) Battleborn 100ah - regular (don't need the heated one for the amount of cold we will experience) - $899 from Battleborn (free shipping)
2) Renogy 40A DC to DC Charger - $170 from Amazon
3) Victron monitor (this was a waste - way overkill for my needs - much cheaper simple monitors available for <$20)
4) 12-way fuse block (again, overkill - a 6-way would have been fine for <$20)
5) A couple of Quick Charge 3.0 Cigarette Lighter Outlet Splitter, 12V USB Charger from Amazon $14 ea
6) A Box to put it all in that I made from scrap aluminum and rivets, some 4 gauge cable (could have gone 6 and saved a couple lbs) and some scrap 16g wire, nuts/bolts. Figure another $50 if I bought all the bits plus a cheap toolbox to put it in.

The box fits (barely) under my retractable bed cover. The CFX3 app will tell you your power usage over time - if you only want to power the fridge then 100Ah is probably overkill assuming you are driving for an hour or two every few days, but we have a couple of BiPAPs that pull 25-30Ah overnight. I watched the CFX app at first and confirmed that my fridge only pulls a few Ah per day (cooler weather so far) so I stopped using the app because I am not comfortable informing Dometic of my location all the time (and whatever else they pull).

At this point I've kind of stopped even thinking about it other than to confirm that the DC-DC charger lights up when I start the truck. Here are a couple pics - let me know if you want more.

 

[scott17818]

I have a similar setup: Ranger w RTT, CFX3-75 and this is what works for me:

1) Battleborn 100ah - regular (don't need the heated one for the amount of cold we will experience) - $899 from Battleborn (free shipping)
2) Renogy 40A DC to DC Charger - $170 from Amazon
3) Victron monitor (this was a waste - way overkill for my needs - much cheaper simple monitors available for <$20)
4) 12-way fuse block (again, overkill - a 6-way would have been fine for <$20)
5) A couple of Quick Charge 3.0 Cigarette Lighter Outlet Splitter, 12V USB Charger from Amazon $14 ea
6) A Box to put it all in that I made from scrap aluminum and rivets, some 4 gauge cable (could have gone 6 and saved a couple lbs) and some scrap 16g wire, nuts/bolts. Figure another $50 if I bought all the bits plus a cheap toolbox to put it in.

The box fits (barely) under my retractable bed cover. The CFX3 app will tell you your power usage over time - if you only want to power the fridge then 100Ah is probably overkill assuming you are driving for an hour or two every few days, but we have a couple of BiPAPs that pull 25-30Ah overnight. I watched the CFX app at first and confirmed that my fridge only pulls a few Ah per day (cooler weather so far) so I stopped using the app because I am not comfortable informing Dometic of my location all the time (and whatever else they pull).

At this point I've kind of stopped even thinking about it other than to confirm that the DC-DC charger lights up when I start the truck. Here are a couple pics - let me know if you want more.
View attachment 196679View attachment 196680

The only reason I was looking at the Redarc BCDC over the renogy, victron or others was that the Redarc is 1 sealed.. it can be mounted under the hood and be subjected to heat/water, dust... 2. it has options for solar charging with built in MPPT controller that i believe will handle up to 200w solar input. and has smart charging ability to handle flooded/AGM/ Lithium, LiFEPo4... 3. keeps the vehicle battery isolated. I am trying to keep my bed/cab as clean/factory looking as possible. this is my Daily driver, and at times need to accommodate 4 passengers.

 

[ProtonDecay]

The only reason I was looking at the Redarc BCDC over the renogy, victron or others was that the Redarc is 1 sealed.. it can be mounted under the hood and be subjected to heat/water, dust... 2. it has options for solar charging with built in MPPT controller that i believe will handle up to 200w solar input. and has smart charging ability to handle flooded/AGM/ Lithium, LiFEPo4... 3. keeps the vehicle battery isolated. I am trying to keep my bed/cab as clean/factory looking as possible. this is my Daily driver, and at times need to accommodate 4 passengers.

Yep, you gotta go with what works for you. :-)

 

[scott17818]

Soo.... bit long winded of a post, but...

I was able to get a hold of a 85Ah Odessey 27f AGM 925CCA. while not my first choice (had ordered a X2 power/Northstar 27f 92Ah 1230CCA AGM - but due to timing, and shipping issues was not going to arrive in time for my trip). So I used the stock 24f tray, you can use a pair of sheers/blade to cut the corners of the tray, and either bend the sides down.. or cut them off with a rotary tool. I then ran a 25ft piece of 4Ga. battery cable sheethed in 1/2" plastic loom (for abrasion protection) I ran this fromt he battery to a 50A inline breaker, then over the engine along the factory wiring harness, and then down along the firewall on the passenger side, and back towards the bed along the factory tail gate & aftermarket pop-lock wiring loom, zip tying every foot or so, I then lead it up into the bedside, and removed the small cubby/inverter outlet by removing the 6 torq screws. I drilled a 1/2"hole in the small cubby, and ran the wire through. I then crimped on a copper lug, and shrink wrap on it.. zip tied the cable to the wiring harness (made a loop with eh foot or so of slack it had (used all 25ft). I then screwed in a 4 circuit fuze box from bluesea systems with dust cover in the back of the cubby, I then drilled a 1/2" hole at the top of the cubby box, and ran wires through to a dual port 12v oultlet, and dual USB 4.8A rated plug with rubber covers (bought from marine supply, so should do well in bedside of my truck in light rain, I do run a tonneau cover) the fridge, and the USB are on separate circuits, and I have 2 spare circuits for my diesel heater, and other 12v items if I need them.

3 day trip to NMW (north maine woods) - my system worked great. we went grocery shopping on wednesday night, got all our supplies, and I had the fridge pre-cooling while we were shopping. went home, and removed the baskets, and packed everything pretty tightly. I was running the fridge at 38*, and the freezer at 3* F. I placed all our food intot he fridge, and I checked it in the morning, even with the tonneau cover closed it held good temps. I made sure to leave spacing betweent eh bed-side, and the exhaust ports of the fridge, and the back of the tailgate. I checked on the fridge at every stop we made (downfall of the iceco system is no bluetooth/wifi ( i supposed I could get a device/alarm for it...) I did find on my second night of camping I accidentally bumped loose/unplugged the 12v (looking at an aviation plug to solve this) when setting up camp (removing items from the bed.. it was disconnected for about 4 hours or so, but the insulation was sufficient.. my ice cream did not melt, just got soft.. temps raised to about 45* in the fridge, and 15* in the freezer... apply power, and within 10 minutes it was back to temps.. average temps on our trek were around 60* at night, and as high as 90* during the daytime

in all my checks on the fridge I always was around 12.4-12.6v when the compressor was idle.. and when running the fridge was reading roughly 11.8v. I saw voltage ont eh readout go as low as 11.4 (with the vehicle off - I assume a lot of this is due to the voltage loss/drop on the 25ft of 4ga cable, and 2ft of 10guage from the fuze block. I had a jumper pack with me, but never once did the truck not want to start. I have not yet done the OVtune tweek/tune, so the AGM is only receiving approx 14.4v, when the AGM likes to see upwards of 14.8v I do eventually plan to run the OVtune/KDMax tune with AGM charge parameters.... for now I will simply hook it up to a smart de-sulfating charger every week or so (& before any trips) until i get it programmed..

we would typically arrive at our campsites around 5-7pm (trying to avoid the blackfly swarms here in Maine..) and setup camp.. teardown, and leave time from camp was around 9-10AM so easily 14-17 hours from engine off, to restarting the engine...

if anyone has any questions let me know.