Geoff Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Recently purchased a small cooler fridge which plugs into the cig lighter socket. The specification states power usage 3A. ( Assume that is per hour) Concerned I may flatten the battery whilst drifting around / on the pick. It will be disconnected once off the water The battery I have is marine , 3 years old , still in good condition & good readings on the hydrometer. Approx 12" long , with the markings , 160 Minuits RC & 650 CCA , whatever that all means Can anyone indicate what effect 3A will have on the battery charge. Perhaps a rough guess on how long it would take to flatten the battery. Tks Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YUTRYN Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Recently purchased a small cooler fridge which plugs into the cig lighter socket. The specification states power usage 3A. ( Assume that is per hour) Concerned I may flatten the battery whilst drifting around / on the pick. It will be disconnected once off the water The battery I have is marine , 3 years old , still in good condition & good readings on the hydrometer. Approx 12" long , with the markings , 160 Minuits RC & 650 CCA , whatever that all means Can anyone indicate what effect 3A will have on the battery charge. Perhaps a rough guess on how long it would take to flatten the battery. Tks Geoff 160 Minuits RC & 650 CCA , this means it has a reserve capasity of 160minutes and cold cranking amps of 650 3amp is not much at all and that relates to the current draw you should be right with at least 3-4hrs before any effect on the battery causes it to not crank your motor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 U could add another batt 2 ur boat or buy a hand held battery booster pack to jump start ur boat should ur batt go flat from the fridge,these are pretty cheap these days. penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riders Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I'm getting 40hrs of continous use out of a 90 amphr battery while The VB is icey cold too cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hi Geoff If your little fridge came with a 240v/12v transformer, just make sure you have it switched on & totally 'cooled down' at home for some hours before you head out (even overnight, if you can) - then the battery will only be maintaining the coolness (cycling on & off as needed), not getting it cool from the start (using power full time!) It is a good trick for any time you are using a 12v fridge/cooler for camping or whatever. Also, if you are putting beer or other stuff in it, make sure it is already cold before you put it in (or have it in there as it is cooling up) so it doesn't use any more power than you have to! Some big things (if camping) may take up to 2 days to really cool down to 'cycle on/off' mode. Cheerio Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Tks guys for all your feedback. All good points & noted Mine is only an El Cheapo unit so no 240V outlet. Product will be cold or perhaps in some cases frozen when placed inside. Plan to give the unit a help along by placing one of those ice bricks in the bottom Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 (edited) Mine is only an El Cheapo unit so no 240V outlet. You might still be able to rig up a 240/12v rig to cool it down. A 'jump starter' I have came with a small 240v/12v transformer with cigarette lighter insert on the end of it (the bit the ciggie ligher sits in) then there was also the ciggie lighter fitting going to the 2 clips! Assuming your fridge has the 2 clips that goes to your onboard battery - any auto electrician could set one up for you (or do it yourself!) to power it up at home before you head out. Just get advice & make sure the transformer bit is the right 'power' size for your fridge motor ie the 3amp! The little fridges come in handy at Xmas (overfflow for beers etc) when your normal fridge is full of other stuff for guests! Cheerio Roberta PS Marine shops, like Whitworths, may also have something already made up! Edited January 6, 2007 by Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Roberta Tks for your comments, very good suggestion. Over the years I have managed to collect a range of transformers that convert 240V to a lower voltage. Will go through my pile of bits & pieces & see if I have one that converts from 240V to 12V , keeping in mind the 3A Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now