12V Refrigerators / Coolers

My setup includes an IceCo JP50 fridge with a 100A storage battery, solar hookups and a 110v power converter because I invested in all the stuff while I had a (RIP) camping van. Renogy 200w solar suitcase will fully charge my battery in under 3 hours after two days of camping and fits nicely in the roof basket with the recovery boards. I pre-cool the fridge overnight before putting it in the vehicle and the power draw is minimal to keep it cold.

My immediate future plans include a battery cutoff switch and battery cables to the main vehicle battery from the aux battery for charging and powering on the road. Just need to measure for battery cabling and ends to knock it out. Heavy gauge wire has gotten expen$ive. Wow!

The camping van was set up with a full RV style power system to use campground power too. :) Lots of head scratching prior to wiring that up. lol
 
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Comparison of Coleman electric cooler vs IceCo JP 50 compressor refrigerator. :) Since I have and used both.

Coleman will get down to 42-44* if outside temp is 70* and it's kept in the shade. The advertised 40* drop vs exterior temperature is optomistic. Also, it's designed to be used standing on end as you can see by the shelf included in the picture. Cold air falls out immediately on opening, so I never used the shelf and kept it set up like a cooler. Coleman will run on 12v with the wired on cord and 110v with power converter. It loses cold quick if disconnected. I used mine in a tent several times at campsites with power and in a Starcraft popup that had an icebox. It was just ok. Cost was ~$100 and another ~$40 for the converter.

JP50 fridge will freeze meat solid if put in the bottom of the box. There's a place to put soda pop or your favorite beverage above the food basket in the picture. It'll handle a 12 pack if you drink two as you're filling it. Max cool in the middle of the box is 32*. Eggs, lunch meat and veggies were stashed on top. I kept enough food and colas for several days on the road in it and never worried. Unplugged, it will hold temp for a few hours and slowly start to warm. It's wired for 12v and 110v with the included power cords. Longest use was a two month east coast tour from Michigan to Maine to Florida and on to Houston before coming home. Cost was ~$400 then. I see they're up to $550 now. Ouch!

Rocky got excited when he saw the coolers. Figured we were going camping! 😁

Hope that helps in your decision making. Any questions, just ask! I'll try to answer competently.

Oops! Just a thought - weight. Coleman is ultralight. I can carry it one handed empty. IceCo is a two hander and significantly more weight due to the compressor and insulation. I can barely carry it filled from house to car, so I put it into the car, then fill it.



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Been using the NEWAIR 48qt for the last year plus. Camping trips, family trips, day trips.
I have it wired directly to the car battery. I did upgrade the wiring to the ARB 12V plug kit, better gauge and longer than the supplied. Have not had any draw downs that killed the vehicle. Longest left on while not charging about 30hrs.

I have used both the fridge and freezer functions. It will hold 38-40deg all day. It does draw a good amount when trying to freeze, so I typical only do that on 120V wall and max settings. I will say its nice to get back to the cottage from swimming and have some ice cream :).
Fun side note. When sleeping in your vehicle, the refrigerator is quiet enough to sleep next to and produces a bit of warmth ;)

It also has its own option of a battery backup. Additional cost.

Scott
 
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Snowbird Tom said:
Comparison of Coleman electric cooler vs IceCo JP 50 compressor refrigerator. :) Since I have and used both.

Coleman will get down to 42-44* if outside temp is 70* and it's kept in the shade. The advertised 40* drop vs exterior temperature is optomistic. Also, it's designed to be used standing on end as you can see by the shelf included in the picture. Cold air falls out immediately on opening, so I never used the shelf and kept it set up like a cooler. Coleman will run on 12v with the wired on cord and 110v with power converter. It loses cold quick if disconnected. I used mine in a tent several times at campsites with power and in a Starcraft popup that had an icebox. It was just ok. Cost was ~$100 and another ~$40 for the converter.

JP50 fridge will freeze meat solid if put in the bottom of the box. There's a place to put soda pop or your favorite beverage above the food basket in the picture. It'll handle a 12 pack if you drink two as you're filling electric coolers for camping. Max cool in the middle of the box is 32*. Eggs, lunch meat and veggies were stashed on top. I kept enough food and colas for several days on the road in it and never worried. Unplugged, it will hold temp for a few hours and slowly start to warm. It's wired for 12v and 110v with the included power cords. Longest use was a two month east coast tour from Michigan to Maine to Florida and on to Houston before coming home. Cost was ~$400 then. I see they're up to $550 now. Ouch!

Rocky got excited when he saw the coolers. Figured we were going camping! 😁

Hope that helps in your decision making. Any questions, just ask! I'll try to answer competently.

Oops! Just a thought - weight. Coleman is ultralight. I can carry it one handed empty. IceCo is a two hander and significantly more weight due to the compressor and insulation. I can barely carry it filled from house to car, so I put it into the car, then fill it.



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Hello: So the last several times I've taken the teardrop out the electric cooler conks out after 10-12 hours on dc power even if its plugged into the galley outlet and the car is running. To test it I put the cooler in my car and plugged it into the power outlet and it works fine. The AC (alternating current) works fine as well. The voltage meter shows plenty of juice on board, and if I plug in my cell phone charger is also shows power coming through. So something is kicking the power off of the Dometic CF-35 within the teardrop electric systems. Anyone had this problem? Thanks.
 
stefanrobin said:
Hello: So the last several times I've taken the teardrop out the electric cooler conks out after 10-12 hours on dc power even if its plugged into the galley outlet and the car is running. To test it I put the cooler in my car and plugged it into the power outlet and it works fine. The AC (alternating current) works fine as well. The voltage meter shows plenty of juice on board, and if I plug in my cell phone charger is also shows power coming through. So something is kicking the power off of the Dometic CF-35 within the teardrop electric systems. Anyone had this problem? Thanks.
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I have a Dometic 55im and have not had any issues. Mostly it is used in the bed of my SuperDuty with the Dometic hardwire kit. One time it hit the internal low voltage trigger and turned off automatically.

What is the DC path in your teardrop? Direct connection to the battery via a fuse block or something else? Just wondering if a spike from the Dometic compressor is triggering the shutoff somehow?
 
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