Coleman 12v cooler extension cord

[sassypickins]

I have a Coleman 12v cooler I got for free. I know it's an energy hog and I'm saving for a 12v compressor fridge, but I could use this for my upcoming month-long road trip. I can run it off the van battery while driving and unplug it at night. I'll get ice in Quartzsite for when I'm parked at RTR. I don't have a house battery.

I'm making a 1" thick polyiso casing except over the fan housing and a perforated air circulator thingamajiggie for the inside. (And I think I can adjust this casing to fit the compressor fridge when I get it.) It doesn't cool more than about 40 or 50 degrees below ambient temperature, but would you agree that shouldn't be a problem for this trip from Oregon?

I want to find out if this diy extension cord someone rigged up to this cooler is going to be ok. The original set up was an 18 AWG w/a reversible plug for cooling or heating.


I just want cooling. This cord is better @ 16 AWG, but is 13' long, which is about right for placement in my van. Will that length drop current enough to cause any problem? Should I buy 14 AWG?


It has this ciggie plug but I don't know if there is a fuse inside. Should I replace this plug with a better one and if so, what would you recommend?


It has these female connectors on the other end. Are they sufficient or should I replace them and with what?


They plug into this, coming out of the fridge.


Do I plug the neutral (printed, ridged) side of the extension cord to the black side of the fridge wire (the side printed with the blue icon)?

I have crimpers, btw, though not sure of their quality.

Yes, I'm an ignoramus on the subject of all things electrical and I thank you all in advance for your kind help.

 

[Tkdplayer]

Is anyone else running this cooler. I mean how much more power does it use ? I want to have power for a fridge and my fantastic fan that's about it. If you have a house battery and a solar panel wouldn't you be fine?

 

[janncoo]

Try unscrewing the silver tip on the ciggy plug in. This is where I found the fuse in the extension cord I use for my 12 volt compressor fridge.  Jan

 

[VJG1977]

You did not say what model you have but here is the manual for a coleman model 5645.  

http://r1.coleman.com/Manuals/5645-710.pdf 

It shows "POWER REQUIREMENTS 9.5 to 14.4 Volts DC, 4 Amperes @ 12 Volts DC Nominal"

It also has, "Do not use ice in this cooler. Water from the melting ice may damage the fan motor or create frost-buildup on the inside aluminum fins."  

 

[sassypickins]

This 5645-710 Coleman cooler/fridge uses about 4 amps continuously, so is not recommended for full-time use off-grid. It is not near as efficient as 12v compressor fridges that will cycle on and off and also can get colder.

I plugged into my van's ciggie outlet while driving and it worked great. While parked, I unplugged it and used ice in the double plastic bag that wine-in-a-box comes in (a block fits perfectly), and no water spilled out/no damage to unit. And that worked great. I ended up insulating it with quilted moving blankets, folded double and in a way I could still open it easily enough. Over a month, I used 4 units of ice. Outside temperatures averaged 70F with a couple of 15F nights.

This unit is a keep-stuff-warm or keep-stuff-cool unit. I couldn't tell by looking which way to plug the home-made extension cord into the unit's plug, but if I plugged it together one way I could feel cold air coming out the vent, and the other way hot air, so that showed me the way.

 

[Oberneldon]

If your getting ready for a future compressor fridge then take the time and put in a dedicated heavy duty like blue seas 10 amp fused 12 volt outlet to run fridge. Off ignition for now unless you wire in a auto voltage shutoff. Use a HD extension too. They sell the HD extension on Amazon. This will serve the existing cooler and future compressor. You do not want to have any losses from heat on too small a wire. You can buy the HD outlet that also comes with dual USB charging & a volt meter to monitor your battery

 

[SternWake]

Note that Danfoss powered compressors instruct to not to share a power distribution buss with other 12v loads, but will say to connect compressor controller right to battery, fused as close to battery over thicker copper than is usually considered acceptable wire gauge for the task.

Now Ciggy plugs are never ideal. The wiring leading to Stock Ciggy plugs receptacles is never ideal and quite far from it. Wasting battery power by heating copper wiring is unwise.

Now since most chest style fridges come with ciggy plugs, many people will say it has to be adequate as this is how it came. Well how many people could be asked to wire in a proper power cord vs inserting a ciggy plug into an existing receptacle?

Very few. If such fridges were sold with the requirement Known before hand that they have proper wiring leading to them, sales would take a hit.

So while that fancy Ciggy plug might make you all warm and Fuzzy with its convenient plug and play factor, the Fridge's compressor controller cringes at the thought of such a compromised power source.

Having a Dedicated circuit, A dedicated quality Ciggy plug receptacle wire to and fuse at the battery with 10AWG wire will make for a much happier fridge that uses less battery power to to its job.

In fact, eliminating the Ciggy plug/receptacle entirely is a wise Idea. Something like Anderson powerpoles in the 15/30 and 45 amp flavors are far superior a connection, though not nearly as convenient, and setting these up takes some skill, especially with the 45amp versions.

Read up on Danfoss's instructions regarding powering their compressors. While your fridge might not use a Danfoss/Secop compressor, their recommended wiring is applicable to all and basically states that voltage drop to the fridge from undersized wiring or too many poor connections is the enemy of the fridge.

http://www.ra.danfoss.com/Technical...nit_101n0600_12-24vdc_08-2011_dehc100m602.pdf

 

[minimotos95]

If i decide to keep it I'm switching my coleman to 2 pin SAE connectors, For me the SAE plug is a good compromise between rarer connectors that can't be found locally and the weak but more common cigarette lighter plug. I've had the rescued Coleman running for a week now and it hasn't risen above 40f, granted the highest ambient temp was 79f.

 

[LeeRevell]

I read the reviews on many of these 12VDC coolers, and some said they did indeed have trouble with the 12VDC auto plug, being too light duty for this unit. It's not hard to switch to a heavy duty cord and plug, and a heavy duty socket wired to the battery.

 

[sassypickins]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and advice.