Igloo 12v 4.5a cooler

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

It seems if it isn't one thing...its another. I bought a new in box 12v igloo cooler at a tag sale for $20. I want to be able to plug it into 120v when I can as to not overwork my batteries but it came with no dc adapter. I searched them but they were all $59 so being the cheapskate I am (out of nessessity) I purchased an ac 12v socket adapter that is 10a to manage the average of 4.5a average draw and it works, but it gets extremely hot! I'm scared, should I be?. Is that because of the almost constant draw in this southern heat?

 

[ldsreliance]

Is the DC adapter plugged in to utility power?  Or in to an inverter?  What is the make and model of the adapter?

 

[highdesertranger]

"but it gets extremely hot! I'm scared, should I be?"

should you be? YES. Unplug that thing. This is wrong in so many ways.

1. those coolers are very inefficient.. they are power hogs. they do not cycle they draw power 24/7
2. those coolers WILL NOT keep food safe in higher temps
3. ciggy plugs are for low amp draw items only
5. cheap power adaptors are a hazard in themselves

Way back in the day I wasted my money on one of those coolers too. Also I am sure a lot of others did to. Mine ended up in the dumpster.

Basically I would bite the bullet and get a proper compressor refrigerator.

Highdesertranger

 

[sub2rainEN]

Yes. I bought one of those DC to 12v adapters and used it on a cross country trip, just driving 8-10 hours/day.

One day we were filling up at a gas station and it started smoking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[XERTYX]

Those AC 120v to 12v DC ciggy plug adapters often only supply about 15 watts no matter what they say.

Unless they're the big ones with a brick like you saw for $59.99. My advice would be to sell that "fridge".

As they've said it's not a real fridge. It has what's called a "peltier" cooling element inside of it. It can either heat or cool 40°F above or ambient temperature and it's always running. So if its 80°F today its 40°F inside the cooler. If its 120°F today its 80°F inside the cooler.

All the while its pulling more wattage than a cheap 12v compressor fridge does running in freezer mode. They're not awful. But they're definitely not great. Especially mobile. I would advise against one of these even if you have a roof filled with more solar than you can use.

The only neat thing I like about them is most of these have a hot/cool switch. If you wanted to you could heat up the inside of the box by 40°F so if its 80° it would be 120°F inside the box. That's a lot of juice to keep your french fries crisp on the road.

 

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

Ok thanks, I'm pretty sure I am in over my head now. I think I better sell all I've gotten and put ice in and old cooler and run what I can off those little solar battery packs that are $20 on eBay.

 

[jonyjoe303]

Its a learning experience, but little by little you learn what works and what doesn't, everyone here started where your at right now. You only payed 20 for the igloo cooler, your not out too much. I went 7 years without a fridge and it didnt bother me, I just drank my soda warm. For me its a luxury.
You can find a 12 volt compressor fridge in the 200 dollar range but they are also power hogs. My fridge set to about 30f uses about 20ah per 24 hours, that adds up over time plus it will also heat up the inside of your vehicle. Everything has pros and cons. The only reason I still use the fridge is because I "learned" how to vent the hot air from the compressor out of my van.
Before I buy anything I always check youtube, almost everything you can buy someone has done a review of it on youtube.

 

[PeterPiper]

I have that exact same cooler.  Used it 24/7 on my last recent road trip of 1600 miles and it worked fine.  Kept drinks and food at about 40 degrees.
I've had it for about 5 years.

I agree, the adapter gets WAY too hot, and a 10A power supply "should" have run cooler but it probably was only a 5A power supply no matter what it said as someone else pointed out.
Yes, it's a power hog, but the OP has already told us that her budget is a blank so she may not have choices.

I think millions of them were sold and there have only been a few isolated problems, other than their inefficiency.

KrystalsDreamTrip:  The AC adapter has to convert AC to DC so a lot of heat is generated in that process.  It is safe to run it from a ciggy socket as long as you're not running other things from it.  If you're on a tight budget, I would use it until you can do something different.  Remember, millions of those were sold and people have used them for a very long time.    They are not "ideal", but if your budget cannot afford ideal it may have to do for now.

I still use mine and have no fear of it but I usually use the ciggy adapter.  It drops to about 4.5A after it finishes starting up.
I've left it running for days on end that way.

When you can get a small dorm fridge from Walmart that will be better.   You might get one of those used pretty cheap in a yard sale or off of offerup or craigslist.  They are $80 new at Walmart and work great off your battery and inverter and use less energy than the Igloo cooler.

 

[hugemoth]

I had, still have, a very old and sturdy Coleman thermal electric cooler. I had it wired directly to a 50 watt solar panel, no battery involved. It cooled only when the panel was in the sun. Kept things cool as long as it was sunny and not hot outside. The little compressor fridge works better of course but they were very expensive 30 years ago.

 

[XERTYX]

Ok thanks, I'm pretty sure I am in over my head now. I think I better sell all I've gotten and put ice in and old cooler and run what I can off those little solar battery packs that are $20 on eBay.

Hey I'm sorry if I discouraged you. I think I remember you building a lifepo4 battery from packs on amazon yes? You already have a good starting point.

Please don't give up.  We can help advise you to make a useable system with what you have. I just dont see that cooler being a viable option.

If you're going to be storing food I'd recommend an ice chest over that cooler. I'd recommend a 12v fridge if it's in the budget. Maybe it's not right now. We can figure out a plan.

This is YOUR dream trip. Not mine or anyone else's. Where do you stand on your build right now?

As far as the cooler maybe you can use it to keep drinks cool. Maybe you can swap someone for one of those walmart brand yeti style coolers. I think they're about 40 bucks. Someone might do an even swap for one.

Plenty of people on here get by without a fridge or cooler. Some get by without solar. Some people as you've seen in Bob's videos ride a motorcycle and camp in a tent with a little flexible solar panel to charge their phone.

There isnt one right way to do this. It's often hard to read the tone of someone's post over the internet. No one wants to tell you what to do, it's just that that specific piece of gear can be a big headache. It can leave you with spoiled food and a dead battery with no way to charge your phone until the sun comes up.

Feel free to PM me with questions. I'm not an expert but I know a little bit about a lot of things. I'll be glad to steer you in the right direction if I can.

 

[PeterPiper]

Instead of using those notoriously cheap and hot running plastic power supplies, you can get a much better one for the same or less money.
Here's my setup for running 12v DC items like this Igloo chiller that runs on AC but doesn't even get warm.

A 15 - 20A power supply like this is about $20.00 and FAR better cooling and quality.
Many people here could guide you on getting one and connecting it.  Super easy.  You can do it.
I get them on ebay.

 

[txmnjim]

i will just continue to use my max cold igloo ice chest which keeps ice in
it for 5 days no problem. course' i'm not down south in all that heat either
good luck to the OP, there is always good info to be found here!

 

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

Peter thanks! I was looking at those power supplies... That was probably going to be my next question ha! Ok, thanks everyone. I'm not discouraged and yes this is my dream trip, fridge or not.. I found an inexpensive mppt controller that got great reviews everywhere and my kids are talking about getting me this fridge as an early Xmas present, even tho I even tho I hate taking from them. I have helped them many many times while I was married, so I may make this exception. This fridge got great reviews. Look at this on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/33QT-Mini-...-/174745460977?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

 

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

Someone suggested I get a 200w inverter rather than my 3000w one and I didn't know it used power when not even using it. I did connect an on/off switch at it's power supply entrance and probably wouldn't even use it much. I also have a small 400 w one. Now my biggest task is hooking up my dc-dc charger. I'm watching tons of you tube on this to find the easiest/safest way to do it. I'm not a mechanic but that never stopped me before, haha. I used all 8awg to hook up most everything and renogy says I can use it to install the 20a charger since I'm only going a few feet with it. I purchased 1/0awg a while back for something else but I don't think I need it.
U guys are awesome! Thanks! I'm learning so much.

 

[PeterPiper]

I'm pretty sure you mean 2000watt inverter ?

I have a 2000watt, 1000watt, 500watt and 400watt inverter(s)

I like to use the smallest inverter (actually the most efficient) for the size load I'll be using it with.
I agree that a 3000watt inverter for a small load can be a energy hog.

Sounds like you have the bull by the horns   :thumbsup:

never heard "watching tons of urine" before   :huh:

 

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

It says it's a jupiter 3000w inverter but it also says 1500w peak.

 

[Kristalsdreamtrip]

I have a tiny 700w heater and I only have it for that and I doubt I'll ever use it. I have a propane stove with a heater attachment. It's vented and I have a carbon monoxide alarm. I will probably carry the inverter but not hook it up unless really needed. It's pretty small and fits under my seat.

 

[XERTYX]

The 700 watt heater I would advise to only use when plugged into shore power or a generator.

700 watts ran for 1 hour is 700 watt hours. More watt hours than i use in 2 days normally. A day and a half at least. And I'm not full time. I can carry my stuff inside from my fridge and put into a bigger fridge, or freezer.

Still I use about a third to half in a day what my system is capable of without causing problems.

 

[XERTYX]

Someone suggested I get a 200w inverter rather than my 3000w one and I didn't know it used power when not even using it.

I just wanted to highlight this for yourself others. You can find the rated "self consumption" for most mainstream power inverters in their own documentation.

Many are often massive amounts for a mobile installation. Especially the higher up in rated watts you go.

For a small self sustaining island or any other stationary off grid location its negligible. Especially cuz they'll probably have a solar farm. And dozens of batteries. 

Didnt Ben Franklin say a penny saved is a penny earned?

 

[PeterPiper]

I agree. That 700watt heater is not feasible for a small vehicle solar setup. That's even a lot for an alternator.

A small propane or my hands down favorite, a diesel heater is the way to go if you're going to encounter cold temps.