Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Coming into summer and with my short commute to work, my second battery/s is going to be coping a hiding from the fridge that lives on the back of the ute (waeco CF50).

Currently I have a factory starting battery (which I think is on the way out) and a pair of big cat batteries in parallel under the tray. They are currently hooked into the charging system via a TJM dual battery system/isolater.

What I am looking at doing is setting up a battery charger in the garage so that I can top up the second battery overnight to ensure that my food/drinks stay cold during the day/s.

Looking at the following battery charger http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... BCATID=295" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is it safe to connect this charger without turning off the fridge? If the compressor kicks in and runs the fridge while the charger is connected will it damage anything? My brain says no, but thought I would ask here to confirm.

yeah mate. thats all good to do. i have the same charger, and its hooked up to my battery system. no problems so far.

As long as there is a battery connected to the charger all your fridge will see is a charging battery (as with a normal alternator). Most chargers have an unregulated output and it would not be wise to use the battery charger as a power supply (only) to the fridge.

Mudzuki wrote: What I am looking at doing is setting up a battery charger in the garage so that I can top up the second battery overnight to ensure that my food/drinks stay cold during the day/s.

Am I missing something?

WHy can't you just plug your fridge into the 240 when you put the car in the garage each night. It's just as easy as connecting a battery charger up each night.

T_Diesel wrote:Am I missing something?

WHy can't you just plug your fridge into the 240 when you put the car in the garage each night. It's just as easy as connecting a battery charger up each night.

The fridge is in a steel cage on the back of the ute, which makes accessing the plug a pain. The charger also has the added benefit of making sure the batteries are topped up prior to big trips.

And as for ease of connection, the charger is supplied with a pair of leads with eye terminals that can be permanently connected, and with a snap fitting to the charger.

Thanks everyone.