Fridge Freezer Question

[Pick Teej]

well my week on Assateague Island is over. the fridge performed excellent. couldn't be happier with this purchase. we were able to bring food that a cooler and ice wouldn't allow and would likely ruin. it was nice not having to run and find ice when the cooler got low because we didn't need it. the weather was high humidity all week and temps were in the 90's. fridge stayed a cool 35 degrees. ran it off the starter battery all week. started the jeep once in the morning and once and night. let it run for 10-15 minutes and it was plenty of power. additionally we piled stuff all around the fridge, sometimes not leaving enough room to slide your hand between the intake and exhaust vents. the fridge never error-ed or skipped a beat. at the beginning of the week i actually accidentally froze our iced coffee and a pound of ground beef as i had the fridge set too cold..... awesome time and a great experience with this product.

will likely look for a different battery in the future, based on what I've been reading, long low discharges on a starting battery is a fast way to kill it.

 

[DanW]

well my week on Assateague Island is over. the fridge performed excellent. couldn't be happier with this purchase. we were able to bring food that a cooler and ice wouldn't allow and would likely ruin. it was nice not having to run and find ice when the cooler got low because we didn't need it. the weather was high humidity all week and temps were in the 90's. fridge stayed a cool 35 degrees. ran it off the starter battery all week. started the jeep once in the morning and once and night. let it run for 10-15 minutes and it was plenty of power. additionally we piled stuff all around the fridge, sometimes not leaving enough room to slide your hand between the intake and exhaust vents. the fridge never error-ed or skipped a beat. at the beginning of the week i actually accidentally froze our iced coffee and a pound of ground beef as i had the fridge set too cold..... awesome time and a great experience with this product.

will likely look for a different battery in the future, based on what I've been reading, long low discharges on a starting battery is a fast way to kill it.

Get a Northstar AGM and then never worry and bypass the hassle, weight, and complexity of two batteries. The Northstar transformed the performance of the electrical system performance on my JK. The JL will get one at the end of the bumper to bumper warranty.

 

[Pick Teej]

Get a Northstar AGM and then never worry and bypass the hassle, weight, and complexity of two batteries. The Northstar transformed the performance of the electrical system performance on my JK. The JL will get one at the end of the bumper to bumper warranty.

this and Odyssey were on my radar as possible replacement. i take a group 34 battery, are the overall dimensions the same as a standard SLA battery? or can i get something a little larger to get more long term AH? any special mounting plates or straps required for the Northstar?

 

[*SOUL REBEL*]

i was considering using odyssey batteries. some people say they are finicky? like prone to breaking internally? how has your experience been?

I have had zero issues with the batteries themselves. However, my alternator is a different story. Ended up needing to upgrade to a high output alternator. I am running a fridge,winch, water pump, and aux lights thus far on the batteries. No issues at all. I do recommend a dual battery monitor.

 

[DanW]

this and Odyssey were on my radar as possible replacement. i take a group 34 battery, are the overall dimensions the same as a standard SLA battery? or can i get something a little larger to get more long term AH? any special mounting plates or straps required for the Northstar?

I bought the Northstar rebadged for Batteries Plus Stores. I was able to get a discount by ordering online, then they installed it at the store, using a device to keep the radio from resetting, which was nice. It was the same size and took no special fitting attachments or devices. It was a direct replacement. It made a HUGE difference over the Duralast Gold conventional battery it replaced, which was actually in good health. It just had barely any reserve capacity for all the electronics I run on that JK. Heck, even the radio would run it down after about an hour and a half. A couple weeks ago, I ran that radio for four hours and it was still showing more strength than the other battery did when fully charged. Night and day difference. It is called the X2 Power battery at batteries plus. It is a Northstar, and I think Batteries Plus actually has a better warranty on it, too. I think the discount was 10%. There is a popup window when you first pull up their web site. I think I paid about $270. Well worth it, IMO. That sucker can power long winch pulls like a beast, too! It will shrug off a refrigerator like it was nothing.

 

[DanW]

I have had zero issues with the batteries themselves. However, my alternator is a different story. Ended up needing to upgrade to a high output alternator. I am running a fridge,winch, water pump, and aux lights thus far on the batteries. No issues at all. I do recommend a dual battery monitor.

Good point. I think my JK has a high output alternator, and I know the JL does. The JK was able to recover the Duralast quickly, but I think it just struggled with reserve capacity. My fridge resides in the JL, btw, because I haven't yet run 12v power to the cargo area of the JK. (It is a 2008. They had no power outlet in the rear until 2011.) So far, the battery in the JL has handled it with no issues. It does have a smaller 2nd battery, related to the Electronic Start/Stop, which I have disabled, but I'm a little clueless as to how the setup really works. It can't hurt, though, and the JL feels like it's got plenty of power for my usage pattern.

 

[1Louder]

I bought the Northstar rebadged for Batteries Plus Stores. I was able to get a discount by ordering online, then they installed it at the store, using a device to keep the radio from resetting, which was nice. It was the same size and took no special fitting attachments or devices. It was a direct replacement. It made a HUGE difference over the Duralast Gold conventional battery it replaced, which was actually in good health. It just had barely any reserve capacity for all the electronics I run on that JK. Heck, even the radio would run it down after about an hour and a half. A couple weeks ago, I ran that radio for four hours and it was still showing more strength than the other battery did when fully charged. Night and day difference. It is called the X2 Power battery at batteries plus. It is a Northstar, and I think Batteries Plus actually has a better warranty on it, too. I think the discount was 10%. There is a popup window when you first pull up their web site. I think I paid about $270. Well worth it, IMO. That sucker can power long winch pulls like a beast, too! It will shrug off a refrigerator like it was nothing.

Also have an X2 and have been happy with it.

 

[Natchez]

Two months since your trip to Assateague, Still loving the fridge?

 

[Pick Teej]

Two months since your trip to Assateague, Still loving the fridge?

fridge has worked very well, used it recently for a halloween party to store jello shots.. it holds approximately 200 2oz cups of jello and booze. important information, i know.

I do have a normal lead acid starter battery for the jeep, and i think the fridge could have damaged it as it doesn't hold a charge as well as it used too. I wouldn't necessarily blame the fridge as much as my own negligence for not getting a proper deep cycle battery. all and all very happy with my purchase and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[DanW]

My fridge has been running non stop since I received it. It has been perfect. When I fix my garage up, I'll take it out of the Jeep when not on a trip and it will keep my beer cold on my work bench.

 

[Horse Soldier]

Considering picking this up..
its stated to pull 50watts, meaning 4.17 Ah.. Could I get by for a week at Assateague Island with only my main battery? cant quite afford a dual battery setup yet. I do have a 50watt solar panel so i could use that when the jeep isnt running. but i would run the jeep at least once a day for 30 minutes to charge the battery back up.

let me know if this is safe or has bad idea written all over it.

thanks!

I have carried a second battery to run my fridge while parked and used solar and jumper cables to charge it so I did not worry about draining my main battery.

 

[reaver]

I know I'm reviving a 2 year old thread, but I'm curious how the costway fridges are holding up for those that have one.

 

[Sparksalot]

I know I'm reviving a 2 year old thread, but I'm curious how the costway fridges are holding up for those that have one.

Im curious as well.

 

[CrookedSoulTX]

Im curious as well. Trying to decide but would love some real world reviews

 

[DanW]

My little 20 quart Alpicool is probably a year and a half old and is doing well. No issues. I've seen them as low as $170 on Amazon. I added foam insulation around the outside to help it out a little, but it runs and runs. It has been plugged in and running almost constantly.

I think it is probably a more cheaply built unit than the Costaway fridges.

 

[T. Stanley]

My little 20 quart Alpicool is probably a year and a half old and is doing well. No issues. I've seen them as low as $170 on Amazon. I added foam insulation around the outside to help it out a little, but it runs and runs. It has been plugged in and running almost constantly.

I think it is probably a more cheaply built unit than the Costaway fridges.

I just bought the LG version 63 quart Alpicool (LG version has an LG compressor versus a generic brand) and waiting to get the opportunity to test it out. It is on sale right now for $369

I want to recommend this product at Amazon

Alpicool APLT60-LG Dual Temperature Control 12 Volt Refrigerator Portable Car Fridge Freezer 63 Quart（-4°F~68°F） for Truck,RV,Boat,Camping and Travel
by Alpicool Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer
Learn more:

Tim Stanley

 

[CrookedSoulTX]

I just bought the LG version 63 quart Alpicool (LG version has an LG compressor versus a generic brand) and waiting to get the opportunity to test it out. It is on sale right now for $369

I want to recommend this product at Amazon

Alpicool APLT60-LG Dual Temperature Control 12 Volt Refrigerator Portable Car Fridge Freezer 63 Quart（-4°F~68°F） for Truck,RV,Boat,Camping and Travel
by Alpicool Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer
Learn more:

Tim Stanley

I was just looking at that one. Im trying to find one that will fit in the bed of my truck with the cover on. Alpicool has a 53 quart thats only 18 inches tall, but I dont see too many others with that same setup

 

[Viking1204]

I had the Costway fridge for about a year and it ran great but I decided I wanted a dual zone fridge. I sold my Costway and then bought Ironman 4x4's IceCube 65L Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer and love it. Now I can take along ice for mixed drinks while camping and hold a lot more food for longer trips keeping some items frozen until I need them.

IceCube Fridge/Freezer 65L (68Quarts) - Dual-Zone | Twin Compartment

 

[Brewbud]

I had the Costway fridge for about a year and it ran great but I decided I wanted a dual zone fridge. I sold my Costway and then bought Ironman 4x4's IceCube 65L Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer and love it. Now I can take along ice for mixed drinks while camping and hold a lot more food for longer trips keeping some items frozen until I need them.

IceCube Fridge/Freezer 65L (68Quarts) - Dual-Zone | Twin Compartment

A little trick if you want ice for mixed drinks and don't have a dual-zone fridge freezer. Fill a double-wall vacuum insulated bottle with ice and keep it in your fridge. I have done this for over 4 days and never had the ice melt in my ARB which I keep a little above freezing. I use the Yeti Rambler 36 oz and a Hydroflask 64 oz. The Yeti has a wide mouth so it is a little easier to use.

 

[murps]

A little trick if you want ice for mixed drinks and don't have a dual-zone fridge freezer. Fill a double-wall vacuum insulated bottle with ice and keep it in your fridge. I have done this for over 4 days and never had the ice melt in my ARB which I keep a little above freezing. I use the Yeti Rambler 36 oz and a Hydroflask 64 oz. The Yeti has a wide mouth so it is a little easier to use.

Will it work for ice cream???