Bongo Fury

Hi

I'm thinking of buying a Waeco CF26 and was wondering if these will run happily off of the rear 12 volt socket or if I need to beef up the wiring at all? I am also looking at switching the blinds and lights over to the leisure battery and adding an additional 12 volt socket to the drivers side anyway so could run this through a dedicated fuse for the fridge if that is a better option?

Thanks for the help

Alan

IIRC the wiring to the rear socket isn't as good as the rest so you would probably need to improve it. A dedicated run would probably be better. For our coolbox I ended up changing the connector as the cigarette lighter plug got really hot when used continuously.

sotal wrote:IIRC the wiring to the rear socket isn't as good as the rest so you would probably need to improve it. A dedicated run would probably be better. For our coolbox I ended up changing the connector as the cigarette lighter plug got really hot when used continuously.

Yup, for efficiency you want to avoid under-rated wiring and ciggie connectors that give poor electrical connection.

OK thanks for that. So what sort of connector did you switch to? Any recommendations on the size of automotive wiring and fuse I should use with a new run?

I switched to a radio controlled car type connector as I had some spare but if I'm honest it isn't really up to the job.

I need something a bit better - if anyone else can recommend a suitable plug and socket I'd be interested too!

I think mine is called a DIN connector? Or is it one of these

http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse ... gs-sockets

would something like this do the job, rated at 20A?

Fridges are best wired in direct to the LB with a fuse at the battery end, if you need a switch as well then fit as required. Going via ANY of the standard automotive connectors is not recommended as the voltage drop in the cabling, extra fuses, and the actual connector will lower the performance.
Cabling should be a minimum of 3mm Sq or 27.5Amp rating or 4.5mmSq 35Amp rating as the runs from from to back in the Bongo are quite long, also run both +ve and -ve wires don't rely on a chassis connection for best results.

Thanks Geoff. Is a 20A fuse adequate?

I was assuming it needed to be removable being a coolbox? They use less electricity if they can be kept in a cooler place than inside a hot bongo once on the campsite. Life au camping is not all about electrical connections

At this stage we don't have anything to remove it in to This will be our first trip so the fridge will run in the van off the battery/solar (or any electrical hookup if available). We will be on the move so only stopping in any one place for a night or two.

The fuse protects the wiring itself so yes 20Amp would be fine. If its needs to be a socket then the DIN or ISO 4165 ones are better (rated 12 Amps) than the simple cig. socket types (rated at 10 Amps anyway). Its just that the plugs can often come loose in the sockets and you get a poor centre pin connection ...

Intriguing. I've recently acquired a CF26 and spent its first weekend running off the rear ciggie port. Worked well but cut out (11.4v at the fridge) during day 2 on the site, had been running the stereo a little and 1 airbeds' worth of 12v pump. Would I get better performance wired directly to the battery?

As it happens I will soon be wiring up a solar panel and controller to the battery so guess this would be a good time to run some cable for the fridge. Slightly anxious about doing a cable run behind the trim, having never done this. My van is unconverted. Any tips welcomed!

Yes a bit better performance, depending on what sort of meter is telling you it dropped at 11.4v, you may find that the voltage was dipping lower when the compressor tries to cut-in, it will only dip for a fraction of a second, most digital meters won't even show a change, analogue meters will visibly dip as the needle moves.
When removing the trim, try not to pull the clips out by pulling on the plastic itself, they are spring type of material and will ping off into the distance not to be found again! Use a the proper tool or a long handled screwdriver to prize them out that way you get to put the trim back with clips

I replaced all my connections years ago with Neutrik Speakons - 30A accross each pair of poles, rock solid, very low resistance and positive loking. Love 'em.

Now for size I'm switching some to EC5's ie http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/st ... male_.html which are apparently good for 120A. Overkill, but they work well - just without any built in strain relief, but then they are not locking either.

I wired the sockets with 12AWG and new fuses to the batteries.

Overkill, maybe. But seriously ditch those horrible "ciggy lighter sockets" - they were never designed to be used for more than 5 seconds at a time, and indeed they were designed just to generate heat. Ugh. Add to that, most plugs are completely incompatible with most sockets and dont get positive contact on the pin and/or the sleeve... recipe for crazy powerloss on higher current devices. The "DIN" devices were an early attempt at doing something more sensible, but never caught on in cars despite some use in ca(mper/rer)vans.