Plan B
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I made this battery box a few years ago now. For exactly the reason you mentioned. I can move it from car to car. I will put a smaller lithium inside soon.
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/my-homemade-battery-box.146891/
Vehicle Portable Battery Options for Keeping a Dometic CFX 40 Refrigerator Charged
- Thread starter Trailguy
- Start date
I made this battery box a few years ago now. For exactly the reason you mentioned. I can move it from car to car. I will put a smaller lithium inside soon.
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/my-homemade-battery-box.146891/
What precisely do you mean by "controller" here?
IMO that term is properly used in the phrase "solar controller".
Yes quick connects can help one transfer these various components from one vehicle to another.
But a battery properly sized to handle 3-4 days of reliably running a fridge in very hot weather is going to be very heavy on its own in lead. LFP is about half the weight and size, but I would still keep the batt box separate from the fridge.
Any charge regulator device, like a solar controller, mains charger or DCDC converter / charger, should be installed very close to the bank.
And of course panels are separate again.
I believe in avoiding multi-function, getting best of breed for each function, each component sized to suit your needs.
Others with simpler needs may prefer the "easier" path.
Some base their preferences on patriotism, supporting brands from certain countries.
My current reco for many wrt SCs is Victron, for mains chargers Sterling's ProCharge Ultra and for DCDC / B2B I like their Pro Batt Ultra BB series.
User-custom charge profile setpoints are very important to me.
I bought one of these under a different label. Seems like a quality unit to me. Two of them with their own 100W solar panels would be plenty of power for my setup. I need to test it more to determine if one will be adequate. I haven't used mine much yet but I tested it overnight powering my 54 qt. refrigerator and was depleted approx. 60% @~30F.
It has numerous connection options that really simplify electrical system installation. It also includes a 300W pure sine wave inverter.
I plan to completely isolate my house system from the truck's starting system. This avoids all the wiring issues like isolators, fuse panels, heavy wire to engine compartment, etc., etc. Also its only 12 lb. so you could easily carry it and a solar panel to a sunny spot to charge if you rig doesn't happen to be in the ideal spot for charging. Use it with USB lights with built in batteries and you have a very efficient system. Built in MPPT charger so solar setup is a breeze. Tradition batteries might be cheaper but all the extras to setup adds a lot to the cost. They're also very heavy. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-4...m=173843481829&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
It has numerous connection options that really simplify electrical system installation. It also includes a 300W pure sine wave inverter.
I plan to completely isolate my house system from the truck's starting system. This avoids all the wiring issues like isolators, fuse panels, heavy wire to engine compartment, etc., etc. Also its only 12 lb. so you could easily carry it and a solar panel to a sunny spot to charge if you rig doesn't happen to be in the ideal spot for charging. Use it with USB lights with built in batteries and you have a very efficient system. Built in MPPT charger so solar setup is a breeze. Tradition batteries might be cheaper but all the extras to setup adds a lot to the cost. They're also very heavy. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-4...m=173843481829&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
I built something similar to this for an upcoming road trip: https://roofnest.com/diy-portable-camping-battery/
Main objective is for the fridge to run overnight, and for the car to charge the battery while driving during the day.
It's not much more than a battery box, battery, cheap solar charge controller, fuses, and receptacles. I think I'm in about $130. Battery is a Harbor Freight 35Ah deep-cycle U1 size, ran about $61 after coupon, and was the most expensive item. Everything else in the $8-$13 range per item/set.
Compared to a Group 24 box:
Went with remote box approach due to limitations mounting everything to the lid. The Group 24 box was too big for my needs.
The controller doesn't know/care if it's "car" DC or "solar" DC, so it worked fine.
A full battery (13.2v) run my fridge for about 16 hrs on high setting (5A compressor draw, when running) at 32° while at room temps, shutting down at the fridge's adjustable under-voltage setting (11.7v); fridge supports a lower under-voltage setting and an Eco mode so potential runtime a bit longer. When the car is running (13.7v) it powers the fridge and charges up the battery, without interrupted power when the car is shut off.
Main objective is for the fridge to run overnight, and for the car to charge the battery while driving during the day.
It's not much more than a battery box, battery, cheap solar charge controller, fuses, and receptacles. I think I'm in about $130. Battery is a Harbor Freight 35Ah deep-cycle U1 size, ran about $61 after coupon, and was the most expensive item. Everything else in the $8-$13 range per item/set.
Compared to a Group 24 box:
Went with remote box approach due to limitations mounting everything to the lid. The Group 24 box was too big for my needs.
The controller doesn't know/care if it's "car" DC or "solar" DC, so it worked fine.
A full battery (13.2v) run my fridge for about 16 hrs on high setting (5A compressor draw, when running) at 32° while at room temps, shutting down at the fridge's adjustable under-voltage setting (11.7v); fridge supports a lower under-voltage setting and an Eco mode so potential runtime a bit longer. When the car is running (13.7v) it powers the fridge and charges up the battery, without interrupted power when the car is shut off.
From Amazon, BUD Industries CU-3283. There are a few other options/sizes by that brand.