jonathon
Active member
Bottom line up front: If you’re looking for a compact battery to run a fridge and charge devices for 2+ days without marrying a dual battery system to one vehicle the PLB40 is for you. Add a solar panel and some cable and you can run it as long as you care to.
Negatives: Cost, won’t run an inverter, 15a max output, won’t replace a house battery system for those with high power demands.
I purchased an ARB 47 liter fridge last year and ran it last summer off the starting battery. This worked fine for touring and one night stops but wasn’t suitable for leaving the vehicle parked for a few days. I looked into installing a dual battery system in my truck and at the end of the day it didn’t make much sense to me to spend a few hundred bucks on a house battery system for my truck when I also wanted to use the fridge in our Subaru.
The PLB40 looked like a good turn key solution that could be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle. It draws up to 8 amps when plugged into the vehicle and has the ability to be charged via solar panel. It comes with a 12v plug and AC adapter. The 12v plug converts to Dometic’s locking 2 prong system so if you have a Dometic or ARB 2 prong outlet wired up this will work. The 2 prong plug on my ARB fridge plugged right into the 2 prong port on the front of the PLB40.
So far we have used the PLB40 for 10 nights and multiple day trips. It works really well for our uses and charges fast off the vehicle or off a 100w solar panel. The PLB40 has exceeded expectations. This setup has pretty much replaced the soggy cooler food and drinks even for day trips.
On one particular trip we toured Montana and Idaho in the Subaru and were able to leave the PLB40 plugged into the keyed 12v port in the cargo area.
It worked awesome. Most nights we’d wake up to 80% battery left. There was one major issue. One night we stayed at a hotel and did not unpack and set up camp. This left all our gear tightly packed around the fridge. The fridge ran all night because there was no air space around the compressor and it struggled to cool. It took a while for me to figure this out. For best performance the vents around the fridge must be mostly unobstructed. Tent, sleeping bag, and air mattress really made it too air tight. Once I figured this out I packed accordingly and the problem was solved and it used even less power. During this trip I also set the fridge to 22*f while driving and 30*f while parked.
On the most recent weekend trip I ran my ARB Fridge for 43 hours off the PLB40 and the charge was only down to 35%. This was with the fridge being regularly accessed for drinks and restocked with water a couple times. I made sure there was space around the vents and the fridge was chilled on AC power before leaving. I kept the temp set at 28*f.
On the negative side is cost. I paid $900 for the ARB Fridge and $660 for the PLB40; that buys a lot of ice. One thing I noticed though while traveling this summer is how many places are sold out of ice. The convenience factor is huge. Having dry, cold food is awesome. Chilling warm drinks in the forest miles from anywhere is priceless.
Negatives: Cost, won’t run an inverter, 15a max output, won’t replace a house battery system for those with high power demands.
I purchased an ARB 47 liter fridge last year and ran it last summer off the starting battery. This worked fine for touring and one night stops but wasn’t suitable for leaving the vehicle parked for a few days. I looked into installing a dual battery system in my truck and at the end of the day it didn’t make much sense to me to spend a few hundred bucks on a house battery system for my truck when I also wanted to use the fridge in our Subaru.
The PLB40 looked like a good turn key solution that could be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle. It draws up to 8 amps when plugged into the vehicle and has the ability to be charged via solar panel. It comes with a 12v plug and AC adapter. The 12v plug converts to Dometic’s locking 2 prong system so if you have a Dometic or ARB 2 prong outlet wired up this will work. The 2 prong plug on my ARB fridge plugged right into the 2 prong port on the front of the PLB40.
So far we have used the PLB40 for 10 nights and multiple day trips. It works really well for our uses and charges fast off the vehicle or off a 100w solar panel. The PLB40 has exceeded expectations. This setup has pretty much replaced the soggy cooler food and drinks even for day trips.
On one particular trip we toured Montana and Idaho in the Subaru and were able to leave the PLB40 plugged into the keyed 12v port in the cargo area.
It worked awesome. Most nights we’d wake up to 80% battery left. There was one major issue. One night we stayed at a hotel and did not unpack and set up camp. This left all our gear tightly packed around the fridge. The fridge ran all night because there was no air space around the compressor and it struggled to cool. It took a while for me to figure this out. For best performance the vents around the fridge must be mostly unobstructed. Tent, sleeping bag, and air mattress really made it too air tight. Once I figured this out I packed accordingly and the problem was solved and it used even less power. During this trip I also set the fridge to 22*f while driving and 30*f while parked.
On the most recent weekend trip I ran my ARB Fridge for 43 hours off the PLB40 and the charge was only down to 35%. This was with the fridge being regularly accessed for drinks and restocked with water a couple times. I made sure there was space around the vents and the fridge was chilled on AC power before leaving. I kept the temp set at 28*f.
On the negative side is cost. I paid $900 for the ARB Fridge and $660 for the PLB40; that buys a lot of ice. One thing I noticed though while traveling this summer is how many places are sold out of ice. The convenience factor is huge. Having dry, cold food is awesome. Chilling warm drinks in the forest miles from anywhere is priceless.
