ArkPak vs a Noco unit

joelbert

Adventurer
So, I already had a ArkPak 730 Portable Power with a Duracell Ultra Deep Cycle Marine & RV Battery SLI31MDC installed for my off-grid/solar setup and it worked fine, but it is heavy.

Recently, after reading about these Lithium jump starters and knowing that I'm moving to a cold climate and will inevitably need a jump start anyway, I picked up one of these units, a Noco GB40 Boost Plus 1000A UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter.

Seems like I should just be able to start using the jump starter instead of the ArkPak to run my Arb Fridge?

Any thoughts or am I missing something?
 

e60ral

2016 4Runner Trail w/KDSS
i'm confused, these are entirely different things

the noco is just a jump pack to jumpstart a vehicle, the ArkPak is a charge controller and inverter box for a battery to use like a house battery to power things

you can not use the jump pack to power the fridge.

you can get lithium batteries which will weigh less for comparable ah (i think the arkpak 730 supports lithium batteries but you would need to verify), but they will be expensive. you will either need to keep the arkpak, install the battery in a dual battery type configuration so at least it is under the hood and out of your way, replace the battery in it with something lighter, or power your fridge off your starting battery
 

joelbert

Adventurer
Ok, I guess I'm confused as well, because the Noco will charge devices and run devices so I'm not sure why I can't run a fridge from one that is charged.....
 

e60ral

2016 4Runner Trail w/KDSS
it can charge and run devices like a cell phone from the 2.1A USB outlet, not a fridge for an extended period of time.

I don't know the specifics for the batteries in the NOCO but i's going to be a few thousand mAh, or in other words a few Ah. If your fridge pulls a few amps, that means if you rigged up a way to power it from the jump cables the NOCO GB40 could run it for maybe an hour and you would probably kill your jump pack in the process.
 

BrianV

Observer
The jump packs are targeted at getting your vehicle started to get your vehicle charging system recharging the battery. They are not a replacement for a deep cycle battery.
They do not have enough capacity to be a replacement, think bathroom sink vs bath tub.
 

joelbert

Adventurer
Ok, thanks. I am clear now, thanks for all the input. Not even going to attempt it. When my lead acid in my ArkPak dies, probably a Li replacement. By that time, that battery you sent the link to should be reasonable..... ;)
 

ducktapeguy

Adventurer
Actually I tried running my fridge off a jumpstarter pack this weekend because I was curious to see how long it would last.

I was using a JNC300XL jump starter, which has anywhere between 9aH and 22aH battery, depending on whos description you're looking at. A Whynter 63L fridge pulling around 4.5-6.5 Amps in fast freeze mode will last about 45 minutes before cutting off at 10.8V (under load), This was starting with a freshly charged jumpstarter and a warm fridge in about 85F weather. I'm going to try my lithium jump starter next as a comparison. Even though it claims 18000maH, I'm pretty skeptical.

However, it might be good enough for what I need it for, which is to just keep the fridge running overnight when I'm parked. If I started with a full fridge pre chilled to the set temperature, the amp draw is about half of what i measured, and in cooler weather the duty cycle will only cause the fridge to run a fraction of the time. So it could be possible to keep temperature set overnight without connecting to the main battery.
 

jonyjoe101

Adventurer
the lithium jump starters use the same lithium flat batteries used in remote control planes, usually a 3s 11.1 volt (12.6 fully charged) 3 to 5 amp hour battery. I saw them take one apart on youtube. It might run a fridge for one hour maybe.
Just like the remote control airplane batteries, they will puff out if abused.

Even though some are rated at 1000 cold cranking amps, from tests I seen, most maxed out at about 200 cca, enough to start your car.
 

DLTooley

Observer
Lithium specs can be confusing, ah ratings are usually at USB voltage, 5 volts. Watt hours are a simpler comparison with current marketing. The Minn Kota Trolling Motor Battery box is a good alternative to the Ark Pak, without the inverter.
 

Brett From Ark

Supporting Sponsor - ARK
So, I already had a ArkPak 730 Portable Power with a Duracell Ultra Deep Cycle Marine & RV Battery SLI31MDC installed for my off-grid/solar setup and it worked fine, but it is heavy.

Recently, after reading about these Lithium jump starters and knowing that I'm moving to a cold climate and will inevitably need a jump start anyway, I picked up one of these units, a Noco GB40 Boost Plus 1000A UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter.

Seems like I should just be able to start using the jump starter instead of the ArkPak to run my Arb Fridge?

Any thoughts or am I missing something?


Hi Joel bert if you are intrested in reducing the weight you are carrying around you could consider chagning the battery over to a LiFeP04 battery type some examples are listed below with a link

https://starkpower.com/product/stark-deep-cycle-12-volt-100ah/

https://www.bioennopower.com/collec...copy-of-12v-100ah-lfp-battery-abs-blf-12100ws

these LiFeP04 batteries are generally 1/3 the weight of a traditionally lead acid battery.

Regards

Brett from Ark
 

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