Is there a way to hook up a battery charger so inverter doesnt drain battery?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by sbatson, Oct 8, 2012.

  1. Cobra67y20

    Cobra67y20 Medium Load Member

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    Yep perpetual energy is the holy grail.
     
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  2. scottied67

    scottied67 Road Train Member

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    Could you go to your truck once a day while on hometime and fire it up for 30 minutes on high idle?
     
  3. PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    How much do you have in your fridge? I only pack enough to last me a week or so. Whatever's left isn't a hassle to lug home.

    My wife and kids love to eat my chopped ham but won't buy it for themselves, go figure!
     
  4. Mr. PlumCrazy

    Mr. PlumCrazy Road Train Member

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    Gotta stop laughing long enough to ask but do the truck have a APU
     
  5. bossboy2

    bossboy2 Light Load Member

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    My Volvo has a system that only allows the batteries to be used to a certain point. After that, all the power is shut down so there is enough power remaining to start the truck. +1 to Volvo for that, but I understand most newer trucks have that now. Otherwise you could do the "Iceless Cooler" by coleman, available at wally world for just about 89 bux. That's what I do. Then just grab the whole cooler and take it home, plug it into the wall with it's supplied adapter and voila, insta frige. It's great, I love mine and have been using it for about 2 years (nice longevity, BTW).

    BTW, it fits very nicely under my bunk.
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2012
  6. T...Street

    T...Street Light Load Member

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    Why no go back to the days of a cooler and a bag of ice....talk about going green. Sometimes the old-fashioned ways beat the socks off the new technology. For alot less $$ too!
     
  7. EZ Money

    EZ Money Road Train Member

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    My truck has the load shedding built into it also.
    I leave my Coleman cooler plugged in over the weekend.When the voltage gets to a certain point it shuts down everything to save power to start the truck.
    Being my cooler is 12 volt it lasts 2 days before the truck shuts it off.
    I bring in any food but leave sodas,water and all that in the truck.
    I throw a couple frozen bottles of water with my food in it on Sunday and good to go.
     
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  8. Dna Mach

    Dna Mach Road Train Member

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    Where do you get the free ice though? A couple of dollars every day or two would add up. I had a Coleman 12v, replaced the motor and cord one time and that lasted me 8 years before getting a truck with a built in fridge. Ice would have amounted to some bucks had I had to buy it.

    One thing I found with the Coleman, it works like new if you blow the dust out of the motor compartment. The first time I did that I couldn't believe the thing could turn through all that muck.

    edited to add: I did forget, Schneider, when I was there, had free ice at all the OC's back in the day. I didn't make it through one enough so I ended up getting the cooler.
     
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  9. PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    Pilot lets you fill your own cup of ice for free. Just get one of those big jugs and make a few trips to the soda fountain. Most pilots are so swamped they won't notice. ;)
     
  10. EZ Money

    EZ Money Road Train Member

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    Walmart no longer sells the Coleman big cooler...
    It used to be 89 bucks with the AC adapter.
    Now Pilot and other truck stops sell them for 119 bucks with no AC adapter.

    DNA Mach is correct....blow out the fans every month or so.
    The inside fan in mine died and Coleman said no replacement was available.
    Come to find out it is a 60mm computer fan........3 bucks on Ebay.
    Mine now keeps drinks so cold they are slushy sometimes.
    A slushy Mountain Dew is good late at night....lol!
     
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