If towing the caravan with only single electrics , the fridge will not keep cool, ok?
I have a combicool camping 3 way fridge , can I plug this into the ciggie lighter while towing the caravan ?
or will this be too much strain on the car battery ?
We find that if we have the fridge on for a good while before the journey and load it with pre chilled goods it stays cold for hours and you can certainly use the 12v coolbox on the move, that is what they are designed for.
we used to use the ciggie lighter socket in the boot of our car to run our mobicool camping fridge and never had a problem, i think when the car running it not draining the battery it runs like off the engine. We went to cornwall bout 11 hours and all was fine. Ours always did ok. I assume you mean the socket in the car not the caravan,
------------- Oh am loving the tin tent after campaining against it..........I was wrong.
Yes I did mean running the combicool in the car while travelling , but while towing the caravan as well, if the electrics for caravan lights/ indicators, are being fed off the car battery is it ok to use the combicool as well.
never used the caravan for towing anywhere before, its on a local site so only gets towed out of the site storage yard a few hundred yards onto the pitch.
We are planning a trip next weekend towing it for the first time .We will only have single electrics on the towbar, so wondered if it was ok to use the combicool in the car at the same time, as the caravan fridge won't be hooked up. we cant pre cool the caravan fridge beforehand as we havent got a drive to put the caravan on mains hookup.
I use the freezer blocks, two or three slimline. I also freeze any food I'm not using (like meat, milk sausages, etc) and put them in as extra freezer blocks. Unless you're on the road more than 6 hours, this will be the easiest way to keep your food cool.
Hi Debbie,
You shouldn't have a problem running the combi-cool from the 12V socket while towing the van. We did this when we had the trailer tent (same power requirement as single electrics for caravan).
We only have single electrics on our van, so we fill the fridge with frozen stuff.. water,milk,juice and really cold beer just before we set off. That way we have more room in the boot and our fridge is nice and chilled when we get to site.
Cheers, Phil
yes we had single electrics for the trailer ent with all the lights and indicators etc, i think whilst engine running it not actually using the battery it works straight from the alternator. I used to freeze some of those plastic chineese tubs with spag bol in them in the bottom of the fridge and when we get there we have de frosted fab tea x x x but sometimes the fridge would work that well we had to wait for second night for the spag bol lol.
------------- Oh am loving the tin tent after campaining against it..........I was wrong.
Thanks everyone. Good to know we will have nice cold drinks on arrival. When we have to wait for the fridge to cool itself down onsite it takes a good few hours to get cold.
just remember not to keep opening the lid, just put all the ready chilled stuff in there and close the lid, try not to open too much and let warm air in. have a good trip
------------- Oh am loving the tin tent after campaining against it..........I was wrong.
Quote: Originally posted by beefysmum on 08/8/2010
Thanks everyone. Good to know we will have nice cold drinks on arrival. When we have to wait for the fridge to cool itself down onsite it takes a good few hours to get cold.
... So you're taking two fridges! One for on the way and one for when you get there? You can cool the caravan fridge down before you go using the above methods, then save that space in the boot for more... cold drinks. Just a thought, and MHO.
Not really one for on the way , both more for when we get there . I always use both fridges . The caravan fridge is on the small side , okay for milk butter cheese ham and not much else. the combicool gets filled with cans of coke and beer and has room for foods that won't fit in the caravan fridge.
I want to be sure that our food is kept cold too , as I dont intend to have to go shopping once we get there .
Ah I see now, BM. There's many a time I've wished for a bigger fridge and that sounds like a good solution! And yes, if I'm on a long stay, I do have to go and do some dreaded food shopping!
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Topic: Fridge while towing
