12v cig lighter socket to the controller load terminal?

[jaycocreek]

Can you wire in a 12v cigarette lighter socket (fused) to the load terminals of a victron charge controller to run a 12v compressor fridge?

Will it work or will there be issues?

[jaycocreek]

Just an update because there is very little data out there on using the load terminals and most of it is negative..Everyone says,just hook it to the battery..That's cool but doing that does not give an accurate usage of one single item because everything is connected to the battery plus the option for a low voltage disconnect of that item attached, which the load output gives also..

I have read these 12v compressor refer's draw to much power or when it goes into float it won't work and especially when there is little to know sun out the load won't work especially with a 12v compressor refer..There is really a lack of data on load terminals on solar controllers out there in internet land..

1:30am,pitch black out and the load terminal and 12v compressor refer works just fine without sunshine..

[BFL13]

If not using load controls just connect to battery. Controller does loads first anyway.

[Microlite_Mike]

BurbMan wrote:
Is this a fridge with a 12v compressor? Uses very little power. If the Victron powers the load from battery after the sun goes down you're all set! With the controller I had, the load was only solar powered, it wouldn't draw from the battery.

The load terminals are part of a feature that allows loads to be controlled by the controller itself (via setup menu). Things like turning on lights and running for a given amount of time.

PV panels will continue to charge when adequate sun is hitting them but when their output is down, the Load Terminals can be switched on/off and power is drawn from batteries.

Load Terminals on Victron MPPT Controllers

[BurbMan]

Is this a fridge with a 12v compressor? Uses very little power. If the Victron powers the load from battery after the sun goes down you're all set! With the controller I had, the load was only solar powered, it wouldn't draw from the battery.

[jaycocreek]

When it settles down after the 52 watt surge,it runs a few watts less..So far it appears it is working okay,not sure what will happen when and if I let it go to float mode with 0 amps coming in..I hope it just uses battery power then..

[LittleBill]

Lwiddis wrote:
Aren't cigarette lighter sockets limited to 150 watts? So 52 watts is way under max.

no. its generally a wire size issue that causes that lower wattage.

[Lwiddis]

Aren't cigarette lighter sockets limited to 150 watts? So 52 watts is way under max.

[jaycocreek]

I just went ahead and tried it..Wired in the female end of the cig socket to the load terminals and plugged in the Iceco refer and shortly after,the compressor kicked in at 52 watts via the victron app for the controller..I Immediately noticed out of the corner of my eye the the light on the controller flicker from blue(bulk mode)to yellow(float mode) so I lowered the float below what it was and everything worked fine..

Time will tell if it will work okay without issues but it is nice to see the actual draw and usage of the refer for each day if it last that long..:B

[BFL13]

What is the amp rating of the 12v socket and its wiring and fuse size?

Will the fridge exceed that on start up or when cycling --is there any surge?

[jaycocreek]

The amp draw of either fridge is below 5 amps and the controller is a 15 amp controller..I totally do not understand the load terminals on some controllers..I was under the impression that if the controller could not supply the power via the load terminal,it would draw off of the battery..

My only reason to try or do it was to monitor the voltage/watts of the load terminal with items attached on the victron app..I see a few have done it on other controllers but know details..

[BurbMan]

What is the amp draw of the fridge? What is the max output (in amps) of the Victron? As long as the Victron can output enough amperage to power the fridge it should be OK.

The problem is going to be when it gets dark/cloudy...when there is no solar output there is no power for the Victron to supply. I would wire the fridge to the battery bank so you have guaranteed uninterrupted power, then let the Victron charge the batteries as solar is available. You don't gain anything wiring the fridge directly to the solar controller.