Gear Review- EdgeStar Freezer/Refrigerator

[Greg]

Yep, bringing up the dead here. lol I just bought a used edgestar fp430 and wondered how long should it take to get to 39* say ambient temp of 90* yeah it's hot here Arizona low desert. I also see that someone added a bullet piercing valve on it to add refrigerant. I put a gauge on it and it was about 1 psi low side so if anyone has any info on any of this stuff would be appreciated.

I would think that if your vehicle is running and you're charging at over 13.5 volts, then it shouldn't take more than an hour to get down to your set temperature. You could also try putting it on fast freeze (FF) to lower the temperature quicker, but make sure you're not freezing your food inside the fridge when it gets to that point.

 

[craigrrr]

Thanks Greg, I guess mine is working ok then. It took about 4 hours but that was in 102* day inside a vehicle.

 

[Greg]

Well, after almost 10 years the Edgestar may be giving up on me. When I plug it to the Jeeps 12v power (with the Jeep running or not), the temperature isn't dropping. If I plug it into 110v, then the temp drops just fine and the fridge operates like normal. I've truly gotten my moneys worth out of the Edgestar, it's seen use often and has been thru a lot since I've owned it. It owes me nothing.

While it's been a good fridge, I may be stepping up to either an ARB or Dometic... we will see. I wasn't planning to buy a new fridge. I had a weekend camping trip planned, the fridge is loaded up but I may have to cancel the overnight plans if the fridge isn't operating.

 

[Tonkaman]

Well, after almost 10 years the Edgestar may be giving up on me. When I plug it to the Jeeps 12v power (with the Jeep running or not), the temperature isn't dropping. If I plug it into 110v, then the temp drops just fine and the fridge operates like normal. I've truly gotten my moneys worth out of the Edgestar, it's seen use often and has been thru a lot since I've owned it. It owes me nothing.

While it's been a good fridge, I may be stepping up to either an ARB or Dometic... we will see. I wasn't planning to buy a new fridge. I had a weekend camping trip planned, the fridge is loaded up but I may have to cancel the overnight plans if the fridge isn't operating.

Is your battery getting weak? I had a similar problem with my ARB fridge just before my battery crapped out. Strange because the battery would start the truck, but the fridge just didn’t like how much power it was receiving.

 

[DAA]

The ARB will signal if it's not liking the battery. Does yours do that Greg? If it's adjustable for shut down voltage to avoid killing your battery, you might try setting it as low of voltage as it will go.

- DAA

 

[Greg]

Is your battery getting weak? I had a similar problem with my ARB fridge just before my battery crapped out. Strange because the battery would start the truck, but the fridge just didn’t like how much power it was receiving.

I have my doubts that the battery is failing. It's maybe 2 years old at the most and is a high quality AGM battery. No other indicators that the battery is weak, but I could load test it and see. Good feedback!

The ARB will signal if it's not liking the battery. Does yours do that Greg? If it's adjustable for shut down voltage to avoid killing your battery, you might try setting it as low of voltage as it will go.

- DAA

I don't think this one is that fancy, but I believe it will automatically turn off if the voltage falls below 10.4 volts.

What's funny is that I ended up taking the Jeep out with the fridge loaded all day yesterday and kept checking the temperature frequently. Everything worked as it should, the fridge stayed at around 38ﾟ all day long. I'm thinking my power cord might have a few broken strands of wire in it and when the cord is sitting a certain way the fridge was not getting enough amperage to operate properly. I moved my power cord when I was checking things out and wonder is perhaps it's sitting in a way where all the wires are making contact...?

My power cord has been replaced once before after it was crushed and wires were exposed. I think I will replace it again and see what happens.