Anderson Plug

.
Well Michael, I would never trust a 'cigar plug' for a fridge. I would use an Anderson, or as mine is, hard wired.
However, I am stuck with cigar sockets for some things, an example being the charger plug for my satphone.

From time-to-time I have "tightened-up" cigar plugs to grip better in the sockets. It involved bending the side contacts of the plug to project further out and thus be tighter in the socket. I won't try to describe the technique but it involves getting a small screwdriver under the contact leaf and levering it into more projection. Usually works but maybe not to be tried on a plug/charger that you consider irreplaceable. lol

Actually a plug just as good , and in some aspects even better than an Anderson is the original Engel '2 prong' that 'screws' into the Engel female socket that has fuses on both +/- wires .....

Do not ruin your Engel lead. By an Engel Aspan fitting that is hard wired, unscrew the tip off the main Engel lead, them simply screw in the Aspan....will never fail

Allan, i misread that, my Anderson plug is also hard wired, the only way to go. Michael

.
Michael, I'm getting confused. My fridge is not connected via Anderson plugs. The original fridge cable still plugs into the fridge body but the cable is connected directly to the nearby 12v fuse block... thus "directly connected"..... well, half-directly connected?
If ever the fridge OEM socket failed, I would replace it with an Anderson screwed onto the fridge casing.
The Anderson are a bit lumpy for some applications but they're inexpensive and damned reliable.

Allan, Anderson plugs are perfect in the right application. a clever plug and socket! Michael

"into the Engel female socket that has fuses on both +/- wires ....."

Why would you need a fuse on both the + and - wires?

.
Frank, the "Engel '2 prong' " plug is made in Ireland. Two fuses are to be sure, to be sure. lol

I thought I was reading Friday Funnies!!!

My understanding is when you unscrew the end of the lead the fuse is in the part you don't use as its a temperature fuse to protect against a poor connection
. The fridge has an on board fuse. So if you go anderson plug you don't need another fuse.

.
So Stephen, why does Engel not supply this you-beaut Aspan fitting in the first place? They charge enough for the fridge to be able to include it. But, they offer it as an optional part for $60.

On principle alone, I would rather fit an Anderson for $10 and be done with it!

If you cut your original lead, put an Anderson plug on, you are then stuck by having to install an Anderson plug into every vehicles you want to use it in. If you want to use it in another vehicle with a standard cigarette socket, it will cost you $70 for a new J Cord.

On the other hand buy an Aspan, you just screw back on your original tip to go in any vehicle

.
Well actually Stephen, it would cost me $10 for an Anderson plug...... installed in the new vehicle!

Sorry mate, I do understand your love affair with Engel.... I just don't share it. lol

Jaycar sell generic Engel leads for $30

Nearly everything I own has been converted to Andersen’s. In the unfortunate event I have to plug Anything into a cigarette plug ( eg the power outlet in the wife’s car boot) I have made a short cigarette to Andersen jumper.

You don’t have to have a “love affair” with anything to offer the correct advice! Anderson plug is overkill & fallible, how many of us have arrived somewhere to find that their trailer Anderson plug has ground itself off on the track surface. I have never had the Engel Aspan socket fail.
Alan B, when you bought your household fridge did they supply a power point?

More a case of being able to move fridges (I have 3) between cars and campers, run the compressor off various power feeds, plug panels in anywhere etc etc etc than any sort of love affair. You have to draw a line and standardise plugs somewhere and I sure as hell won’t be using an Engel plug between the car and camper. I have had fake andersens fail but never a genuine one.

.
Shaker,

I know Stephen well, very well personally, and the comment was an "inside joke". Stephen does love Engels and fair enough, they are good quality. I am not so keen on them due to noise issues and consider them overpriced. To buy a replacement Engel power lead is $70 but an equivalent quality product can be had from Jaycar for $19.95 including a Merit connector.
And I still consider an Anderson plug to be universal and superior to the Engel Aspan connector costing $60.

I don't know "how many of us" have destroyed trailer Andersons..... you tell me. I can only assume any such were either a) improperly installed, b) improperly connected, or c) cheap knock-offs rather than genuine Anderson.

No, the fridge came with a plug that mated to an Australian Standards approved socket, and if I did need to install a socket for the fridge it would cost me $6.00

Anyone who has an Anderson plug worn away on the road, simply didn't check to see if it could drop that far. Thinking people ensure the plug IF it ever came out, could not possibly drag on the road. Others possibly don't do anything to prevent that happening it seems. If the vehicle Anderson is near central then there is little is any force ever presented to it to loosen during travel. You see lots of them offset. I replaced one for a bloke outside the Pink Roadhouse Oodnadatta, who had worn away 90% of the plug. He didn't have spares.

I have a small Waeco and needed a connection at the fridge, ie hard wired. I used two larger crimped spade terminals, solders to the wires and used Selleys Knead It to create the actual plug to go in the back of fridge. Far more secure than the original which was inclined to get warm. Screw strip terminals at the supply end. The Engel lead also runs off screw strip connectors and CAN be removed if required.

Engels over priced? A bloke I communicated with a few years ago went to S Africa, Bought a 40 litre unit, very conscious of $ he purchased a new one, in box, which had been shipped directly from Australia. In Australian dollars, he paid a little over HALF, the same box cost in Oz. He could not believe the mark up here. Asia, to Oz to S Africa and still far less than us.

Same here. 3 fridges and all on anderson plugs. No issues whatsoever.. Solid dependable connections that wont rattle loose. Just bought a new 80 litre dual zone and first job even before firing it up was to convert to anderson plug. I see many camper trailer owners are now going this way (on the forums at least).

I have also converted all my bits to Anderson but also have ciggy plugs and socket with Anderson but have never seen needed to use the.

The best thing with using Anderson is that every time you plug them in they rub together cleaning the contact surfaces.