Brass Monkey 35&45L Dual zone fridges with battery and solar

Hi all,
in today's vid, we're taking a look at the brass monkey 35l and 45l dual zone fridge freezer for your 4wd or 12v needs.

[@peteboe2114]

Thanks Brett for another great video. You saved the day again last weekend when I was trying to run camera cable from spare wheel. After spending a couple of hours trying to work out how, watched your vid and problem solved in five minutes. Your attention to detail is very much appreciated.

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Pete. Happy to help mate. I appreciate you letting me know. That's why I like doing it, so it's good to hear that what I'm doing helps others. cheers

[@allanbarnard6103]

Welcome back Brett, recently bought the BM 25l as a day trip fridge

[@SonofClyde]

I have been considering these fridges and this review has helped a lot, thanks mate.

[@DENMONKEY]

welcome Clyde Jnr

[@graememellor8319]

Well done mate, love the humour..

[@DENMONKEY]

thanks my Mellor. just trying to make it fun.

[@tonygersbach375]

Thanks for the review mate, will be getting one in the future. Good as a backup when the 3way in the van plays up👍

[@DENMONKEY]

cheers. when im in the van, I like to keep stuff that I don't access often in the car fridges . since I like to cook in the van, I tend to be in the fridge often to get food etc. fridges are getting pretty good in price these days and makes it reasonable to have a back up. There's always fridges going second hand on facebook etc if you're ok with that as an option

[@armandocirene1453]

Gday Mate, great to see you back was starting to miss your videos, I’ve got the 15 lt brass monkey in the back of my triton and it’s the best thing I’ve bought,never missed a beat and great value for money, good too see you back, hopefully you’ll have some new material soon,take care

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Armando, thanks mate. I sold off my single zone fridges after this video. but I should have kept the 15L and stuck it into my work car I think. I might end up buying another one. handy size for a few drinks etc. I was only thinking of it in the camp set up when i decided to sell it. all the best mate.

[@VSGMH]

I've got a 36L 50L 60L Brass monkey fridges and I love mine.

[@DENMONKEY]

It seems we have the same problem

[@CheeseNoodleOZ]

eyyyy Brett good to have you back mate. great reviews as always. can't wait to see how you get the internal latch going for the rear door. Not being able to open from inside is a bit of a safety issue when you've got a cargo barrier installed. I've accidentally locked myself in a couple of times.

[@DENMONKEY]

Ok, now I have to know, how do you lock yourself inside :) Lots have asked about it but it's not really going to suit my set up due to it being in behind the table when the rear door is close. it was like 30 bucks or so and worth grabbing to see how it works.

[@CheeseNoodleOZ]

@@DENMONKEY hahaa so my driveway is slightly inclined and I reverse in, the door was open but not locked open, I was putting in the kaon gear so sitting in the back and wind closed the door on me.

[@TheMelbournelad]

One thing often over looked is the moulding plastic internal walls. Most at this price point have the silver foil looking walls and base with a silicone bead to seal them. A broken egg in the fridge and that seal is gone, as found out with Aldi unit. The single moulded internal walls are so good😊

[@DENMONKEY]

you definitely need to use the baskets in those silver ones. I think those walls are much more fragile than the plastic lined ones. The seems are prone to collecting debris etc . A quick clean out here and there and theyre all good. but I know what you mean

[@liamfahey7836]

Really great video

[@DENMONKEY]

Cheers Liam

[@conscriptmik068]

Great review Mate

[@DENMONKEY]

cheers MW

[@darrenc4096]

Good to see you again Brett. Thanks for the info mate. Bloody good price on them too. You should start a 12v fridge hire business on the side mate. You certainly have plenty of stock and with them all out over a weekend you could earn some beer money 💰 🍺

[@DENMONKEY]

Too late daz, sold a few of em. Didn't think of hiring them. Could have done it for mates and charged them in beer 😁 oh well, opportunity missed there

[@karl4834]

MyCoolman and Companion both offer lithium batteries to their dual-zone fridge/freezers. Great reviews, am still trying to decide which dual-zone to buy myself and am very interested in the Brass Monkey but am also thinking about the MyCoolman.

[@DENMONKEY]

thanks Karl. Didn't know that. Any solar inputs on them ? Ive seen quite a few reviews on the coolmans and I do like the look of them. I spotted them at costco too last week , if you have one near you. Also guessing you've seen it but check out Steve's review here at Australian 4x4 Adventures.

[@benc7102]

Howdy Brett Great to see your mug once again 😁 Brass Monkey should sponsor you as brand ambassador 👍 Great video mate always great content & entertainment value Cheers

[@DENMONKEY]

thanks Benny, nice to be back. Just been staying inside out of all this rain and sitting in front of the pc. thanks for the comment as always mate.

[@jro.90]

I also have a 35L dual zone brass monkey fridge. What I did for the fan noise is use a voltage converter to run the fan at around 7V instead of 12V, and also added a second fan to the other side of the radiator to help (also 7V).

[@DENMONKEY]

Have you noticed any changes to cycling time with the 2 fans ? I think Ive got a few old Noctua pc fans which are very quite and could stick them in, but I'm ok with the noise. There also used to be a pc fan brand (cant remember the name) that use to have an inline switch for lo,med,hi for the fan speed. might be useful to track one down and stick the switch on the outside, to give some control.

[@jro.90]

@@DENMONKEY I did not notice any change to cycling time, and the average current draw of the fridge remained the same. I'd imagine if the back of the car got too hot it might struggle. I think the speed switch would be an awesome idea, particularly for night time. Keep in mind the power supply for the fans need to be kept the same. if you disconnect the fan it will throw an error (i think it monitors the current for the fan circuit). Awesome vids btw! I'm also keen to see the rear latch for the pajero !

[@michaelhermans4753]

The Brass Monkey’s are hard to go past, I have a 25l permanently in my 4WD for cool drinks, another 50L as a freezer for fishing trips and a 55L bushman I bought 25 years ago They are underrated and very reliable with modern features I almost got the dual zone however they draw more power as I don’t have 300AH of lithium at my disposal

[@Podge.]

Great review bud

[@DENMONKEY]

Thanks Mr podge

[@Podge.]

@@DENMONKEY just bought the frostbite from bcf for $300 yet to test it fridge/freezer but only one at a time so just about have everything for the fourby except the car hahahahhaa

[@wwfgumby]

Good video again Brett. Have you got an idea of the power draw for these ?

[@DutchK75]

Hi, I'm Trav... California/New Mexico here. I have the same addiction. Snomaster Expedition 85L. Two Engel MT45's. Dometic CFX3 55IM and 25. And I'm probably not done.🤷‍♂️

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Trav, hi from Aus mate. welcome to the channel. its a slipper slope with these things. I think you guys often get the same fridges as us but sometimes with a different brand name. hadn't heard of snowmaster but just checked them out. seem like theyre pretty well built . internally they look similar to other brands we have here but the outside looks near bullet proof.

[@DutchK75]

@@DENMONKEY Snomaster while Chinese built are a South African company. With China there's varying degrees of quality. But the Snomaster has been used in Africa, Australia, Southwestern US. For awhile. Everyone that have them that I met at varying RV shows love them. They have made good inroads here in the states. They have a big 66w compressor of their own design. Mine features 70mm insulation. Designed for super hot climates. Very nice fridges. Weighs like 37.7 kg or 83 pounds American. I'm a truck driver. Single. No kids that I know of. Meh, I try to buy the best. I have two steel Engels that are nice too. I have a friend that has two rebranded Engels that Norcold brought into the states as the Norcold Tek2. His are 30 years old. Run like a top. Okay so those Brass Monkey fridges like you have are made by Alpicool in China. But they are also newair, Bodega, Bougrv and others here in the states. I'm sure there are other names. And many countries they are sold in. Used to be the cheaper 12v fridges were utter garbage. Since Edgestar successfully copied the Danfoss/Secop compressors. The cheaper fridges have become way better. I try to see what's going on in Australia. Your country seems to be the forefront of the 12v fridge market. And when I was in the Marines. I visited your country on 8 different occasions. And I love the people. 🙂

[@chrisabrahampeter25]

Great video mate and glad to hear from you again after a while. Have you tried removing the big handles on the 45l fridge. I am thinking of getting one to put on a fridge slide. Do they come with 2 of the smaller handles which could possibly be used as tie down points

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Chris, only lifted it partly full. That was enough to bust a poofer valve. Other than that, only on the wheels. They don't include a second smaller handle but I wish the e did. There are indents for the extra screws to go in for an extra handle but not holes. So you would have to screw into it. At your own risk obviously. One used the little and big handles to tie mine down and it works. Like you, I'd prefer not the same.

[@ShaneAusinka6]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣.....I am the same with my fishing gear....Lures, Rods, Reels ...you name it....NOW I am going the same with. camping....great to see that there are other's with same issue that's not a problem.

[@DENMONKEY]

I think we both need smaller sheds. That might help

[@ShaneAusinka6]

@@DENMONKEY .....I only have single garage for boat. it is chockablock full of other stuff can't fit 4wd ...LOL

[@becnelson3645]

very funny! and thankyou!

[@DENMONKEY]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@danielh2108]

can you only use the brass monkey solar panels, or can you use others too

[@wademorgan3796]

Hey mate! Great to see you back again! Great review and video as always! On a van side note how is the roof top solar holding up? Have you added any other panels? Cheers mate.

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Wayne, all still working but I have a leak to sort up there at the moment. So I need to pull it all off, seal the roof and put it back. I'm looking to try some flexible panels if I can find some decent ones in the 200w range. Just looking to reduce the weight up there. Not that I need to but it makes sense. I'll stick with the same rail type design though.

[@kevinpalmer4185]

@@DENMONKEY How did you get on with a 200w solar panel? I have a 200w solar blanket that I would like to use for charging my 35L Brass monkey (dual zone) with 15.6 Ahr battery. It would be powerful enough but is it too powerful? Is the solar controller on board an MPPT type?

[@trevorhughes2305]

arb had something just letting you no but you have to bye the right one around $1800 for the fridge freezer then you have to bye the battery set up witch i believe is around $500 i think

[@MudducksTouringAustralia]

Good one Brett! I do think you have a problem though! Lol. Cheers Steve

[@DENMONKEY]

And not just a fridge one

[@stevec9597]

Hey Brett, I recently brought 1 however im doing some tests via the app and it seems to not to settle at the temps I set for the unit, I just wonder its because of the temps up here in far north tropical queensland? Great review too btw.

[@DENMONKEY]

They go to the set temp but will rise About 2 degrees over it, then cycle on, go a few degrees under then shut off.

[@denisvincent3249]

I’ve just purchased a 9 lt brass monkey console fridge just letting you know if you ever get short of fridges😁

[@DENMONKEY]

I'll keep an eye on the market place for it.

[@87tunj]

big plus are the wheels, who wants to lug around a full fridge, kills the back, these things you just wheel it along

[@DENMONKEY]

yeah all good once its in place but you have to get it there. the wheels are very handy

[@kelsiehibberd8998]

Hey! Looking into grabbing one of these (haven't decided on size yet) but just wondering if you have any idea what the battery adapters are like for the Milwaukee/Makita batteries? They're only about $30 and I already have a few 5ah 18V batteries so just wondering what the comparison would be like with that vs the Brass Monkey batteries :)

[@DENMONKEY]

didnt know about the battery adapters. at the end of the day the batteries are likely very similar and if you have one that fits, no reason not to use it. have you got a link for the adapters ?

[@davidmoore7303]

Companion do have onboard battery,but not optional

[@DENMONKEY]

cheers didnt know that. just sussed them out. no on board solar controller and looks like the smallest with lithium and dual zone is their 75L. still good to see this stuff getting more popular in the market, id still like to see better tie downs on fridges so we dont have to use handles. thats a brass monkey week point on their models.

[@Inserico]

I hear you need 200mm of clearance for the back/front, and 100mm for the sides? If we don't have that (especially when we're driving), would that be much of an issue?

[@paul-57]

I have run a 75Lt for a couple of years with no issues with slightly less than this but you especially need to make sure the air vents have close to this amount of space around them. The rest of the fridge does not need air space from my experience.

[@kellybutler6070]

Gday mate, would the 35ltr fit a 4ltr container of ice cream sitting the right way up in freezer or would you have to place it on its side? Cheers mate luv ya video 🤜🏾💥🤛🏾

[@DENMONKEY]

Hey Kel, I'm going to say no. Ive got a 2L one in there at the moment an it pretty much a perfect fit side to side. you could probably stack 2 of those though.

[@5UPRAH]

How do you turn each side on or off? I can only seem to turn the whole fridge on or off, not the individual sides.....

[@5UPRAH]

Via the manual I've learnt to turn the large section off you hold the + and the settings cog for 5 second. And the small freezer you do the same but the - and the cog. No idea how to do it via the app though.

[@gregroles69]

"It started with an ice block" - lmao

[@DENMONKEY]

That's how it starts. A slippery slope indeed.

[@phiromtauch6059]

What kind of connection is required for the solar? Is Anderson?

[@DENMONKEY]

No it's a barrel type connector. I'm not sure of the size though.

[@viralvideo171]

Isn't this just a rebranded alpicool?

[@DENMONKEY]

not sure mate, havent checked them ones out. I think there's a lot of brands out there that are just rebranded . especially the ones that look like the giant one.

[@viralvideo171]

@@DENMONKEY I'm pretty sure alpicool is the original brand they are the ones with the factory in China that other companies rebrand. Probably works just the same regardless was just interesting.

[@LogitechXibanga]

i totally forgot about your existence bro

[@DENMONKEY]

Figured I better pop up in your feed to remind you I'm still around

[@LogitechXibanga]

@@DENMONKEY wise idea hehe, i like your videos i like the effort you put to show every single detail on it and all the data and mesures and stuff (Y)

[@tanciekay3561]

We have the Brass Monkey 45ltr. We keep getting a f4 error code. Any ideas on this. Do they have a filter in it somewhere that may need cleaning...

[@paul-57]

Code F4 displayed: - Compressor is overloaded or working at a low speed. Please turn off the product and restart it after 30 minutes. If the code displays again, please contact the place of purchase Does it have plenty of ventilation and space around the air grills?

[@tanciekay3561]

@Paul all good, we replace the plug with an Anderson plug and working like a charm. Took it in to get tested just to be sure.

[@paul-57]

Great, I put an Anderson plug on mine when I got it. I use them for all my accessories. I didn't think of the cigarette connector causing a problem though.

[@LogitechXibanga]

I always get confused if you are saying caribbean or caravan :'D aussi accent

[@DENMONKEY]

must be caravan. never been to the Caribbean :)

[@ausrider99]

Must be a single guy. Enjoy.

[@DENMONKEY]

Fully