Fridges

[Anderzander]

I got one of these :

 

Its the 26. Glad I didn’t get bigger - I wouldn’t want any larger than this in the back of the 80”.

It’s used - but like new. Someone bought it for in their camper - but quickly upgraded their camper to something with a built in fridge. 
 

The manual lists at what voltage it cuts out, which was mentioned a couple of times in this thread:

[Peaklander]

That look very Waeco/Dometic-ish.

Welcome to ice-cold trips!

[elbekko]

That looks exactly like my Waeco, except it has fancy digital controls.

[Anderzander]

It is !  It’s a Dometic Cool Freeze CF26. 21.5L

I think this is the model before the current one - as it seems to be out of stock everywhere, having been replaced by a model with smartphone control - which I didn’t fancy.

Other than being a bit too big for my needs - one of the things that looked good to me on the Engel MR040, was that it had one moving part - with a dial for temperature. The one criticism I saw of that was that it set how hard the fridge worked rather than an actual temperature - so that when the temperature fell at night, it could end up freezing your food. 

I wanted something where you set the temperature - and then that’s it. So I’m liking this one - it’s a little noisier than I expected, but I think it’s probably working quite hard in this heat.

[Eightpot]

I've got a few fridges dotted about in different vehicles, some thoughts on those if its of help -  a couple of old Waeco CF40s which have exceeded all expectation, only downsides are fragile lid & doesn't slot in as neatly with its more curved shape, though later models look better. Tried a tropicool thermoelectric which worked nicely as well, obviously not as good as compressor but big improvement on the standard halfords type boxes.

Engel 35 & 40l are what cockroaches will store thier beer in after armageddon. Lacking in features, neat shape, gets slated for lack of temp control but few fridges actually keep accurate temperature and it works fine anyway, tough as old boots, will not die.  Also had a little 20l one which I ran as a freezer, not very compact but worked ace. 

National luna weekender 50, very nice size, about same outside dimensions as engel 40, great storage baskets, can properly keep a good supply of food/drink and able to access it without it all getting smashed. Loads of features. Pricey but nicey but I have had some with issues with circuit boards and coolant leaks, though after lots of harsh use.  Generally very nicely put together, mercedes of fridges. 

National luna twin 50 - as above but with freezer compartment which is nice for chucking the weeks supply of meat in without getting blood soup in bottom of fridge, nice to have an ice cube for the g&t or chuck some lollies in. 

All the above have similar current draw, total power draw depends on insulation thickness (insulation jackets make a difference) and so does internal size & how much food is in there (so don't buy one bigger than you need). I've noticed some of the cheap modern compressor fridges (like the Bearmach one) suck quite a bit of juice.  Tip on installation - if you cant connect the power lead directly to battery, keep the supply wires as short as possible and heavy guage, even a small 0.2v drop over the lead makes a big difference to how well the fridges work with the engine off, cigarett sockets for example are no good. 

[simonr]

I have a CFX45 - which was a bit bigger than I wanted when I bought it, but has turned out to be a good size.  I've used it continuously since 2015 - and I'm still really impressed with it.  Doesn't seem to use anywhere near as much power as my preveious Waeco one, half the size.  It will cool to below -20 but generally I leave it on 2C  I made a foam divider which sits above the cooling elements in the bottom, fo when I do want a freezer.  Set to -10C, the space above the foam sits around 2C.

I'd buy another one like a shot.  When I sold my last camper van, it was the only bit of it I kept - and built the new one around it.

Si

[Peaklander]

3 hours ago, simonr said:

I made a foam divider which sits above the cooling elements in the bottom, fo when I do want a freezer.  Set to -10C, the space above the foam sits around 2C

That’s interesting. Mine is a CFX35W which is a little smaller but I presume the same family and a chest type.

Although it will freeze, I have not thought to experiment like that. I’d still want mainly a cold space but maybe a sneaky freezer space would be good. Can you show or describe more about where the coldest space is? Is it all across the bottom?

[simonr]

In the bottom of the fridge, you can see ridges in the metal where the coolant runs.  These are only in the bottom few inches of the tank.

I just cut a piece of 20mm Neoprene foam so it was a snug fit at the edges. 

Load up your ice cream, ice lollies etc in the bottom.  Push the foam down on top then chuck in everything else on top.

I believe they actually sell a manufactured version for some of the coolers - but where's the fun in that!

 

I've not been using it this year as I've been staying away from home for 5 days at a stretch - and need all the space for food, without the luxury of IceCream!

[Eightpot]

Always wondered how long ice cubes etc would last in a flask in the bottom of the fridge? Some of the modern wide neck soup flasks look like you could get a few choc ices in, or sawn off lollies 🙂

[simonr]

19 hours ago, Eightpot said:

Always wondered how long ice cubes etc would last in a flask in the bottom of the fridge? Some of the modern wide neck soup flasks look like you could get a few choc ices in, or sawn off lollies 🙂

That's a clever idea!

I have a stainless vacuum cup (made by Oneisall) with a screw on lid, at work - mostly for keeping coffee warm.  That will keep coffee hot for 12h and drinkable for 24h.  Never thought of using one for ice cubes, inside a fridge.  I'll give it a go!

[Anderzander]

On 7/23/2021 at 9:04 PM, Anderzander said:

The manual lists at what voltage it cuts out, which was mentioned a couple of times in this thread:

Here’s a question ….

On a diesel Defender - with just one battery, which of the above settings (if any) would you be happy to run your fridge on? Where you would be confident you’d not be stuck without enough juice to start in the morning ?

[miketomcat]

High, either of the other two are pushing your luck. You will more than likely get away with medium but it only takes a cold snap over night and you might struggle to start in the morning.

Mike

[Eightpot]

Yeah I'd go high, no point damaging an expensive battery over a packet of bacon and a six pack.  For peace of mind you could pick up a Li-ion booster pack to keep in the cubby box, getting quite cheap now and safer than asking the mrs to push the car for a bump start.. 

[Anderzander]

7 hours ago, Eightpot said:

you could pick up a Li-ion booster pack

I was thinking of one of those - looking back on an old thread Noco was one of the recommendations. 
 

[Eightpot]

18 hours ago, Anderzander said:

I was thinking of one of those - looking back on an old thread Noco was one of the recommendations. 
 

Yes I have a noco, very nicely made and easily turns over a tdi. They are a very good price at Halfords if you have a trade card

[Anderzander]

Ordered one from Amazon prime - their small one but rated for 3l diesels and seems very chunky ! 
 

[L19MUD]

Just reading through this thread as I am in the market for a new camping fridge. I had a Tropicool 35 thermoelectric fridge and have been very disappointed with it. Was OK ish for a couple of years but struggled to keep anything cool on warm UK days and this was connected for the majority of the time on 240v. Last year at 3 years old it has stopped cooling entirely and will be going in the bin. An expensive experiment

 

My needs for a fridge are probably a little different to the main thread here. We only tend to run our fridge on 12v in the 90 on the way to the campsite and then lift it out of the truck, move it to the awning and transfer over to 240v. We also put it on 240v before we go to chill it down and put cold food in. 

I want something that will last me but equally don't want to waste money on something that is total overkill. The ENGEL MR-040F can be bought for around £600 and seems like it would fit the bill for me? It is going to lead a sheltered life so being of steel construction is not something I need.

Are there cheaper options that will do just as well for my use?

 

[rusty_wingnut]

Interestingly Vevor tools have started doing fridges. https://www.vevor.co.uk/car-refrigerator-c_10723/vevor-50l-portable-car-refrigerator-compressor-fridge-freezer-cool-box-camping-p_010806694927

 

I am in the market for a budget fridge to run off my second battery in the 110

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by rusty_wingnut

[FridgeFreezer]

1 hour ago, L19MUD said:

My needs for a fridge are probably a little different to the main thread here. We only tend to run our fridge on 12v in the 90 on the way to the campsite and then lift it out of the truck, move it to the awning and transfer over to 240v. We also put it on 240v before we go to chill it down and put cold food in.

Any 12v fridge can be run externally on 240v using a fairly cheap mains adapter. RS sell some reasonable ones that can manage 5A+, or old laptop, PC or Server PSU's are either free or dirt cheap and can work very well. I've got a pile of old server PSU's out of a skip, the smallest ones are tiny and make 750W at 12v, the slightly larger ones will do 65A

[Stellaghost]

5 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

 out of a skip

A fellow skip rat.........

The joys of finding skip treasure..........big smiles 

Regards Stephen

[Bowie69]

Coincidentally I recently bought an Alpicool T60, twin zone fridge freezer, 12V, comes with a 240V adapter.

Just under £300 on amazon, and seems to be working pretty well, though to date I've only been using it half full to stress test a solar/12V system in my camper, but easily runs at -12C or down to -18C if you really wanted. 

LG compressor etc, so thought they were worth a punt.

Key thing as you have already realised, get a compressor fridge, and a named compressor at that, LG or Secop (used to be danfoss) seem much better than the Chinesium also touted out there.

Worth noting the Alpicool is also marketed under other brands when you really start looking, and the Vevor fridge you cite uses exactly the same software as my Alpicool..... there's nothing new under the sun, especially when it is in the far east.

[Badger110]

Playing devils advocate, but if you're only using 12v between home and the destination, would a few ice packs inside and a well insulated small 240v fridge ( with a thermal jacket over it ) not do the same job?

[L19MUD]

10 minutes ago, Badger110 said:

Playing devils advocate, but if you're only using 12v between home and the destination, would a few ice packs inside and a well insulated small 240v fridge ( with a thermal jacket over it ) not do the same job?

Yes it would but a normal 240v fridge needs to settle before being turned on which is why this does not work that well. Also sometimes we do a fair distance from home

 

Thanks all for the feedback. Looks like I have some options that are not as expensive as I thought

[landroversforever]

The settling bit of a fridge I’ve always wondered about, given that as far as I know the internals of a 12/240v compressor fridge have the same make up?  

[Bowie69]

The Alpicool is specced to work in rough conditions and can run at up to 45 degrees off horizontal.

I'd say all the other portable fridges are the same.