120 volt mini fridge

[dutchduo1990]

How well would a 120 volt mini fridge on an inverter work in my B

[mkguitar]

suggest you follow the threads on those who are trying to use 12 volt compressor fridges to replace old 3 way fridges

costs in the thousands of dollars

the mexicandoctor is doing the R&D for the rest of us

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...tml#post115482


mike

[Bud]

Originally Posted by dutchduo1990

How well would a 120 volt mini fridge on an inverter work in my B

I have no idea, but just fine.

I would never send someone to the thread below, 8 pages - good luck.

This subject has been discussed in multiple threads over the years. Someone else will chime in, but downsides:

-more power and battery capacity than a marine 12 volt fridge, but energy star refers appear to not need much more, plus a little more amp hours to power the inverter. Many folks have done it successfully, but this forum has not seen actual numbers to compare, not yet.

-maybe the marine refer would be more durable, bouncing down the road. Again it is happening.

A plus, lots of money left over for another battery, solar...........

Please let us know, what is your B, etc..........

Bud

[themexicandoctor]

MK is partially correct.

dI dscovered that the reason why my newly acquired Novakool wasn't working was because I had a loose ground connection.

As to the Mini Fridge, DON'T.

While there are a couple of benefits up front, a true RV or Marine DC Native* Compressor fridge, is the way to go.

*meaning that the unit is wired to use 12 volt DC without needing a transformer.

A secondary consideration is making sure ALL the connections of your DC system are correct & that the gauge of wire you used to connect the fridge, is 12 gauge or lower.

Geez I hope I got that right.

And I learnt all about the positives & negatives of adding a house type refrigerator from many of the forums here.

And high level advice from the Giants amongst us.

Let me find one.

My cost, with the AC/DC option I didn't need, just over a $1000.

Well worth it to me, for my needs, as a full timer.

[themexicandoctor]

12 volt DC Fridge or 110 Volt - is the latter a viable option? - Class B Forums
https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...ion-10758.html

Here it is ...

[dutchduo1990]

One of the problems I have is that I can’t find anyone here in Toronto who can work on mine. It is a 12 - 120 volt fridge. Freezer temp gets down to -10 Celsius, then shuts off and drops to 0 Celsius before it starts again. Also at no point on the dial can I shut it off no matter how low I set it. Rv dealers tell me to try next year maybe.

[mkguitar]

what rv do you have?
( do you have solar, lithium batteries ...what energy does your van store)


what fridge do you have?

mike

[dutchduo1990]

I have an LER that was converted in Michigan in 1990. The fridge is a Norcold model DE 704 E. no solar no lithium batteries. I used to be able to boondocks for 4 to 5 hot days
Two 27 batteries.

[mkguitar]

You're in the same boat as me- the cost of lithium batteries, upgraded chargers, solar, controllers alternators etc about outweighs the value of my van ( almost!)

I googled your fridge and see plenty of trouble shooting threads dealing with the controls.

i have a dometic, but someone with a Norcold might have a hint for you.
or a suggestion for service in the TO area

cheers, Mike

[karon]

Originally Posted by dutchduo1990

How well would a 120 volt mini fridge on an inverter work in my B

I use a portable unit it plugs into the 120V inverter during travel and also to the cigar lighter when one power source isn’t available it switches to the other it can freeze or just refrigerate it is a Dometic I bought it in 2013 it works great

[Hammernine]

We have a 480 watt solar with 2000 watt inverter on 2004 Roadtrek Popular. We replaced the 3 way with a Magic Chef 120 volt mini fridge. We turn on the invert on trips and it works great, not to mention it has 1 cubic foot more space. We have 4 AGM batteries with 400 AH, 200 usable. We decided to go solar and use 120 volt appliances. To me this simplifies my needs, the fridges uses no batteries during the day and only drops my bank to 75% over night. We live in Arizona so the fridge works pretty hard. Not to mention the fridge was less then $200.

[rvsprinterguy]

Originally Posted by karon

I use a portable unit it plugs into the 120V inverter during travel and also to the cigar lighter when one power source isn’t available it switches to the other it can freeze or just refrigerate it is a Dometic I bought it in 2013 it works great

I have an Iceco portable refrigerator that's like Karon's Dometic. These are a lot more expensive than a dorm-style 120 volt mini fridge, but they're much more efficient and immune to damage from vibration. Like others, the Iceco has the voltage management electronics built it, so the power cords are simple (i.e. no "brick" needed for 120-volt operation). Mine is kept behind the passenger seat and must be positioned correctly to not block the bathroom door. I wired a fused 12-volt cigarette lighter style socket directly to the house battery, which sits below the passenger seat in my van. Refrigerators like mine can be used as a freezer, if that's what you want.

I still use the built-in Norcold 3-way refrigerator that came with the van, but it's nice to have another reliable place to store food that keeps cold without having to worry about leveling.