How about a frig poll?

[booster]

Simple question about your frig experiences.

[mkguitar]

I chose option A as the 3 way is my best choice for energy use...my old van can't support other options economically

as ive posted, it's workable, but requires attention


mike

[Bud]

"I chose option A as the 3 way is my best choice for energy use...my old van can't support other options economically"


Also known as not enough reliable electrical power for a compressor refer. Ok, the lack of refer power is because it is not economical.

[GallenH]

Is this just a poll of what you have? Or do you want it to be more detailed? If so, seems that it would have to divide at some point (i.e. if compressor then what's the make, size, your battery capacity, solar?, observed power draw and at what outside temp, etc.). If absorption perhaps ability to stay cool at high outside temps, at altitude, venting/cooling mods.

[GallenH]

Originally Posted by Bud

Also known as not enough reliable electrical power for a compressor refer. Ok, the lack of refer power is because it is not economical.

I believe that it has to do with capacity and not reliability. And yes, a choice to spend the money to retrofit electrical would be based on the economics; mainly: is it worth making the investment in an older RV where you probably wouldn't recover it on sale.

[booster]

Originally Posted by GallenH

Is this just a poll of what you have? Or do you want it to be more detailed? If so, seems that it would have to divide at some point (i.e. if compressor then what's the make, size, your battery capacity, solar?, observed power draw and at what outside temp, etc.). If absorption perhaps ability to stay cool at high outside temps, at altitude, venting/cooling mods.

Either way you want, just poll, or whatever you want to say for how, why, whatever?

[GallenH]

Ha! I didn't see the poll options at the beginning of this thread. So here are my observations. Absorption (which I have) is at the mercy of the outside temps. It works if you're careful in planning your route. So we routinely go to higher elevations where it's cooler and the only thing we worry about is the period where we're going from low elevation, hot Phoenix to the high country where it's cooler. We have NEVER used our AC. We don't camp where it's hot. Even when we went up to Glacier, we camped at sites which were high elevation. That, I realize, doesn't work for everyone.

Now, if the hypothesis was: you can have a compressor fridge that doesn't track the ambient outside temp, enough battery storage and charging capability to exist boondocking for as long as you want...........who wouldn't want that?

Bud's comment. Economics. Many newer RVs are already set up with a compressor fridge and the means to maintain it. Most older RVs are not. Making that conversion is costly so there is a cost factor that those, in that position, have to consider. I respect that. Personally I bought my 97 from my FIL for $1. It's no problem for me to make that conversion and still recover the cost. But I'm not going to do it until my 24-year old Dometic 3-way kicks the bucket. Right now it's working fine for me.

Probably too much information for the poll, booster? Oh well. I appreciate your doing this. It will be interesting to see others responses.

best.glenn

[eric1514]

I replaced the absorption fridge in my Travato with a compressor model because I could never adjust the temp accurately on it. The setting during the day was not the same as the setting during the night or the same as the setting would be the next day. I was constantly chasing it to try and keep the fridge portion cool without freezing things like lettuce or yogurt.

When I swapped it for a Novakool I also included a digital temperature probe that I could set for exactly the temp I wanted the box to be (35.5) and if it rose to 36.5 the compressor turned on and ran until the box was 35.5 again. Always. No matter what time of day or night or outside temp. It drifted between 37 and 34.5.

Besides the cost of the fridge (overpriced at $1200) I added 300watts of solar and another 105ah battery. I was in for just under $2k. Not a small investment but I'd do it again without hesitating and plan to do something with the fridge in my C.

[Davydd]

Both refrigerators, compressor and absorption, are at the mercy of outside temperatures. You are in a van! Your home is set for a very narrow range of temperatures at about 65 to 80 degrees for most. We live in our van under a wider temperature range that fluctuates wildly, 30 to 90 degrees in a single day plus most van refrigerators are smack up against a poorly insulated outside wall. With both types you have to constantly adjust the temperature for the conditions and both just don't do all that well when it get extremely hot.

Given I have the electrical power to accommodate a compressor refrigerator, that's what I prefer. They are just easier to manage and maintain. We have a Silverleaf controller and touch screen monitor to read current temperatures and adjust the temperature settings and have a history of what the maximum temperature was reached.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Both refrigerators, compressor and absorption, are at the mercy of outside temperatures. You are in a van! Your home is set for a very narrow range of temperatures at about 65 to 80 degrees for most. We live in our van under a wider temperature range that fluctuates wildly, 30 to 90 degrees in a single day plus most van refrigerators are smack up against a poorly insulated outside wall. With both types you have to constantly adjust the temperature for the conditions and both just don't do all that well when it get extremely hot.

Given I have the electrical power to accommodate a compressor refrigerator, that's what I prefer. They are just easier to manage and maintain. We have a Silverleaf controller and touch screen monitor to read current temperatures and adjust the temperature settings and have a history of what the maximum temperature was reached.

The temp tracking the outside temp you describes is something that we saw early on, and I think that most frigs do if they have the mechanical thermostat and the temp sensor in the freezer. If you go to a digital temp controller with the sensor in the frig air instead of the freezer, it the frig temp will hold well regardless of outside temps, I think.

[MsNomer]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Both refrigerators, compressor and absorption, are at the mercy of outside temperatures.…With both types you have to constantly adjust the temperature for the conditions and both just don't do all that well when it get extremely hot.

Doesn’t have to be that way. Five years ago, I set the dial on my Engel and haven’t touched it since. Thermometer says it maintains 33-35°F no matter what ambient is, unless ambient goes beyond its spec of 80° differential:

[GeorgeRa]

My experience with absorption refrigerators is going back to about 1977. I modified VW Westfalia ice box with Peltier thermoelectric elements which worked great under engine power. Lack of cooling while camping forced us to get a Dometic absorption top loading fridge. This antique is still working and is often used for drinks by my son in law.

Since we had all gamut of absorption fridges on our RVs starting with the second VW Westfalia . All worked fine, but I paid attention to levelling. Levelling trailers was easy but levelling a camper van or a truck camper was time consuming.

My first exposure to Danfoss compressor refrigerator was from our boating times.

I put some effort to evaluate LPG or no LPG for our current van. LPG conversion was easier with fridge, stove, furnace, and water heater all powered from a single source but LPG fridge required levelling. This led a compressor fridge decision.

If I would need to go back to the drawing board, I would reevaluate LPG. Diesel powered devices required higher maintenance than LPG, potential choice would by all LPG except a fridge. Time would tell but another van conversion into Westfalia like campervan is unlikely.

[themexicandoctor]

Many of you who have helped me recently come to purchase a DC Refrigerator decision probably already know;

Hate would be too strong a word for how I felt about the 3 Way Fridge in general because it was certainly economical to run*.

*but for the $60 cost of getting the Gas Pressure increased every 9 months due to poor performance.

But hate would be an understated description to describe the frustrations of not being able to park everytime perfectly level & knowing the fridge would limp for days afterwards seeing a client/s on an angled parking.

Its the primary reason for my decision & I can do it now I have the solar panels installed, otherwise a 3 way is what I woukd be stuck with.

I purchased the Novakool R3800 with the AC Option but I am already having buyers remorse (very unusual for me).

As I sit here without a fridge because of the 6 week lead time I started to look with a more open mind at the ARB Dual Zone, National Luna, Dometic* & Engel** semi portable units.

*Dometic are crap

**Engel seem like the very best units for performance, low amp draw & owner loyalty & the 45 liter unit looks like it would only protrude a few inches into the Roadtrek 190 hallway (25.5 inches without the handles).

**the only drawbacks being less capacity than the Novakool & the cost of a $400 plus slide.

Being without a fridge has me wondering just how much I really need a 3.5 cubic feet unit ...

[MsNomer]

Cancel your order. My Engel is the MT45; it’s truly mind boggling how much it holds. You don’t have to buy the slider. Make your own.