I have a Thetford 3 way fridge. For the second time in three weeks I am sitting in a caravan park waiting to have it fixed because it won't work on gas. If I stay in a freecamp and run it on battery overnight it runs the battery right down (I have two 80 watt solar panels and 120 watt house battery. I have spoken to a couple of people who have Engal two way fridges and they can freecamp for three days on battery on less power than I have available.
Are 2 way fridges built to use less battery power? My fridge is still under warranty (six weeks old), but so far it has cost me over $600 in caravan park fees waiting around for it to be fixed. If it plays up again I'm wondering if I should change it for a two way Engel or similar.
I would appreciate some advice as to the best way to go.
2 way fridges use much less power than 3way models. My 55 ltr waeco averages out at about 2.5 amps an hr over a 24hr period, and I have an 150 amp hr deep cycle battery which is charged by the car and 130w solar array. It lasts about 5 days before you have to charge it with the car.I also have a 20 amp hr battery charger for when I,m on 240 power.I had a 3 way , but they didn,t work real well in the tropics, and a 9kg gas bottle was used every 3 weeks or so.The waeco doesn,t emit much noise, also.It gets much colder than the 3 way, down to about -18c. Engels or waeco or any reputable brand are good. I hope this helps you. Bill
If you have a suitable 12V setup a compressor fridge could be the way to go, remember though, even with solar if the sun don't shine you can't charge the batteries.
I at present have a compressor freezer in the car and a three way in the camper, have had no problems with the three way so maybe your just having a bad run, get it looked at to see what the issue is with it, at least then if its working you can sell it to pay for a compressor type.
A three way fridge can not be run on battery when parked,it does not cycle so it is like leaving the headlights on in relation to the power consumed, & dont work very well on 12v.
A compresor fridge works like a house hold fridge, it cycles mmeaning it will run till it reaches preset temp & then switch off untill temp rises enough for the thermostate switches it back on for another cycle.
JC.
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Janno, running a 3 way fridge on 12 volts will use more power than a 2 way running on 12 volts.
You may also find running a 2 or 3 way fridge on 12 volts over lengthy periods and recharghing through solar panels, can actually boil your expensive batteries.
Using gas on a 3 way is the best way to go when no plug in is available, I have a Dometic 90 litre fridge, a 4kg gas cylinder lasts 7/9 days depending on temperature.
A common cause of fridge failure is parking on uneven ground, I had this problem a few times. So chock up and level up first.
