Hi we have a new coronet van and a 3 way dometic fridge. The fridge works well on gas and 240 but when we stop and turn off the engine the fridge beeps and stops.
It is designed that way to stop the fridge running your vehicle battery down and won't start. The 12 volt will only keep the fridge cool when driving. We cool ours down with 240 or gas before we leave home.
buggars me why they put these 3 way fridges in vans,, you cant run them on gas when moving so they must run on 12V,, at around 15Amps!!
Throw the thing out, put some panels on the roof and run a dedicated 12v engal or similar.
Good day, I do like and have had a 3 way frig since the early seventies in one form or another. The first a 39 litre chest type which we used for camping, that was pretty high tech as there was not anything else available, have same frig for about 30 years. Broke the lid hinge, had the electrical looked at once after about 15 years for few dollars.
Then brought our Cub Camper 2005 with a 90 litre built in, comparing it with the chest type keeping things cold not as good but over a 6 year period we did not loose any food.
The last 3 years we have moved to a 150 litre plus 3 way in the caravan. Great frig milk cold, beer cold, wine cold have now almost parked the Engel in the garage for ever.
Now to answer your question it's to do with economics a 3 way is much more cheaper to place in the van at time of building.
Don't need 2 batteries in the van. I have one battery and one solar panel. Great for my caravan trips
Now the other trick I have started doing between leaving camp of a morning, I am not running it on 12 volt, at lunch I put it on gas for the time I have stopped and then when I get to my next camp site mostly with in 6 hours and the drop in temp is not that great, it soon recovers.
My Engel is about 15 years old with one rebuild in that I use it for picnic mostly as did last owner for his weekend fishing trips to the beach.
I wish some one smart could do full costing on owning portable refrigeration. I think a 3 way would be miles ahead in cost. Taking in account the need for dual batteries, heavy wiring and all the switching gear that goes with 12 volt only frig. I know I have spent quite a bit on the car to set it up. Ralph
-- Edited by Radar on Saturday 23rd of August 2014 01:52:17 PM
