We are just about to purchase a new caravan and we have the option of either a compressor fridge or a 3 way fridge.
we live in central Queensland and do a just about all our traveling as of free camping and we generally in Queensland/NT area. can anyone give us their experience or advice on which option they have found is better?
We have a 148 Lre Dometic 3 way and a Waeco cf 40 12/240 V fridge and are very happy with this setup.
The Dometic uses about 1 X 9Kg gas bottle every 3 weeks when running entirely on LPG
In cooler weather this can be extended a week by turning the fridge off around 9:30 of an evening and back on at 8:00am. This doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on food and the freezer compartment does not defrost. We have a wireless thermometer that reads the inside temperature and can be viewed from the outside, this means we can relight the fridge if we think the temperature is getting too high.
We keep milk, cold drinks and often used items in the Waeco so that we are not opening the big fridge every time we want a cuppa or a drink. Stuff for lunch is put in the Waeco in the morning and replaced with a few beers after lunch. That way we don't open the Dometic again 'til evening.
Hope this helps but no doubt there are plenty of other options.
Compressor fridges perform better in the heat.
We had a 12V Vitrifrigo compressor fridge in the caravan. It was not a large one - about 120L I think. The van set up was that the 2 batteries were solar charged, when off grid, 240v charged when on grid. Fridge worked very well in some pretty dreadful conditions - rough roads, excessive heat, dust, etc. At one stage we spent summer months in Pilbara where outside temp was 40 plus, most days. Fridge didn't miss a beat, frozen stuff in freezebox stayed frozen. Had the fridge regassed a couple of times in 12 years, also replaced the thermostat once.
The bus came with a 12/240v fridge, similar size to what we had in bus. Compressor again. Works from 12v house batteries when off grid, automatically switches to 240v source when on grid. I am happy with fridge. We spent some months in FNQ a couple of years back and it worked well in that heat. My only gripe is that the little spring that holds the freezebox door shut, has broken, and I can't see a way to fix it. Freezebox works fine though.
I would only have a compressor fridge.
This subject has been covered in the past. You might want to do a search, as most of the info will still be current.
We recently bought a larger fridge (actually over a year ago), and only considered compressor models.
I have read that most absorption fridges will only cool 25 or 30deg below ambient. The Evakool 110L compressor model we bought claims it will maintain a freezer temp of -15 when the ambient temp is 40deg. We haven't measured the temp but the ice cream stays firm in hot weather. It is not hard to get 40deg or more in the tropics if you lock up and go away for the day.
Whatever you choose, make sure there is good ventilation behind the fridge. I suggest you install one or more small fans to extract the heat.
Good luck with the new van.
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BJC
"A year from now you'll wish you had started today."
We went for the 240lt Vitrifrigo compressor & love it. We were up in the top end last summer in 40plus every day with no probs. Had 3way before & never again.
Just need to have to batteries & solar to do the job. The saving on gas is great, have been using the hot water system & stove top ,first 9kg lasted 6mths.
JC.
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
I ask this question because I just don't know and have had various answers to the topic. Can I run a standard compress fridge in my caravan suitably shock mounted or does one have to buy a specially designed fridge for caravan use. Been thinking about this for some time and after seeing this topic come up I thought I would address the topic.
Thanks in advance
Brian. briche
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You only live once, but if you live it right, once is enough !!!!!!
I've been running a 240v house fridge in my van for quite a number of years without any problems and fixed direct to the floor without any rubber or spring mounts. Very quiet and efficient in all weather however restricted to powered sites which generally suits me anyway, in addition I also have a split system (house type) Samsung inverter air con installed which has never given any problem despite what all the scaremonger salesmen try and tell you.
Aside from the van I am converting a Sprinter into a camper and have a 140lt Waeco 12/240v upright fridge installed and its currently running on 2 batteries via 2 solar panels. So far the cooling cycle has been maintained without needing to top up with a charger. The fridge seems to work very well and maintains 3c & -15c in the freezer on half setting (4) but is a bit annoying with the fan running during its cycle. Had 2 x 3 way fridges in the past and both packed up and I reckon the cause was lack of regular use which causes corrosion of the pipes as suggested by the tech.
if your going to run a compressor fridge(12 volt) power is your main concern if your free camping with 200 amp/hrs of (2x100 amp plus batteries) and 250 to 400 watts of solar a general minimum depending on what else you use an how long you are off grid
Our 3 way fridge (see earlier post) is a T rated (tropical) and will maintain at least -10 in freezer regardless of ambient temp.
Its absolutely imperative that a 3 way is installed exactly as the Dometic instructions say. That is exactly, not that's pretty close. Probably the same applies to compressor fridges.
I have been told by so called experts that the 3 way has to be dead level or within a few degrees of level to work properly.
We disagree, after a sudden storm in the north west a few years ago we spent the next 3 days bogged in 40deg heat at a dreadful angle. The front left wheel was off the road in a gutter 300mm deep while the rear left wheel was still on the road. The coaster was forward down, front left axle centre at least 600mm lower than rear right wheel, we were pitched forward and leaning over to one side. The 3 way didn't miss a beat it maintained perfect temp the whole time we were there. That fridge was installed exactly as the manufacturer instructed.
The motor home we have now has the same model fridge installed the same way and we have never had any trouble with temp, despite touring northern NSW, central Qld, and the nor west from last January to last August.
We have also done the Grt Central Rd, from Laverton to Uluru and always found the 3 way to be very reliable.
I would say to anyone who says "the compressor will outperform the 3 way every time!". That may be your opinion, but having travelled with people running 12/240V only, fridges we disagree, we have the opposite opinion because we didn't have to ever throw stuff away because the fridge couldn't maintain temp where 2 others travelling with us did have to, on at least 3 occasions over about a 35 day period.
But as I said earlier, there will be many different options on this subject. I suspect a lot of the differences are not necessarily because of the efficiency of the unit but more likely the way the unit has been installed, no matter how well a fridge is manufactured, if it's not installed as it should be, it will not perform as it should. We have seen professionally manufactured caravans with very poorly installed fridges, definitely not vented as should be and or nothing like the amount of air space surrounding said appliance as there should be. A case of saving space at the expense of the manufacturers recommended installation guide. We have seen this on both 3 way & compressor fridges.
Good luck with your project, no doubt you will have quite a lot of pulling your hair out trying to work out what you should do, don't despair you aren't the first and certainly won't be the last.
Regards TommyG.
Not mentioned yet but should be considered is the fact that the 3 way fridge is silent and the compressor fridge has a motor that cuts in and runs then cuts out
On economics the compressor fridge wins hands down. It is cheaper to buy but use money saved to put on extra solar panels. Don't need to buy a bottle of gas every 3 weeks ever again.
The added bonus is the compressor fridge can run whilst driving using much less 12v power (and does not need to be level) and will hold temp better than any 3 way fridge. I spent the first 30 years of my life with a kero fridge which is exactly same as 3 way, albeit much better built and insulated. Never going there again.
