Good fridge for vanlife?

[gnx547]

What's a good quality small fridge to use? I'm looking for one that's quiet and not so loud. What does everyone here use?

 

[JerryJ]

I've been testing out the Alpicool C20 for a few weeks. It's virtually silent, though at night you might hear it kick on/off in a totally silent space. It uses very little power, and can even be used as a freezer if needed. It's just about the cheapest true compressor fridge on the market at $200. The C20 is pretty small, but there are larger models that are still half the price of the big boys (Engel and Dometic).

What are your plans for power? The C20 can be run off a single 100w solar panel and small battery, and larger units might as well, or may need a slightly larger system. You will not be able to run any fridge off your vehicle's starter battery alone except when driving constantly, with the exception of a few hybrid vehicles such as the Prius.

 

[INTJohn]

I use a 45 qt Whynter. Pd arownd 500$ new. It can be used either 12 or 120 volt and I use mine only on 12. When driving its plugged into the truck bat; when stationary its plugged into the "house" bat.
Quiet. Its no nonsense, doesn't have a bunch of dumas stuff built in with it that all the yuppies can't live without.......and its metal not plastic. Never had any probs. Worx as advertised.

INTJohn

 

[tx2sturgis]

Most of the good quality small fridges ARE "quiet and not so loud".

OK...my bad. 

Yeah the Dometic, Wnynter, Engel, ARB fridges all have good reputations, mostly.

The Alpicool is the new kid on the block...but most, if not all user comments about them have been positive.

I have a Dometic, mid range model, and yeah, you can hear the fan and compressor come on late at night in a quiet vehicle, but it is not loud enough to wake you, unless your head was right next to it!

 

[JennyJ]

Does a 12-volt fridge put out a lot of heat? I've been considering getting a C35 liter Alpicool (can't seem to find the C20 anymore), but hesitate for fear of adding to summer heat!

 

[Qxxx]

They all put out heat. It has to go somewheres. If the frig cannot be put in a separate ventilated compartment, one way to deal with it is to put the frig in the passenger compartment and block it off from the sleeping area with curtains or blankets.

 

[barleyguy]

Does a 12-volt fridge put out a lot of heat? I've been considering getting a C35 liter Alpicool (can't seem to find the C20 anymore), but hesitate for fear of adding to summer heat!

No electrical appliance can put out more heat than it uses electricity. So to minimize the amount of heat put out, pick the most efficient fridge you can as far as power usage.

Not sure if that answers your question, but a fridge that uses, for example, 500 watt hours a day of electricity will put out roughly that much heat. That's not A LOT of heat, compared to the solar gain you're already getting, but it might be enough to make a couple of degrees difference.

 

[BobBski]

I’ve been using a Dometic CF50, with insulated cover, for 4 years now and very happy with it. Noise when on is a low hum that I don’t notice. Doesn’t generate enough heat to affect van temp inside. It’s wired into the house fuse box and set at 35*. Have a great day all.

 

[jonyjoe303]

I recently bought the joytutus 26L 12 volt fridge. Its big enough to hold a 1 gallon jug of milk unlike some of the smaller fridges. It weighs less then 30 pounds empty compared to the 60 pounds my old edgestar ep43 weighed.

As far as power use I was able to get it to hold 20 degrees for 24 hours using 24ah of power with the fridge in its stock configuration. But if you go lower the power use will increase tremendously, at 12 degrees f it was using over 44ah of power. But if you add insulation to the sides of the fridge that does help, I added 3 layers of foam insulation to the sides and top (hotglued) and was able to get it to maintain 12 degrees f  with anywhere from 18 to 26 ah per 24 hours. The hotter it is in your van the more power it will use. As far as noise, after a while you don't even notice the compresser turning on.

The big drawback from a 12 volt fridge is the heat, thats why I got rid of my edgestar. Everytime the compresser comes on, it produces heat that is vented out of the side of the fridge. The hotter it is in your van the more heat is produce. I measured the heat with an IR thermometer and it was over 110 degrees, this heats up the side of your fridge and also adds heat to your van. I had the same problem with the joytutu and was already thinking of getting rid of it but had an idea to vent the heat up through the roof vent. Using 4 inch flexible ducting and a small 120mm I was able to do it. Now no more heat problems.

To me heat is a real problem, if your van is already hot, definitely consider venting the fridge. I only had the fridge 2 months but seems to work great, now that I vented it, it seems to run cooler and hopefully that extends its lifetime. I only payed 290 with shipping/tax it was a good price and at 12 degrees it keeps my fishsticks cold enough without using to much power. I don't go any lower on the temp because even with the foam insulation going down to 10 degrees increased the power usage to 30ah per 24 hours. I find 12 degrees is cold enough for the frozen food I eat.

joytutu 26L fridge (compressor heat exhaust vents in lower front side)

 

[jwhite]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYVYYGR/ref=dp_cerb_1
I bought this one
Linsion 42 Quart RV Refrigerator/Freezer Compact Vehicle Car Fridge

I am very pleased that it works so well if freezes in a couple hours and I don't notice any heat and low on noise.
I bought this one mostly for it's size to maybe one day fit in a closet in my rear bedroom incase I wanted to use it only for a freezer.
I tested it with my jackery 500 and was a little disapointed that over night it had almost drained the battery I thought it would run much longer.

 

[tx2sturgis]

No electrical appliance can put out more heat than it uses electricity. 

 

Not true in this case. Compressors are not a zero-sum device.

Compressor driven cooling or heating systems, in other words, heat pumps, and refrigerators, can easily put out more heat than they actually consume from the electrical source, and that is exactly why compressor driven fridges and heat pumps are very efficient.

A refrigeration compressor is a form of 'heat pump' and it moves heat from point A to point B.

In the case of these fridges, if warm food or room temperature water bottles, or whatever, being put in the fridge, contain heat, ie room temperature, then that heat will be slowly removed from the items when placed in the fridge via the refrigeration system, and that heat will be discharged out the vents of the fridge, in addition to, the heat generated by the mechanical and electrical operation of the compressor and control circuits, fans, etc. 

There is also the heat that slowly enters the insulated walls, lid, and floor of the fridge, and that is slowly removed, again, creating a bit more heat that is also being removed and discharged, in addition to the heat being generated by the mechanical and electrical operation of the compressor.

In other words, when you put your hand near the discharge vent and feel that warm air, some of that warmth was heat energy that was IN your food and bottled water or water in some ice trays, that went into the fridge while it was warm. Some of that warmth, but not all of it, is from the electrical and mechanical operation of the compressor and associated components.

 

[JennyJ]

In other words, when you put your hand near the discharge vent and feel that warm air, some of that warmth was heat energy that was IN your food and bottled water or water in some ice trays, that went into the fridge while it was warm. Some of that warmth, but not all of it, is from the electrical and mechanical operation of the compressor and associated components.

Ohhhhh!!  I now suddenly vaguely remember that from college decades ago, now that you've pointed it out.

I'm still on the fence about a fridge since trading the Prius for the Rav4. I've been learning a lot about solar power and figure I'd have to get a 300-watt solar "generator" and panel to power the fridge, which exponentially increases the cost of keeping fresh food.  Especially since I'm pre-diabetic and must avoid the usual camping staples like bread, pasta, rice, beans, etc. 

My builder suggests using a house battery for the fridge, but I know nothing about that or how to maintain it, so don't know which system is better. Somehow, solar seems "safer." heh

OTOH, I could simply fast between food purchases and avoid the whole problem, LOL!

 

[highdesertranger]

for years I ran 2 Engel refrigerators off of two 80 watt panels and 2 under 100 buck marine batteries with a 20 buck solar controller. this cost considerably less then one of those phoney "solar generators". in fact the 2 marine batteries that I bought last are still useable 7 years later.

highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

I found a used Engel 16 quart. They used to be imported and labeled as a Norcold. So a pretty good deal from a local marine mechanic who is also a neighbor. It was a very lucky find as that was one of the very few fridges that would fit inside my ventilated cabinet on slide out brackets. Cost of it new is just over $800, my price was $300 on the good neighbor discount. It takes less electrical power to run than other brands, different style of compressor in it.

 

[gnx547]

I've been testing out the Alpicool C20 for a few weeks. 

I plan on using the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 with 100 or 200 watts of solar power.

How much food are you able to store in the fridge?

 

[travelaround]

I bought a refrigerator Bob Wells recommended. I've had no trouble with it. I ran it off the Van's 12v. system - I have no solar, sorry to say. When I moved into this mobile home I hated the old refrigerator that came with it, so I gave it to someone else who wanted and needed a big refrigerator, and I brought in my Iceco van fridge and it sits on a shelf where the big refrigerator used to be. It runs off 12v. or 110. Mine doesn't have handles like hers does. Otherwise it seems to be identical. I keep frozen foods on the bottom and things I don't want frozen are on top.



[video=youtube]

 

[travelaround]

This was the original video I saw.

[video=youtube]

 

[Jimmyflorida]

I have the 45qt Engel  it's kinda pricey compared to other but I love it having 17qt freezer and 28qt fridge works for me it's been on since November even though I'm back in sticks and bricks I just leave it on  I think the Engel is worth it if you have the budget

 

[Happy Camper]

I am using two 12v/110v refrigerators at the moment. Ironically I bought them for camping, but when my home fridge went out, I ended up using them as a temporary replacement. So far it's been a few months and I haven't bothered to get a new regular fridge. I am using the F40C4TMP as a freezer and the Alpicool as the fridge.

Both get down to lower temperatures fast. They are both very quiet, with the F40C4TMP being the quieter of the two when running on max and active, but not by much. I have tried them on max and eco over time, and there isn't much difference in performance. The exception being the F40C4TMP, when in 100 degree great does have to work very hard to keep things below freezing. It has gone above 0 degrees twice when it's been extremely hot and there was sun shining on it. My ac is out, and the apartment gets hot as it's upstairs.

The first one I got was the F40C4TMP Portable Refrigerator 20 Quart Car Fridge Freezer 18L. It's worked fantastic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G132X2F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jAKgFbZ4TAHPG

The next one I bought is the Alpicool CX40 Portable Refrigerator 42 Quart(40 Liter). I like the trolley and wheels. It does a good job as well. I currently have it running as a fridge. Really holds a lot of food depending on how you pack it.

https://www.amazon.com/Alpicool-CX40-Portable-Refrigerator-Trolley/dp/B07B8J3LS1

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions regarding these guys. I do not have anything to measure power draw and whatnot.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

No electrical appliance can put out more heat than it uses electricity . . .

 Not true in this case. Compressors are not a zero-sum device . . .

Energy equations have to balance.  The amount of work done (extracting heat from food) cannot exceed the amount of work input (electrical energy to run the compressor).

Heat does not naturally flow from cold to hot.  It takes energy to move heat from cold to hot.

So where does this magical energy come from?

heat extracted by evaporation of refrigerant
 < MUST EQUAL > 
frictional losses in compressor + heat generated in compression of the refrigerant
 < and that equals >
the number of watts into the refrigerator.

Therefore: the number of watts consumed is an excellent indicator of refrigerator efficiency.