12 volt compressor fridges have come a long way, but their initial price has most balking and searching for other options, which ultimately cost more when they either do not perform well, or consume too much battery power. Residential dorm style fridges run on an inverter will use, at a minimum, twice the battery power. I'd avoid this route unless you regularly plug into the grid for extended periods, or just have large amounts of solar and a large battery bank.<br><br>I did the cooler thing for 7 years, getting blocks of ice every 5 days or so. Factoring in the price of Ice, and the gas required to go get it, the 12v compressor fridge pays for itself in about a year.<br><br>Modern compressor fridges consume less than one amp per hour in average 75f ambients, but obviously opening the door and placing warm items within increases this consumption.<br><br>Compressor fridges need to have the condenser adequately vented, and the better the condenser has its heat removed, the more efficient the fridge. I went a little overboard on mine and the new aftermarket condenser fan has no ability to pull preheated air through the condenser. The fridge sits in an insulated cabinet designed to accommodate this single pass airflow, and the fridge itself has an extra 3/4 inches of insulation around it, and mine in regular use, uses about .75 amps per hour in 75f ambient temperatures.<br><br>If one is considering a 12 volt compressor fridge, the ones with Danfoss compressors are quietest. Vitrifrigo, Waeco/Dometic, NovaKool, and TruckFridge all use the Danfoss compressor which can be tweaked for better performance, and can be recharged if/when necessary. Norcold and Engel use the louder vibration prone Sawafuji compressors and once the refrigerant gets low, it is new fridge time.<br><br>Some chest type fridges like ARB use the Danfoss compressors too and are inherently more efficient.<br><br>If one does not drive regularly, at least an hour every other day, then solar is needed to power compressor fridges. Always get more solar than you think you need, but 60 watts should be considered the minimum to run just the 12 volt compressor fridge indefinitely without driving.<br><br>Absorption fridges, commonly called 3 way fridges as well, run on propane, and need dedicated ventilation so that no byproducts of combustion enter the living space. They work best on propane or 120 volt grid power. They consume huge amounts of battery power when the heating element is run on 12 volts and are only meant to run on 12 volts when the engine is running. Newer models running on propane, still require 12 volts to run the circuit board, and on some models, this can be nearly as much battery power as my compressor fridge uses to keep sub 35f interior temperatures. They need to be kept relatively level, and running out of level for very long causes progressive damage to the cooling unit. The older models were much more sensitive to this.<br><br>-----<br><br>I've done the minimalist van dwelling thing. Now I want my comforts, and they can get complicated indeed, but I sleep well, and can spend all day inside comfortably, without going nuts, if I i have to. I make use of a large P bottle, but #2 has never been performed inside. Thankfully I am regular, and have access to my own flushing toilet at my current spot.
