Picking thr right frdige

[Daiki Jin]

Long time lurker, first time poster with a question.

Currently living out of my suv for the past year and half and getting by great ( that is the main point isn't it?). Have the basics down except one thing..cold food storage. Currently I use a good ole fashion cooler that gets covered up while in the back that I use to keep things cool but not cold. And as much as I like to eat out a few nights a week it does add up.

So looking at getting a fridge to add to my living area in the back and these are some of the details I have to work with:
  Back area of the SUV is completely tinted out with 5% tint and window visors so it stays somewhat cool even during the Ga summer. Actually thinking after all my reading on solar, looking at a DYI solar fans to attach to the window visors and help pull hot air out of the cabin, but that is a project down the road.
  Have 100W Solar panel fix to the roof keeping a 95ah battery charged. Battery is also being charged from alternator when vehicle is running.
  750W inverter in case I need it.
  Roughly $200 budget to shop around with currently.

Have a small *cough, yes I know not the best, cough* thermometric fridge that proves how much a different system is needed.
I know that 12v compressor units would be best bet, but they get up there in price and some of the cheaper ones are mixed reviews.
I am looking at a 2.1 Cu Ft mini fridge from work that I can get after my discount for about $80 that says it draws 1A, but I know that running it from the inverter would put a strain on it when compressor kicks on and will be inefficient. Might go this route and test it, if it pulls more then I can handle in 24 hours I can always return it.

So any advice?

 

[Trebor English]

My experience, what I did, I used a Haier 1.7 cubic foot cube shaped mini fridge from Walmart for $80 with a Harbor Freight 200/400 $20 inverter.  I added a cubic foot of insulation inside, another $20.  It is possible.  You don't want to do it.  I ended up with a large box with a small cold space.  It has the energy efficiency I wanted.  It has the 3 days no battery duration I wanted.  It works.  It's cheap.  The remaining problem that I have is the high power level.  The energy level is low enough, the compressor stays off enough, but, when it runs, it takes more power than my solar panel gives.  It is well under 20 amp hours per day it just takes them too fast.  A second 100 watt panel would fix it.  

Read all about it here:  
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=27624  

For about $200 you can get an Alpicool C15 from Amazon.  According to Slim Potatohead on you tube it only takes 1.87 amps in the low power mode.  My solar panel can do that.  

I spent a lot of time with a box cutter razor knife cutting up that 4x8 sheet of insulation fitting little rectangles into the fridge.  When I did it there was no Alpicool.  When my Haier wears out I'm getting an Alpicool C15.  I expect the Haier to outlive me.  

The difference is the difference between the way Nikola Tesla thought vs the way they actually do it.  Tesla's breakthrough invention was polyphase ac motors.  Specifically 3 phase.  Big industrial motors are 3 phase.  Single phase motors are great for cheapitude, crap for efficiency.  My Haier has a single phase, 60 Hz, 3600 RPM motor to turn the compressor.  The Alpicool has a 3 phase motor with two different speeds.  They are way lower than 3600 and much way lower than 3600.  3600 is not a good efficient speed for a compressor (or a gasoline powered generator).  So, a commercial power fridge works well enough and cheap enough with commercial power 60 Hz.  You are starting with DC.

 

[maki2]

shopfor a used compressor fridge. They are out there for sale on craigslist, facebook has local used stuff groups, offerupnow.com is another site with local used goods for sale. I see them show up in Seattle once or twice a month. Sometimes they are listed in the RV section, or the boat parts section, or the sporting goods section where camping gear gets listed.

So the best thing to just hit the top category of items for sale and try several different combinations of keywords. You will get a lot of returns that show complete RVs for sale. Adding the word "portable" helps reduce that
Here are some of those keywords, refridgerator, fridge, freezer, portable Dometic Waeco, 12v, 12 volt, compressor
you want to add a couple of minus to the string -warmer -peltier

Your price point is a little low, much of what is being sold are larger sizes and priced around $250 to $350. But you might get lucky.

 

[Daiki Jin]

Yeah TE. I've read that thread before when I first started looking at options. It's doable and I don't need a whole lot of inside space, just enough to store food for 3-4 days at a time or leftovers, hence why looking at smaller 12v coolers like the Alpicool.

And Maki... yeah there isn't much listings for any type of fridges that are close to me down here. And the few that do pop up are like 2-3 hours drive one way or price wronged. And the $200 is a starting point. The longer I look in and research / get advice, means little extra money gets dropped in that pot to spend. But goal is still trying to get one before end of April

 

[Daiki Jin]

Ok after a bunch more research I settled on this one, ACOPOWER P15 Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer. From reviews and research its the same as the alpicools, but they are US based instead of overseas plus the company deals with all types of solar equipment. Should have it in next few days so I can get it hooked up and in use. Now to move on to my next little project, help and recommendations might be asked soon so stay tuned!

 

[Neal]

I full time in my Prius and I have the Alpicool 20. I'm on a budget and couldn't afford a Dan Foss compressor. I was surprised how quiet it's been and it works perfect. When I bought it I also bought an extended warranty just in case.

 

[Scotty Moore]

The Alpicool...

 

[Scotty Moore]

When I was living out of my Subaru outback, I was using an Alpicool C15. Performed flawlessly, and still is two years later.
The down side is the very small capacity.

I have an Alpicool CX40 now. Just as durable as the C15, just much larger! The CX 40 also has wheels and a telescoping handle for toting it around. I ran both of these off a 35 AH battery hooked to a 100 watt panel. Actually  I just did a YT video on these.

Recent research shows the C15 not easily obtainable, but it's larger brother the C20 is. I believe this is same as C15 just has a larger lid which gives the slightly larger capacity. The C20 is about $239.

 

[ped]

Not highjack here but i think its relevant to those who read this thread since there is a ton of mythology out there about dorm fridges. we were discussing it in another thread several days ago so i decided to turn fridge on while van is in storage (im in my class c now).

In 3 days an empty fridge and 85f average in the van it used 1.56kw. Thats right at 500w a day.

Pic 1 is monthly total (3 days of fridge use)

Pic 2 is the fridge inside my dirty floor van

Pic 3 is charge input without fridge running...5a

Pic 4 is amps going into battery with fridge on. Its pulling 2.9A