Question for those whom are running small refrigerators, big cooler or two coolers

[RVArt]

I have a medical need diet which requires me to eat the best sources of food I can get and to daily rotate what foods I consume. I also have several dietary restrictions that I must follow.  For the most part, bottled supplements do not work for me.  I plan to use dried foods, canned foods, powdered foods and good shelf-life foods, But i need fresh foods as well.  For people who are running 3,4,5 or more, total cubic feet of freezer and refrigerator space-how do you do it and how is it working for you?  What problems did you have to solve to have this range of capacity.  Has/is anyone using a small energy efficient apartment AC power with an inverter-how has that been working for you? 

Thank you, RVArt

 

[mpruet]

I’m not in a van, but did car camp for a while.  I currently travel in a class-B RV with a DC compression fridge/freezer.  I am diabetic, so have to be careful with my food as well as chill my insulin.  When I was car camping I used a Dometic CF18 which worked out quite well. The CF18 can be either a fridge or a freezer, but not both at the same time.  My RV fridge/freezer is a NovaCool and so far has worked quite well.  I still have the CF18, but use it mainly to transport frozen food between my home (in Dallas) and my condo in southern Colorado.  

If I were a van dweller, I’d probably go with a direct current compressor fridge similar to what I did while car-camping.  I had the CF18 connected to a Jackery 500 and then had the Jackery hooked into my cigarette lighter.  When I had my car on, I’d be recharging my Jackery and then the battery in the Jackery would run the fridge when I turned the car off.

 

[travelaround]

I have a small refrigerator for the van and I run it off my van's 12v. That's problematic because my van turns off the 12v half an hour after I turn off the van.. so I'm continually turning the van on... finally realized all I had to do was open a door and lock it again - and I got another 1/2 hour of refrigeration. I can do that with my key fob if I wake up in the middle of the night... without getting out of bed. I haven't had any trouble with my food going bad, and normally I keep it set for freezing.

I have a large ice chest as well... supposedly thick walls, heavy duty, but seriously, a constant drain on the ice budget. I learned to keep the outlet plug next to the van door so I could easily empty out water twice a day. Keep in mind that if you get a larger ice chest it takes more ice to keep it full enough for optimal cooling.

Considering the constant drain on my budget (for ice) I much prefer the refrigerator even with the need to keep turning it on. Worked for me. I don't have solar panels on the roof of my van and am pretty much unable to understand the electrical systems many vandwellers install. If I ever get that it will be because someone else installed it.

 

[highdesertranger]

I run 3 Engel's, 1 as a freezer and 2 as refrigerators. they are 12v compressor refrigerators. they are 40qt each for total of 120qt. i reallt never had a problem. they all run off my solar system. highdesertranger

 

[jacqueg]

I have a 40 qt - maybe 2 cubic feet? - 12v refrigerator (no freezer). Many fresh fruits and veggies don't need to be refrigerated as long as you eat them within a few days. So part of the solution is only buying what you will consume in that period of time, then restocking.

Kale is the most difficult veggie for me, as it is commonly packaged in huge bunches that take up a lot of physical space in the fridge. Fortunately, kale lasts a long time in the fridge. Ditto cabbage - just buy the smallest one you can find.

I keep my spuds and onions in soft-sided insulated lunch boxes. I buy a lot of tangerines, because they last very well at ambient temperaures, and they are small enough that I don't need to refrigerate uneaten halves.

 

[crofter]

I usually have access to a freezer at some point, for storing a little extra but mostly use a cooler with ice blocks. But survive well on Ancient Nutrition **** protein powder, eggs, veg, preserved meats, and fresh meat about once a week. I really don't vary from this even in S & B. I eat fresh foods for about 4 days after shopping, then switch to the dried and preserved foods. I watch my salt intake because I sweat a lot, and make sure I drink enough water. 
~crofter

 

[crofter]

Here is the you tube video for KC van tour with Bob. ~crofter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZObgbXOgHM

 

[tx2sturgis]

I run 3 Engel's,  1 as a freezer and 2 as refrigerators.  

Did you name them Huey, Duey, and Louie?

 

[highdesertranger]

no I named them Moe, Larry and Curly. highdesertranger

 

[wayne49]

Type "quart to cubic feet" into a browser search bar and hit return. What to do from there is obvious.

40 qt equals 1.336806 cu ft

4.4 cu ft (small apt fridge) equals 131.6571 qt

 

[tx2sturgis]

The Three Froodges....I like it.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

We have a 4.6cu ft Truckfridge in each of our vans. Hubby's runs off of 450ah battery with 540w of solart anels. Never a problem in almost three years, and we also run the electric coffee/tea pot and microwave, though less of the latter if we've had too many clouds.

My van runs the same fridge on 200ah (was 300ah, but one battery shorted out after 2 years) of battery with 440w of panels. I'm a little more neurotic and careful with the batteries since we have a lot less. I've had that fridge and solar/ battery setup for almost four years

The only caveat is that we stay in the Southwest on the winter. That helps immensely.
Ted

 

[RVArt]

Hello everyone and thank your time and thoughts. This helps a lot. I am currently evaluating my ride/home from the perspective of how it will work with a cooler/frig/solar panel set-up that would meet my needs. I appreciate it!

 

[eDJ_]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]When I first started out, understand I wasn't full timing,  I was hunting for a job that would  begin my career.   I came upon a deal on a 68 qt ice cooler[/font]
[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]by Thermos.   I was operating in a minimal way in those times so there was plenty of room in my short wheel base Ford E 100.  [/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]When I loaded my cooler.....I couldn't hardly move it.   I wanted to slide it to the side doors and empty most of the water to help regulate the cooling.[/font]
[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]It got old quick.   Shortly after July 4 when all the summer stuff goes on sale and it's "Back to School" time I found a couple of 36 qt coolers at a Family Dollar Store for cheap so I bought them.   Used the 68 qt for a storage chest. (where I had been using card board boxes.[/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]The two 36'ers were much easier to handle when loaded and I could even lift them in and out of the Van when they were loaded. [/font]



I've seen 105 qt  coolers and wonder how anyone could manage it.   I figure it would be a stationary piece like on a patio boat,  where ice and goods are carried to it.   I would go with a few modular smaller units myself.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

I run 3 Engel's,  1 as a freezer and 2 as refrigerators.  they are 12v compressor refrigerators.  they are 40qt each for  total of 120qt.  i reallt never had a problem.  they all run off my solar system.  highdesertranger

I have an Engle, and it's wonderful, but I'd really like to add a freezer.  How much power does yours consume used as a freezer?

 

[VanFan]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]When I loaded my cooler.....I couldn't hardly move it.   I wanted to slide it to the side doors and empty most of the water to help regulate the cooling.[/font]
[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]It got old quick.[/font]

It does get old!  After I got fed up with dumping cold water on my feet in parking lots (while trying to keep the food inside), and fishing ruined, water logged food out of the cooler, I set mine on a platform and ran a hose from the drain outside for continuous draining.  Works great!

Because we continue to strictly limit contact with others, getting ice is more of an issue for us now, and I may eventually move toward a 12 volt fridge.  I really don't want to mess with a battery/solar set-up, but the scale is tipping, because I am also trying to get away from propane/butane for cooking.

Back on topic:  Have you seen the 3-in-1 model that is a decent cooler when not used as a fridge or freezer?  That's intriguing.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have never tested to see how much energy it use as a freezer. but I can say it is about the same as running it as a refrigerator. let me explain,

when I restock it I turn it to the coldest setting. my dial goes from 0-6 so I turn it on 6. I do this between 6 and 20 hours until everything is frozen like a rock. then I turn it bach up to just over 3. for comparison I run the refrigerators at just over 2 1/2.

i recently bought remote thermometers for them,
freezer 7-9°F
refer #1 38°
refer #2 33°

Engels specs say 2.7amps. I have never seen that I have seen 2.5amps. they all run at about 30% duty cycle depending on ambient temperature. so about 20 amps a day. like I said they are all about the same.

highdesertranger

 

[desert_sailing]

I picked up an off brand alpicool 20qt that can be either fridge or freezer.

I was planning to use it as a freezer but was thinking I could put some kind of divider like thin plastic between the top and the bottom to create a dual zone so maybe I could have some fridge items as well. You know.. that whole have my cake and eat it too thing.

Has anyone done this with success. Seems I could also decrease the effort needed by the freezer to keep those top 3 inches of lid space cold.

 

[nature lover]

I have been using my new iceco 20 quart believe it’s called a go 20 for about three weeks now. It has some quirks that I had to get used to. the worst part of it is the stupid plug that goes into a cigarette lighter. The thing is always falling out and turning off the fridge. So I taped it red green style I didn’t use a lot of duck tape because I was concerned about killing too many ducks. One thing is obvious from the beginning it’s too small. But the price was right and since Bob insists on recommending the Dan Foss compressor I went with it. It can be set as a freezer or refrigerator. And it has a divider in it that makes a small compartment on the left and a larger compartment on the right and you can set either one of them for fridge or freezer. Right now I’m using the whole thing is a fridge by removing the divider a feature that they designed into it works well But I can see the need for a tiny freezer section too. It is amazing how well the two compartments work together or separate. I would’ve got a bigger one but money is money. It almost appears to me that the aptagal is a clone of the iceco. What brand of compressor does it have? The iceco compressor is guaranteed for five years. But I wonder what it’s like to send it back to China to enforce that guarantee. By the way this thing uses very very little electricity.

 

[Steveb.]

I just bought the iceco expandable, 35L to 45L. It is awesome but I have nothing to compare it to other than coolers and ice. Its a game-changer. It uses very little DC power. I paid $500.
Items on the bottom get colder than middle and top so you can stack depending on what you want frozen or just cold. I'm tempted to go into and iceco review but I'll just say it works wonderful for me, so far.