Sears mini fridge/freezer thoughts

[SternWake]

Not sure if I already posted this pic in this thread, but here is my 1.8 cubic foot Vitrifrigo c51is with the danfoss compressor.

The wattage consumed when compressor is running is always between 27 and 35. It starts out high and tapers the longer the compressor runs.

It has about a 25% duty cycle in 75 degree ambients making overall consumption a little less than 1 A/h per hour, but I have added insulation and upgraded condenser ventilation.

But my freezer is next to useless as it is so small. I pretty much just keep ice trays in there, and occasionally ice cream sandwiches.

I could crank up my VF to freeze things in the fridge portion, and the duty cycle would likely climb well above 50%. Not sure as I never tried.

I think if you are all about the freezer, a DC chest style fridge/freezer is more your speed.

 

[akrvbob]

If you want a 12 volt with both a fridge and freezer, your options go way down. Is that what you want?
Bob

 

[Willy]

I've got both a Waeco CF-50 and Engel MR040 and also had a Waeco CR-50. I ended up selling the CR-50 (fridge style) since I like to have a buncha stuff frozen. The CF-50 is a bit better than the MR040 insofar as it has a small, but handy, 'cooler' compartment which leaves stuff nicely chilled in it whilst the rest of the cooler is at subzero temps.

I prefer the control setup in the Engel, which is an 'old style' analog knob and provides for more granularity re. temperature control. Also, there are no parasitic power losses associated with an electronic control, as found on the CF-50. ..Willy.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah i can live without cold drinks but i need to keep meat frozen. I'm not far from the store but far enuff i can't buy fresh all the time.

 

[Willy]

Meat 'n frozen veggies are the biggies for me. I like to take advantage of those big 'loss leader' type of sales and buy a buncha both.. but definitely need a freezer, thus the chest style waeco/engel. ..Willy.

 

[GrayWhale]

Yeah i can live without cold drinks but i need to keep meat frozen. I'm not far from the store but far enuff i can't buy fresh all the time.

Since you have this fridge already and have found that you can use it about 3 days on a full battery charge, maybe try freezing some big 2 liter soda bottles solid. And when you turn off the fridge to recharge the batteries, see how long the frozen bottles can keep your food fresh. Probably not frozen for long though, so that may be a problem. But if it can make long enough until you power up your fridge again, it may be ok.

Also I've found that my dorm freezer is almost about even in insulation compared to my Igloo MaxCold ($40) which advertises 6-7 days of keeping ice (lies). In a hot van 95-112 degrees, a frozen 2-liter bottle lasts about 1.5-2 days max. So I got rid of this cooler to save space and just use the freezer as my cooler.

---

Wondering how do you guys do it with cooking so much meat. Doesn't it stink up the van? Then there's the risk of fire.

 

[Zil]

if the meat stinks, don't eat it, pickle it first.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i vent it, does leave a gooey residue on screen i have to fight off tho :/

---

as for fire, no more risk than cooking else where, i have a countertop, and next to it an extinguisher. i do cook outside if im in a park just to cut back on grease in vent screen.

 

[anm]

Sternwake is right, measuring starting loads on a refrigerator can be inaccurate. To make it more accurate, switch it off and wait for 10 minutes or so (long enough for internal pressures to equalize). The starting load should then be more uniform and correct. In the instruction manual, many manufacturers tell you to never turn a device off and then back on immediately because of the abnormal starting load when the motor has to overcome operating pressures. While operating, high-side pressure can easily be over 200 psi and low side less than 20 psi, that's a lot for a small electric motor to overcome.

This applies to any compressor device, cooler or heat pump, be it A/C, refrigerator, or freezer.