Should I get this 12V fridge? It's old but cheap.

[travel]

I found an ad on Craigslist for a 12V fridge. He says it's about 15 years old, but has not been used for about 10 years. It was for his off-the-grid cabin, but he's since switched to a propane fridge and stored the 12V fridge at his house in the city. He says the 12V fridge is clean and works, and he can plug it in to show me. It's a&nbsp;Norcold TEK II and he wants $200 for it. He says it's $600 new, but I think they cost even more now. Seems to be a very good price, but being so old... it makes me a bit worried. It wouldn't be so bad if I just gone 1 or 2 years out of it, but I'd hate for it to die on me soon after I start using it.<br><br>Otherwise, I'd put that money towards a good 5 day ice chest cooler, like a Coleman or Yeti. Of course, I'd have to keep buying ice for it, but at the moment, I'm trying to stretch my money as far as possible. I either buy this fridge for $200 or a decent cooler for that money. Of course if I buy the fridge, then I'm committed to getting AGM batteries and (ideally) solar power.<br><br>What do you think... should I get this fridge? The guy lives about 1.5 hours way, so a hour 3 hour round trip of driving in my Astro will probably cost me about $30 or $40 in gas. Would you chance $200 + gas money on an older 12V fridge? Thank you in advance for your opinions! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[highdesertranger]

it seems norcold still make these.&nbsp; seems a bit odd that he switched to propane for an off grid cabin.&nbsp; with the 12v refer&nbsp;and a solar system your done.&nbsp;&nbsp; with propane you still have to drive to town to fill the propane.&nbsp; did he give a reason for switching.&nbsp; if its in good condition then it's a good deal.&nbsp; but I am a little suspicious about his reason for switching and haven't even heard it yet.&nbsp; btw these are dual volt 120v or 12/24v.&nbsp; does he have both cords.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[travel]

I'm not sure why he switched to propane. Maybe he wanted a bigger fridge and got a good deal on a propane or 3 way fridge. I'll have to drive a fair distance to get to his place in the city, but I just realized that I'll be near a Bass Pro shop, so at a minmum, I can go there and buy my Lodge cast iron Dutch Oven and maybe some new frying pans and a propane stove. Maybe a folding chair too. Or maybe I should save my money for an AGM battery and solar power in case I end up getting that fridge.&nbsp;<br><br>He says the fridge is hard wired and he will connect it to a battery for me, so he may not have both cords for the 12v/120v. If he doesn't, I'll see if I can use that for leverage to get a better deal. I want to listen to it and make sure it's not too loud, since I'll be sleeping near the fridge when I install it in my van. I'm also a bit suspicious as to why he would switch to propane, assuming he had solar power before. And the price is a bit low for a fridge like this. Or maybe there's nothing wrong with it and it will be my lucky day!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br><br>I think Norcold still makes this model, but it's a new, updated model. I can't see the exact model on their website in the current lineup. The fridge that goes by this name looks a bit different with a vent and controls at the top. The one he has does not.<br><br><br>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;From what I could get off the net, it has a Sawafuji compressor.. SCOOOORE!! ..Willy.

 

[travel]

&nbsp;From what I could get off the net, it has a Sawafuji compressor.. SCOOOORE!! ..Willy.

<br><br>I take it that's good?&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br><br>OK, so it sounds like a decent fridge for a decent price.&nbsp;Not sure what the life expectancy is of these fridges, but for this price, if I get 1 or 2 years out of it, I'll be happy. Unless something really unforeseen happens, or he's hidden some crucial detail, I'll buy it. That would be good, because I was prepared to spend $250 on a Yeti cooler, in which case I'd be buying ice and having my food swim in ice water. A fridge is better, although this means I have to get my house battery for sure, and either connect it to my alternator or get a solar power system (ideally). So, in a way, it's a small victory, but I'll have to put out more money so I can hook it up to electricity, which is much preferred to a cooler.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Regular 120v home fridges can keep on going, decade after decade, and these units seem to be rather higher quality. Definitely worth having and you'll have an excuse to upgrade to solar. ..Willy.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

You mentioned getting cast iron fry pans, check craigs list and wal mart. I haven't priced them in a while, sometimes the specialty stores charge more. You may even get lucky enough to get a dutch oven off CL.<BR>Dragonfly

 

[wrcsixeight]

I am not a fan of the Sawafuji compressor as it makes a lot of noise and vibration.<br><br>There is a good possibility an older one is made better since the more recent maximum profit outsourcing boom.<br><br>My Norcold with a SawaFuji compressor &nbsp;lasted 5 years before failing. &nbsp;I don't think the compressor failed, it just lost refrigerant and cannot be refilled for less than the price of a new fridge.<br><br>The Danfoss Compressor powered fridges are much quieter and slightly more efficient in my experience. &nbsp;Mine (vitrifrigo) can be recharged if the refrigerant level gets too low.<br><br>Since front loading fridges more or less require cabinets to install them in, with proper ventilation for compressor and condenser, having a fridge last a good while is important.<br><br>The following 12v compressor fridge uses a Danfoss/Secop compressor and is 495$ delivered, and is probably the best deal out there for a New 12 v compressor front loading fridge. &nbsp;It is assembled in China. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.westyventures.com/parts.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.westyventures.com/parts.html<br><br></a>I paid an extra c note for an Italian assembled Vitrifrigo as I believe Vinny cares a little more about his workmanship compared to Lee.<br><br>If you do get the Norcold, make the cabinet larger than needed so you can easily put in a new fridge when it fails.<br><br>Do take advantage of every charging source available. &nbsp;The alternator can do a lot of recharging at lower states of charge.<br><br><br>

 

[psytechguy]

wrcsixeight, where'd you get your Vitrifrigo? They look to be sold by mainly Euro and UK suppliers.

thanks!

 

[wrcsixeight]

I got it from Westy ventures, the link I provided in my previous post. &nbsp;Free shipping.<br><br>&nbsp;I got the DC only Model c51iS for $600 but they have since added 40$ to that<br><br>They wanted an extra c note for the AC/DC model. &nbsp;I'd rather put that 100$ toward a real converter like the PD 9260c which can power all 12v devices and recharge the batteries too.&nbsp;<br><br>The Vitrifrigo is similar to the 100 dollar cheaper Truckfridge, but uses a larger condenser fan and has &nbsp;a better "fit and finish". &nbsp;The TF does not appear to allow easy recharging or easy condenser fan swaps.<br><br>If in Canada, check out NovaKool for 12v compressor fridges

 

[travel]

OK, so I bought the fridge, yay! It turned out to be really clean. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say it looked like it was maybe two years old, not 15 years old! The guy had it hooked up to a battery so I could see it working. It cools nicely. There's also a small freezer. The door has a pin so it stays shut while driving, but since it's not plugged in, I've set it in the garage and left the door open, so it won't smell (as fridges tend to do when they're not plugged in and the door is closed). It appears to run on on 12V only. It does not seem to be a dual current, 12v/120v as we had thought. That's OK, once I get my solar power set up, it will be running on 12v all the time. (I think it could run on 24v too, if needed). <br><br>Of course, this is pushing me to getting a solar power set up sooner than expected. I was originally going to use a good Yeti cooler and buy ice once or twice a week. And get a portable solar power set up for my laptop and maybe my blender or occasional appliance (I'll need an inverter, I have a cheapie 100W inverter, but I got it a few months ago before I knew what to look for, like a Sine inverter, oh well). Now that I have this fridge, I will go all the way and get a decent set up with a solar panel on my factory roof rack, or the adhesive 9 foot flexible solar panels and a couple of 6V AGM golf cart batteries (or one 12V AGM deep cycle battery that can be installed somewhere inside the van).&nbsp;<br><br>I'm really happy I found this fridge, because I thought I'd have to spend about $1000 or more on a decent RV grade fridge. Or, get a cheap dorm/bar fridge from Walmart that might not even last a year due to the vibrations of being in a vehicle. This Norcold fridge is just the right size. It will be a tight fit on the sides, but it should just fit. The sides are inset a bit so I may wrap some Reflectix insulation around it. And I'll have to make sure the cabinet I install it into, is vented at the back. I think it needs to be vented. Here's a pic of the fridge where I plan to install it, only I will have a cabinet at the back. It just fits between the bed and wheel well. Not much room to spare. And the height is good too - not too tall, it will be below the windows.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Sweet deal! I've seen on Craigslist here, in the Fraser Valley, a nice Waeco fridge (exactly like the one I have) going for $300 and I'd get it in a red hot second if I didn't already have one. It's funny how people will snap up one of those lousy absorption fridges.. yet not a (in my opinion) superior 12v compressor fridge. Things may be starting to change though, with the growth of mobile solar, since I've seen more 'n more rigs eschewing the absorption rigs. ..Willy.

 

[travel]

I agree, the 12V fridge is better than an&nbsp;absorption&nbsp;fridge. And to think that I was actually ready to go with a new $250 Yeti cooler that I'd need to keep filling with ice. Granted, I would not have needed to get solar panels, a controller and AGM batteries right away. But in the end, what I really wanted was an RV fridge that runs on solar power. I'm part way there. There's no way I could pay $1000 or more for a new RV fridge. If anything, I would have bought a cheap $100 Walmart bar/dorm fridge that would probably only last a year in a van.<br><br>In a way, I got lucky. The ad had been on for almost a week, and usually anything good, and for a decent price, is snatched up right away. And it took him a few days to get back to my email (he did not include a phone number in his ad). He had two very poor pictures that did not give a very good idea of what the fridge was like. He had a very brief 1 sentence description and a vague headline, so not too many people would see find it, or if they saw it amongst the other ads, they might not have been sure what it was. Oh well, he sold it for what he wanted, and I was happy to pay $200 for it, so it worked out well for both of us. He even gave me (for free) a solar controller, but it's a really old with no dials or display. I'll have to figure out how it works, but it would be good if I can use it, as it would save me buying one.

 

[monical]

For me, I don't like to get an old one because of the quality assurance.

 

[highdesertranger]

I studied all my options before replacing my ice chests and 12v compressor wins hands down over all others.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[travel]

For me, I don't like to get an old one because of the quality assurance.

<br><br>I had more money, I definitely would bought a brand new one. But it was $200 vs $1000 (minimum). I figure if I get only one year out of this used one, I'll be happy. Although I hope to get more than that. Given that this used fridge was only used on weekends for 5 years, that's about 700 days, so about two years use. Not too bad. I guess only time will tell. But I'll budget for a brand new fridge next time.<br><br>

I studied all my options before replacing my ice chests and 12v compressor wins hands down over all others.&nbsp; highdesertranger

<br><br>I agree! At first I thought a 3 way fridge would be nice because it could run on propane, 12V or 120V. But then I found out they have a high failure rate, because people don't park perfectly level, and that's what ruins them. Whereas the compressor fridges are more durable. Would have been nice if my fridge could also run on 120V for times when I might get shore power, but that's OK. Once I get my solar panels and 12V house batteries, it can run forever, for free on solar power and 12V.