What is the recent (2019) word on refridgerators

[brahmon]

lol.  nice!   you got that dialled.

 

[travelaround]

Thanks for the response about solar and refrigeration. I guess for now I'll try Lenny's idea which was, "Walmart is nice enough to keep all my food cold for me until I need it." I like that idea. And so I can defer my need for electricity for some other month when I feel like taking care of the situation.

 

[highdesertranger]

Low Tech I went and bought a cargo trailer. so I can mount the panels permanently. I also went and bought two 435 watt panels so those plus my 160 watts makes it 1030 watts. here's a link to the trailer I will start work on it when it cools down in October.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=36102

and the specs

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=35609

highdesertranger

 

[wanderin.pat]

HDR: 

8x24!  Dude, that's a big freakin trailer!  

Pat (with a 6x12)

 

[highdesertranger]

I have got a lot of shi.... I mean stuff. LOL highdesertranger

 

[Willy]

I'd say 12/24v with a Danfoss compressor. Engl2s are high quality, but can make items vibrate at 60Hrz when running, due to the Sawafuji compressor; that's why I got rid of mine. I now have 2 Waecos, a CF-50 and a CF-20 (I think). The CF-50 is my deep freeze and the CF-20 my fridge. I prefer 2 smaller units over 1 large 1 in case 1 breaks down. ..Willy.

 

[owl]

Truckfridge has a danfoss compressor ( one of the best ) and has two locations in the U.S . that services and warranties them. One in Tucson, Az. They're biggest portable model is the 51 and is $599. The best way to figure out the size you need is to look at coolers, note the cubic ft. and remember you won't be taking up room with ice. That will give you a god idea what size fridge you need. Bob has one here 

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

i have a large national luna twin door fridge freezer. been running continuous for close to 3 years. it will out last me and just sips electricity

i also have a 3.2 cubic foot "dorm fridge" that has separate fridge and freezer doors. similar in overall size to my national luna but way cheaper, like factor of ten cheaper. with a few mods, like soft start and power factor correcting the compressor it is very efficient even taking into account the inverter losses. i really like that it is an upright vs my national luna chest style. the upright takes up half the floor space and is much easier to get in and out of. time will tell how long it lasts on the road. just about one year of service right now.

i use the upright fridge freezer as my everyday unit and the national luna is my deep freeze. i keep stocked with meat, fish and veggies. it allows me to stock up

 

[Babz]

With Amazon big sale today, they have a ICECO JP40 that is looking good.  It has a five year warranty on the Danfoss compressor, and the size looks right.    $140 off for the next day..... Anyone have experience with this brand?

 

[Elbear1]

I have a 120v cube fridge. Holds enough for 14 days and 250w handles it fine. I do run generator every few days but its to extend sun hours to help the last 5-10% slow charge to top batteries off. Just not enough time in the day especially in a canyon. But I already had an inverter so i got maybe $75 in this thing and with solar being less than a $1 per watt its way more affordable to get an extra panel or 2 worst case scenario. Back when 100w panel was $300-400 you had to be hardcore efficient with 12v native.

 

[B and C]

...I do run generator every few days but its to extend sun hours to help the last 5-10% slow charge to top batteries off. Just not enough time in the day especially in a canyon. 

You would probably be better served by running the generator in the morning when the batteries are depleted to take advantage of the higher output of your charger.  Let the solar do the slow tailing charge.  When I run into low light conditions, I run the generator in the morning until the batteries drop out of bulk charge and let the panels finish the charge when they aren't putting out enough without the generator.

 

[Elbear1]

Yep its what I do. I have a powermax PM3-55 that bulk charges at 46 amps tested with amp clamp.

 

[B and C]

Oops. I was under the impression you were running it in the afternoon. Sometimes hard to get stuff across the internet correctly

 

[Tam O'Bedlam]

I love my Dometic fridge which I run off solar, quiet, low draw, just the right size for what I refrigerate. It's the CFX 40W. They have gone up in price since I bought mine, yeeesh!

 

[MyShadowandMe]

I just spent most of my money on a 2008 Chevy Express van. Finally going to do it!! Got about $250 for a fridge. what's the best option for that kind of money??

 

[highdesertranger]

how big of a fridge do you want? can you save up a couple of more bucks? highdesertranger

 

[Elbear1]

I just spent most of my money on a 2008 Chevy Express van. Finally going to do it!! Got about $250 for a fridge. what's the best option for that kind of money??

A 120v dorm fridge and a standard 1kw inverter. Or a 600w inverter and a hard start capacitor (amazon $5-10).

Thats pretty much youre only option and it will be just fine.

 

[B and C]

Do you have enough battery to run a fridge?

 

[sephson]

I have an Alpicool C15, 12volt fridge.

I've had it for about a year. For the most part I've found it to be pretty reliable. The only real issue I've had is that occasionally, it gets stuck in the on cycle and I end up with a freezer instead of a refrigerator. The few times this has happened, I've simply disconnected the power, counted to ten and reconnected. This has reset the thing every time. So far I've only had one exploded soda from this.

 

[highdesertranger]

many people swear by the 120v el cheapo refrigerators. I swear at them I tried one and it was a big waste of money for me. highdesertranger