I like Units with the BD-35f compressor.
I had an Upright Norcold that has the Sawafuji compressor and it was too loud, and could vibrate my whole Van, and lasted 5 years before failure.
My Friend has an ARB 50 quart model Very well built, Danfoss compressor, 45 watts to 60 watts when the compressor was actively running. Used 14 to
20AH in 24 hours in 75 f Average Ambient temps
Here is a Less expensive model, that uses the DnFoss/Secop BD35f compressor.
No personal experience with it, No idea of the build quality.
http://truckfridge.com/tf51.html
I bought my Vitrifrigo c51is ( front loading fridge) from this guy 3 years ago. Good price, fast and free shipping Via Fedex.
He sells the truckfridge tf51 and responds to Emails quickly.
http://www.westyventures.com/parts.html#cart_restore
Thanks for the heads up on the Smittybuilt. I was not aware of their existence.
Make sure to not obstruct the cooling unit vents on the sides, and if you park with the windows closed, employ window shades as these will have to run
nearly continuously at 120F and will consume much more battery power.
propane Fridges are Absorption fridges. they need to be kept level when parked. They use a lot of propane in hot temps, and might not be able to
maintain sub40F internal temps. they also take a long time to cool down and a long time to cool down items placed within.
12v compressor fridges cool down very quickly and the items within too. They have no issues maintaining sub40f temperatures.
Expect to require at least 60 watts of Solar in good sunny Baja to run one indefinitely when camped, to run just the fridge. Coastal fog becomes your
nemesis if stationary/ no alternator contribution
You can get away with less Solar if you open the lid less and move the solar panel 4 times a day to face into the sun. but if you are running a warm
12 pack through it each day consider 100 to 120 watts.
Do not bother turning it off overnight, unless you are really afraid of being able to start the engine on a single battery system.
It is more efficient to allow it to maintain sub 40F overnight, than it is to make it make it cool from 48F internal to sub40F internal when turned
back on.
The Ciggy plugs and receptacles are the biggest issues with these fridges. Voltage drop and intermittent connections will cause improper operation.
The shorter the copper circuit and the thicker the copper is to the battery, the better the fridge will run.
With Danfoss/Secop compressors, when there is too much voltage drop, and not enough voltage reaching the compressor controller, the condenser fan will
turn on and make you think it is running properly, but the compressor will not turn on.
Look into Anderson Powerpoles for a much better connector. Run 10awg right to battery terminals with 15 amp fuse as close to battery (+) as possible.
Bypass the stock vehicle ciggy/12v receptacle, or rewire it with a quality plug if you really really want to keep the ciggy plug.
Ciggy plugs and receptacles insult electricity. They are a Ubiquitous farce. Avoid whenever possible.
|
