Electric Fridge, ASAP

[bdosborn]

Chris,

Will you have a shore power connection or are you boondocking?
Bruce

[madjack]

...this may be a little late but Dometic sells a 3 way absorbtion unit for 350 bucks...may be a better choice if you have no shore power available....
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-r ... rc4000.htm
...if shore power is available, a regular 120vac dorm type fridge may be what you are looking for..............
madjack

[bdosborn]

...this may be a little late but Dometic sells a 3 way absorbtion unit for 350 bucks...may be a better choice if you have no shore power available....
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-r ... rc4000.htm
...if shore power is available, a regular 120vac dorm type fridge may be what you are looking for..............
madjack

That's exactly where I was going.

Bruce

[Gerdo]

This may be a dumb question but... what is an absorbtion unit?

I do want/need to run it off 12vdc. Also running 120vac is a plus but not necessary.

No I have not bought yet but will before IRG if not sooner.

I am doing some short term camping while I'm in Utah for work But a cooler is fine for the short outtings.

[madjack]

Gerdo, an absorption unit is a closed loop, ammonia based unit instead of a compressor, it uses heat and an expansion chamber to make cool...these are the "3way" units that many RV's have in them...they use 12vdc/120vac heating coils or a propane flame to heat the ammonia and make refrigeration...since these units can be run off of propane, they make good choices for extended boony camping......
madjack

[brian_bp]

As madjack said, absorption-cycle refrigerators are driven by heat, which is why they can be run on propane. Most RV units of this type have an AC powered heating element as an alternative, and the smaller ones also have a 12V DC heating element... that's the three ways (propane/AC/DC).

The problem is that they are not nearly as efficient as compressor-type refrigerators, particularly the DC-powered compressor units we've been discussing. That's okay when burning propane (it isn't much propane), and also okay when using AC electricity at a serviced campsite (there's an endless supply), but not good when using DC power.

The DC mode exists only to keep the refrigerator running while towing and connected to the tow vehicle (when you don't have AC power and don't want the propane turned on). It's not reasonable to expect significant running time for an absorption refrigerator on a typical trailer battery.

I wonder if anyone has built a solar-powered (but not electric) refrigerator by concentrating sunlight as the heat source for an absorption unit?

[Gerdo]

I have to do some measuring to figure out what size but I'll probably be getting the Engle. Drawing just 2.5 amps max I think it is the best option for my needs.

With my 110 amp TD battery, if it ran at max amps 100% of the time and I ran my battery down to 40% it would run for 26 hours. If it only draws max amps 25% of the time it'll run for over 100 hrs. I can live with that. Another good reason to charge from the tow vehicle.

I'll also be able to ues it in my vehicle on other trips when I'm not bringing my TD.

[PaulC]

Great choice, Gerdo. I've got two Engle's, a 40l (wine bottles stand up in it) and a 32l. You can do the conversion to those funny units you Guys use.
Cheers
Paul

[bdosborn]

Food for thought, a gas absorption fridge will probably go at least a month on a 20# propane tank....

Bruce

[Alphacarina]

Food for thought, a gas absorption fridge will probably go at least a month on a 20# propane tank....

So if you were living with one, 24/7 it would probably use more in propane than it cost you to buy after just a few years . . . . if it lasts that long

If you are only going to use it on propane or 120 VAC, it might be woirth considering, but if you ever have to run it off 12 volts, you'll be very sorry you bought it before the first week is out - It will suck a bettery dry in nothing flat

Don

[PaulC]

Food for thought, a gas absorption fridge will probably go at least a month on a 20# propane tank....

Bruce

And you can only use the propane when you're stationary. I also think it's a bad idea to have a naked flame of any sort inside a vehicle or, especially, a TD.
Cheers
Paul

[bdosborn]

Yes, but if you're going to be camping for three weeks as the original post said, and you don't have a generator or a solar panel, the 12V option won't work. And you'll spend as much on gas to charge your battery with your car or a generator as you would on propane.
Bruce
P.S. I'm not saying you should use propane will driving, that's what the 12V option is for on the absorption fridge.

[brian_bp]

...I also think it's a bad idea to have a naked flame of any sort inside a vehicle or, especially, a TD...

Agreed... but the flame of a RV absorption refrigerator is in a compartment which is which closed off ("sealed" might be too strong a term) from the trailer interior, and well vented to the outside. It's inside, but not nearly the concern for fire hazard as a simple open flame, and not a concern at all for the other other safety and comfort hazards (carbon monoxide production, oxygen consumption, water production, carbon dioxide production) of fuel-burning appliances.

I have one of these refrigerators in my travel trailer, but I would still rather have a compressor-type unit and a good solar setup.

[Alphacarina]

The other disadvantage is that most of the 3 way units are all front loaders - If energy consumption is a consideration at all, you don't want a front loader

Don

[PaulC]

I have one of these refrigerators in my travel trailer, but I would still rather have a compressor-type unit and a good solar setup.

I started out with one of these 3 way fridges and soon learnt about all the downsides with them.
1 The 12 v option is about as efficient driving through soft sand on a push bike. a lot of effort required with no real result.
2 The need to always carry a gas bottle. Just another thing to fit in the car
3 Getting the damn thing to fire up on gas and then waiting for everything to cool down. Sorry, but I cannot drink warm beer.
The end result is that I went out and bought an Engel. Best thing I ever did for the Handbrake and I.
Cheers
Paul