12v fridge to recommend?

[Blaster]

Hi all,

 

Looks like my old 12v fridge is about to die, I start looking for a decent sized replacement on, some 110-140L volume and with very low consumption. Can anyone suggest a good and reliable brand to look at? Every time I google for a 12v fridge I see the Dometic to come in the first line of suggestions but pricy as hell 😵 

 

Do the Dometic worth the money (£1400.00 for a 139 litres?!) or there are good cheaper alternatives to it? Cheers

[Alan de Enfield]

Waeco Dometic are one of the better fridges - you tend to get what you pay for !

Around £600 for an 80 Litre version that uses less than 30Ah per day (our does anyway)

 

The 110 litre is £949

 

Dometic Waeco Coolmatic CRX110 Caravan Boat Compressor Fridge-Freezer (jacksonsleisure.com)

 

There are Chinese copies on Ebay for around 50% - 60% of the price but what are you getting and what is the guarantee worth ? What is availability of spares ?

[Tony Brooks]

Nowadays, with adequate solar and a decent quality inverter, you will probably find a good quality mains fridge would have a very similar consumption to the 12V compressor fridges. Possibly not if you try to do it on the cheap with a Far Eastern inverter and a cheap mains fridge.

 

If you are living aboard then unless you are on a mains hook-up winter could be a problem for either 12V or a mains fridge.

[peterboat]

In my Campervan and Boat I have inlander units, the boat is fridge freezer and the Campervan larder fridge no icebox both are great the fridge freezer way better than the Shoreline it replaced both on performance and electric usage highly recommend them. I know others say 240 volts and inverter but having had 2 quality inverters fail and lost the contents of my fridge freezer twice its never again for me

[BEngo]

Danfoss ( or whatever they are called this week) now do a version of the BD35 compressor which is set up for solar power only.  Shoreline make fridges using it I believe. No battery needed.  It is aimed at the medical storage market.

  I know that it  is not going to be much  good in UK without a battery, but it does mean that somehow the electronic unit must manage the compressor start-up surge.

 

The CoP of the BD series compressors is pretty good, and seems very similar to the typical 240V fridge or freezer compressor.  For any given fridge the power consumed by the fridge is therefore likely to be similar whether 12 V or 240 V.  To that you have to add the running losses in the inverter and the quiescent losses when the fridge is off and the inverter is on.  All manageable with a decent inverter.

 

N

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, Blaster said:

Hi all,

 

Looks like my old 12v fridge is about to die, I start looking for a decent sized replacement on, some 110-140L volume and with very low consumption. Can anyone suggest a good and reliable brand to look at? Every time I google for a 12v fridge I see the Dometic to come in the first line of suggestions but pricy as hell 😵 

 

Do the Dometic worth the money (£1400.00 for a 139 litres?!) or there are good cheaper alternatives to it? Cheers

Is it repairable?

If you’ve been happy with the fridge you have, is it worth trying to keep it?

 

 

[Higgs]

I've had to replace a Shoreline and didn't want the expense of buying a new one. Got sick of looking around for an alternative, but eventually went for a mains Logic 68S20. 103Kwh a year, specified. It's not a full sized under the counter job, but it's been adequate. It may be of interest to some.

 

Buy LOGIK LTT68S20 Mini Fridge - Silver | Currys

 

If ever you want to find the manufacturer's specs on the Curry's site, click on "Product fische", below the rating letter. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Higgs

[Naughty Cal]

We had an Engel and latterly a Waeco on the boat. Both 12v. The Waeco was a far better unit. Quieter and far more economical. 

 

We have a Thetford 3 way on the van. N300 series which is brilliant. Big fridge and decent freezer compartment. 

[magnetman]

Vitrifrigo are worth considering. 

 

 

[Quattrodave]

Never owned one but heard good things about IndelB fridges.

[Phoenix_V]

maybe something like this would do, some drawbacks but much cheaper; https://www.amazon.co.uk/WOLTU-Portable-Compressor-Refrigerator-KUE011wsz/dp/B096ZKW7KF/ref=sr_1_13_sspa?keywords=vevor+fridge&qid=1688637328&sr=8-13-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

[Tony Brooks]

7 minutes ago, Phoenix_V said:

maybe something like this would do, some drawbacks but much cheaper; https://www.amazon.co.uk/WOLTU-Portable-Compressor-Refrigerator-KUE011wsz/dp/B096ZKW7KF/ref=sr_1_13_sspa?keywords=vevor+fridge&qid=1688637328&sr=8-13-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

 

Another online seller's potential scam.  The technical speck states voltage as 240V, yet it is advertised as a car fridge. The 12V only appears in the main heading. With a quick scan through, I could not see any indication of current draw either. That may make it unsuitable for a boat.

 

Buyer beware.

 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

I use a small Dellonda 12v compressor cool box. It is good but a fault with this design is that there is no drain so if you use it as a fridge you need to regularly remove all items and sponge it out. Fridges usually have a drain hole. 

 

It can be used as a freezer but I have never bothered with frozen stuff so don't know how good it would be.

 

Very handy for cooling beer in summer. 

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Another online seller's potential scam.  The technical speck states voltage as 240V, yet it is advertised as a car fridge. The 12V only appears in the main heading. With a quick scan through, I could not see any indication of current draw either. That may make it unsuitable for a boat.

 

Buyer beware.

 

 

 

 

Usually these are 12v and come with 12v lead for cigarette socket as well as a 230v transformer with the same plug on the end of the wire. 

 

So while it is a 12v appliance it can also be described as '240' as it can be run straight from a mains socket. 

 

 

The main market for these will probably be picnics so you can set it up running in the house off the mains then transfer straight to the car and keep the cooling going. If you are organised you can then run it off a powerpack and use it outside while enjoying the wonderful weather. 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I use a small Dellonda 12v compressor cool box. It is good but a fault with this design is that there is no drain so if you use it as a fridge you need to regularly remove all items and sponge it out. Fridges usually have a drain hole. 

 

It can be used as a freezer but I have never bothered with frozen stuff so don't know how good it would be.

 

Very handy for cooling beer in summer. 

Usually these are 12v and come with 12v lead for cigarette socket as well as a 230v transformer with the same plug on the end of the wire. 

 

So while it is a 12v appliance it can also be described as '240' as it can be run straight from a mains socket. 

 

 

 

So why not say so in the advert? Is it laziness on behalf of the vendor, or a ploy to deceive? How is anyone reading the advert to know, especially as it seems "review farms" are good business.

 

And it still does not address the lack of any consumption figures (as far as I could see).

Edited July 6, 2023 by Tony Brooks

[magnetman]

I wouldn't buy stuff from Amazon. 

 

 

 

 

"The small fridge can be used both while travelling (3.5m-long cable DC 12-24V) and at home (with 2m-long cable AC 220-240V, but it not included )."

They are pretty clear in the advert that this is a 12v device and you can get a 240 lead for it. 

 

 

 

 

"

Simply plug it into the cigarette lighter socket in your car or the power socket at home and enjoy your favourite refreshing icy drinks!

when you use the mini fridge at home, with an home adapter, not included in the package but available separately from us as well."

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, Phoenix_V said:

maybe something like this would do, some drawbacks but much cheaper; https://www.amazon.co.uk/WOLTU-Portable-Compressor-Refrigerator-KUE011wsz/dp/B096ZKW7KF/ref=sr_1_13_sspa?keywords=vevor+fridge&qid=1688637328&sr=8-13-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

 

I'm not sure a 30 litre (shown as only) 240v fridge/freezer is going the match the OPs request for suggestions of a 110-140 litre 12v fridge.

[magnetman]

Get 3 of them ?

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, magnetman said:

Get 3 of them ?

 

Or even 4 !

[magnetman]

I was thinking they might use shops for some of the work. 

I can't help noticing a lot of shops put beer in fridges which saves a lot of space in the boat. 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

I was thinking they might use shops for some of the work. 

I can't help noticing a lot of shops put beer in fridges which saves a lot of space in the boat. 

 

 

 

Good idea - but the downside is that when you want a beer as you settle down for the night - the shop is miles away, and closed anyway !

[Richard10002]

Having had to replace a failed Dometic, (Waeco), after only a few years, (2 or 3), my next fridge will be an Alpicool compressor fridge from Jackson Leisure.

[magnetman]

25 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

Having had to replace a failed Dometic, (Waeco), after only a few years, (2 or 3), my next fridge will be an Alpicool compressor fridge from Jackson Leisure.

I have an Alpicool and what looks like exactly the same thing by a UK company called Dellonda. 

 

They are externally identical but I was surprised to find that the Alpicool was noticeably noisier. 

 

Both of them are the little 15 litre units. 

 

I did think they were exactly the same product with a different brand but the noise is different. I have exceptionally sensitive hearing. 

 

 

 

I know the Dellonda product is a chinese thing probably made by uighur slaves (as you do) but it is a different product and in my experience better than the Alpicool. 

 

 

Dellonda currently £170 on fleabay. I paid £200 a couple of yars ago. Evidently a product not experiencing inflation. I guess these slaves must be cheap !

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392867675817

[gatekrash]

11 hours ago, magnetman said:

I have an Alpicool and what looks like exactly the same thing by a UK company called Dellonda. 

 

They are externally identical but I was surprised to find that the Alpicool was noticeably noisier. 

 

Both of them are the little 15 litre units. 

 

I did think they were exactly the same product with a different brand but the noise is different. I have exceptionally sensitive hearing. 

 

 

 

I know the Dellonda product is a chinese thing probably made by uighur slaves (as you do) but it is a different product and in my experience better than the Alpicool. 

 

 

Dellonda currently £170 on fleabay. I paid £200 a couple of yars ago. Evidently a product not experiencing inflation. I guess these slaves must be cheap !

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392867675817

Glad you said that. We've got a little 20 litre alpicool which we use as an occasional freezer and which we run off the mains if on shoreline or off the bow thruster battery if out and about, as we don't use the thruster so it doesn't matter if the battery goes flat.

 

It has to live in the cratch cos the 'clunk' when it starts is really irritating!

 

Good little freezer / small fridge though, great for the ice creams or ice for the rum and ginger beer 👍

[blackrose]

On 03/07/2023 at 12:43, Tony Brooks said:

If you are living aboard then unless you are on a mains hook-up winter could be a problem for either 12V or a mains fridge.

 

I haven't had a problem over winter with a mains fridge/inverter and I live aboard as well as work from the boat so the laptop is on all day. I have 910w of solar panels but even in winter it was fine. I can angle my panels towards the sun and that makes a big difference when the sun is low. Last winter was my first with solar panels so I'm not sure if it was typical in terms of the amount of sunlight..

 

Someone told me the other day that a 12v fridge is better because if the inverter has to be left on all night to power a mains fridge the inverter's quiescent load adds to overall amp hour consumption. But my inverter draws 0.6A so over 8 hours that's less than 5ah - hardly worth worrying about. I think my mains fridge draws about 32ah over 24hrs so 37ah in total. The fridge cost about £160. I don't understand the point in spending many hundreds or even thousands on a 12v fridge if you have an AC system and an inverter onboard?

Edited July 7, 2023 by blackrose

[IanD]

4 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

I haven't had a problem over winter with a mains fridge/inverter and I live aboard as well as work from the boat so the laptop is on all day. I have 910w of solar panels but even in winter it was fine. I can angle my panels towards the sun and that makes a big difference when the sun is low. Last winter was my first with solar panels so I'm not sure if it was typical in terms of the amount of sunlight..

 

Someone told me the other day that a 12v fridge is better because if the inverter has to be left on all night to power a mains fridge the inverter's quiescent load adds to overall amp hour consumption. But my inverter draws 0.6A so over 8 hours that's less than 5ah - hardly worth worrying about. I think my mains fridge draws about 32ah over 24hrs so 37ah in total. The fridge cost about £160. I don't understand the point in spending many hundreds or even thousands on a 12v fridge if you have an AC system and an inverter onboard?

 

But surely inverters and 230Vac on boats are the spawn of the devil, everyone should use 12V DC like in the good old days? 😉