230 V fridge

[GUMPY]

In fairness that's a failing with your charger; it's hardly fair to blame a (hypothetical) 12V fridge.

Since unlike many I dont do blame I'm blaming nothing, I just prefer 230v fridges.

 

The combi fault is an interesting one though as the inverter works fine and switches when it should, unfortuately I never notice when it goes off, its happened twice to my knowledge, once while we were away over xmas and the Eberspacher flattened the batteries and destroyed itself by killing its combustion motor.

[Jennifer McM]

Thank you for your comments, I'm soaking up each thought/idea/experience.

 

Looking at the 12v fridge/freezers, they do look a bit 'old fashioned', and I'm wondering if the design has kept up with the latest tech in energy efficiency?

 

The ao.com fridge/freezers show energy ratings, A+, A++ etc., but 'Shoreline' don't show any energy ratings. Could it be because 12v is low energy in any case? I don't understand the criteria - still learning.

[OldGoat]

A point that frequently gets missed (whoops - see above while I was collecting my thoughts) is that the cases for 12V fridges are often of budget quality and have ditto insulation. After all if you were a top quality manufacturer, would you sell your cases on to someone else??

 

To get the best results from a 240V unit is to buy:-

An inverter with a low standby power demand (i.e. Victron smaller models)

A mains fridge with an A++ rating (I'm looking at Liebherr - but that's also because they make a FF that will just about fit the space I have)

 

Not cheap - but that's the way we cruise....

[peterboat]

But if your inverter goes down so does your fridge and also your freezer, even worse with a combi, 15 years living aboard so not a novice.

Phil

Thats what happened to me me Phil so now a 12volt fridge freezer and no regrets

[WotEver]

The A++ thing is a European (I believe) originated idea to give the consumer an easy comparison of white goods. A 12V fridge doesn't fall into that category.

[Jennifer McM]

The A++ thing is a European (I believe) originated idea to give the consumer an easy comparison of white goods. A 12V fridge doesn't fall into that category.

suspected this.... thanks

[Phil Ambrose]

A point that frequently gets missed (whoops - see above while I was collecting my thoughts) is that the cases for 12V fridges are often of budget quality and have ditto insulation. After all if you were a top quality manufacturer, would you sell your cases on to someone else??

 

To get the best results from a 240V unit is to buy:-

An inverter with a low standby power demand (i.e. Victron smaller models)

A mains fridge with an A++ rating (I'm looking at Liebherr - but that's also because they make a FF that will just about fit the space I have)

 

Not cheap - but that's the way we cruise....

Shoreline buy in 239v fridges and freezers and replace the 230v stuff with 12v stuff, the insulation is the same. In the case of my undercounter larder fridge and my undercounter freezer, Shoreline used LEC units, the compressors are are benchmark DANFOS, industry standard leader brand. So 12v kit is in no way inferior.

Phil

[WotEver]

We bought a Waeco for Wot Ever. The case and insulation was anything but cheap.

[ditchcrawler]

Shoreline buy in 239v fridges and freezers and replace the 230v stuff with 12v stuff, the insulation is the same. In the case of my undercounter larder fridge and my undercounter freezer, Shoreline used LEC units, the compressors are are benchmark DANFOS, industry standard leader brand. So 12v kit is in no way inferior.

Phil

LEC make/made 12/24 volt fridges

[Stormbringer]

LEC make/made 12/24 volt fridges

 

Aye they do - that's what mine is .... uses the same Danfoss BD-35 compressor unit as the Shoreline

[Onewheeler]

I looked at buying an A++ vs an A+ 230 V fridge. Not much less power consumption, a lot more expensive. The difference would easily pay for bigger solar panels.

 

Martin/

[Jambo]

I looked at buying an A++ vs an A+ 230 V fridge. Not much less power consumption, a lot more expensive. The difference would easily pay for bigger solar panels.

 

Martin/

 

It's possible that one just missed out on being an A+++ rating and the other one just made it in or they were different sizes?

 

Taking Liebherr as an example they have an A+++ fridge freezer that uses 25% less than their A++ design of the same volume so there definitely can be a significant difference.

 

It's worth pointing out more generally that since 2012, only A+ or better cold appliances could be sold in UK shops so A+ is not a good rating. Thankfully after years of kowtowing to the white goods industry, the European Union is overhauling energy labels and hopefully reverting to a simple, clear A to G label that will be rebased periodically as technology improves.

[cuthound]

IIRC didn't someone on this forum get the best of both worlds by buying a 230v fridge and a 12v compressor, and then employing a fridge engineer to swap the compressors?

 

It seemed a very cost effective 12v solution.

 

Edited to change "forumbrella" (only a word in autokorrect land, but hey what a great word) back to what I rote "forum".

Edited August 13, 2016 by cuthound

[WotEver]

IIRC didn't someone on this forumbrella get the best of both worlds by buying a 230v fridge and a 12v compressor, and then employing a fridge engineer to swap the compressors?

 

It seemed a very cost effective 12v solution.

They're cheap to buy...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/danfoss-compressor

 

Tony

[ditchcrawler]

They're cheap to buy...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/danfoss-compressor

 

Tony

Didn't get a single DC compressor up when I tried it, all AC

[WotEver]

Didn't get a single DC compressor up when I tried it, all AC

You're absolutely correct, sorry. I didn't check that

 

Plenty listed on Danfoss's web site and elsewhere but I can't find a UK price anywhere.

 

Tony

[ditchcrawler]

You're absolutely correct, sorry. I didn't check that

 

Plenty listed on Danfoss's web site and elsewhere but I can't find a UK price anywhere.

 

Tony

It would probably work out cheaper buying one from the States than buying a low voltage fridge

[rjasmith]

You're absolutely correct, sorry. I didn't check that

 

Plenty listed on Danfoss's web site and elsewhere but I can't find a UK price anywhere.

 

Tony

 

With an eBay search of Danfoss BD35F they come up from various EU suppliers in Poland or Portugal, priced at around £200 including the electronics box. Buying an AC fridge plus a DC compressor and then paying for it to be fitted would seem to me to get you back to the price of a ready built DC fridge - I suppose you could sell the removed AC compressor to recoup a few quid afterwards!

 

No one has mentioned the Smileypete suggestion to use the fridge thermostat to control the inverter. No demand from fridge = turn off the inverter completely (ie no standby current at all). Fridge demands power, inverter starts up and powers fridge until demand stops. Could work in the night when there's no other need for the inverter to run.

 

Smileypete's post about this lurks on here somewhere!

 

Richard

[WotEver]

That would only work if the thermostat was mechanical. Most modern fridges have electronic switching these days.

 

Tony