Member - Phil/S WA.. replied:

Giday dd, Icould be wrong [often happens] but, Idid,nt think waeco did a three way. Having owned a three way [chescold] in queensland I found that in warm climates they are no good on 12v.& been level is critical, good on gas though. My choice is a norm. 2 way, but, for gods sake don,t ask which is the best brand!! Do a shearch on this site, the discussion has been well and truly done, good luck.... Phil

MartyB replied:

Check out Supacheap, last week they had the 3 way waeco on special. Might still be on special.
from Marty.

porl replied:

do some searches on 3 way fridges, i think you'll find they suck way too much current for a cigarette lighter socket, my prado rear socket is rated at 120w (same as the 100 series) and it could not even handle my compressor 30L waeco on a hot day (the socket died a long time ago). But that said, it is very easy to put in your own direct and correctly rated cable and suitable connectors. Don't know anything else about 3 ways but you'll find a lot here about them.

lifeisgood replied:

Hi Damian Haven,t had much luck with the 12volt side of our 3 way fridges over the years when the weather warms up and heading nth.
Recent Dalhousie / simpson trip convinced me that heavier wiring was needed from vehicle to our van (work in progress)
However I decided to also try a portable Waeco 12v compressor unit whilst travelling . Loaded this up with cold foodstuff and some freezer cubes ( and ran on max cold setting) - then transferred it when at our bush camp to the gas fridge
Enjoyed a really cold drink en route for the first time. This way I dont need auxilliary deep cycle batteries and solar cells (yet !)
With a 3 way portable chest type unit you might have more luck , especially if you run a decent twin cable (fused) directly from the battery to a socket near the fridge.
Plenty of opinions on this subject if you do a search.
IMHO a good 3 way is the best all rounder but for 35c+ temps you cant match a compressor fridge if you have the battery energy available 24/7
On mains power (powered van site ) our 3 way does a good job.

J.T. replied:

like has been said.Had a chescold 3 way for 12 years now and only last year put heavier wiring(6mm) to it on 12 volt and have had it all over up northern W.A. and it goes really well on 12v.I used to bag the 12v side out all the time but am now really happy.It can actually freeze on 12v in summer in the hot car.

Dave from P7OFFROAD Accredited Driver Training replied:

The Waeco 3 (assuming that you are talking about the ~$450 one) way is advertised as a cooler rather than a fridge. even on the box it says that it will only draw down to 1 deg or 25deg below ambient. (ie 1 deg if the ambient is 25 deg or less).

IMHO Coolers shouldn't be advertised or displayed alongside fridges, and they should not be used for the storage of perishables...

If you really want a 3way, get a dometic/chescold, but then if you really want a fridge you should get an evakool or Engel ;-)

Disco Dave replied:

Not sure about waeco's but I know the small 3 way fridges in caravans use between 12 to 15 amps on 12 volt. You are far better off with a compressor type fridge. I use an Engle.
Dave.

pixiemops replied:

As J.t says a good chescold like the rc1180 will freeze on 12v in the car as long as you have a decent re-wiring done. Forget the ciggy connection. As far as im concerned from my experience the only reason people say they are crap on 12v is the wiring. No problems at all for me even stinking hot weather.

Great fridge /freezer and fantastic on 12 v if you do it right simple as that.

zad replied:

As others have said, heavy duty wiring is a must! I had one of those cheapy repco 3 ways they were selling for $400 a couple of years ago and even that drew too much current for the cigarette socket (I was running an incorrect fuse at the time so succeeded in melting some of my wiring). I now have a Chescold 60L chest freezer (not too good as a freezer when you're in and out of it all the time for drinks etc, but excellent as a fridge) that I'm running off some 4 guage wire and anderson plugs from the battery to the cargo area and it runs beautifully off of 12v. I know 4 guage isn't required, but the thicker wire you have = the less of a voltage drop, and the better performance of the fridge. Keep in mind though, that most 3-way fridge/freezers perform better when running off gas, and be ultra careful running them off a single battery 12v system with the engine turned off as they're extremely power hungry and will drain the battery in a couple of hours (as did mine over the NY break while setting up camp).

Robnicko replied:

Damian,
Keep in mind that the Waeco 3way only cools to about 25 degrees below ambient making it a cooler, not a fridge. Better off getting a Waeco compressor fridge (cf range). I have a CF40 and it has actually gone down to -24.5 degrees running flat out. Mind you I only use it on 2 led's and it maintains a temp of around 1.5 - 3.5 degrees.
yes, they are more expensive but the money you save in Ice can add up.

Rob