Kimberley Kamper Replacement Fridge

Yep I'll second that.

I've had several fridges.

Engel. Now made in Taiwan, very noisy and poor insulation. Very exxy to repair. Don't try to listen to AM or HF radio near one. Use a lot more power above about 30 degrees. Used to be great ( and the only fridge)

Waeco. Ok value for money. Dunno about new non Danfoss ones though. Insulation better than Engel but just. I would get a waeco over an engel given a choice out of the two.

I also have a Primus which is great, good insulation efficient. Bettter than either of the above.

National Luna, tough, very well built, quiet and true dual zones available. Expensive but a fantastic fridge.

Definitely stay away from the combi ( fridge and freezer) engel and Waeco unless you have a lot of batteries and Solar.


Not sure of other makes.

Geoff..could you validate your claim of compressor refridgerators and noise and power consumption.

Compared to what..a 3 way type fridge..?

Some others experiences on Nova Kool..particularly the last post from an electrical engineer and his issues..

http://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33957

The review makes good reading, plenty of information good and bad. Our experience with the current freestanding Engel and Waeco is that they are just far too noisy for our application, and the 3-way fridge just doesn't cut it in the high temperatures. Now we had a Dometic 3-way fridge that has served us well, but the inherent problems (high current draw on 12V, time to cool down, performance in high temps, having to be perfectly level) and its age lead us to look elsewhere. The new 3-way fridges seem to be less robust and some contacts within the industry have indicated the same.
Our second fridge (10yr old 40lt Engel) is still going really well and I would certainly recommend this fridge to others.

The Nova Kool came highly recommended to us by people we trust so I hope that it lives up to its reputation, but can't really comment on this fridge as we have just installed it and haven't given it a good run as yet.

Cheers, Geoff

Hi Ross

I have a KK Limited Edition and have fitted a 60L Engel on a slide in mine, been bounced over a lot of Oz and it is still working great. Will be taking it up the Connie Sue in about a week, been across the Anne Beadell no problems.
A pity KK themselves cant advise?

cheers
Ted

here's a copy of the post i was talking about with some contact details of Autofridge (posted back in January this year), you could try ringing or emailing them to see if they have another fridge for you to buy (though it's now 12 months since they stopped manufacturing them) or even some parts to fix yours maybe ....................................................................................

"The factory complex where we built the fridges was sold for redevelopment and we had to vacate much earlier than anticipated.
The manufacturing unit closed up in August and we had not found a suitable alternative location at that time.
It is most likely that the product will not be built here and will eventually be built overseas, although no decision has been made as yet.
The Autofridge business is still operating and parts and service will be OK.
There a few stories floating around as to what happened, but these are the facts:
The whole area where the factory complex is located was rezoned for apartments.
The site we were on had not been purchased until six months ago and we were told that it would be a couple of years before anything would be done with the site.
The developer paid for the site in August and demanded vacant possession by the 4th October. (The factories on the site have already been demolished.)
That gave us very little time to set up somewhere else and it was decided to ‘moth ball’ all the manufacturing equipment until we found something suitable.
It now seems unlikely that the product will be built here in Australia and discussions are being held as to where we will build the fridges.
When I have more info, I will let you know.

Regards,
Leon Dewbery,
PH: 0418 977 040

Email : autofridge@bigpond.com"

Thanks, I saw the Myswag discussion.
Unfortunately a pressure test on my fridge shows an unrepairable refrigerant leak inside the cabinet which is inaccessable
Ross

Ross, I suggest you speak to Leon, before you throw your Autofridge away, or let me have it! I have had Autofridges for the past 20 years and they are a brilliant fridge. They are repairable, even if you have to pull them apart. I have a friendly refrigeration technician who regassed/refilled my first one, we then reassembled it, and it is on its fourth owner. They are not overly complex and generally bullet proof, so I would expect yours could be repaired at a fraction of the cost of a new fridge. Otherwise, I am serious in being interested in buying it for scrap value.

Thanks, Phil, but the fridge has already gone to that place where old fridges go. Otherwise you would have been welcome to it
Ross