caravan refrigerator
Submitted: Thursday, Dec 26, 2002 at 01:00
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Member - Steven
does anyone know about caravan fridges do they work like the old kero fridges when you turn them upside down it movess the gases around and makes them work .
Mine has stopped working properly ,electrically it appears ok thermostat etc but the fridge does not get cold enough to keep the beer cold !!!!! freezer box almost holds already frozen stuff but will not freeze unfrozen stuff.just wondering should i roll it around a bit or seek professional advice (van/fridge only 2yrs old)
Reply By: sean - Friday, Dec 27, 2002 at 01:00
Friday, Dec 27, 2002 at 01:00
Problem with caravan fridges is they are marginal at the best of times. We live up north origially purchased our van from Melb. In Vic the fridge worked great (as long as it was very level). Got the van up north (in 45 dec heat_ and it would not get below 8-10 deg. So I took it in and found that repairs were almost as much as a new one. So I spent over a grand for the new fridge only to find that it is still marginal in hot areas.
I improved the ventilation and even installed a computer fan to help cool the coils and this helped only a little. (We are talking about a brand new fridge here). I would in fact rate it as bloody hopeless in any area that the temps are above 30 deg.
Consider an engel compressor fridge as these DO work but problem is getting enough power to run it. Even our 40 litre portable engel will run out an auxillary battery in 36 hours in hot conditions. Its a great touring fridge but once camping - it all gets hard. Maybe another grand on solar panels is the way to go.
Met a bloke who was travelling the north with a small 240 V bar fridge ($350.00) that he ran off a honda generator. We lives in his van and mostly stays up north.
Good luck
Sean
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Follow Up By: Diamond - Sunday, Dec 29, 2002 at 01:00
Sunday, Dec 29, 2002 at 01:00
we have a 6ft by 8ft pop top we dont do any hard off road with the camper on the back.couldnt see the point in spending $900plus for a waeko/engel 40ltrs so we bought an 80ltr bar fridge for $220 and an 800 watt inverter from super cheap for $300 battery laster 2 night and one day but went for a drive and charged up for more cold beer and frozen meat .
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