Saturday, May 03, 2003 at 07:16
HI all,
At the risk of "dribbling" .... let me put in my 2c worth :))
The "Electrolux" 3way fridge is not made by Electrolux at all, but by Dometic and is sold through Electrolux rebadged.
Yes, they do have a tendancy to blow the 240V element (
mine did within 9 months) but I haven't heard of many other failures in them.
The critical factor for all absorbtion fridges is that their efficiency falls rapidly if they are not 100% level.
Don't expect the fridge to do an awful lot while on 12V. It's only supposed to keep current temperature. Gas and 240V have similar efficiencies and are very dependent on ambient temperatures.
Running on 12V without an additional charge will very quickly drain your battery, as they draw up to 6.8A
It is important to make sure you get the Tropicalized model.
Check the part number. The Tropicalized model has a T next to it, whereas the standard model has SM from memory.
Another important thing to consider is ventilation through the fins on the back. People often resort to fitting a thermostat controlled fan at the back of these fridges, where the fan comes on at 35C or so.
These 3way fridges typically are a good compromise, as they are quiet (no compressor) and do a reasonable job, as long as the ambient doesn't go much over 35C. If you need a fridge that cools regardless of ambient temp, I'd suggest you
check out compressor fridges.
A lot has been written about this topic by people who know the subject
well. I suggest you
check out the Caraners
forum on MSN or Campertrailers on Yahoo Groups.
All the best
Ari2001 Patrol 3.0TDI
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