Which fridge - compressor or 3 way?

If the three way is rated "T' go that way, they work well in extreme heat. If it is only rated "ST" demand a "T" rated fridge.

Keeping the power up to a 180L compressor fridge is a real challenge unless you plan to stay at powered sites always.

Thats a reasonable size fridge and i think you are well aware of the problems. I would go 3 way and then if not entirely happy carry an Engel/Waeco type portable 12v compressor unit in the vehicle.
I am not impressed with the gas fridge (front opening) in hotter climates. Mine doesnt have a fan and could surely be mounted better for improved ventillation but on my last trip up north I just saved the gas and used the compressor unit ,backed up by a portable 80W solar panel. Certainly works better.
In cooler areas or times of the year the 3 way is ok I find.
One thing about the 3 way is its nice and quiet at night in the van. If you mostly have a powered site you can do better on 240v I found. cheers

Hi John

Go for the 180 litre Vitrifrigo compressor fridge. You can get a converter so it can run on 240 v as an alternative. Our first one was 12 v only, and we never needed anything else. We do carry a generator for the odd occasion we use the air conditioner or emergency use of power tools, so could use this to charge the batteries if need be.

Our Bushtracker came with a Vitrifrigo 130 litre which ran on 12 v only, and last year we broke the gas pipe in the back of the freezer on a very rough road with the internal freezer section overloaded. Expensive mistake. We have replaced it with the same type of fridge (remote compressor model) which is 12/24 volt, but we have added a converter so it can also run off 240 volt - we haven't tried the latter yet. The new version has two screws securing the internal freezer box to the back, whereas the old one had only one, and when this severed on the rough road with the weight, it snapped the gas pipe. The Vitrifrigo is much quieter than the Engel 12/240 we put in our previous caravan. In fact you need to listen for the occasional gurgle of the gas to find out if it is running or not. We needed to replace with the remote compressor model to avoid major modifications to the caravan. I would have like a larger fridge with separate freezer, but this would not fit in the space without a radical rebuilt.

Vitrifrigo is quiet, safe and efficient. I never light a gas fridge in a caravan (a few horror stories), but that is just my personal paranoia.

I understand the gas fridges aren't as efficient on the 12 volt as the compressor fridges, so no doubt you would need to resort to gas from time to time.


Motherhen

John
A friend of mine has a compressor fridge in his van and has never had a problem.He has three 120 amp AGM batteries in the van plus two 120 watt solar panels.Also has a 2Kva Honda generator for backup but never used it.
Regards Tickman

John
There is no way that I would go back to a 3 way fridge. By the time you take into account the gas that you use (less than 3 weeks for 9kg bottle) and the loss of frozen goods when it fails (or food poisoning medication) the cost of either a solar panel or generator become realistic.
I have gone for solar and have not missed a beat for 4 years. I have a 220 litre Waeco.
I might be biased but I grew up with kero fridges and the 3 way is just the same, may some have a T but the principle is the same, they can only reduce the temperature by no more than about 30degrees no matter what. That is the fact of life, it will be cooler than outside temperature except when it works too hard then it will spit the dummy.
We found with the kero fridge we had a Coolgardie Cooler set up for the hot weather which was cooler than the fridge.

Neil
Some things in life we need to move forward not stay 50 years ago.

Gooday,
Would not even think about a 3 way fridge again after having had both. As long as you have 2 decent Batteries in the Caravan for when you are not travelling or connected to 240, the only way to go.
Think of it this way with a 3 way, 3 things to go wrong & maintain.
Had Vitrifrigo, now have a Waeco , wish we had specified Vitrfrigo.
Cheers,
Boroma604

A T (tropical) rated 3 way fridge will perform as well as the compressor fridges. They are fine up to ambient temps of 43C. Other 3 ways are OK up to 32C so that's why the old ones have a poor reputation. Incorrect installation is also the main cause of poor performance. They must have insulation around them and good ventilation at the back. Evernew instal hinged doors behind them. To run properly on 12v they must have adequate wiring. Mine runs beautifully on 12v. I have an anderson plug for the wiring and a fridge switch to protect my batteries.