Fridge dilemma(s)

[mnjeeper]

Size by looking at your cargo room and get the biggest refer that you can fit.

With the lesser brands, it is a gamble that can pay off especially on low budgets. But it may not be as easy to get warranty work or replacement parts.

I used an ice chest and moved up to the Engel MT45. It is a plane jane unit. No bluetooth, no apps, no driain, no light switch. It has a knob to control the temp and all stainless hinges and latch. I spent a month researching all the refers and picked the best one for me. If you are a manual guy, look at thier owners manual and other documentation on their site. It is impressive.

I picked the metal Engel for its design, construction, quality and efficiency. They galvanize dip the sheet metal and then paint it. I wanted that because I knew it would scratch and get beat-up like all my other overlanding gear and I didn't want rust.

The second thing that is going well with it after 1.5 years of use is battery usage and balls/power. It is pretty amazing. I only have a 12ah LIFEPO4 battery and that is more than enough for overnight usage. At first I wasn't sure if the unit would be as strong power-wise as ice, but given enough time it will freeze anything I put in there even at temps above 107F (max I have been in so far). Engel has their own compressor made in Japan and it is one of the best, if not the best compressor on the market. It has been in below freezing temps (teens) and over 130F (locked in my rig in the summer) and no issues.

The other high-end brand is National Luna. But they are in Africa. Engel is in Florida.

Your first sentence is my plan. I will measure, then see what I can find with a secop compressor and go from there.

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[hardtop]

How quickly do your fridges heat up once they're off 12v?

I've been surprised at how quickly my ICECO VL35 heats up, nothing scientific but I feel like it shouldn't go up 10-15 degrees overnight in 20-40* weather. Sometimes I even crank it down to 22* and I wake up and it's high 30s/low 40s.

Am I expecting too much? I got stuck once with a dead battery so I'm paranoid of it running all night at this point (also run solar panels and an Ecoflow now). I'm assuming I can't compare the insulation/cooling off-energy to a Yeti, etc.

I haven't tested how quickly it heats up. I bought the Miady 12 ah LIFEPO4 for $60 and a LIFEPO4 specific charger for $20. But I also use a generator during the day.

Before I bought the refer, I maximized efficiency with the insulated colman cooler. I made custom insulation blankets with R16 fiberglass roll, a roll of a plastic sheet, duct tape and two straps. One blanket wrapped the sides and was secured with the straps and then a top piece that recessed into the too tall horizontal blanket like a secondary lid and a bottom piece.

I'd get 7 days in the summer out of the ice and longer in the winter. As long as 10 days. Prior to the wrap, I'd need more ice in 3 days. I'd try doing that if a battery is too much right now. I spent about $30 on the materials. But a small LIFEPO4 would be the best. You could charge it with jumper cables to your car, but that will take some longevity out of it.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I just ordered a Dometic CFX55IM from Northridge. Dometic is running a sale until tomorrow. It seems they run a sale a few times a year or more. As they say: "buy the dips".

Now, I'm looking for a power solution for being off-grid for an extended period for a birdhunt trip to MT. I recall Ted mentioning he has a Jackery setup. But, the cost of that system is out of scale with my likely once a year use. So, I'm thinking about cobbling together something.

 

[Sydwaiz]

I just ordered a Dometic CFX55IM from Northridge. Dometic is running a sale until tomorrow. It seems they run a sale a few times a year or more. As they say: "buy the dips".

Now, I'm looking for a power solution for being off-grid for an extended period for a birdhunt trip to MT. I recall Ted mentioning he has a Jackery setup. But, the cost of that system is out of scale with my likely once a year use. So, I'm thinking about cobbling together something.

I'm running an Iceco and Jackery setup. Take a look at Costco and their Massimo lineup. The batteries are bit cheaper than Jackery.

 

[Odyssey USA]

We made a sub $200 Lifetime (made in USA and Bear resistant rating) 77qt cooler work for us but we were on the move and could get ice at least every 3 days. There’s definitely downsides like digging for items, trying to keep things dry, and in our case , having to open the tailgate & slide it out a few inches to open the lid. That last thing was due to me squeezing in the absolute biggest cooler I could though. I removed the rubber feet so it slid easily on the carpet.

I’m curious about a fridge but hesitant with complexity and I don’t want to add any significant weight. I’m also not electrically adept so I need plug and play.

 

[jlrubeinswaz]

I just ordered a Dometic CFX55IM from Northridge. Dometic is running a sale until tomorrow. It seems they run a sale a few times a year or more. As they say: "buy the dips".

Now, I'm looking for a power solution for being off-grid for an extended period for a birdhunt trip to MT. I recall Ted mentioning he has a Jackery setup. But, the cost of that system is out of scale with my likely once a year use. So, I'm thinking about cobbling together something.

When you look for a power system just make sure it doesn't shut off when not being used for a set amount of time. I had one that would shut off during cycling of my Iceco. Next morning I would find the refrigerator shut off with 90% power left in the power supply. Returned it.

 

[Sprint7]

[QUOTE="hardtop, post: 1956038, member: 82971". I bought the Miady 12 ah LIFEPO4 for $60 and a LIFEPO4 specific charger for $20. But I also use a generator during the day.

I spent about $30 on the materials. But a small LIFEPO4 would be the best. You could charge it with jumper cables to your car, but that will take some longevity out of it.

[/QUOTE]

can you please give some details on this setup? How long will this run your fridge? Overnight? How do you charge it? Is it charging and powering the fridge simultaneously while the jeep is running? Im looking for something that will take the load off of my jeep battery at night but will power my ARB 50 for about 24 hours.

 

[hardtop]

[QUOTE="hardtop, post: 1956038, member: 82971". I bought the Miady 12 ah LIFEPO4 for $60 and a LIFEPO4 specific charger for $20. But I also use a generator during the day.

I spent about $30 on the materials. But a small LIFEPO4 would be the best. You could charge it with jumper cables to your car, but that will take some longevity out of it.

can you please give some details on this setup? How long will this run your fridge? Overnight? How do you charge it? Is it charging and powering the fridge simultaneously while the jeep is running? Im looking for something that will take the load off of my jeep battery at night but will power my ARB 50 for about 24 hours.
[/QUOTE]

I charge it with a generator and it will last overnight and into the late morning/early afternoon, depending on the outside temperature.

Find the amp draw of your ARB and multiply it by 24. That equals how many amp hour(ah) battery to get for 24 hours use and will power the refer non stop for that time. Realistically, it will use less ah since a lot of the time the compressor is off.

 

[Moosebear]

I now have three Dometic CFX3 coolers and love them. We got a big dual zone one originally so we could keep things frozen on one side and thawed on the other. Then we got the jeep and purchased a CFX3 55. A few months back we got a diabolic inc security enclosure which necessitated a smaller CFX3 45 to fit underneath. I took the 55 to work and keep it under my desk now and the large one is still on standby for camping duty.

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