12v Compressor Fridge
- Thread starter BigBody79
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2005
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Yup. They're basically the same as a dometic that you'd have in a camper.
bottomland4x4
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2006
- Location
- mt airy
I've been looking at a furrion brand to replace my dometic. Seems like reviews are mixed. May have to wait a little while to give them some time on the market. I have noticed a lot of new campers are doing away with propane and going all electric.
bonecrusher
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Location
- Indian Trail, NC
I know this is a bit old but Rough Country just came out with their 12v Fridge unit 400.00 and it doesn't look to bad. A little red for my taste but still.
I have the Dometic 55CFX. I've had an occasional issue with the valve freezing up. Usually turning it off for half an hour solves it. The ice maker is a bit of a gimmick and causes a lot of frost build up, so I don't use it. I prefer to minimize power draw than have a tiny bit of ice. My brother has one of the $400 Chinese brand ones and he has been happy with it. His only complaint is that the lid doesn't latch.
89wrangler
Not a new member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2005
- Location
- Bostic,NC
I bought a Iceco VL45 that was a scratch and dent sale for under $300. It has performed awesome. Going on two years with it
A Florida district court yesterday dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Dometic, an RV refrigerator and cooler manufacturer, that alleged that certain products corrode, leak gas, and pose a fire risk. Dometic is a popular brand among RVers because the fridges hook up to a vehicle's gas absorption.
Just going to leave this here.
Just going to leave this here.
Putting all this good .gov money to work.
Just pulled the trigger on and ICECO JP50
Hopefully here before the weekend. We'll see if UPS can not drop kick it between here and cali.
icecofreezer.com
Just pulled the trigger on and ICECO JP50
Hopefully here before the weekend. We'll see if UPS can not drop kick it between here and cali.
53QT JP50 12V Fridge Off-road Refrigerator with Free Insulated Cover & Secop Compressor
Stay Cool with ICECO 12V Portable Freezers. Enjoy amazing discounts! JP50 overland fridge with high-quality Secop compressor. No ice is needed for 0℉ cooling. With a Free insulated cover. 5-year warranty on Secop compressor & LA Local Tech Support.
icecofreezer.com
PAT Ventures
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2009
- Location
- Wentworth, NC
@BigBody79 Curious as to how this works for you. Going to drop the hammer on 1 eventually.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2005
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Few things to consider:
Even though the fridges come equipped with a cigarette plug, the cigarette plugs in most vehicles aren't equipped to provide 4-5a without a significant voltage drop. I ran a 10ga wire in the suburban direct from the battery to the fridge so it would see at least 10.5v with the engine off. ARB sells a kit for this that's pretty fairly priced (if you have an ARB).
Experiment with your specific fridge to determine the lowest temp you can set the thermostat and not have freezing. That should be your default setting. It's a cold plate system, so the spot next to the plate (usually down in the bottom somewhere) will be the coldest, and it's warmer the further away you get. Our thermostat is set for 32F. Stuff up top might only be 40F.
Load it a day or so before you leave with pre-chilled items. The fridge is perfectly capable of cooling warm things, but it's heat rejection abilities are limited. If you dump a 12pk of room temperature beer in it mid-week, your bacon is going to spoil. See also the note above on power draw.
The fans on the compressor are usually the first point of failure. They're just shitty 12v computer style fans and are easily replaced. This is less of a concern if your fridge is going to live inside the vehicle where it won't see much dust and dirt.
Even though the fridges come equipped with a cigarette plug, the cigarette plugs in most vehicles aren't equipped to provide 4-5a without a significant voltage drop. I ran a 10ga wire in the suburban direct from the battery to the fridge so it would see at least 10.5v with the engine off. ARB sells a kit for this that's pretty fairly priced (if you have an ARB).
Experiment with your specific fridge to determine the lowest temp you can set the thermostat and not have freezing. That should be your default setting. It's a cold plate system, so the spot next to the plate (usually down in the bottom somewhere) will be the coldest, and it's warmer the further away you get. Our thermostat is set for 32F. Stuff up top might only be 40F.
Load it a day or so before you leave with pre-chilled items. The fridge is perfectly capable of cooling warm things, but it's heat rejection abilities are limited. If you dump a 12pk of room temperature beer in it mid-week, your bacon is going to spoil. See also the note above on power draw.
The fans on the compressor are usually the first point of failure. They're just shitty 12v computer style fans and are easily replaced. This is less of a concern if your fridge is going to live inside the vehicle where it won't see much dust and dirt.
Second trip out. It has been wonderful. We’ve got it set at 28 to keep the milk from freezing. Nice to have meats, cheese, eggs, and condiments cold and not swimming. Can’t barely hear it run. Even when it’s in the house cooling down. Seems to be very energy efficient.