3 way fridge

Mike, thank you. That is encouraging. I had been looking at some of the archival reports on refrigerators and it had seemed a rather fraught area. And you are right, it is K marti. I had bought a tiny 12DC 240V cooler that looks like a little refrigerator and held about 4 litres. After a short time it went kaput and I had no problem getting a replacement which is still working but rather small.
Harry

Hi Harry

I have owned an absorption type Finch fridge (of which the Jackaroo is a Chinese copy) for a few years and they are great fridges but they do have some limitations, as well as some advantages, against compressor fringes - Engel, Waeco et al.

Negatives:
They do not work terribly well on 12V, they draw about 6 amps and are only about 75% as efficient as they are on gas or 240V. Do not leave connected to your main car battery for over 2 hours max. without the engine running.

They must be LEVEL! :) Buy a spirit level from the $2 shop and keep it with the fridge. I've cut a couple of small wooden wedges which help with the levelling a lot.

They are slow to pull down the temperature when you put (say) a six pack or a wine cask into them - best to restock just before bedtime – but that’s when you’ve finished the wine anyway :)

They start to struggle in ambient temps. over about 35C although mine did OK at 45C, I fared less well :)

Positives:
No problems with batteries, solar panels or generators - they will run for about two weeks on 4kg of gas.

They are totally silent in operation.

They are a lot cheaper and have less to go wrong than a compressor fridge.

They can be left out in a rain storm (mine has many times) when running on gas and will be none the worse for it - ensure you give them 2 or 3 days to dry out before plugging into 240V though.

If you camp in one spot for more than 2 or 3 days they are an excellent way to go.

Mike Harding

mike_harding@fastmail.fm

QUOTE: And they're much better than Engels or Waecos :)

I assume that comment is just to provoke a reaction, so I'll bite.

How can a fridge that is, by your own admission, inefficient on 12 volt be good for travelling?

They do work well on gas when they are perfectly level, end of story.
Basically everything that you have said about them, deem them to be inefficient.

I owned a Finch Fridge for many years & it was acceptable, albeit barely, but in those days there weren't a lot of choices. I now own an Engel, it is quick to pull down to temperature, especially when you add a six pack or a wine cask, it doesn't struggle in ambient temperatures of over 35 degrees, it doesn't need to be level & it is quiet, not silent, but quiet.

Having said all that, any fridge that you can buy for $299.00 that will do the job, represents good value, but can't be compared with Engel, or even Waeco.

Hi shaker I see it as tongue in cheek, look at his post further down his quote is-
(a compressor fridge will provide a more efficient refrigeration option - no question. ) so it is all right he knows whats what.
Wazza

Thank you Gerhard. See my reply to Mike. Appreciate the quick response.
Harry

I took my caravan fridge out and replaced it with a made to fit 12v fridge ( it's in the garage gathering dust) as I was sick of drinking warm beer, best thing I ever did but may be I drink more beer than Mike as I find I am always refilling and can drink within an hour. Everyone has their own preference.
Wazza

Much of it is down to your style of usage. If you have access to lots of power (caravan park, large solar array, generator etc) then a compressor fridge will provide a more efficient refrigeration option - no question.

If, like me, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere for days (weeks) on end and do not have a solar array (and they're not that great in Vic for much of the year anyway) then a 3 way fridge and a 4kg gas bottle work well - I've never had food go off Davoe and I've never had to drink warm wine Wazza :)

Mike Harding

Mike, my trouble is my wife likes a beer as well, we also brew our own spirts and mix with soda water. When we are away in remote spots for weeks some times could not keep up with soda so we bought a soda stream, turns water into soda so we have to keep it cold as well as making ice cubes ( can't drink scotch with out ice). We now have an old engel, 50l waeco, as well as a 12v fridge in the van and an inverter giving 240v to the van 24hours a day. All running off 300amp hours of AGM batterys which I charge with 50amp multi stage battery charger a couple of hours a day from the 2kva honda. We progressed to this setup now after years of trial and error and it suits us at the moment, have had rwo 3 way fridges years ago, a sadec and a chestcold but in QLD they didn't perform for us. Hey wine is a good idea!
Wazza