Guest michael shaw Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 We are thinking of trying a compression fridge for our new conversion (currently use gas/mains absorption type)but I am a VERY light sleeper. Any comments please ? How noisy are compression fridges in the silent wee small hours ? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 We have a compressor fridge in our kitchen at home, the most noise it makes is at start up when there is a "clonk". This is folloed by a quietish hum from the motor running until it "clonks" again when the thermostat turns it off. We don,t sleep in the kitchen. Could you? In a motorhome you would be this close! But more seriuusly you need to consider how long you are going to camp away from a mains hookup as a compressor fridge powered from the leisure battery (via an inverter for example) takes a significant current when it is running. A non automatic 3 way (12v 240v Gas) absorbtion type takes zero amps when on gas. We have always had good service from Dometic absorbtion fridges providing they are de-frosted regularly. Like once a week in the south of France mid summer! A small extractor fan in the air outlet does help during the hottest days in this environment. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Compressor fridge positives: 1. Totally 'tilt tolerant'. 2. Excellent cooling performance in hot weather. 3. Normally no need to cut ventilation apertures in the motorhome's bodywork. 4. Virtually nil maintenance requirements. 5. Simple installation - just a single cable to the leisure-battery. Negatives: 1. Some noise when compressor is running. 2. Current drain when compressor is running - say 15W per hour for a 50 litre model, up to 22W/h for a 130 litre size. (But, just like a domestic fridge, the compressor won't be running all the time.) As leisure-vehicle compressor fridges run from 12V (or 24V) I'm not sure why Clive mentions an inverter unless he believes you might be considering installing an ordinary 230V household refrigerator. If you have this in mind you'll need to think about how to install the fridge securely and how to keep the door shut while travelling. Incidentally, all the latest Dometic fridges (not just AES models) use 12V current (albeit not much) continuously when in gas mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel E Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 I've had compressor fridges in both my last and current (new) motorhome by choice. Derek's list of positives says it all. Noise is NOT a problem with a good one. We have a Waeco in the new vehicle positioned just 4 feet from my sleeping head and have had no noise problems at all. Having lived in a village on a side road that's totally silent at night, I'm sensitive to night time sounds. The previous m'home had an Itlian fridge (now sold by CAK Tanks in the UK) and it was excellent. However, Derek's current usage for a 130 litre model is extremely optimistic. Get a Waeco catalogue and it gives you the actual usage figures. Remember that current usage depends on outside temperature, so it goes up significantly on hot summer days. These fridges are not cheap, however, There was a story in MMM earlier in 2005 from someone who had fitted a domestic (home) compressor fridge using an inverter to supply 240 volts from 12 volts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 MelE: As far as I can make out the compressor fridge data in the Waeco catalogue for average hourly power consumption aren't radically higher than the ones I quoted (that related to the Italian Indel B range). As a comparison, CAK's brochure gives average consumption figures of 11W/h for a 38 litre fridge, rising to 19.5W/h for a 133 litre model. I note that Waeco refers to "Average power consumption" and that the quoted figures range from 40W to 60W, but I presume this is what the compressor 'draws' when it is running. The CAK and Indel B brochures call this "nominal input" and the figures given are 38.5W for all the CAK-marketed models, and from 50W to 60W for the Indel B fridges. However, I fully accept that my 'current drain' paragraph is definitely not a masterpiece of clarity and unambiguity. (Domestic fridge article - MMM June 2005, page 209) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 So there you have it. My memory was of the bloke Mel and I met at a show who had designed his bespoke motorhome around a domestic 230 volt fridge. This resulted in an article in MMM, same bloke. At 60 watts for a 12 volt jobbie thats 5 amps. 24 running hours at 5 amps is 120 ampere hours. But what I can never understand is why people seem to have problems with Dometic absorbtion fridges. Parking angles - never been a problem for us. I park bye eye (or is it ears?), we don,t have a bubble level thing in the motorhome at all. Perhaps we are just lucky? What I would suggest is irrespective of the type of fridge you use its is worth fitting the external vents top and bottom. When you are baking in the south of France you don,t want the heat expelled by the fridge to heat the inside of the van any further. Or for the aircon to work even harder. Good luck C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel B Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 We've never had a problem with an absorption fridge ... except the time when we were new to 'proper' motorhomes where the electric goes off when you stop the engine ... we didn't know and left the fridge on electric as we weren't going to be out too long. When we got back the ice cream had melted, yuk what a mess (it was in a cardboard carton!!!). Regardless of what fridge you have in your motorhome, just with your fridge at home, don't forget to leave some 'air' room inside - if you stuff it to the gills the cool air can't circulate and that makes it more difficult for it to work. It's very tempting to keep buying all those lovely treats - especially the cheese and hams etc in France - but they'll soon go off if the fridge ain't working as it should! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Colin Munro Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Pity there is'nt a fridge that works on both systems then we would have the best of both worlds ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MelE Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Colin, The reason is that the two systems are completely different. An absorption fridge works by the gas flame heating the coolant liquid; when on electric, the gas flame is replaced by an electic element. This is fine when the engine is running, or on 240volt hook-up, but would drain a battery in little more than a flash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neal Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I make Clive right: If your van feels "comfortable" regarding leveling then the absorption fridge will work fine. I cannot accept that people can really exist in a motorhome that is so out of level that the fridge won't work. I do use bubble levels, permenantly fitted for fore-and-aft and side-to-side level, but any method will do; a glass of water, water in the sink, anything. If the van feels right then the fridge will work. Regards Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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