Brian Kirby Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Opinions/information sought please, from those with compressor fridges. 1 Can anyone please give guidance on how long a compressor fridge can reasonably be expected to run on a single 95Ah leisure battery? (I know, open ended question, the answer to which depends on how hot it is, what other consumers are being used, how efficient the fridge is, and how large. :-) I'm guessing it'll be a Waeco 65 litre upright fridge. I'm really wanting to know whether it's hours or days, and roughly how many. 2 How much noise does the fridge make? They seem fairly quiet, but do they disturb your sleep? 3 How good are they at keeping the contents cool, do they begin to suffer when it gets hot outside, and do they noticeably add to the heat in the van (there being no vents) - especially during hot weather? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Given my experience of the latest Dometic 3 way fridge compared to our old 25 year old fridge....... Then expect below expectations....... and don't buy any foods that are near their expiry date *-) ....... Coz they're crap due to trying to aspire to EU regulations >:-) ...... But they do have very a nice blue light, perhaps they're just trying to look cool? >:-) ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Brian Kirby - 2017-07-06 9:38 PM Opinions/information sought please, from those with compressor fridges. 1 Can anyone please give guidance on how long a compressor fridge can reasonably be expected to run on a single 95Ah leisure battery? (I know, open ended question, the answer to which depends on how hot it is, what other consumers are being used, how efficient the fridge is, and how large. :-) I'm guessing it'll be a Waeco 65 litre upright fridge. I'm really wanting to know whether it's hours or days, and roughly how many. 2 How much noise does the fridge make? They seem fairly quiet, but do they disturb your sleep? 3 How good are they at keeping the contents cool, do they begin to suffer when it gets hot outside, and do they noticeably add to the heat in the van (there being no vents) - especially during hot weather? Many thanks. Our current PVC does not have a compressor fridge and one of the main reasons for changing vans was to get rid of the Waeco compressor fridge! Sorry can't remember which model of Waeco. 1. I seem to recall the average consumption at 12v was 3A, so assuming you don't want battery to go below say 40Ah, that suggests about 13 hours use. Generally we found the fridge 'ate' batteries unless fridge was turned down (too) low. 2. They do seem fairly quiet Brian until you're in bed at night. It seemed to be the fan not the compressor which was noisy, and I'm aware of some on SwiftTalk who improved the fan by replacing with super silent computer fans. 3. To be fair the fridge was good at its job. Can't recall it heating up the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 The Waeco website has technical info on current consumption: http://www.waecofridges.co.uk/cr65.htm Our compressor cool box noise mainly comes from the condenser fan motor (which is the same as a computer fan) you don't really hear the compressor. I would imagine a built in fridge would be noticeably quieter. It runs at just over 2amps at 12v so is about 30watts. It will run OK for 24hrs on our 100ah battery but I wouldn't risk it longer without solar or EHU. Efficiency wise they are the best type. When the weather heats up the compressor and fan will just run slightly longer. A built in compressor fridge still needs ventilation to the condenser but probably won't need a hole in the van side just slots above it to let the air flow up and away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry McG Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Hi Brian, I have a 2017 Globecar 600L Revolution PVC that comes with a Waeco 65l compressor fridge because of the location of the galley in relation to the sliding door. I have a twin 95Ah Varta AGM leisure battery bang from the factory and a 150w Solar panel with a Victron 75/25 MPPT solar controller and a Victron BMV700 battery monitor fitted by Eddie @ vanbitz so have a pretty good idea of power demand i have run the compressor 24/7 since March on Solar only, with no EHU. It uses 3Ah if set at 7/7 on the rotary dial in the fridge but this is too cold ... it freezes beer in fridge! (compressor running 100%) An 4/7 (sufficient - maybe 3-4c in fridge (the compressor running maybe 30% of the time, which is plenty cold enough) it draws about 1Ah - so 8A overnight - which is more than topped up daily with the solar gain from the solar panel during the day the fridge draws about 3.6Ah when the compressor is running, but 0Ah when it is not - and unless you are running the fridge at 7/7, then you are not running at 100% - i suspect 6/7 is something like 50% compressor run time - so 1.8Ah. and 4/5 about 25% of the time, so 1Ah on average. The fridge has not woken, or kept me awake. Regards Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veletron Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Hi Some friends have one one a Fifer Tourer PVC, 2x85AH batteries, and 100W solar panel on the roof. Fair to say they struggle with it, and that it eats batteries unless you are careful to manage its consumption (eg turn it off), once its pulled the batteries down to unacceptably low levels (eg 40% SOC). They rarely use sites. They find that they are usually having to just turn it off for the day and hope the contents stay cold enough if they are out all day. They really struggled with it in 30+deg temps in France where it was on 100% of the time, and the Solar despite the strong sunlight could not keep up. They have more luck with it in winter where its net draw is much much lower. Fair to say they wont have another. Same fridge with like 300W of solar on the roof might be a different story. 3 ways have their own issues of course, one being that they require maintenance. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 Thanks folks, I am taking note. Further comments welcome. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Hi Brian, we have a Waeko fitted in our 2013 Autocruise Alto , we have no trouble at all, we run it off 2 batteries and a 100 w solar panel on the roof , the freezer is always frozen . We also manage to use the television. We have stayed without electric when touring for 3 days with no problem. The advantages of a compressor fridge is it is so easy when stopping on route to just press the button on the control panel above the door so you dont have to mess on with lighting the gas as on a duel control fridge. The fan does take some getting used to but now I don't notice it, and O.H being deaf on a night without his hearing aids (lol) it has never bothered him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Morning Brian I'm afraid my answer won't be as scientific as some. My 2017 Fifer has an 85 litre Isotherm fridge (a Webasto product) a 230ah leisure battery and 2 x 95 watt solar. In our old van we had 230ah battery 1 x95 watt solar and a Vitrofrigo fridge. We could go at least three days off hookup with the old system unless it was very cold and we were using the diesel heating. The new fridge is noticeably quieter (or should I say un-noticeably quieter) i.e. need to listen carefully to see if it is running. Definitely not an issue when sleeping. We have never noticed any thermal effects as regards heating the inside of the van. The compressor fridge just works !! The setup in Fifer with low consumption TV and lighting a big leisure battery and 190 watt of solar gives us confidence that the relatively power (electricity) hungry diesel and fridge are more than sufficiently catered for. So with solar and spring/summer conditions three days at least. There is an old Dave Newell thread on this you may be able to find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 8, 2017 Author Share Posted July 8, 2017 Thank you Laurence and all. All encouraging. Does anyone have a compressor fridge with just the single battery and no solar? I'm just wondering how long the battery can reasonably run the fridge in real world conditions. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry McG Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Well if you extrapolate from my overnight usage which seems to be around 1Ah, with no solar and no external charge, that is 24A /day, so a couple of days with minimal extra power draw from other appliances . Lights and a single 95Ah battery would be my guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wortho Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Our 2016 Adria Twin came with a Thetford T1090 90L and they claim 2.5 days running on a single 90ah battery or longer if night mode used. We use night mode when we remember to turn it on and the compressor runs slower and is quieter. However we have not had problems sleeping even if we forget to select night mode so noise has been no real problem for us. We have only had 2 nights straight without power since we bought the van and have a 100w solar panel so have not yet been able to test it yet and if it could go for as long as they claim. In my experience the chest style fridges work much better and the duty cycle is lower due to the fact that the cold air doesn't drop out everytime the door is opened. We have a 60l compressor chest fridge in Oz and it gets 3 days from a single 90ah battery even in 30c+, and that's the beer fridge so opened very frequently :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Slightly off topic, but I just have a cool box wrapped around with offcuts of insulation from doing my van roof. http://www.harrisonstrimsupplies.co.uk/8m-x1m-foil-foam-van-insulation-with-pre-glued-soundproofing-thermoliner-simple-23174-p.asp I set off from home with 4 frozen milk bottles - 2 full of water, 2 full of milk. This keeps frozen for at least a week. After that I buy bags of ice cubes (only about £1 for 2kg) :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagshanty Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 " 3 ways have their own issues of course, one being that they require maintenance." - oh dear! We've had ours for 11 years, tour abroad 4 months a year, and have never done anything other than put the vent covers on and off - and it has always worked fine. Had a problem in Croatia, when it didn't cool on shore supply, but worked fine on gas. Realised later the shore supply voltage must have been low Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slave Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 We have the same set up as Hymer man above. To extend time off hookup we turn off the fridge at night---we managed 4 nights with no problems this July in 26c-34c in France. Just turn it back on at breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks again, folks. All noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I should add that my cool box that keeps milk bottles frozen over a week in this weather is not an upright - which I imagine to be less efficient as every time you open the door of an upright the cold air (being heavier than warm air) falls out. Wheras with the lid at the top the heavier cold air stays in when you open the lid. Our domestic freezer once got the lid left wide open accidentally on a summer night, and everything was still frozen solid. I doubt it would be still frozen in an upright freezer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 So if I was looking for a fridge to run on a battery I would go for something like this rather than an upright: https://www.propexleisure.co.uk/shop/52-litre-portable-compressor-camping-fridge-copy-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks John. We are considering changing our van, so the fridge will come with the van. Some are compressor type, some three way absorption type. I am familiar with the latter, but have no experience of the former. I'm just wondering whether to risk the potentially noisy compressor type, as the absorption type have always proved silent. The only choice I can make is compressor or absorption. The size, make and model will unfortunately be pre-determined by the converter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicksob Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 What vans are you thinking about this time Brian? Downsizing? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artheytrate Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi Brian our new Globecar Campscout is fitted with the Thetford compressor fridge 92 litre I've fitted an extra 95 amp agm battery and 200 watt of solar, the fridge works very well with this set up and so far have not run short of battery power. Also my wife is a light sleeper and she's had no problems with the compressor noise. http://www.magnummotorhomes.co.uk/en/12v-Compressor-Fridges/Thetford-T1090-Compressor-Fridge-.html John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Hi Brian, I have a WAECO CR50 Fridge it is quiet, efficient and does not keep me awake at night. However there can be problems if these appliances are not correctly installed. It is essential that the correct size cable is used minimum of 6mm or 10mm if the cable run from battery to fridge is 6mtrs or more, to reduce voltage drop to a minimum. Adequate ventilation at the rear of the unit is also essential. Ventilation to the outside really helps if it is practical to do this, The manufacturer states average power consumption ranging from 40w to 50w depending on model and gives a current consumption of 5.7A to 5.9A at 12volt. This would take into account the electronics supplying the motor. Low voltage cut out is set at 10.4v cut in is 11.7v. These units use a low voltage DC linear motor, voltage input can be 12 or 24 volt. There is a built in control panel that gives the motor a soft start that reduces start up current. The duration of your battery is obviously dependent on ambient temperature, thermostat setting etc. To get the maximum performance from my Fridge I have installed it the following way: I have used the MPS35 mains power unit so that on hook up the fridge automatically runs from the mains supply, automatically switching back to 12v when mains power is removed. All supply cables are 8mm voltage drop under full load is less than .2 A . I have a dedicated 90A battery for the fridge this is charged from the leisure battery through a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) this switches on at 13.4v and off at 12.6v I set the thermostat at 5 when on the move and 1.5 when stationary without hook up to extend the battery duration, I also have 2 freezer packs in the ice box, these help to keep the fridge cool reducing the load on the battery. I have also fitted a computer fan in the fridge cabinet to aid cooling on hot days. Under these conditions the fridge cycles at about 33.33% (20min on/20min off) As far as battery duration goes, with my setup under normal conditions eg: ambient temperature less than 30 c I can get around 30hrs with the battery voltage reduced to12v to 12.2v On hot days above 30c the duration can be reduced to around 10 hrs. Overall I find the fridge works well and on ferry crossing its always on, this is a real advantage on the longer crossings the only problem I have had is high temperatures on the continent, installing the extra fan has helped with the efficiency but the cycle time increases dramatically and it can hammer the battery, so not opening the door more the necessary helps. Geoff C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Can I ask those who have them: For the end user, what are the noticeable, real world advantages of having a compressor fridge in a MH supposed to be? I get that by not needing an external flue makes it easier (and more flexible)when it come to the installation ,especially in a van conversion.. but if you need additional batteries and/or solar, just to keep the things running, then they seem a bit limiting for off-grid "camping"?... What am I missing....? :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Hi Brian, Having always had a three way fridge in our MHs we have just changed to an Autotrail PVC which still has that function and facility. That's was in fact one of the reasons we went for this model, a 610SE, as other models had the compressor version. We like the ability to use the gas setting when in Hypermarkets or on Aires etc, and were always concerned about the battery use, especially as the PVC comes with only 75aH one! It also has a larger capacity, and indeed of the alternative manufacturers we found Autocruise fitted one which was much smaller , and was the 'standard; one to go in a VW conversions so not suitable for the FIAT conversion size van . Interestingly on the forums for AT there have been quite a few queries and dissatisfaction with the other models which do have the compressor ones, ..so am convinced we were right to think along these lines. Interestingly we have a fixed gas tank underfloor, which holds supposedly 25 litres, and this has a readout which only shows when the engine is running - situated on the lower part of the dashboard, which is not visible when driving!!!. Having just returned from France with very little usage of gas, the reading has gone from 5 to 2 bars (fluctuating) so not sure of its accuracy but getting it refuelled by our dealers next week, so that should give us more confidence in the readout! The other thing with the tank is that it cannot be turned off like the old cylinders, though I am told that on the tank itself (under the middle of the chassis) there is a cover which hides a valve.....No way would I try and find that, I must say. The standard isolation taps are in a cupboard, but that does not turn the gas off at source, and I am told that this meets required standard. Fortunately on our trip by ferry, in neither direction we were asked if the gas was turned off.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 pepe63 - 2017-07-23 3:16 PM Can I ask those who have them: For the end user, what are the noticeable, real world advantages of having a compressor fridge in a MH supposed to be? I get that by not needing an external flue makes it easier (and more flexible)when it come to the installation ,especially in a van conversion.. but if you need additional batteries and/or solar, just to keep the things running, then they seem a bit limiting for off-grid "camping"?... What am I missing....? :-S I think in the case of our Alto its because of where it is installed ! on top of the wardrobe. Other Autocruise with different layouts I think have the 3 way fridge. As the above poster is saying , he likes to leave his on Gas while at hypermarkets etc; All we do is press the control button above the door that switches it from van battery to leisure and only takes a second to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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