devonwanderer Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I am buying a new VW van conversion which comes with a compressor fridge. It is possible to have a 3 way absorption fitted instead. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best. We usually stay on sites with hook up, but occasionally CLs without electric. I have also read that the compressor type can be a bit noisy, especially at night. I would be glad of any advice. This is my first time on the forum, so thanks in advance for any replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Hi Keith and welcome to the site. we have a compressor fridge and you couldn't pay me to switch back to 3-way. compressor - more efficient - look better cos they don't need white plastic bits on the outside yes - a bit noisy - but not found it to be a problem ad I'm a relatively light sleeper [ticking clocks drive me crazy] we occasionally use hook-up - depends on weather - and how long we plan to stay on the site better on ferry trips - can leave the fridge on whose van conversion are you getting?? B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 devonwanderer - 2008-04-20 5:32 PM I am buying a new VW van conversion which comes with a compressor fridge. It is possible to have a 3 way absorption fitted instead. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best. We usually stay on sites with hook up, but occasionally CLs without electric. I have also read that the compressor type can be a bit noisy, especially at night. I would be glad of any advice. This is my first time on the forum, so thanks in advance for any replies. Hi Keith, Five years ago we wanted a compressor fridge in our timberland but we did not have enough space. I was very pleased as a few months later the had major problems with the "Hold Over" switches. This was five years ago so I don't know what the out come was. Like twooks your either hate em or love em. I think Mel E has one in his panel van conversion, he's more technically minded than me so he will give you chapter and verse. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I can sleep with one on, gf can't, but she is a very light sleeper. If you are not on hook-up then you may need a lot of battery and or solar panel, unless you drive every day, but, are you also having diesel heating? if so your battery requirements will be higher for this as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 In the limit I guess that a compressor fridge is better at generating cold than the absorbtion type. We had a compressor fridge in a small Winebago we hired for a week in Australia. We were told to stay every night at a camp site with hookup as the 140 AH batteries would barely last 1 night if we did not. We did wild camp one night but never pushed it to two. You will need an awfull lot of solar panels to keep up with a compressor fridge, especially if you keep opening to door to re-stock it with warm beer. One of those fuel cells would be usefull if you intended to wild camp for more than the odd night. We have never had a problem with Electrolux / Dometic absorbtion 3 way fridges and the ability to run quietly on gas is a great advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I have a compressor fridge on my boat and can honestly say I have never had flat batteries as a result, and it's not that noisy. It's an Isotherm by the way. Others may be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollybear Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Compressor fridges are often used in small panel vans because they can be fitted anywhere. Absorption fridges need to be fitted with their back to the side of the van for ventilation. This can make a replacement difficult. If you find the compressor fridge too noisy at night, you can switch it off for a couple of hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonwanderer Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 twooks - 2008-04-20 6:45 PM Hi Keith and welcome to the site. we have a compressor fridge and you couldn't pay me to switch back to 3-way. compressor - more efficient - look better cos they don't need white plastic bits on the outside yes - a bit noisy - but not found it to be a problem ad I'm a relatively light sleeper [ticking clocks drive me crazy] we occasionally use hook-up - depends on weather - and how long we plan to stay on the site better on ferry trips - can leave the fridge on whose van conversion are you getting?? B-) Thanks for the reply, it seems as someone says, you either love them or hate them. Will have to go away and think about it! The van is a Devon Sundowner, waiting for it to be built at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 devonwanderer - 2008-04-21 12:20 PM Thanks for the reply, it seems as someone says, you either love them or hate them. Will have to go away and think about it! The van is a Devon Sundowner, waiting for it to be built at the moment. It's never easy - camper vans are about compromise after all - I doubt anyone has got the right combination at their first attempt - or even 2nd 3rd or 30th try. When do you expect to collect the van?? In time for joiles this year ?? Can Devon not loan you a van to try out ?? it may give you some ideas. What sort of travelling do you expect to do? where when etc? that can affect your requirements. Also - if you think you may be using gas as a major alternative source, how much gas will you be carrying?? B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonwanderer Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 We hope the van will be ready by June or July, so not a lot of travelling before then. Currently have a Duetto, but am trying to sell that to pay for the new one! I think we will be OK with the compressor fridge, as we usually stay at club sites with hook up, and having a van conversion we usually use it during the day, as don't walk too far these days. The Sundowner has diesel heating and electric water heater, so the gas will only be for cooking. We are not away every weekend, more a week or 2 on holiday and the odd weekend when we feel like it. Also we like having all the conveniences for days out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 Both of our last 2 motorhomes have had compressor fridges and we would not willingly go back to absorption. It is much easier to control the temperature in a compressor fridge, and they are not sensitive to being parked on a slope as absorption ones are. We have a 110 litre Waeco compressor model in our Renault Master and can stay on site without hook-up for 3 nights without problems. We arrived at Peterborough Show on Thursday afternoon and left Sunday morning and the batteries were still showing good charge. Obviously they use more electricity in hot weather, but if you are inclined to fit a solar panel, then hot weather is usually better for them (It's usually sunny) and a single 100 watt solar panel should keep your batteries going for at least a week, provided you do not watch too much TV, of course. NOISE? Ours is so quiet I do not hear it and the last motorhome's was the same. In the current one the fridge is about 3 feet from your ear when in bed. We have an automatic extract fan (cuts in and out when the fridge comes on) which is actually a low noise computer fan and that makes much more noise. So it is wired with a switch to isolate the fan at night. It is useful during the day in boosting the cooling of the compressor coils which reduces electricity use. We use gas for heating and cooking and hot water (mainly for the shower). So our advice every day would be: go compressor! Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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