DIY freezer/fridge

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hj60

hj60

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Joined
Apr 9, 2003
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Mesa, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Being on a budget and all, the Engel/ARB and Nat'l Luna fridges are out of my price range right now.
Danfoss BD35Fs show up on ebay from time to time.
I have a basic understanding of how a refrigeration system works.
I have basic metal working skills and access to plasma and MIG.
So I'd need a control unit, avaporator, condensor, fan and plumbing? (Assuming the metering orifice is part of the compressor unit.)

Am I crazy or do you think this could be done?
 
I dont see why not?
Make an inner and an outer shell, A-B foam it good to go.

Or just get a nice cooler make a hard shell with a mechnaical compartment for it and plumb in your junk.

ken
 
You might want to include the Waeco Coolmatic DIY refrigeration units (danfoss BD-series compressors) in your google/ebay search. These were designed for boaters that build their own fridges into bulkheads. The cool part of these units is that they are pretty much self contained and can be assembled with hand tools.
 
So far, these DIY Waeco kits aren't much cheaper than buying an off the shelf unit.
But, I'm an optimist and will keep looking.
Waeco does make a pretty cool looking drawer unit, though. I'm thinking that may be the route to take since I get to build this pretty much however I want. .)
 
hey jonathan, what good timing,,, i am doing the same myself. i bought a mini fridge/freeze off craigs, it was out of a RV and is like the kind in a hotel room, 12V and $20 who could argue?. i'm gonna tear it apart and put the guts into a metal ice chest i already own. right now i'm keeping my beer in it deciding how i want to go about the whole thing, maybe build it into the cruiser instead of making it portable. ive also been thinkin i could just rotate the compressor and run it on its side like a chest.
 
RHINO, might be on to something, could you get one of those small dorm fridges for $50, and strip the parts or rework it and then get a power converter. Looks like you could be setup for less then $200.
 
Dude!
I've got one of those dorm fridges in the shop office no one's using!
I think I'll talk to the boss and see what we can work out. Then I'd just need a 12v motor that can turn the compressor w/out too much amp draw.
If this works, stay tuned for my DIY rooftop tent, cos that's next. :cool:
 
hj60 said:
So far, these DIY Waeco kits aren't much cheaper than buying an off the shelf unit.
But, I'm an optimist and will keep looking.
Waeco does make a pretty cool looking drawer unit, though. I'm thinking that may be the route to take since I get to build this pretty much however I want. .)
Click to expand...
One advantage I see to a DIY installation is you can fit it where you want. One of my objections to the Weaco/norcold/engle boxes is that by the time you mount them on top of a set of drawers it sucks up a lot of space.The other advantage to a DIY set up is you can mount the heat exchanger such that it doesn't vent hot air into the passenger compartment. IMHO this is a big drawback to the portable chest type units.

My vision for our UZJ100 is one set of pull out storage drawers in back that would work with the middle seats in. With the middle row seats removed the chest type freezer/ reefer drawers could be installed. (They would probably be a 60/40 split with 60 side set to cool and 40 side set to freeze.) The result is a nice flat platform for sleeping with out having to unload a heavy reefer. With a fixed bed we eliminate a lot of the bulkiest gear, ie tent, sleeping bags and air mattress. All that is left is some cooking stuff, camp chairs and a beverage cooler. Anything else would stow in the drawers.

Now if someone would just figure out how to graft a Westfallia pop top on a 100 I would have the perfect overland rig. Right after I win the lottery.
 
hurry up, i want to see the roof top tent, there have been threads started but i havent seen anyone finish one yet. I have had a few different ideas but as other i havent started mine either
 
rusty_tlc said:
Now if someone would just figure out how to graft a Westfallia pop top on a 100 I would have the perfect overland rig. Right after I win the lottery.
Click to expand...

My friend in Crestone CO, did that to his BJ60. Sweet rig.
 
I'm in need of info now.
Mainly, how can I run a compressor that's designed to be 110V on 12V in such a way that it won't drain my battery in minutes?
Inverter or 12V motor swap?
I want it to be a drawer type cabinet. The heat exchanger will be as close to outside as I can make it. I plan to make custom inside panels in the cargo bay and will likely integrate the HX into the PS one.
It'll probably be an aluminum cab. What would be the most cost-effective insulation?
I'm all a-twitter about this. If I can make it work, that is.
 
oh it can work, and work well, the inverter will be the cheapest way to run it. battery drain is amp draw so i wouldnt bother with a 12V conversion. i'm sure its not as efficient as an ARB or similar but its not that bad, get a second battery just for that, or a solar panel trickle charging during the day when your not driving.

a great and cheap insulator is styrofoam sheets from home depot, i have several 1" stryo boxes, one fits perfectly inside my ice chest as a 2/3 divider. my longest hottest trip with it was 5 days breaking the 100's, i only took 1 bag of ice on that trip and dumped 60% of it on my lawn when i got back home.

i want to build mine low and wide to keep with the drawers making a sleep platform, i plan to use 1.5' styro but maybe i'll use 2".
 
Styro is a great idea! I can get thin sheets and layer them. Probably even better than a single thick layer.
I was also thinking of using a rescue blanket as either the inner or outermost layer. It'd be lightweight and add a bit of R-factor. Or even do a styro-blanket-styro laminate.

This is sounding easier and easier.
I can't use the fridge in the office, so I still gotta buy one, but I've seen em for under $60 on ebay/craig's. Even with a decent inverter, sheet aluminum and drawer sliders/latches, I'll be money ahead.
 
For the ultimate in insulation, get VIPs (Vacuum Insulation Panels). Very pricey, but R-25+ per inch is easy with them.

More realistically, use either rigid foam or foam in place foams. R-7.? per inch is the maximum I've seen for a spray in foam.

A reflective layer is a must. Either a space blanket or an insulation product like TechFoil. TechFoil is a multilayer bubble wrap with reflective layers in it. The main thing with reflective layers is you need to provide an air gap for them to work. A reflective layer with air on the hot side is generally found to be good for R-5 to R-7 against radiant heat.

On cooling the box. Look to marine equipment. Many 12 or 24VDC powered refrigeration and freezer units available, but expect to pay allot more than an ARB costs. ARB has volume of production. For efficiency, look at BTUs or Watts of heat pumped per Watt of electricity used for given interior and exterior temperatures. Also it is hard to beat ARB's efficiency.

As for powering it. No problem. For a few days, just put in a big battery bank that can be charged from the engine alternator or plugin charged at home. You might want to put in a higher output alternator on the engine, but... Think about this. If you are mainly a weekend warrior only going out for a max of 3 to 4 days. Something that draws 45AH/day* only needs 225AH of battery capacity for a full 96 hours (4 days) of run time. Remember deep cycle Lead Acid batteries should never be discharged more than 80% or you kill their life expectancy.

For solar you need a 3+ day battery bank for cloudy days. As for powering the Waeco CF-40. 45AH/day * 80% battery charge efficiency gives us 675Watt Hours solar to supply it for one worst case day. Figuring flat mounting the solar panel that means I'd need 200 to 250 Watts of solar panels for where I live to provide most of a worst case day. A 200 Watt BP solar panel is something like 62" x 32". Having two of them would be better as I could also run other stuff like my laptop and lights. For guesstimating how much you would get from a solar panel I refer you to solar energy sites. For short trips I don't think solar is worth it. Just use a big battery bank and alternator. For longer trips, yes solar is likely worth it. Especially if you wish to stay at one place for awhile. I've thought of mounting them to a popup tent roof of the style where one end is hinged and the other end lifts. You would then park facing south. Another thing is on light to moderate cloudy days the solar panels will output some power.

* Waeco CF-40 unit. 45 Watts @ 50% (a good worst case) is 3.75Amps @ 12VDC * 24Hours * 50% = 3.75 * 24 * .5 = 45Amp Hours @ 12VDC. WAECO USA. With more normal conditions the unit should only use half to 2/3rds of this worst case.
 
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