Official FRIDGE Thread (5 Viewers)

[Karate Chopped]

Update on my fridge.
I've been keep an eye on it now that summer has finally arrived, and I've noticed that its been really struggling in mid-30degC temp.

The freezer would be going hard trying to maintain temp, and then the fridge would warm up. Then the battery would drop voltage because the compressor has been going flat knacker for 12 plus hrs (even with the solar panels).

So I've started a series of tests to narrow down the fault and the first thing I noticed was the lids and sides would get roasting hot in the sun, far hotter than the ambient temp.
I tried the "make any cooler a Yeti cooler" trick and filled the insulation bag with space foam. But I cant say that made any real difference. In essence the problem is radiant heat from the sun exposure, so I'm trying out of adhesive aluminium heat shielding. But as luck would have it, thhe weather has gone cold again!

But the shiny surface of the heat shield is reminiscent of the National Luna shell, so I am getting temptes by one of those if I can be sure it wont die in my ute tray.

I still love the Kickass fridge, but I just dont think its cut out for the hard life I put it through. I feel like it was good value for the $800.

 

[dogdaysindurham]

I have an Ironman 65L Dual Zone, i believe it’s a rebadge Indel? Had it for 2 years now and it quite efficient. I took out the baskets to get a bit more space in the freezer zone. I have since hardwired plug for the fridge so it runs off my main battery.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

We have a Dometic CFX3 75L dual zone that has served us extremely well for 2 years now. The things I love about this fridge is that you can turn off a zone or make either zone freezer or fridge. I don't know if they all do that but it's a really great feature. It sips power; I can run it for days from our Goal Zero 1500X as it takes about 40WH/hr give or take, on average. We've found having frozen food available on trips is a big help - there's no hurry to use up stuff. The interfaces via front panel, Bluetooth and/or WiFi are extremely helpful. We absolutely love the thing.

 

[Box Rocket]

I have a Snomaster CL60D. I've been running this for a few years now after replacing an older style ARB/Engel Fridge. The ARB was great and had been run constantly for almost a decade without issue. The only reason I changed was because I needed a larger fridge and wanted a dual zone. But the Snomaster has worked equally well so far and I've been really happy with it. I'm using a Clearview Easy Slide drop slide. I used a MSR drop slide for a few months and it's a really beefy slide but I didn't like how the handle rotated back up over the top of the fridge. In my case it was in the way when I opened the fridge. The Clearview handle rotates down so it's never in the way. But one thing to note if you use the Clearview with this Snomaster fridge, the footprint of the slide is the appropriate size but the Snomaster fridge is taller than what the slide was designed for so the handle contacts the fridge. I modified the handle to extend it out farther so it doesn't contact the fridge. It was a pretty simple mod but did require cutting and welding of the handle.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Here you can see how I modified the handle on the Clearview Slide. The red arms was where the original handle was. I cut out the handle and added that 3" extension (black part of the handle).
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

This pic shows a little better where the handle would have contacted the fridge when closed (end of the red arms) and how the extension I added fixes the issue.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Here's the MSR drop slide I had before the Clearview. I really liked the slide except for the handle. The way it rotated over the top of the fridge would be fine if you have at least a 10" drop for the slide. My drawers are only 8" tall so it did not let the handle fully rotate out of the way and it was just a pain to reach around the handle to get into the fridge.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

 

[mbennett22]

Iceco VL60 dual zone
View attachment 2782813

Hey Marco, I have that same All-cab tilting slide for my Icco VL75PRO. Does your slide make noise? When the fridge is loaded the slide isn't too bad but empty that slide is noisy. How is the noise for yours?

 

[PeterTheBeater]

I have a Snomaster CL60D. I've been running this for a few years now after replacing an older style ARB/Engel Fridge. The ARB was great and had been run constantly for almost a decade without issue. The only reason I changed was because I needed a larger fridge and wanted a dual zone. But the Snomaster has worked equally well so far and I've been really happy with it. I'm using a Clearview Easy Slide drop slide. I used a MSR drop slide for a few months and it's a really beefy slide but I didn't like how the handle rotated back up over the top of the fridge. In my case it was in the way when I opened the fridge. The Clearview handle rotates down so it's never in the way. But one thing to note if you use the Clearview with this Snomaster fridge, the footprint of the slide is the appropriate size but the Snomaster fridge is taller than what the slide was designed for so the handle contacts the fridge. I modified the handle to extend it out farther so it doesn't contact the fridge. It was a pretty simple mod but did require cutting and welding of the handle.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Here you can see how I modified the handle on the Clearview Slide. The red arms was where the original handle was. I cut out the handle and added that 3" extension (black part of the handle).
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

This pic shows a little better where the handle would have contacted the fridge when closed (end of the red arms) and how the extension I added fixes the issue.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Here's the MSR drop slide I had before the Clearview. I really liked the slide except for the handle. The way it rotated over the top of the fridge would be fine if you have at least a 10" drop for the slide. My drawers are only 8" tall so it did not let the handle fully rotate out of the way and it was just a pain to reach around the handle to get into the fridge.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Do you still have your old ARB fridge or slide?

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

I have two 12 volt fridges - an Engel MR40 I bought ~6 years ago, and an old "NorCold" MR640C that is 20 - 30 (?) years old.

I used the MR40 in my 100 Series which is used in the US Southwest desert. The 640C is going into my "new" 80 Series for camping in the Pacific Northwest.

I run the ARB 12V refrigerator wiring kit in both rigs to the starting battery, and have folding solar panels to help recharge when not running the engine.

 

[Box Rocket]

Do you still have your old ARB fridge or slide?

I don't. I sold them a few years ago when I got the SnoMaster.

 

[TomEf]

Has anyone seen or used the Iceco APL55, which looks like a new model? Seems to be a sort of hybrid dual-zone setup with a divider between the "zones" that can be moved around or taken out altogether. I like the idea of a dual zone but wouldn't always need it.

 

[93yotasr5]

Rockin the Iceco JP40 with their slide.

 

[Karate Chopped]

Has anyone seen or used the Iceco APL55, which looks like a new model? Seems to be a sort of hybrid dual-zone setup with a divider between the "zones" that can be moved around or taken out altogether. I like the idea of a dual zone but wouldn't always need it.

I've seen a few brands come out with that concept, and none of the reviews are good.
I can't see how its going to be equivalent to two properly separated zones.

One learning for me, is that if you fridge is exposed to the elements like mine, a dual lid setup doubles the area that the rain water can seep in. For my next fridge I reckon I'll go dual zone, but single lid.

 

[TomEf]

I've seen a few brands come out with that concept, and none of the reviews are good.
I can't see how its going to be equivalent to two properly separated zones.

I assume it’s only going to be as good as the insulation in the divider, but I’m not really all that worried about it. I would expect some temperature gradient near the divider no matter what.

 

[Karate Chopped]

I assume it’s only going to be as good as the insulation in the divider, but I’m not really all that worried about it. I would expect some temperature gradient near the divider no matter what.

The Engel is relying on pulling cold air from the freezer side into the fridge side. So you can't actually control both side independently. From what I've seen its the same with the other brands. Plus you lose the full wrap of the chiller coils around the chamber, so the temp becomes uneven within each chamber.

When I'm running food fridge and icecreams, the temp difference is 4deg to -15degC. So I cant see a system working effectively like that. But maybe the tech has come along in the last couple of years? Or if you only planning on running the freezer for 1% of the time, it might be fine for what you need

 

[FrazzledHunter]

We've been using a Dometic CFX3 75L dual zone for a couple of years now. It's fantastic; each zone is totally independent and can function as a refrigerator or freezer. Phone app can control it and alert you to problems. Nothing like a nice bowl of Breyer's French Vanilla ice cream at the campsite on the beach in July !

 

[Land Shark]

this ARB has served me well for many years now, 13 or so. Been beat up, packed on, dropped and run 24/7.

 

[KLF]

Anybody ever disassembled a NL fridge? I have a 50L dual zone, use it a lot, but something in the compressor has developed an annoying squeel, like a bearing or bushing in a fan needs lubricating. It's worst when it first starts up, but is gradually getting worse. There's no way I could drive with this thing squealing like this.

 

[peesalot]

I bet its the fan. I have taken a few apart, started with fixing an old engel and then I took my Aspenora ( Sea-Cop style comp ) apart because the fan was flopping around, the mech room of the fridge is simple. Comp, fan, control box, temp sensor, display. The engels, arb & others with 110 & 12v are a bit more complicated if they have a built in inverter such as the engel does. Your fan if squeaking is easy replace. If it is the comp you will need to be able to recharge the system, you can you tube on how that goes, its not that hard.

 

[KLF]

Update, in case anybody is interested.

I called Equipt (where I bought it) and they told me the NL fridges are built to be field serviced, very easy to disassemble. The instructions were in the owner's manual. Very simple to take the cover off and get to the fan. It was totally clean, but I pulled it out and peeled up the sticker so I could put a few drops of Triflow lube on the shaft. Back together, runs silent now as it should.

Equipt was very helpful, and they keep all the serviceable parts in stock.

 

[thecapedcapper]

Anyone have any experience with some of the more budget-friendly fridges? There seem to be quite a lot of them available now for half or less the price off something from Dometic or ARB.

 

[gnob]

Anyone have any experience with some of the more budget-friendly fridges? There seem to be quite a lot of them available now for half or less the price off something from Dometic or ARB.

keep your eye open for used. lots of people flaming out of overlanding now than convid is over.
i picked up a 50qt arb classic for 500$ a while back.