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Anyone got any experience with this fridge??


Chas78

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Hi All,

I have just purchased one of these three way fridges specifically to run it on a 12volt supply i have mounted the fridge in a cupboard with plenty of vents but it seems to do nothing and seems warmer inside the fridge the the outside temperature:o has anyone got any experience with this fridge any advice much appreciated ;)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARAVAN-FRIDGE-3-WAY-ABSORPTION-GAS-12V-AND-240V-40-LITRE-NEW-BY-GLACIER/332346220252?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D45564%26meid%3D4d9825ec6c6449a0b5cbf15e671ba8c3%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D332309387332&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

Edited by Chas78
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Yes we have one.... useless on 12v and mains. have contacted the company who deny selling it. (you bought it on ebay it wasn't us).

in fact it was and when i phoned, sorry, the boss is not here, I will get him to ring back. needless to say I'm still waiting. They seem to be trading with several different names...We do have postal address and numbers and i am soon going to visit them personally.

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Thanks for the quick reply i didn't want to hear this as i suspected as much i have also been in contact with the seller and explained the situation there answer was try it on 240volt i said i do not have 240volt supply and specifically bought it as it was a three way fridge needless to say they have gone quite now so i think it will be an ebay issue to sort it :angry2:

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Just now, celiaken said:

One of their trading names has been banned by ebay, but they are still trading under other names.

You think ebay would flag a warning against this company or something for unsuspecting buyers???

 

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I have no knowledge of this particular make/model but I have used several 3-way fridges and currently have one in my camper van.  My experience is that when on 12V the fridge will stay cool while the vehicle is in transit but to get it cool in the first place it has to be on mains or gas.  It would appear that they are not designed to be operated continuously on 12V.  Also, when we reach a camp site it has to be switched to mains or gas, if left on 12V it drains the leisure battery in no time.

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33 minutes ago, Chas78 said:

Hi All,

I have just purchased one of these three way fridges specifically to run it on a 12volt supply i have mounted the fridge in a cupboard with plenty of vents but it seems to do nothing and seems warmer inside the fridge the the outside temperature:o has anyone got any experience with this fridge any advice much appreciated ;)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARAVAN-FRIDGE-3-WAY-ABSORPTION-GAS-12V-AND-240V-40-LITRE-NEW-BY-GLACIER/332346220252?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D45564%26meid%3D4d9825ec6c6449a0b5cbf15e671ba8c3%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D332309387332&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

We bought a boat which had a similar one on board, it consumed around 10 amps, so around 240 amp/hours per day (that alone is using 4x 110a batteries per day).

Running on 12v it has no thermostat and runs continuously.

 

They are designed for use in caravans where the towing car is providing a 'good supply' of 12v, the fridge manual will make clear that whenever you stop the car engine you should switch off the fridge to avoid flattening the battery (it can happen in the time it takes to get a cup of tea in the motorway services)

 

Do what we did - smash it up, throw it in a skip and pay the eyewatering £600 for a proper 12v boat fridge.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Even if you could make it work it will take typically at least four times as much out of your battery bank as a compressor fridge might.  (It could be even worse if the thermostat control doesn't operate on 12 volts - on many absorption 3-way fridges the 12v is not controlled).

IMO three-way fridges are only viable on a canal boat if either.....

1) You run them on gas

2) You run them on 240V, but strictly only when connected to a landline.

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If it's not faulty then the ONLY way to run it on a boat is on gas. 240V is a poor second and 12V is a non-starter. 

Disconnecting it and turning it upside down for 24 hours may get it functioning. NOTE TO OTHERS this only works with ammonia absorption fridges. 

Tony

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You would probably have been safer buying the old Electrolux RM122 for £69.99 on the same page, gas and 12v only though. I have one which I run on gas, I've had it 19 years and it was s/h when I bought it and its still going strong. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well.

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28 minutes ago, Chas78 said:

You think ebay would flag a warning against this company or something for unsuspecting buyers???

 

Why would they? they make money each and every sale, they don't care a hoot about you.

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(Lifted in the main from a post I left to another refrigeration question)

'Proper' refigeration needn't be expensive, or use a lot of '12 volt', or even be too big in size.

Gas (propane/butane) fridges may give you safety concerns and Peltier fridges (cheap cool box type) will be a heavy drain on your battery, which only leaves compressor fridges as an energy efficient alternative. The main issue with these is that 12 volt versions tend to be many hundreds of pounds and they are not as well insulated as a decent domestic fridge might be, so even they, use a fair bit of electricity.

You could buy a 240v AC fridge - tiny ones are available - but they aren't particularly well insulated, and will only thermostatically maintain the desired temperature if powered up all the time. The minimum size of inverter that will operate a fridge compressor is 800w and the inverter itself will gobble up power just by being switched 'on', even if nothing is drawing 240v, so between them they will also 'hammer' the battery.

One solution, is to do as I did and:

-Buy a used 'table top' freezer from eBay as freezers are MUCH better insulated than are fridges.

-Turn the thermostat to high so that the compressor cuts in and stays on when the 'mains' is turned on. Plug the 'freezer' into the inverter which is not yet powered up.

-From eBay, buy an external 12v thermostat and insert the remote sensor into the freezer, setting this thermostat to 4 degrees c.

-Run the switched 12v power cable from the new thermostat to a 12v relay.

-When the thermostat calls for cooling (6 deg C), the relay connects your 12v battery to the inverter, switching it on and so switching on the 'mains' freezer.

-When the freezer (now fridge) attains 4 deg C, the 12v is cut to the inverter turning it off, which in turn cuts the 240v to the fridge.

COST

- £35 -  2nd hand tabletop freezer.

- £25 -   thermostat and relay from eBay (China)

- £110 - Sterling 800w inverter (new) but you may well already have one on board. (minimum of 800w though)

You now have a cheap, super insulated, highly efficient compressor fridge that runs off of your 12v batteries. 

Mine only draws 70 watts, so about 6 amps, for a few minutes each hour. I have 2x 90w solar panels that easily keep up with my demands between May and August, even if I'm not cruising. It is an easy diy job if you can crimp a few terminals onto a few wires.

My previous 12v fridge I bought from Shoreline for many hundreds of pounds. It lasted 3 years (I live aboard so it operated 24hrs every day). I added extra insulation to the bottom, sides and top, but it still hit the batteries hard: I have no shore power and generate all the power I use from solar and wind. My new super insulated mains (freezer) fridge uses a fraction of the power; it is quite dramatic!

 

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51 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
1 hour ago, Chas78 said:

I have just purchased one of these three way fridges specifically to run it on a 12volt supply i have mounted the fridge in a cupboard with plenty of vents but it seems to do nothing and seems warmer inside the fridge the the outside temperature:o

We bought a boat which had a similar one on board, it consumed around 10 amps, so around 240 amp/hours per day (that alone is using 4x 110a batteries per day).

I should have mentioned that if you convert a mains freezer to a 12v fridge as described above, it should consume less than 15 amps PER DAY at 12v, less than 1/2 that of my old Shoreline 12v fridge and a great deal cheaper to buy. 

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44 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

You could buy a 240v AC fridge - tiny ones are available - but they aren't particularly well insulated, and will only thermostatically maintain the desired temperature if powered up all the time

We have been using a small chest freezer as a fridge for a few years now. Its not as smart as your setup controlling the inverter though. 

It reverts to freezer use during the winter months and is powered by solar all summer. 

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59 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

I should have mentioned that if you convert a mains freezer to a 12v fridge as described above, it should consume less than 15 amps PER DAY at 12v, less than 1/2 that of my old Shoreline 12v fridge and a great deal cheaper to buy. 

Units again - 15 Amp hours per day I assume. If its true it is very good, especially when you consider the inverter overhead.

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Sorry for that slip-up, but yes, 15Ah per day at 12v.

The whole point of the external thermostat is to have the ability to almost eliminate the inverter overhead. There is no quiescent current loss because the inverter is only powered up when the fridge needs cooling, and in operation, most inverters can manage well in excess of 90% efficiency.

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Thank you for all the replies very much appreciated;) the good news is the seller has told me to return the fridge for a full refund just need to find a 12volt fridge that actually works on 12volts now:huh: or do i go the cool box route ????

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Cool boxes are just that and not fridges. Far too many of then use Peltier solid state coolers with no thermostat. These are very electricity hungry and not the way to go.

Many are sold for camping. picnics etc so may not be as sturdy as a fridge.

Do not rule out a mains fridge plus suitable inverter I doubt it will use that much more than a 12V one.

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Personally if a 12 volt fridge is prohibitively expensive i would look about for a 2nd hand one ... i have seen several on ebay as i was looking for a 12volt sureline freezer to match my fridge ... got one asnew for 80 quid and for an extra 30 to shureline bought a new thermocouple and rotary control as the tracks on the rheostat were knackered ... still far better than the 600quid in the swindlery 

Rick

Edited by dccruiser
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