MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: bert56 on December 10, 2012, 04:58:46 AM
-
Hi all,
I've added up the cost of having fridges compared to eskies.
I NOW DON'T KNOW WHY I WANTED FRIDGES IN THE FIRST PLACE. HOW OFTEN ARE WE THAT FAR FROM CIVILISATION THAT WE CAN'T GET ICE. I WOULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED IF I HAD KNOWN THE REAL COST.
2 waeco's...$1200
Dual battery set up, including a 70 a/h marine battery...$900
Powersonic battery to replace marine battery...$280
700 watt generator...$400
Petrol for generator...$5/day based on coastal pricing
Battery chargers...$330
Solar kit...$450
Wire...$120
Plugs, switches etc...$200
2 X 31 Litre fridge of meat when the marine battery collapsed...$100
Nearly $4000 in 18 months and a lot of heart ache trying to get set up, that is a hell of a lot of ice. I've got 1 large (100 litre) and 2 small eskies sitting in the shed. Only the small ones get used now. I should have bought a 140 litre tucker box freezer for at home and made my own ice.
Bert
-
Our fridge cost a grand ten years ago..................is used at home too, when needed when the family are all home...........hate to think about replacing it !!!
Really feel it owes us nothing.
-
I've had mine 10 years and haven't spent anywhere near that, but I can guarantee I've saved a fortune on cans of drink in that time. You don't feel you may have gone a touch overboard with your set up? I have a fridge and dual batteries that's it. Yes I will eventually get solar for the ct but I still feel its well worth it.
-
I got my 40L fridge in 2002 runs at home every day when not 4x4 driving. Did the first 4years with just a single battery but carried a jump start kit as a back up and only had to use it once. I have a dual battery now and have stayed in one spot for up to 4 days no solar. I just start the Patrol for 15 min every second day. I would not go back to a ice box.
-
Maybe you need to get out more and enjoy your fridge. ;D
We have been to heaps of places where you cannot get ice or if you can it is very expensive and is a large block! And you spend time and fuel just trying to find a place that does sell it, plus the worry if you are unable to find some.
For example we carried an esky as well as our fridge when we spent 3 months in the Kimberley, using the esky to store our fruit and veggies and it was a real pain. We would loved to have had a second fridge.
Also there are a lot of travellers who use a second fridge as a freezer. Bit hard to keep food frozen in a esky.
I suppose it is like the old cost of fuel argument. If you have to worry so much about the cost, then stay home. :'(
Life a too short, spend a little and be enjoy....
Kevin
-
2 waeco's...$1200
Dual battery set up, including a 70 a/h marine battery...$900
Powersonic battery to replace marine battery...$280
700 watt generator...$400
Petrol for generator...$5/day based on coastal pricing
Battery chargers...$330
Solar kit...$450
Wire...$120
Plugs, switches etc...$200
2 X 31 Litre fridge of meat when the marine battery collapsed...$100
Nearly $4000 in 18 months and a lot of heart ache trying to get set up, that is a hell of a lot of ice
Dual battery setup $900? WTF?
I think you've been given **** advice like the marine battery in the first place, or not understood what was said..
Why a Genny + Solar + ChargerS?
And where do you get 2x Wako's for $1200..
Whats the heartache in setting it up? Dual Battery + power outlet = Works.
Plus your running 2x Fridges not one. So you should expect it to cost more to setup than a single
PS. you do realise theres literally thousands of people with that setup (well, only 1 charger, no genny, 1 solar panel, and dual batteries) camping regularly without any problems.
-
Hi Bert,
I went through the same thought process several years ago. I agree with your thinking. I bought a 50 ltr Chescold 3 way instead of a compressor fridge. Most of my camping is in one spot so I run it on gas or electricity (when in a van park). I can run it in the car when driving. Some folk hate the 3 way fridges claiming they don't work because they are controlled by ambient temperature. This might be an issue if you live in the northern regions of Aust. I'm in Brisbane , we camp Moreton Is, central Qld and up to Gladstone and don't have an issue. I put the fridge on a stand so air can circulate around it and make sure it is level. I add this only as an alternative to compressor fridges and ice. But if ice suits your camping style, go with that. It's a personal choice thing.
Murray
-
Hi all,
I've added up the cost of having fridges compared to eskies.
I NOW DON'T KNOW WHY I WANTED FRIDGES IN THE FIRST PLACE. HOW OFTEN ARE WE THAT FAR FROM CIVILISATION THAT WE CAN'T GET ICE. I WOULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED IF I HAD KNOWN THE REAL COST.
[1]2 waeco's...$1200
[2]Dual battery set up, including a 70 a/h marine battery...$900
[3]Powersonic battery to replace marine battery...$280
[4]700 watt generator...$400
Petrol for generator...$5/day based on coastal pricing
[5]] Battery chargers...$330
[6]Solar kit...$450
Wire...$120
Plugs, switches etc...$200
[7]2 X 31 Litre fridge of meat when the marine battery collapsed...$100
Nearly $4000 in 18 months and a lot of heart ache trying to get set up, that is a hell of a lot of ice. I've got 1 large (100 litre) and 2 small eskies sitting in the shed. Only the small ones get used now. I should have bought a 140 litre tucker box freezer for at home and made my own ice.
Bert
Hi Bert
Perhaps you were ill advised in the first place
[1]You should have understood the power requirements of compressor fridges & perhaps considered a GOOD 3way ;D
[2]Obviously an undersized battery for the purpose , DEFINATELY FLOGGED TO DEATH resulting in QUICK failure
[3] perhaps not suitable for the job
[4]&[5]Perhaps that money would have been better spent on solar
[5]Why more than ONE & again pehaps not suitable for the purpose
[6]Certainly in adequate for the purpose [see[4]]
I expect the Waecos low voltage cut out was not set a the correct point to PROTECT THE BATTERY
If it had been you would have had a very early warning that your system had problems
You could have saved your self a lot of problems
Your system was poorly designed & set up
The same amount of $$$ would have given you a very good solar set up
or as in [1]a good 3way ,correctly installed.
Peter
-
I am very happy with our 50 liter Waeco which we bought over 6 years ago.
It has been running quit a lot and even on 1 battery.
Our set up is like most of us very simpel:
- dual battery system
- 1 fridge/freezer
- 1 solar panel
And yes, we are going remote where no ice is available.
Last time I checked the Israelite Bay Telegraph station had run out of ice years ago. ;D
-
Just went thru the process of installing the Engel after many years of ice .
Engel 40ltr $950 on special
Optima D31A Battery $350 but cheaper now
Redarc Battery Isolator $110
Mandrake 120w Solar Kit $450 delivered
Plus roughly $200 on Cable ,Andersons ,fabricated plate to mount Isolater and Engel Transit Mount.
Just over $2000 money well spent wife loves it and will last for years and as someone said also use at home when family arrives .Ice is good but a pain in the butt.
-
1x waeco 80L 1500
1x duel battery system 400
1x deep cycle battery 250
Not getting back to the camp site and going Crap i forgot the ice = Priceless
-
If you want to be shocked see what owning a 4wd costs. ;D ;D
I have 2 fridges, a generator, dual battery system......Total cost approx $4300 over 10 years.
It depends what you needs are. I have not worried about solar panels as I have not needed it. One fridge is in the cruiser and is used when I go for trips for the day. Both fridges are used on big trips.
Mark
-
Small price to pay for cold beer...:-)
My fridge alone was $2400......but the convenience it provides is priceless......:-)
-
Obviously space savings and weight savings are not an issue to you.
One big advantage with compressor fridges, and doing away with ice boxes is the space and weight you save.
PLUS they're also a great beer fridge for home.
Each to their own though. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
-
My Engel was a hand me down - 3rd hand still going strong. Gets used for xmas drinks and parties at home, particularly since the Bris flood and likely power surge killed the beer fridge in the man cave. :'(
Since we're about to order our camper investigating getting an Arkpak $449 plus battery and solar panel.
-
Holy crap! You spent some cash in that lot. cant help but agree that you may have gone a little over the top on a few things ???
I run two fridges and wouldn't be without at least one. In fact, if I'm in the cruiser I'm never without one. I havent taken it out apart from maintenance in 3 or 4 years. I reckon eskies and ice are seriously painfull >:(
-
The cost of the fridge setup was a small price to pay for dry bread. lol
-
Yes.....Ice boxes are a pain in the but.....getiing ice every day....having to worry where u can GET ice...Ill take my fridges any day ;D
-
Cost compared to convenience is nothing. I wonder how much bigger you esky has to be to get the same amount of food/drinks in and cold for 7 days as opposed to my 50lt fridge?
-
PRICE?????
On cold beer from the fridge?
Can someone explain please. I think I'm missing the point ??? ??? ??? ???
>:D >:D >:D >:D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D >:D >:D >:D >:D >:D
-
Expensive but it looks really cool to pull out frozen magnums in the back of nowhere while your mate has his margarine full of water
And yes I understand that they are $500 magnums...... Still cool
-
Expensive but it looks really cool to pull out frozen magnums in the back of nowhere while your mate has his margarine full of water
And yes I understand that they are $500 magnums...... Still cool
Good point.
-
Wow you got 'sold' a lot of stuff.
I 'bought' one fridge.
-
Wow you got 'sold' a lot of stuff.
I 'bought' one fridge.
x2
-
Love my two 40l Engels. One is more than ten years old and the other a little over two. My truck has a deep cycle aux battery fitted with a rotronics management system. The Trackabout has a couple of 100 amp hour AGMs which Charge from the Triton via a ctek dc - dc charger. The CT also can be hooked up to 240 volt via another ctek 10. Amp smart charger. A cheap 80 watt folding solar panel keeps me running a bit longer and if the weather is cr$p the Honda gives the whole lot a tickle for a couple of hours here and there!!
All up a substantial investment, as is the truck and CT. thinking about it I'd do it all again, both Engels are used at birthdays, Easter and christmas at home. They get taken away for two two week blocks each year plus about another dozen weekends! Yeah we've saved a fair bit of money on ice and stayed some wonderful places where there was no ice eating some great food. The on going savings we've noticed the most is the cash saved preparing meals whilst travelling, the 50 dollar McDonald /hungry jacks lunch dinners are no more, on a two week trip alone we probably saved a couple of hundred bucks and feel all the better for it, anyway suits our clan and our camping style.
:cheers:
Discoteddy .
-
I have just been using my techni ice 70L for the last couple of years. Biggest trip with it was 7 weeks and the latest trip was 4 weeks. Works for us! We are a family of 5 so it gets open and closed a lot. I like to drink beer so am adding heaps of warm cans to it. Only needs a top up of ice every 3 or 4 days. Last 4 week trip.... About $70 or $80. The ice box cost $170.
If if pack it right using Tupperware containers ther is no water in the butter and no meat juice on the beer.
I'd love fridge but every time I see the price + fridge slide + dual battery setup + remaking my drawer setup to fit it I just can't be bothered.
-
Bert could be onto something. People have been camping for years using just eskies and ice and other basics and still do. Sometime we probably get caught up in the camping gadget thing and haul a heap of stuff deemed unneccesary by some
fridges
batteries
solar panels
generators
battery charges
fans
tv's
DVD players
bread makers
coffee machines
shade shelters
reclining chairs
those big queen size beds that are off the ground
camp oven
dream pots or whatever they are called
$60k CT's
the list goes on
it is like we are trying to replicate everything we have at home but we go camping to get away from the big smoke and back to basics.
What happened to a sleeping bag in a 4 man tent with a single burner on the gas bottle and jaffle iron or banger sangers whilst sitting on a log around a fire.
BTW I have 2 x fridges
solar panels
2 x batteries
CT (but less than $10k) so I am not immune. :-[
-
One waeco one engel, family of 4 standard dual batt setup, plus some solar. What I like is not stressing about the soggy snags that come out of ice. I find the food wastage with an esky is huge. With a fridge, you get home and know the food is fine, so it might go in the house fridge.
And of course who ever put a price on cold beer?
-
average size of ice to food required is about 20%
just bought another fridge 78ltARB - Xmas pressie to myself :cup:
-
Well we have one fridge and and we bought it after borrowing one for a 2 week trip. I installed a home made duel battery system (design and purchased parts) home made fridge slide and draws.
I love not getting soggy wet food out to eat. I also like unpacking excess food and just placing itin the fridge at home. It also comes in handy when going shopping in other towns and we buy out meat in bulk. Chuck it in the fridge and it can stay there until we get home and get around to unpacking it.
As for cost..... Fridge was $1K Duel battery system $400 slide and draws (home made) $300.
Regards
Crispy
-
We too have the convenience of a "fridge" when camping. Evakool 60L. We used a 60L esky & 2ltr milk bottles of ice from the moment we purchased the CT ... which came with 2 batteries and all the solar connections, we just didn't have a fridge or panels.
We still don't have a dual battery setup in the vehicle. We don't have chargers. We have 2 x 100AH batteries & (now) 2 x 120W panels (Thanks Jetcrew ... We love them).
He loves having ice in his Rum & Coke and we don't mind the odd ice cream cone.
Would we go back to esky and ice? Only if we really, really, really, really, really, really had to ... but I'm thinking not. It's just like asking if we'd go back to digging a hole rather than using the porta loo. Or if we'd go back to a 2 man tent rather than towing the CT. No question which we prefer.
Kit_e
-
Can't beat the fridge, but because the fridge in the van is an upright, it doesn't like being opened lots of times ( 14 beers a night is lots ), so have resorted to using a small Waeco 22ltr esky for the beer....but usually only for weekends as I couldn't be bothered to get more ice on a longer trip..
If you only do weekends and your happy to use an esky, then keep it up........but most people who have had a fridge wouldn't go back !!
Kit e..........funny that, but I've gone back to digging a hole rather than fill up the porta potti with no.2's...... :'(
-
I am a foot in both camps bloke.
Fridge for food esky for beer.
I freeze ice in orange juice bottles, which we can then drink..........
If I do have food in the esky and I have to replace ice, a 4 / 5kg bag of ice goes nicely into one of those zippable dog food bags quite well, washed out of course, this stops water going everywhere and having soggy food. Makes the ice last a bit longer too.
I think the best thing about an esky though is when you get home and do the clean up being able to drink the left overs out of that nice cold ice slurry, whilst hosing the sand / mud etc off the car and trailer.
Cheers Nomad.
:cheers:
-
Some interesting thoughts here. The real killer (as mentioned several times) is availability of ice - there are many places where you just can't get it.
it is like we are trying to replicate everything we have at home but we go camping to get away from the big smoke and back to basics.
What happened to a sleeping bag in a 4 man tent with a single burner on the gas bottle and jaffle iron or banger sangers whilst sitting on a log around a fire
What happened is idiots that leave fires still smouldering/not put out properly, forcing governments to ban open fires virtually everywhere. No camp fire has forced some people to resort to other nite time entertainment such as the aforementioned TV.
One point: the coldest beer possible IMHO is still achieved in the slurry of ice & water quoted by Nomad, no fridge can achieve this without freezing the beer.
-
Would love to have a fridge, but to some like me...cost compared to convenience is a major thing! I do have the 3 way that came with our Cub, but I refuse to run it on gas
So I have large Techni Ice esky, never had soggy bread or other foods, and it keeps the minister's wine chilled...but I continue to dream of maybe one day having a fridge
-
For nearly 3 years with the campertrailer we had a 50 litre cooler with 3 x 2 litre frozen bottles of water. As there are only 2 of us, worked well for us and when needed put a bag of ice into a large plastic container. No mess.
Now that we have a pop top caravan we use the fridge on gas most of the time, not while travelling though. We`ve found that meat is still frozen after 8 hours on the road, so no need to run it off the car battery.
Bobnrob, just wondering why you won`t run your fridge on gas? Robyn.
-
Bert could be onto something. People have been camping for years using just eskies and ice and other basics and still do. Sometime we probably get caught up in the camping gadget thing and haul a heap of stuff deemed unneccesary by some
fridges
batteries
solar panels
generators
battery charges
fans
tv's
DVD players
bread makers
coffee machines
shade shelters
reclining chairs
those big queen size beds that are off the ground
camp oven
dream pots or whatever they are called
$60k CT's
the list goes on
it is like we are trying to replicate everything we have at home but we go camping to get away from the big smoke and back to basics.
What happened to a sleeping bag in a 4 man tent with a single burner on the gas bottle and jaffle iron or banger sangers whilst sitting on a log around a fire.
BTW I have 2 x fridges
solar panels
2 x batteries
CT (but less than $10k) so I am not immune. :-[
When I was at Cotton Tree last, see the thread, there was one older lady there. She has a Little Suzuki, two man tent, one chair and a little gas stove...........and seemed as happy as a pig in mud..........din't get to talk to her, but all her stuff looked well used and she seemed to have it down to a fine art. Reminds me of camping pre kids..............or having to drag all that sh!ite around to keep SWMBO happy who as to be talked back into camping.
-
Hi all,
I've added up the cost of having fridges compared to eskies.
I NOW DON'T KNOW WHY I WANTED FRIDGES IN THE FIRST PLACE. HOW OFTEN ARE WE THAT FAR FROM CIVILISATION THAT WE CAN'T GET ICE. I WOULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED IF I HAD KNOWN THE REAL COST.
2 waeco's...$1200
Dual battery set up, including a 70 a/h marine battery...$900
Powersonic battery to replace marine battery...$280
700 watt generator...$400
Petrol for generator...$5/day based on coastal pricing
Battery chargers...$330
Solar kit...$450
Wire...$120
Plugs, switches etc...$200
2 X 31 Litre fridge of meat when the marine battery collapsed...$100
Nearly $4000 in 18 months and a lot of heart ache trying to get set up, that is a hell of a lot of ice. I've got 1 large (100 litre) and 2 small eskies sitting in the shed. Only the small ones get used now. I should have bought a 140 litre tucker box freezer for at home and made my own ice.
Bert
went to the cape this yr and one of my fridges died, pain in the a trying to get ice everywhere etc, give me a good fridge and dual battery set up any day
-
after doing the cape this year with one 60ltr evakook for food, and one evakool ice box for drinks and having trouble with keeping ice as ice and not water, then having to store drinks in bjf's HUGE fridge, we came home and upgraded ;D we now have a 40 ltr engel in the back of the car and a dual battery system. Couldn't be happier, we consider the cost worth it for the convienience of cold drinks and not having to worry about ice!
-
It seems that Bert has started something but he hasn't popped back in.
-
I do have the 3 way that came with our Cub, but I refuse to run it on gas
Hi,
I'm curious to know why.
Given the right conditions of a long term camp and temperate weather they do work quite well.
They are at their worst trying to run on 12V on a hot day, stuck in a town some where while the Mrs goes shopping. It is not worth the trouble of switching over to gas and the heat is guzzling Voltage out of the battery as you wait in the sun out side each shop needing a full inventory taken of its 'interesting stuff'.
cheers
-
I'm still here WilSurf.
For those with just eskies ice can be kept for over a week with the addition of a small amount of Dry ice on the bottom of your esky and the ice in large as possible blocks, not those just frozen bags you buy.
The main thing I miss about eskies is how cold the beer is. Even at home I prefer my beer packed in ice out of an esky.
Bert
-
I'm still here WilSurf.
For those with just eskies ice can be kept for over a week with the addition of a small amount of Dry ice on the bottom of your esky and the ice in large as possible blocks, not those just frozen bags you buy.
The main thing I miss about eskies is how cold the beer is. Even at home I prefer my beer packed in ice out of an esky.
Bert
Agree with the Beer comment... :cheers: :cheers:
-
I use my primary fridge, 10yo 40L Engel, almost every day in the back of my Cruiser.
-
For those with just eskies ice can be kept for over a week with the addition of a small amount of Dry ice on the bottom of your esky and the ice in large as possible blocks, not those just frozen bags you buy
interesting... both times I've gone to buy dry ice the dudes have told me not to or you'll freeze everything solid. dry ice is minus 74 degrees. Both had had people come back and complain about it with steaks that wouldnt defrost in the BHP Smelters....
This was to go in my Techni ice box.
-
Cost compared to convenience is nothing. I wonder how much bigger you esky has to be to get the same amount of food/drinks in and cold for 7 days as opposed to my 50lt fridge?
The cost of the setup, is little compared to the convenience of cold food a drinks anywhere, anytime.
My fridge lives in my tug, 24x7. I am currently doing Lite n Easy (diet stuff) and I can put a whole weeks worth of food in the fridge and does not matter where work sends me, Hunter Valley, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, all I need is a hotel with a microwave and I am all good, no breaking the diet, no un explained expenses.
For this little black duck, convenience over cost wins for me...
-
For us "camping" is about being in the bush, enjoying the friendly folk one meets most of the time, the peace & quiet (when camped away from those with generators). It no longer means putting up a tent, sleeping on the ground with a rock under one's hip, etc, etc.
So we happily tow our Quantum and enjoy cooking outdoors, sitting outdoors, socialising outdoors. We also enjoy the comfort of a proper bed, a hot shower, and a dunny.
Six Star camping at its best! ;D
And bugger being without the fridges. A Waeco CF60 in the Cruiser and an Evakool 60 litre in the Quantum. :cheers:
-
Me and the 2 billy lids did NSW and Southern Qld in Oct - Dec, out as far as Winton and then back to Broken Hill & Bourke via Innaminca & Cameron Corner with a Waeco Ice box, and one of those heat pump boxes for the milk. Actually worked quite well, all things considered.
Now have a 39 litre 2nd hand Autofridge, 100amp hr battery in the rear of the tug and 87 amp hour battery in the trailer. About to re-equip with solar.
THe reason I went this way is that I wanted to be free to avoid van parks altogether. Remote camping is an instant saving in that respect, which more than compensates for the cost of the fridge and electrics, IMO.
-
LOL... Barry. Your post gave me a good chuckle.
If i have a fridge i don't have to go to caravan parks. Try telling that one to Burke and Wills...
Let me guess if they a had Waeco they would have make it!
mike
-
LOL... Barry. Your post gave me a good chuckle.
If i have a fridge i don't have to go to caravan parks. Try telling that one to Burke and Wills...
Let me guess if they a had Waeco they would have make it!
mike
Could have phrased that better I guess. :-[ Fridge + solar = no van parks.
Was actually using the parks to freeze 'blue ice blocks' in their fridge freezers, and to charge camera batteries, etc.
I had little trouble keeping lettuce crisp wrapped in newspaper, and the like.
What Burke and Wills needed was common sense! LOL
-
Trust me.. it was chukle in a good way! Having little ones (3, 6 and 8) and only an ice box I would have to make an ice run after 4 days or go to a van park. Usually it is a van park to recharge the cameras, lanterns etc and to wash clothes.
Could i afford a fridge? probably... but there are other toys i want more.
And as stated above, beer chilled in ice is unbeatable.
-
The cost of the setup, is little compared to the convenience of cold food a drinks anywhere, anytime.
My fridge lives in my tug, 24x7. I am currently doing Lite n Easy (diet stuff) and I can put a whole weeks worth of food in the fridge and does not matter where work sends me, Hunter Valley, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, all I need is a hotel with a microwave and I am all good, no breaking the diet, no un explained expenses.
For this little black duck, convenience over cost wins for me...
Totally agree with ya cobber!!
-
seriously, life's too short to drink warm beer.... i have a 3 way in the current van which sucks arse, but my new one i have on order has a 12v i can totally dedicate to food.... therefore my 60l fiberglass Evakool is 100% for beer. Including battery, cable to charge, box etc its a $1600+ exercise, but when im drinking ice cold beer in the middle of nowhere, id pay double that for the set up. I used to buy beer at highly inflated prices, drive backwards and forwards to civilisation to buy crappy half melted ice and on the second day it was basically coolish water.... know what id prefer....
-
I'm tight ...
Fridge (http://"http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/181045520015") ~$500 (*1)
80w solar panel (http://"http://www.lowenergydevelopments.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=150") $105 (*2)
105AH AGM deep cycle battery (http://"http://www.lowenergydevelopments.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=63") $199 (*3)
12A regulator (http://"http://www.lowenergydevelopments.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=53") $20
Cable (http://"http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400347224084") $65 (*4)
(*1) seems I got quite a deal when I bought mine about three years ago (same seller) not as fancy as some, but only had two problems; first time I turned it on I thought something was wrong as it took a few minutes to start up, and the dog chewed the power cable - which is weird as we don't have a dog
(*2) enough for us ... extraordinary laptop use flattened the battery to the point that the camper lights (wired via the regulator) wouldn't turn on, but the battery was charged (solely by solar) by the end of the next day
(*3) actually, I'm so tight I'm currently using the old battery out of SWMBO's Commodore ... works well enough, but this is what I'll be getting when we kill the Commodore battery
(*4) sure there are some other bits, but given the use of these bits is shared with lights etc, the $65 is more than the fridge's share
-
I have a fridge, isolator, batteries etc. Not cheap. If you get an auto sparky to do the wiring it is even more expensive.
When occasional campers ask me about fridges I tell them to add it all up before committing. The fridge might be $900 but the extra stuff could easily cost $1000-1500.
Fridge slide is $250-300 as well.
-
I have a fridge in the back of the patrol, that's it no dual battery, solar. Total investment $800 for the fridge and no problems for 8 years.
-
Bobnrob, just wondering why you won`t run your fridge on gas? Robyn.
Hi,
I'm curious to know why.
Call it paranoia, but I've seen a few gas appliances catch fire over the years, and gas lines/fittings can fail...I don't like the idea of being asleep if something goes wrong!
-
it is like we are trying to replicate everything we have at home but we go camping to get away from the big smoke and back to basics.
What happened to a sleeping bag in a 4 man tent with a single burner on the gas bottle and jaffle iron or banger sangers whilst sitting on a log around a fire.
Wife and kids, thats what happened....
-
I've been using my small 12 volt fridge as a drinks fridge.
I can't put hot cans in for more than 4 hours, they start to freeze.
It is unbelievable just how good it works when you have a decent battery. I'm only running it off the battery which I charge at night for 3-4 hours.
Bert
-
We have just spent $1500 on our complete 12volt setup (not including the fridge, we have had one of those for the past 5 years)
This includes
2x 90amp hour batteries
A battery charger
Fuse box
4 x double 12v outlets
All wire (about 50mtrs)
2 x fridge outlets
Tv and tv brackets
Switches
20 mtrs flexi LED lighting
All other little bits and pieces that go with putting a 12v system together.
Changing plumbing around to better suit the setup
Inline water filter.
We are yet to take the camper out, but everything seems to working well.