Upright fridges

[GBC]

Anybody running one of the current crop?

We had one years ago (engel) in the campomatic and stuff used to move around a bit, cans would fall to the bottom and jam the door open and it would run flat out all day and the freezer would defrost etc.

The current ones like the 81l Evakool with the freezer slide looks to have addressed a lot of those issues.

https://www.evakool.com/el81-eliteuprightfridgefreezer

I could put one on the fridge slide in the camper, not have to continually use the slide all the time, and also free up a large amount of space behind on the slide for a custom box to store even more crap I don't need but always seem to have.

[JB]

Anybody running one of the current crop?

We had one years ago (engel) in the campomatic and stuff used to move around a bit, cans would fall to the bottom and jam the door open and it would run flat out all day and the freezer would defrost etc.

The current ones like the 81l Evakool with the freezer slide looks to have addressed a lot of those issues.

https://www.evakool.com/el81-eliteuprightfridgefreezer

I could put one on the fridge slide in the camper, not have to continually use the slide all the time, and also free up a large amount of space behind on the slide for a custom box to store even more crap I don't need but always seem to have.

I had a Waeco 45-50 litre upright in my camper.   








I found that it’s power draw was a hell of a lot more than my 40lt Engel. 


I put this down to two main things:
1. The cool air would drain out of the fridge each time I opened the door, requiring a more frequent and longer cycle time to maintain temperature; and,
2. There was a little (I suggest around 8-10 litres) freezer than had to be maintained at a below freezing temperature, again requiring frequent cycling.

I used this for a couple of years, but in the end, it wasn’t suitable for our big 2 week static camp we do each January, even with 200ah and a couple of hundred watts of solar.    We would be almost out of power after the first week.   This compares against the Engel, that we would easily make the 2 weeks.

For shorter weekend and long weekend trips it was perfect.

This is our current setup.





Cheers


JB


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[KathyL]

We installed a Bushman DC130X recently and are very happy with it.

We’ve been very happy with the Bushman 35l-52l fridge we bought years ago and were happy to support this great little Australian company again when we decided to replace the power hungry Waeco CR110 - best thing is the Bushman fitted into the same space as the Waeco with only minor trimming of the opening required.

[gronk]

We installed a Bushman DC130X recently and are very happy with it.

We’ve been very happy with the Bushman 35l-52l fridge we bought years ago and were happy to support this great little Australian company again when we decided to replace the power hungry Waeco CR110 - best thing is the Bushman fitted into the same space as the Waeco with only minor trimming of the opening required.

I have a Waeco CR110 and they are not so much power hungry, but they do cycle a lot during hot weather.

Seeing as the Bushman runs the same compressor, and unless it has lots more insulation around it, which I don't think there would be room for, I can't see how there would be much difference in power consumption.

I run an external controller, which does away with the thermostat, but it only keeps it at a decent temp, not make it much better on juice.

[nab]

I have a 57L upright Engel in the camper, never had an issue with food falling/jamming in the door. The lock is self latching and needs a good solid thumb pressure to open. Makes it very easy for the missus and kids too.

Recently picked up another one off gumtree for $200 for my ute canopy as my missus couldn’t see into the other chest style  fridge! And I can’t bring myself to pay ~$700 for a fancy drop down slide...

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

I have a 57L upright Engel in the camper, never had an issue with food falling/jamming in the door. The lock is self latching and needs a good solid thumb pressure to open. Makes it very easy for the missus and kids too.

Recently picked up another one off gumtree for $200 for my ute canopy as my missus couldn’t see into the other chest style  fridge! And I can’t bring myself to pay ~$700 for a fancy drop down slide...

I like your accountancy skills.  Well done.

[bmwfreak]

We have a Waeco cr140 in the van, and have not suffered any problems with contents moving around, certainly not to the extent of jamming the door or falling out when the door is opened.
However, it is extremely power hungry, at all times. We have an awning on the fridge side of the van to keep the direct sun off, we open the fridge sparingly, and we are still lucky to get more than 2 days out of it, with 200ah of AGM battery power. Even at this time of the year with temps at 20 deg it cycles far too often.
Sorry for the hijack.


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[GBC]

We have a Waeco cr140 in the van, and have not suffered any problems with contents moving around, certainly not to the extent of jamming the door or falling out when the door is opened.
However, it is extremely power hungry, at all times. We have an awning on the fridge side of the van to keep the direct sun off, we open the fridge sparingly, and we are still lucky to get more than 2 days out of it, with 200ah of AGM battery power. Even at this time of the year with temps at 20 deg it cycles far too often.
Sorry for the hijack.


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Not a hijack at all, it is exactly the info I am after. Thankyou

[alnjan]

fitted one of these into the van.  Works a treat and only runs on 12v. 

https://www.australiandirect.com.au/Portable-Fridges/Upright-Fridge-Freezers/EVADC110

[gronk]

fitted one of these into the van.  Works a treat and only runs on 12v. 

https://www.australiandirect.com.au/Portable-Fridges/Upright-Fridge-Freezers/EVADC110

The 80mm thick insulated walls could be what stands this out from the rest...

[gronk]

We have a Waeco cr140 in the van, and have not suffered any problems with contents moving around, certainly not to the extent of jamming the door or falling out when the door is opened.
However, it is extremely power hungry, at all times. We have an awning on the fridge side of the van to keep the direct sun off, we open the fridge sparingly, and we are still lucky to get more than 2 days out of it, with 200ah of AGM battery power. Even at this time of the year with temps at 20 deg it cycles far too often.
Sorry for the hijack.


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Even though I haven't "attacked" mine yet, I believe the trouble with the Waeco's ( apart from a very ordinary thermostat ) is lack of insulation. Plus the little fan blowing air over the condensor coil wouldn't  blow a candle out..

You can do a little mod where the motor can be set to run slower, thus using less power ( much the same as the chest fridges ), but I found in warm weather it made no difference to power consumption as it needed to run longer to cool down..

[bmwfreak]

Thanks Gronk. I had a look today and the CR140 power usage is quoted at 2.3Ah/H @ 25C ambient.

It’s replacement, the CRX140 power usage is quoted at 1.4Ah/H @ 25C ambient. Looks like an upgrade going to happen shortly. (Even the external sizes are within a few millimetres of each other.)


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[gronk]

Thanks Gronk. I had a look today and the CR140 power usage is quoted at 2.3Ah/H @ 25C ambient.

It’s replacement, the CRX140 power usage is quoted at 1.4Ah/H @ 25C ambient. Looks like an upgrade going to happen shortly. (Even the external sizes are within a few millimetres of each other.)


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I don't take much notice of "quoted" power figures.

My fridge draws approx 4.5A when running, and during summer, usually runs for 15mins, then sits idle for approx 12 mins. If I wanted to do some figures, I could work out A/H per day, but it doesn't matter to me.....I know how many days I can get out of a full charge.
It's strange that a newer fridge of the same size is quoted as using almost 1/2 the power ??

[plusnq]

I don't take much notice of "quoted" power figures.

My fridge draws approx 4.5A when running, and during summer, usually runs for 15mins, then sits idle for approx 12 mins. If I wanted to do some figures, I could work out A/H per day, but it doesn't matter to me.....I know how many days I can get out of a full charge.
It's strange that a newer fridge of the same size is quoted as using almost 1/2 the power ??

Is that marketing or engineering that is getting better ? 😂😂😂

[bmwfreak]

My fridge draws approx 4.5A when running, and during summer, usually runs for 15mins, then sits idle for approx 12 mins.

Ours draws 5.6A when running, and during this millennium runs similar to yours, hot or cold weather.

I am willing to take a gamble on the ‘marketing’ upgrade, if that’s what it is, as 2 days off-grid is not good enough. We have a total of 480w solar, and 550A/h battery combined in the van and the BT50. We would like to think that 4 days would be achievable with only the van fridge, Waeco 50ltr configured as a freezer, occasional water pump usage, and a few hours of LED lighting of an evening. We could then drive to our next destination, 400klm away, and start the clock running again, as the alternator has recharged everything back to 100% full, assuming it wasn’t there anyway from solar charging.


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[gronk]

My fridge draws approx 4.5A when running, and during summer, usually runs for 15mins, then sits idle for approx 12 mins.

Ours draws 5.6A when running, and during this millennium runs similar to yours, hot or cold weather.

I am willing to take a gamble on the ‘marketing’ upgrade, if that’s what it is, as 2 days off-grid is not good enough. We have a total of 480w solar, and 550A/h battery combined in the van and the BT50.


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My 360 a/h of batteries are getting a bit tired after 6 yrs, but they used to run the fridge for over 3 FULL days ( total of 72 hrs ) until the batts were down to 12V.

You are running 2 fridges, and one as a freezer, so calcs would be hard to work out, but 2 FULL days sounds about right.