Message Forums

Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 11/4/2011Domestic compressor fridge gas is not poisonous, it is inert. Its camping 3way absorbtion fridges that contain ammonia which is poisonous. The current drawn is less than 1amp so no prob with ehu. It is correct that domestic fridges are not designed to be moved around & should be used at room temps. but plenty use them sucessfully in camping situations.

---

---

Quote: Originally posted by dezzie on 11/4/2011

---

The back of a domestic fridge is very exposed Samp. The whole workings of a domestic fridge depend on the element and the gas at the back of the unit

---

Quote: Tents are damp and prone to condensation so the back of the unit is more likely to get exposure to the elements than in a kitchen where it would be against a solid wall.

---

Quote: The element too is quite delicate and can easily puncture if moved around too much

---

Quote: one a fridge has to be left to settle before switching on for so long too which can cause problems if you are carting it around.

---

Quote: If it uses a small amount of amps at least you dont have the risk of tripping the ehu, but the risk of electric shock is still there if exposed to condensation or damp.

---

Quote: The other thing that could come into the equation is the noise. As domestic fridges can be quite noisy (although our coolbox does my head in some nights).

---

Quote: Its your call to be honest, I just think its a very dangerous option.

---

Quote: Freon is VERY dangerous and especially if its exposed to heat - then you have Mustard Gas!

---

---

Hi,

We have used a table top fridge for  the last 5 years, best thing we ever bought, only drawback is the room it takes up in the car. We camp mostly in France, & its mostly warm & dry but have used it with no issues here. All tour operators in France use domestic fridges in their tents(obviously they're not moved around much) & many french sites rent fridges; a van drops off the fridge at the beginning of your stay & collects at the end,

Fiona

No problem using a domestic fridge, we used a Husky type fridge for several years, trips to France etc.

3 way fridges are expensive, not very big. I have a 3 way fridge built into my camper, its so much smaller than my old husky fridge, and does not cool as well in my opinion.

We have owned a basic 12v cool box for years and it is still doing well.  Orginally got it for tent camping and would start with ice packs and plug into the car cig socket for  journey to the campside and then we would 'top' it up everytime we went out in the car somewhere.  That served ok but we then got ehu and an adaptor for longer camps. 

We now have  FC with built in fridge however we still use the cool box for the journey down to keep all food cool and plug it in in our FC, first whilst we wait for the fridge in the FC to cool enough to use and then for any overflow from the fridge.  Once there is enough space the cool box then becomes the drinks cooler!

It works well enough to provide a cool beer and keep various food stuffs safe, though we do keep meat and things like milk in FC fridge once it'c cold.

They are worth having and you don't need to spend a fortune on one.  The Tesco ones at £35 do a decent job.   If not planning on having ehu you can use as a standard cool box (ice packs) and top up everytime you go out in the car too.

If having a 3 way you need to be aware that they are heavy, take a lot of space and you need gas for them too so more weight/space gone.  Good for long camps but not for quick get aways.