Hello, i am looking for a fridge to fit onto the towbar of my motorbike trailer, it need's to be a max of 450mm front to back,500mm wide and height 500mm,i would like a 3 way because i will need to use gas when i stop to camp, but i am getting the impression that being absorption fridge's they like to be level to work properly,so i am wondering how it is going to work after being bumped around on a towbar for a couple of hour's,has anyone had a problem with them in caravan's/motorhome's ? Any and all comment's welcome. Thank's. Mick.
They are designed to be transported so are able to withstand transport by road, probably makes them work better because it agitates & mixes the fridge coolant.
They need to be level when sited & running on gas or mains electric but they can run on 12v while being transported by road so you could do that if you have 12s as well as 12n socket on your towbar or more modern 13pin. They have to be wired so 12v power is cut off when vehicle engine is not running, due to high current drain.
The popular Dometic Combicool or similar models are within your dimensions so will do the job.
Thank's for that, i am curious as to just how fussy these fridge's are as regard's being level,ive got jack's on all 4 corner's of my trailer so i can level it, but when setting up on my own i dont want to be farting about for ever, going from one jack to another while chasing a bubble ! What are the downside's to a compression fridge,they seem to be more efficient than the absorbtion type,but it's said that with domestic fridge's they should be left to settle after being moved, is that the case with camping fridge's. Thank's, and again, any replies are welcome.
Compressor fridges don't need to be left to settle after being moved.
The myth comes from the fact that if the fridge has been layed on its back during shipping you have to stand it upright for a while so the oil runs back into the compressor casing.
A compressor fridge is electric only. Plenty use a cheap tabletop fridge £70 from Argos but you need mains EHU on your campsite & it cannot be used in a vehicle. For much more money you can buy a camping type compressor fridge that can run on 12v or mains.
Any compressor fridge has an advantage of staying cold at very high ambient temps, ie 30odd deg if you are camping down in southern France whereas a 3way fridge can struggle at those temps, but if you want to run fridge on gas then 3way absorbtion fridge is what you need.
I have a Dometic 1205 which runs on 12v/240v/gas cartridge. I level it more or less and haven't had a problem thus far. Always transported by car bumped along some pretty rough tracks and again not yet had a problem. As Billy3 says if you spend a lot of time in warm places camping a compressor type will be better but are generally more expensive.
Quote: Originally posted by GCMS2012 on 06/2/2015
We're selling our Quest Tristar 3 way fridge...
I am not surprised !
Having read a load of feedback on it, i think i will give that a swerve thank's.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/waeco-3-way-cooling-45l-camping-fridge-p115652#tabs
I have a chance of a 1 yr old Royal 42L but it look's different to all the new one's for sale,do they change them that often ? Has anyone had any experience with one of these.Thank's. Mick.
Quote: Originally posted by Billy 3 on 07/2/2015It dosen't look much different from a Dometic Combicool so might be just a rebadged version of that?
Yes it does look different,i cant find one to match it, not even the one's on offer today look like it,i wish i could post a link on here of the one for sale but it wont let me.
There have been several detail changes to design of both Royal & Dometic(formerly Electrolux)fridges over the years. Its possible they are both made in the same factory wherever that might be but the default sensible advice might be that Dometic is the large & well known name so go with that if you are worried about quality issues.
3way fridges by their nature will eventually malfunction & one user's experience of same make may be different to another's so I would say that any make of similar price 3way fridge box will be much of a muchness.
Well done Maddie that's the one,when i google that model i get a totally different fridge,the seller say's it's only 1 yr old, but i cant read any customer feedback on it,or anything like it with another brand name.I dont really want to buy a new one but i might have to.
Billy 3, i think you could be right mate, maybe new is the way to go.thank's. Mick.