Great review of the field, thanks.

happy with my dometic cx50. works great, zero problems. Thank you for the video, John. Best regards- Kenny

Great vlog John thanks Be safe

Well, you learn something new every day. Never knew that about the flame being level. but it makes perfect sense. Fitted the Thetford 1260 compressor fridge a few months ago but never really noticed any noise.Main reason I changed was the ease of food going off well before the use by date. After the Lithium the compressor fridge is the best change I have done.

That was really interesting John. The levelling of the van for the fridge flame hadn’t occurred to me, after thirty yrs of touring. 🙄My need for levelling has been for a stupid shallow shower tray and single drain off in my motorhome. More like that John please. Thanks.

Thanks John.. our campervan guru! ❤

Very informative . Thank you. I hope your snow-boarding injuries are not giving you too much jip.

I installed a Waeco Isotherm Cruise Elegance compressor fridge in our van. It will run on 12v dc without issue and it is whisper quiet. A bonus feature is that it will also run on 240v ac when using ehu. I love it as it keeps my beer cold. Only negative point is that it's only 49 litre capacity.

Thanks John, really useful. Im looking at a van with a compressor fridge and wasnt sure how much drain it would put on my leisure battery 👍

Having seen some of your old fridge videos and heard about issues with the 3 way fridges, (plus we didn't really want gas in the van), I went for a 12V Compressor top loader that was big enough to take a 2L milk container standing up. Its an Alpicool/Brass Monkey with an LG Motor, and is relatively quiet for its 5 mins on twice an hour or so - even inside the wooden kitchen unit. Also not power hungry and cools down quickly. There is also an app, so I can control it/check on it while we are travelling too. We've been out and about in the low to mid 30's (C) and not had any issues. We used to plug it in the night before to cool down before stocking it, then put it in the van before we left. Now we just switch it on in the van while we load everything else up then load it last and its fine. I have two plastic boxes that go inside for all the odds and sods that normally get lost/buried and we find this works well. My only gripe is that it has 2 different leads for 12V and 240v which meant lifting it up to swap them over when on hook up - but now we have a nice new Lithium battery that should no longer be needed.

Like you, I upgraded to compressor on our Bürstner Nexxo and it worked well. But having bought a new Eriba caravan was reluctant to throw out a new 3-way! I can run the 3 way overnight on 230 or 12v through a Renogy inverter or direct from the Renogy 200Ah Li battery but even with 600W of solar, it needs a lot of sunshine to make up 65% of the battery capacity whilst running the fridge! So gas has become the backup for an hour or two a day.

Found this interesting, I certainly would get a compressor fridge as don’t like the sound of three way one, finding these videos very informative, thank you😊

Hi John when we had a caravan the fridge was a 3 way , it was a very good fridge then we change to a camper van there was a 12 v compressor in it but the 110 ah battery couldn’t keep up with all our things going so we change the battery over to 2 x 110 gel batteries and up the solar to 460 watts now all is ok . We don’t go to motor camps so we are always freedom camping so you have to have a good power supply . If I was now to change the van I would go a 12 watt compressor every time but check your power supply , they are quiet and safe and all we hear is the wee click of it turning on

Hari OM Ta John. As mentioned before I settled on the Alpicool T50L and have been very happy with it. I did use the second compartment as a freezer section for a couple of weeks and, while not as perfect as my home unit, it did well. I reverted to full fridge ops after using up the frozen stuff, as don't really have much call for frozen and a lot just for chilled. The only negative, for me, is that space has to be allotted above for the top-lift door, but I can live with that! YAM xx

We have a compressor fridge in our Vantage Sol PVC which we use in France & Spain in the summer without problem. A couple of points, even when it is 40C outside the fridge & freezer work properly and even at these temperatures I have never heard the fridge working which may be to do with the build quality of the Sol. For the same dimension fridge, the compressor fridge can get more food in it, ours is small but seems to go back a long way.

Thanks John. That has clarified a lot for Clueless Charlie here. Now I understand why the fridge struggled this summer and why removing the winter vent cover helped.

Off grid for longer than a weekend i found you really have to have solar with a compressor fridge. In summer I can live indefintely on a 200W panel with my 50l compressor. Before solar my batteries were getting killed!! I had to replace my old 3-way fridge which was pathetic - not sure i would bother if i had a new one (that worked) for the odd time i take the van out the UK though.

I prefer my current compressor fridge from the 3 way in my previous van.

Hello John! I own the old Electrolux 3 Way model is RM4360. the fridge needs repair as i never managed to work it on Gas. 12V or 220V works ok but is 120W/h and it is a lot it also needs about 6+ hrs to get cool, so after there is no more solar light it will drain my 100AH battery overnight. So i am in the dilemma to replace it with a Sharp F class (Europe) that it says 136KWH/annual, i found a nice model that will fit exact on my old dimensions. I made the formula and this would be only 15W per hour, even if it is a little bit more is safe for the battery overnight (correct me if i am wrong).But ... i am also thinking to give the 3Way a chance and repair the gas, based on the manual it would consume 0.25kg/day so it would be around 8KG per month and this is a very good option for my 10KG gas bottle. EVerything tells me to go to the 220V Sharp Compressor fridge but if i can repair the gas would be a very good idea. Another big advantage from what i understand with the compressor fridge is that i can start it in the morning (i have 3x100W panels) and will get super fast cold. I have so much energy wasted from the panels during the day. Even if i want to save the battery i can switch it off some hours overnight. What do you think?

Good info John. Thanks. Just wondering which specific fridge you are presently using? If you have a link that would be most helpful. 👍😀☘️

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

There’s a recent video showing off the fridge and you’ll find a link to it in that video 👍🏻

Hi, without watching the video i bet 100% on a 12v compressor fridge, don't need the 3 way. Only takes about 4amp intermitent and 2 normal leisure battery and solar can run it well.

i got distracted by your shadow profile on the blinds, it reminded me of horror movies and i kept expecting the silhouette of a knife hahahaha

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

🤣

@voyageadventurevans

6 ай бұрын

who else scrolled back up to have a look🤣🤣🤣

@Motacyclist

6 ай бұрын

You can see some interesting silhouettes of activities on tent pop top sides at times 😂

@flyovercounty1427

4 ай бұрын

I’m getting a compressor fridge the instant my 1986 made in Sweden Dometic 3 way fridge quits…. Have I had to repair other absorption fridges in other campers… oh hell ya 😂

Didn't know that was the reason for levelling! Nice one mate Is there a link for your fridge so I have a benchmark to go shopping please 😊

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

There’s a recent video showing off the fridge and you’ll find a link to it in that video 👍🏻

@RobboAndTheculv

6 ай бұрын

@@GadgetJohn of course! I remember the video you're referring to.....I didn't think to look duh 🙄

I got a 3way noticed when driving The flame goes out but unless I can connect to the battery when driving

Interesting stuff John. Are there any weight benefits to the compressor versus an equivalent 3-way fridge? Cheers 👋

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

I think it’s not on every model, however, the 12v compressor fridges are about 50% of the weight of the similar sized 3 way units that I’ve replaced.

@geoffcampbell7846

6 ай бұрын

​@GadgetJohn Cheers John, that's worth remembering. Provided there's enough power on board to run the fridge, it could be a valuable weight saving, but if extra solar or larger batteries are needed, it may be less significant. Still, it's worth the exercise to find out. Take care.👋

Hi John, very informative video as usual 👍 I am due to receive a Ducato L3H2 conversion in next 3 weeks and the builder is using a compressor fridge as standard in the build.In his design it will be located adjacent to the bedroom area. He says I should sleep with my head at the opposite side of the van due to possible noise disturbance? If I was to sleep in my normal way my head would be next to the fridge area,albeit with a board separating me from it. In your experience would I be driven mad from the motor noise or if I had an extra beer would it disappear into the ether?😜 I have a T5 van with a 3 way fridge currently and can't say I ever had it wake me.

@GadgetJohn

3 ай бұрын

You will be able to hear it, but some models are better than others as far as their running noise. It’s not only the compressor that makes a noise and vibration but the cooling fan for the compressor which can cause resonate with the compressor to cause a loud hum, there’s also the noise the refrigerant makes as it’s moving & settling.

Cheers mate. We've been full time 2½ years now in our Chausson 640 and the 3-way has thrown us some niggles. Worst being the 12v heater connection fried on the fridge power board while in Italy. We're thinking if thr Therford goes again, we might replace with their similar 12v compressor option. Whats your thoughts about travelling with the inverter on running the fridge on 240v?

@ericklein5097

Ай бұрын

Make sure you find an inverter with excellent efficiency if the fridge is going to be on 24/7. Victron Phoenix would be my first guess as the best option even though I’m extremely cheap and normally wouldn’t want to spend that much on an inverter. Figure out what size inverter you need and then go up one size so you are running it at less than it’s full rating. Keep in mind the peak current when the compressor starts will be 2x…3x or more than it’s max continuous draw. I’d guess a 600VA or 800VA should be about the right size. You’re looking for 92% to 95% efficiency and hopefully an idle draw of only a few watts. Low quality inverters might only have efficiency around 85% and an idle draw of 10-15W for the size I quoted. In a camper/RV situation adding ah extra solar panel or another battery to offset the losses of turning DC battery to AC (which the fridge then likely turns back to DC) plus idle draw isn’t often possible so every single percent of efficiency matters. If you draw 500wh a day for the fridge and then add a 5W idle current and 90% efficiency it’s suddenly 120 watt hours of idle and you’re drawing an actual 555 watt hours from the battery just for the load. So 675 watt hours for a fridge that is consuming 500wh. Imagine a 10W idle and even worse efficiency!

HI John. Thanks for the info. We have a 2004 van with a 3 way. We have a 75amp normal battery and a 100w solar panel. Would we need an upgrade to run a compressor fridge? TIA.

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

Hi, yes you’d need more battery capacity as 75ah is really only 38 ah and that’s probably 24 hours of power just for the fridge.

@janrobinson3128

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the reply.

👍

How do I buy you a coffee or two you have saved us so much money on the electric with two croc pots and a 800 watt toaster we are looking at 12/24 watt microwave or very low wattage cheers.

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

Thanks, if you do feel you want to here’s a link johnandmandy.uk/thanks/

Hi John, I had a 12v Shoreline fridge on my boat for years but finally decided I needed a small freezer to keep more food longer, I couldn’t afford the £600! that Chandlers were asking for a small under counter fridge freezer so I bit the bullet and bought 2000w pure sine inverter and then an under counter “mains power” fridge freezer from Curry’s ( £149!), both been working fine for 4 years, my only gripe is during winter months with no solar I have to run my main engine every day for approx 2-3 hours to bring batts back up again. If I had the money I “would” invest in a decent 12v fridge freezer 🤷🏻‍♂️… great video👍🏻

Why hasn't anyone invented a heat exchanger for the use with an absorption fridge .

john gonna fit compressor fridge in my mh is there a way when you are on site when on hook up to run it on 240v insead of 12v

@GadgetJohn

20 күн бұрын

The beauty about 12v compressor fridges means you wire them into your leisure battery and when you’re on hookup the battery charger will keep the leisure battery topped up and the fridge will run fine

@barneyrubble32

20 күн бұрын

@@GadgetJohn thanks mate forgot about that

My solar can run the fridge all day, batterys always full, it takes overnight provably araound 20% of power from 2 flooded leisure batterys(260ah) and includes charging the phones watching tv and running lights and amazon fire stick. The fridge is soo silent that hardly overnight yoi can ear it running, it doesn't have any kind of fans .. Takes about 4amps after starting up , that is intermitent, if i put something frozen in the frizzer, that stays solid frozen in level 1, i can turn it down if needed , i have been in France and Spain when it was very hot and the food was solid frozen. Best 12v compressor fridge. I am thinking in buying one for my house and run it in solar😉 From Inlander Uk.

@roeljonker

2 ай бұрын

What fridge do you have? I’m really afraid of the noise, since I’m the one sleeping next to it…. The fridge is next to the bed, but lower than matras level. TIA

Good advice as usual only part missing is the 12v absorption fridge. Our van converter fitted one unknown to me at the time and we have no gas. They are not safe to maintain a sufficient cold temperature, created loads of heat and drained our leisure battery quickly. He didn’t have a clue about the difference but changed for a 12v compressor and alls perfect. Physically the 2 look the same.

@standarduck5860

2 ай бұрын

This is mentioned in the video at the 3 minute mark - he covers that 12v isn't enough for cooling, and explains why.

My campervan has a compressor fridge and it is undoubtably far better than the 3way fridge in my previous motorhome. BUT, I found out pretty quickly that it is power hungry and off grid you really need to upgrade from the usual 100ah hab battery to a larger battery bank and a decent amount of solar panel input, ideally supplemented by a BtoB charger.

I see you mentioned that Mandy has her own yt channel. Can you please let me know the name of it. Thanks

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

Yes her channel is youtube.com/@unadventurousmandy

Did the need for frequent ice packs prompt the subject of this video , lol ? Anyway, the rating on my Dometic 3 way fridge's 12 volt element is 130 W , whereas the 240v element is only slightly more at 135 W so I can't see how the 12 volt option has much less cooling effect, unless the movement of the van disturbs the airflow at the back of the fridge, causing inefficiency, but it's always very cold after a long run . Great vid though, Keep up the good work !

@An.Individual

6 ай бұрын

I checked specs for my Dometic 3 way. It is just 125W vs 120W so I'm surprised to see no real difference.

@gordonlennox4501

6 ай бұрын

I think the disparity here has to do with voltage difference. If you apply Ohm's law to both 12v and 240v the 240 element uses far fewer amps.

@An.Individual

6 ай бұрын

@@gordonlennox4501Yes 240V will use fewer amps but it is the energy that matters, which correlates to the wattage

@stevec6538

6 ай бұрын

As has already been mentioned , the heating element's output energy in watts is the subject here, not the combination of current/ voltage input producing that energy.@@gordonlennox4501

@gordonlennox4501

6 ай бұрын

Ahh! Got it Energy as in Kw/h of gas or electricity. Thanks@@An.Individual

Hi John can you recommend a good deisel heater please

@GadgetJohn

6 ай бұрын

Check out Mandy’s recent video where I replaced her faulty heater, there’s a link in that video to the one we now both have.

👍🚐🚐😎

If you are going to Spain,the best is. kompresor,, over 36c the gas inside has no efekt,,,,,,,, dont drive on things you get problemsssssss,.,.

We all saw the video. You did absolutely nothing wrong. These people are totally unbelievable I can’t understand what their problem is. Milk it for all you can and please share any new information