New coachbuilts using 3 way fridge freezers

[Saucer]

Hi all,
We’re enjoying a long process of narrowing down what our van will be, have rented etc. We really like the newer Dethleffs coachbuilts but I’m surprised that they don’t seem to have the option of compressor fridge/freezers, unlike similarly priced Rapidos or Adrias. Is this because of cost?
Looking at what people say it seems that we’d want a compressor unit as the 3 ways seem more expensive to run and less useful in the heat. Am I missing something?
Thanks

 

[mikebeaches]

The thing about compressor fridges is that they use quite a bit of electricity. So absolutely fine if you are on the move quite a lot and always use hook-ups at campsites when stopping over.

But if you want to stay in one place for a few days without a hook-up, eg on aires on the continent, and don't have solar panels, then you could soon run short of battery power.

My personal preference is a 3-way fridge, which covers all bases, so to speak.

Our Rapido van came with a thermostatic fridge fan that cuts in to improve airflow when it is particularly hot outside. And we've not had any issues with the fridge not cooling enough.

But I'm sure you'll discover from other responses that there are a range of views on the subject - there are pros and cons of both types of fridge.

Good luck with your van hunting!

Quick edit to add - I'd imagine fitting compressor fridges is cheaper for the converter than 3-way absorption ones.

 

[MichaelT]

Not missing anything but you will need a good battery bank to run a compressor fridge so likely lithium. Our 3 way works perfectly even in the 40c we had thus year, we have fitted a fan but still kept stuff frozen and we can run it off gas or ehu so more flexibility.

 

[Lenny HB]

We prefer a 3 way as we don't use sites or EHU. With a big lithium battery bank a compressor might be OK.
After a few mods, external & internal fans our 3 way works fine in hot weather.

 

[Otter Spotter]

I have the Thetford T1090 Compressor fridge and I don’t find it uses much power at all, we have it filled most of the time and switch it on night mode over night and we are very happy with it. It fits in our PVC at waist height so no need to bend down to get in it

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[Saucer]

Thanks for the responses so far. Really good comments. Reading elsewhere I’d been thinking that 3 way is outdated and best avoided, but clearly ‘it ain't necessarily so’

 

[scotjimland]

We have a compressor and would never go back to a 3 way..

60 Litre 12/24 volt Vitrifrigo​

they don't use a lot of power.. that is a myth perpetuated by those who don't have one .

we have 2x 90ah FLAs and two 80watt panels .. that is more than enough to run the fridge during summer.. in winter you may need to use EHU, but we haven't required so far .. no need for an expensive Lithium set up ..

the benefits are no maintenance, works in hot weather, no extrernal vents , doesn't need to be level , ours is a marine fridge.. can be used to freeze food, not just keep it frozen.. basically as good and reliable as a domestic fridge .

30 years we suffered a 3 way fridge in various vans, , it's old tech invented over 100 years ago

to be frank, when we bought the van I didn't realise it was compressor fridge, and was a bit worried that power would be a problem... One year on and am so happy with it..

As we use our van daily, the fridge is never been off, and never needed an EHU to keep the batteries charged ..

Our is 38watt .. so when running it is using about 3ah .. it doesn't run all the time..
I would estimate it runs about 20% of the time .. so a 24hr cycle it would use approx. 15ah

Ofcourse a larger model would use more power.. check on the fridge specs

This is the one we have

C60 - 60 Litre 12/24 volt Vitrifrigo motorhome and campervan fridge - Penguin Refrigeration

Vitrifrigo AIRLOCK fridge with compressor mounted at base available in black or silver grey with positive latch & vent position

penguinfrigo.co.uk

How Much Power

How Much Power Does A 12V Camping Fridge Use? - National Luna - South Africa

PART 1 Knowing how much power your camping fridge uses is an important step in knowing how much battery energy you need. It also helps when calculating your required solar-panel size. While several factors affect your fridge’s energy use, ambient temperature is one of the most impactful. Other...

www.nationalluna.com

 

[scotjimland]

I would concur

I’d been thinking that 3 way is outdated and best avoided, but clearly ‘it ain't necessarily so’

 

[Guigsy]

3 way fridges do sip gas. But they gulp through electricity. An increasing number of sites are charging for power.

I think my ideal van would probably have a compressor fridge, diesel heating, a barn door of solar and a ton of battery for when there's no sun for two weeks.

 

[Lenny HB]

We have a compressor and would never go back to a 3 way..

60 Litre 12/24 volt Vitrifrigo​

they don't use a lot of power.. that is a myth perpetuated by those who don't have one .

But that is a very small fridge most CB's have a 130 or 160 Lt fridge.

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[MichaelT]

But that is a very small fridge most CB's have a 130 or 160 Lt fridge.

I think my beer fridge at home is bigger than that plus is there a freezer in that

 

[scotjimland]

is there a freezer in that

. it has a 10L ice box ..

But that is a very small fridge most CB's have a 130 or 160 Lt fridge.

yes, it's an under-counter, for a PVC .. it's more than adequate for everyday food, dairy, meat, salad and cold drinks... but it won't hold a slab of beer

that was why I said

Ofcourse a larger model would use more power.. check on the fridge specs

3 way fridges do sip gas

not in my experience ..

for example..

Dometic RMD 10.5T​

Gas consumption [g/24h]​

580g

that is 4kg per week.. !

​

​

 

[StillGoing]

My Thetford 2160 (158l) uses about 45Ah in 24 hours.

 

[hja]

Quite happy with our compressor fridge with 120 w solar and lithium battery. I think it is 90l, under counter anyway. My understanding is that compressor fridges have more useable room than 3 way of same overall size.

 

[scotjimland]

I think my beer fridge at home is bigger than that

good for you..

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[Saucer]

On balance I think, given the fact that we won’t be doing loads of wild camping, that I’d be better with a compressor. Especially with solar but I really like Dethleffs and wonder why they are sticking with 3 way in the vans we like

 

[peterc10]

More often than not we stay at places without EHU both in UK and Europe. Happy to use gas in those cases even though we have 240Ah lithiums and 450W solar. We have set ours up so that if the solars have filled our batteries the fridge will automatically switch from gas to battery and vice versa when the batteries get low. Best of both worlds.

 

[mikebeaches]

On balance I think, given the fact that we won’t be doing loads of wild camping, that I’d be better with a compressor. Especially with solar but I really like Dethleffs and wonder why they are sticking with 3 way in the vans we like

Might be worth considering how much you intend to use the van in the winter - not very much solar to be made then...

And as has been suggested, coachbuilts are likely to have larger fridges, so more electricity consumption running a compressor.

Our panel van conversion is probably a little unusual that it has 135-litre fridge, which is obviously handy. However, we don't have, or need, any solar. And we just have a single standard lead acid leisure battery. So the van is completely standard in that respect, but the three-way fridge covers all bases - summer and winter. Wilding, aires, campsites...

 

[scotjimland]

On balance I think, given the fact that we won’t be doing loads of wild camping, that I’d be better with a compressor. Especially with solar but I really like Dethleffs and wonder why they are sticking with 3 way in the vans we like

When did you last read of a problem with a compressor fridge ?

There are dozens of threads with 3 way fridges having problems or not coping with summer heat.

Reliability and efficiency make them a no brainer for me.

 

[Mr Colpot]

We had compressor fridges on a 2007 & 2010 but they kept me awake at night. Are they quieter nowadays?

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[scotjimland]

We had compressor fridges on a 2007 & 2010 but they kept me awake at night. Are they quieter nowadays?

I can barely hear ours, just a whisper.. even in the dead of night, I never hear it

it's certainly not new , 20 years old..

Secop / Danfoss specs say 28db for a 60L up to 32db for q 120L model

https://www.secop.com/fileadmin/user_upload/technical-literature/guidelines/dlx-kk1_nlu-kk1-ktk1_whitepaper_02-2018_desa500a202.pdf

 

[Mixyblob]

Its a shame there's not a 2 way fridge available. 12v compressor or gas. Best of both worlds as the 12v on a 3 way is pathetic.

 

[Raul]

Back in 2019 when I converted my van, did a research about fridge freezer. I would kick myself if I would gone to 3way, 5 to 7 times more energy to cool like for like compared to a compressor.

 

[Mr Colpot]

I think the problem I had was when it started up if the temperature rose. So it would be quiet and then hum and I would hear it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Its a shame there's not a 2 way fridge available. 12v compressor or gas. Best of both worlds as the 12v on a 3 way is pathetic.

Ours on 12v works fine but it does use a lot of power, like 14 amps and the thermostat doesn't switch off nowhere near as often compared to running on gas.

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[Lenny HB]

On balance I think, given the fact that we won’t be doing loads of wild camping, that I’d be better with a compressor. Especially with solar but I really like Dethleffs and wonder why they are sticking with 3 way in the vans we like

If that's what you want why not buy the van you like & change the fridge. OK it will cost over £2k but it's not a lot in the overall purchase price.

 

[tonyidle]

Its a shame there's not a 2 way fridge available. 12v compressor or gas. Best of both worlds as the 12v on a 3 way is pathetic.

12v on a 3 way is as good as mains - provided that it actually receives 12v.

 

[Lenny HB]

12v on a 3 way is as good as mains - provided that it actually receives 12v.

Not quite but still works well. On most fridges the 12v element is smaller, ours is 250 watt on mains and 190 watt on 12v.

 

[StillGoing]

If that's what you want why not buy the van you like & change the fridge. OK it will cost over £2k but it's not a lot in the overall purchase price.

If you do it yourself, it’s a lot less than £2k as you can get a good sized compressor for about £1,400 plus you could sell the 3-way. It’s an easy DIY change.

 

[tonyidle]

Not quite but still works well. On most fridges the 12v element is smaller, ours is 250 watt on mains and 190 watt on 12v.

I fixed the problem on a couple of caravans a while ago. 12v at the time had no thermostat and would freeze the milk once the wiring was sorted. My van works well - no increase in temperature on long drives. I take your point about the elements though .

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