Fridge or wait ?

[67cj5]

Both of my ARB's run fine on my Vehicle factory sockets,

I went with ARB because although they have a single compartment you can use them as a Duel Zone fridge/freezer where I can store frozen foods and still store Dairy products and Beer or cans of Drink without freezing them, This does away with the need to run a second fridge or one of the newer power hungry Twin Bin models,

With Engel I found that due to how the cooling element is fitted the Temp can't be set where you can have the best of both worlds because the element comes to the top of the box and the Air gap between the Element and the walls of the box allows the cold air to be more even top to bottom, This setup only allows for the Engels to be used as a fridge "OR" a Freezer Not both at the same time,

So the ARB's and the Dometics etc can be used like you would your Home Fridge freezer and apart from the power saving of not having to run 2 fridges or the extra expense of buying a second fridge, Engel does make a duel zone version of their fridges but many people are not impressed on how the temperature is shared between the two compartments,

If I had the need to run 2 fridges, One as a fridge and the other as a freezer then The Engels would be a good way to go.

 

[dreadlocks]

eh.. I dunno what you talking about.. Ive pulled frozen food out of the bottom of my Engel set at 0C 16 days into a trip and had to thaw it out.. no beer or milk or cheese or anything froze in that time.

Sounds like a marketing team got inside your head and convinced you a lil non refrigerated dairy shelf is all you need to avoid a dual zone fridge.. lol

 

[67cj5]

eh.. I dunno what you talking about.. Ive pulled frozen food out of the bottom of my Engel set at 0C 16 days into a trip and had to thaw it out.. no beer or milk or cheese or anything froze in that time.

Sounds like a marketing team got inside your head and convinced you a lil non refrigerated dairy shelf is all you need to avoid a dual zone fridge.. lol

No, I asked Someone is Aus about this and he told me that he can not use his Engel as a Duel zone because the Temp at the top is the same as the temp at the bottom, And Also the Engel Dealer told me the same,

If your engel still has frozen food in it when it is set to 0*c then your calibration is a Mile off even after 24 hours not to mention 16 days.

With other brands of fridges where the element does not come right to the Top of the box can create and area up to 5*c warmer and if it has a Dairy compartment it can also raise the temp of up to 8*c Warmer,

ZERO "0*c" is the point of which things start to freeze not the point of where they are frozen so if your fridge still has things frozen after 16 days then your calibration is about 6 to 8*c out maybe more, Because if you put frozen food in a freezer when set to -6 to -8*c the food in the middle will start to melt and -10* is the bare minimum of where a freezer will keep foods frozen,

One way to find out exactly how cold the contents are is to put an average amount of food in the fridge in fridge mode or as a freezer in freezer mode, say about 3/4 full and grab a lemon or an Orange and insert one of those K-Type Sensors in to the Lemon and check it every 24 hours, You will find that it will display temps that are warmer than 0.5 to 3.0*c warmer than what the fridge/freezer is set to when the fridge is Calibrated correctly.

So if your fridge still has frozen food in it when set to zero something is wrong, Not only that If it is keeping food frozen then it is cycling much more and longer than it needs too when set to a "TRUE" 0*c which means you could be using more power than it would when set correctly meaning you could save up to 25/30% more power,

"Dread" I don't believe any of the fool hardy things posted by Reviews and Retailers, For the past 5 years if someone makes a wild claim about products I buy One and test it for days, weeks, months and years, Which is why I know what I do about Fridges, I have at leased 8 different fridges sitting in front of me at this present moment in time, plus another 3 or 4 around somewhere, Every thing I know is by investing My Own cold hard cash paying normal retail prices for each and every one of them So it has cost me thousands of dollars to know what I know,

Hope that clears things up.

 

[dreadlocks]

Ive got my own wireless thermometer in the fridge, the gauge is accurate.. I keep it right at or slightly above the freezing point, eventually water will start to freeze in there but it takes weeks, and I could beat someone to death with the slab of solid bacon I pulled out of it on day 16 and had to thaw out.. Power usage was lower because 1/4 of the fridge was packed with frozen food, not even in any mylar pouches or anything.. just pre-frozen in my deep freezer.

Love it when someone w/a bunch of internet facts tries to explain to me that I cant possibly be doing what I am doing IRL.. Ive had several fridges and many systems to power the fridges too, Ive got an ARB 50qt right next to me in my office full of beer right now.. after 15 years of using DC fridges I know whats going on in my Engel that I actually own and use.

 

[67cj5]

Ive got my own wireless thermometer in the fridge, the gauge is accurate.. I keep it right at or slightly above the freezing point, eventually water will start to freeze in there but it takes weeks, and I could beat someone to death with the slab of solid bacon I pulled out of it on day 16 and had to thaw out.. Power usage was lower because 1/4 of the fridge was packed with frozen food, not even in any mylar pouches or anything.. just pre-frozen in my deep freezer.

Love it when someone w/a bunch of internet facts tries to explain to me that I cant possibly be doing what I am doing IRL

I am not quoting internet so called facts I am quoting from testing 24/7/365 that has cost me $$$$ of dollars to find out,

There are 3 different sources of Temperatures that have an impact on how a fridge or freezer behaves, and like I said if your items are frozen solid then your thermometer is way off, Freezing point is ZERO and at Zero any water in food should just be at the point of Crystals forming but not icing up or freezing, That's the laws of physics, not internet facts,

Like it or not things don't freeze solid at 0*c and if your bacon is Frozen then your Thermometer is a Mile Out, WHY ??

1) Bacon is preserved and pumped full of brine which is Salt based and Salt water starts to freeze at 28.4*f OR -2*c. So that puts your thermometer 2*c out

2) Bacon is full of pork fat which starts to freeze at around -8*c and starts to go solid at around -10/-12*c. and if your Bacon is freezing at 0*c then your thermometer is now out 8 to 10*c.,

To be fair the only way your bacon could of ended up frozen for that length of time when the fridge was set to 0*c was if someone had knocked/moved the Dial or the thermostat needs replacing, because at 0*c / 32*f nothing should be frozen,

Also when you set a fridge to 0*c and you then load it with solid frozen food the fridge will not turn on until the contents have warmed up to the temp of which the fridge is set at, by that time the Air temperature in the fridge will be reading 4 to 6*c warmer than the Set temperature and that of the contents.

One thing all perspective fridge buyers and owners should realize is that there is way more going on than just setting the temp and closing the lid,

 

[dreadlocks]

did you not read the part I said it was all pre-frozen? I'm not using my Engel to freeze diddly squat.. just keep frozen food frozen.. Thermally the bottom of the Fridge is the coldest spot, I'm measuring temp at the top of the Fridge and its right at freezing so I'd expect the bottom of the fridge to be slightly below freezing.. You can keep frozen things frozen at 0C, just really hard to actually freeze anything at that temp.. which means I got frozen food and refrigerated food all in the same box living side by side perfectly fine.. the frozen stuff is not thawing out, and the refrigerated stuff is not freezing.

My dial has been removed so my kiddos wouldent mess w/the fridge.. its effectively fixed

 

[67cj5]

did you not read the part I said it was all pre-frozen? I'm not using my Engel to freeze diddly squat.. just keep frozen food frozen.. Thermally the bottom of the Fridge is the coldest spot, I'm measuring temp at the top of the Fridge and its right at freezing so I'd expect the bottom of the fridge to be slightly below freezing.. You can keep frozen things frozen at 0C, just really hard to actually freeze anything at that temp.

My dial has been removed so my kiddos wouldent mess w/the fridge.. its effectively fixed

Yes mate I did read what you said, Loading a fridge with frozen solid items is a good idea when setting out on a journey because the fridge won't power up until the contents have reached the temp the fridge is set at which saves a fair bit of power, Although I run mine at around -10/-12 before I go anywhere a day or two before hand I let it run at -18 or -22* depending on which fridge I use and then it won't power up for 18 to 24 hours later which leaves plenty of time to get where I am going and set up camp and get the Solar set up and running most of the time,

From all the testing it seems that although larger fridges use more power on a hourly bases having the extra storage space/contents they seem to stay colder longer which in the long run reduces the power consumption which is why I prefer the Engel MT80 and the ARB 78L/82Qt. The 60L versions use the smaller compressor which gives a better power draw on an hourly bases but due to the extra size that helps to compensate for the power used because the smaller compressor has to work longer in order to cool down the larger box,

The larger ARB78L comes with the Danfos/Secop BD-50F compressor where as the 35L/47L and the 60L all use the Danfos.Secop BD-35F compressor,

Over 3 days of testing the bigger 78L used about 1Ah more per 24hrs when set to 2*c in an Ambient temp of around a stable 23* +/- 0.5*c per 24hrs when compared to the 47L, But the 78L seems to cool just as quick maybe faster due to having the larger compressor and as with all fridges the Larger they are the more stable their internal temps are, Which is why the ARB78L is so impressive, The little Dometic CDF-18 is impressive and in cooler temps it uses very little power but as the temps creep up so does the power draw where it will use about 2 or 3Ah less than the bigger ARB78L per 24hrs.

 

[dreadlocks]

The only reason I can think of needing to freeze items in the field is for fishing.. and unless your catching tropical fish they are already basically refrigerated to start with so energy needed to turn em solid is a lot less than say turning a mammal solid... Otherwise grocery stores sell pre-frozen food along the way if your out for long term, or you can use your home freezer before you depart.

Its a double edged sword on the big fridge power consumption, for like weekending its stupid low consumption because its more room than I need so the rest is filled with water to act as a thermal buffer.. frozen water bottles it wont even run at all over a weekend.. having all that thermal mass does mean it takes more energy to warm it up.

However, the bigger fridge also means I can throw a full 12 pack of warm beer in there and tha'll send its power needs through the roof.. so long haul journeys we are often restocking drinks every couple days and food every week or so.. always having cold beer when out for a few weeks is my biggest consumer of power typically.. but I had that issue with a smaller fridge too, just needed restocked more frequently because it never had room for a 12 pack.. that was a take a beer out put a beer in setup so I spread it out better.

Right now my Engel MT80 is packed full of water bottles running entirely off solar in the backyard, its using about ~20Ah a day fully sealed up.. was 110F yesterday when I went out there, so yeah just coasting along its pretty much exactly the same power levels I was seeing with my ARB50.. the bigger fridge is not using more power in the end, and if all the space is not needed it'll easily use less power if filled w/a thermal buffer..

Never seen anyone complain about having too much fridge space, I've always bought the biggest I could fit.. I got the ARB for my old cargo trailer that was height limited w/a lid on it, was the biggest I could squeeze in there.. I got my new trailer and had no limitations, so I got the biggest I could.

 

[67cj5]

Your so right on many fronts,

If you look at the specs on any fridge and buy the one with the leased figures thinking that it will run for ever on the Burps of red Squirrels then a person could be misled in to buying a leaser more power hungry product.

Whynter is a prime example of this and they quote reasonable figures but when you do the maths they use on average a third more power than most fridges, Snomaster spout some impressive figures but I have seen my 35L Snomaster chew 98w+ when running and I have seen my 95L Snomaster chew an impressive 119w while running and eat up 8.7 to 9.3Ah running on 12v and the worst thing about them is the compressors are not vibration proof and clunk and rattle with every bump in the road, Boosting the merits of their 66w motor how on earth can they chew a constant 98 and 119w and in an Ambient temp of 15*c I saw my 35L Snomaster chew a whopping 57.6+Ah when set to -18*c/0*f compared to the 47L ARB which chewed 38.7Ah,

My advice to anyone who has finally talked the wife in to letting them buy a Fridge would be to buy either the Engel MT45 or the MT80 and if someone wants the ability to use a Semi Duel Zone fridge then buy the ARB 47L or the bigger 78L remembering that the ARB60L/63Qt is a nice even balance between the two and having the lower lid height makes it easier to open inside Vehicles than the 47L and the 78L.

I would of thrown Dometic into the mix but their new series seems to be having a few teething problems but if a person can get their hands on one of the previous CFX series which uses the Danfos/Secop Compressors then that could be a worthy addition to any vehicle.

 

[twin_magnolias]

Engel dont have a low voltage disconnect so it'll run on any length of wire pretty much.. ARB's internal LVD throws a **** fit and turns fridges off prematurely on any substantial length of cabling unless you grossly oversize the wiring.

Ive got an ARB and a Englel, I wont be buying anymore ARB's thats for sure.

I had the full length of the ARB wiring kit used when I had my ARB 50 mounted in my JKU and the LVD only turned off a couple of times due to low voltage. When it did it was near the end of the battery's life, and I let it sit over a particularly hot weekend. The last time it did the battery was so dead it wouldn't crank the Jeep, but I was already expecting that battery to kick the bucket at any point; it was not holding a full charge.

 

[dreadlocks]

regarding Dometic, any fridge that comes with a Phone app instantly disqualifies itself.. My ARB display fritzed out after being exposed to a rain storm, so its stuck at whatever temp and settings I had it at before that incident, buttons dont even work.. whereas my Engel im certain would still work just fine if the internal temp display failed entirely since its got a real knob on it and I already got a wireless thermometer inside.. I added the thermometer mostly for max/minimum recording, Ive got a bunch of condiments in the fridge right now while its idling in the backyard.. I assure my self its all still good and didnt spoil by checking the max temp before we start packing up for our next outing.

My display panel went out about 4 months before my ARB warranty ended, I contacted em and got ran around for several months so I finally said f'it and threw in the towel.. When it was time for another fridge, Engel was at the top of the list..

I did have to mount my Engel onto a foam pad before I strapped it down to the hard floors in my trailer.. otherwise the vibration was too noticeable in bed, the ARB is definitely quieter with the danfoss instead of the swingarm.. I will give it points there, but I was able to work around the issue pretty easy..

 

[67cj5]

I had the full length of the ARB wiring kit used when I had my ARB 50 mounted in my JKU and the LVD only turned off a couple of times due to low voltage. When it did it was near the end of the battery's life, and I let it sit over a particularly hot weekend. The last time it did the battery was so dead it wouldn't crank the Jeep, but I was already expecting that battery to kick the bucket at any point; it was not holding a full charge.

If you are running a single battery system in your JK you need to set the Low voltage cut off to "HI" and if the fright won't run due to the length of cable then set it to "MED" so that the fridge will run but the battery voltage should be high enough to start the vehicle if the cut off kicks in,

The LOW cut off setting is mainly used if a person has a duel battery system or another set of House batteries like a Caravan or an RV would have,

Hope that helps.

 

[67cj5]

regarding Dometic, any fridge that comes with a Phone app instantly disqualifies itself.. My ARB display fritzed out after being exposed to a rain storm, so its stuck at whatever temp and settings I had it at before that incident, buttons dont even work.. whereas my Engel im certain would still work just fine if the internal temp display failed entirely since its got a real knob on it and I already got a wireless thermometer inside.. I added the thermometer mostly for max/minimum recording, Ive got a bunch of condiments in the fridge right now while its idling in the backyard.. I assure my self its all still good and didnt spoil by checking the max temp before we start packing up for our next outing.

My display panel went out about 4 months before my ARB warranty ended, I contacted em and got ran around for several months so I finally said f'it and threw in the towel.. When it was time for another fridge, Engel was at the top of the list..

I did have to mount my Engel onto a foam pad before I strapped it down to the hard floors in my trailer.. otherwise the vibration was too noticeable in bed, the ARB is definitely quieter with the danfoss instead of the swingarm.. I will give it points there, but I was able to work around the issue pretty easy..

Yeah I to have had the run around as well, I had a simple issue but no one explained why it was happening and then I twigged and it was just a case of switching it off and letting it sit for a while and it was all good again, But when I asked them about it they sent me a complete repair manual which was no use to me,

All of my fridges are stored in the house or in the camper so there is little chance of me having the troubles you have had,

The fridges with the rotary control are the best in my opinion which is why I like the little Dometic CDF-18 / CF-18, there is no display to tell me it is reading 8* when it is actually set to 2*c, I know when it is cold when I crack a can and it gives me brain freeze Like now for instance, LOL

It's Ok, it's just Dr Pepper ?

Bluetooth and USB stuff on fridges is my biggest hate when it comes to fridges, I want it to cool stuff down and the idea of going bush is to forget the worries of the world and the Hi tech gadgets that pull families apart, The Original ARB Series 2 which is the Blue one not this new Black and grey one they are calling series 2 are the best models, No gadgets or gizmos just a pure fridge,

But that Dometic CDF-18 /CF-18 is the closest thing on the market to an Engel with the Rotary Control.

 

[twin_magnolias]

If you are running a single battery system in your JK you need to set the Low voltage cut off to "HI" and if the fright won't run due to the length of cable then set it to "MED" so that the fridge will run but the battery voltage should be high enough to start the vehicle if the cut off kicks in,

The LOW cut off setting is mainly used if a person has a duel battery system or another set of House batteries like a Caravan or an RV would have,

Hope that helps.

I had it set properly. The battery was already dying without the fridge's help. The LVD turned the fridge off once due to it setting over a long, hot weekend of camping. The Jeep cranked just fine. The last time the LVD turned the fridge off the battery was already toast and no amount of computer wizardry was saving it. All of that to say, some may have had problems with the LVD, but I have not. The ARB wiring kit was sufficient for me.

Since then, I sold the JKU, and I have a completely different 12v setup in my Chevy Colorado and the solar charged aux battery sits less than six inches from the fridge. No worries about wire gauges and length of run for me, and I can set it on LOW without a care in the world.

 

[dreadlocks]

If you can and are willing to rewire a few amp appliance to run off 10AWG run, then sure the LVD is not that big of a deal.. however, normally without that LVD.. you'd only need to run 10AWG cable for a 6A load if your conductors were 50-60ft in length.. If you wanna run your fridge in a bear locker off 30ft of cabling you're gonna need welding cable w/that LVD.

unfortunately my ARB LVD cant be changed because the display busted, so its at whatever it was at.. I think MED mebe.. I still stand behind my statement that a LVD's proper place in an electronic circuit close to the supply and not the drain.

When ARB first came out the idea of the LVD was Novel, an external solid state LVD at the time you'd had to build, and at significant expense.. so having that protection built in for no additional cost was attractive.. If your fridge was your ONLY load, otherwise your lights left on would still murder your battery and ruin your food.. However, since then the market has nice, affordable, and infinitely programmable external LVD's.. so I see a built in one in the fridge that has 3 basic settings more as a liability than a bonus.