Question to fridge owners - Do you leave it “running” in cold ambient temps?

[matoolie]

I just got a Dometic Cfx35w and thinking of leaving it in my vehicle for day today use. Will be powered off second battery so not concerned with power requirements. But I was wondering what those who leave their fridges in vehicles day to day..... what do you do when the ambient temps drop? Dometic’s specs. say lowest ambient is around 61F, which I’m not surprised with a compressor. But there is no mention of a safety shutdown If ambient temps drop below recommended levels. I am assuming other makes have a recommended low ambient temp. Obviously as the ambient drops below setpoint the unit will not need to run to maintain setpoint, but what about at temps above setpoint but below min. recommended ambient for the unit to run, especially those who have them at a very low setpoint for freezing? Or am I overthinking this and just plug it in, set it and forget it? Lol

 

[DaveInDenver]

I usually turn my Engel off if the air temperature overnight is low enough but that's mostly to save battery power. I've let it run in temperatures below freezing and other than it just hardly ever cycling it doesn't seem any worse for it. Never really thought about it until this thread to be honest.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I just got a Dometic Cfx35w and thinking of leaving it in my vehicle for day today use. Will be powered off second battery so not concerned with power requirements. But I was wondering what those who leave their fridges in vehicles day to day..... what do you do when the ambient temps drop? Dometic’s specs. say lowest ambient is around 61F, which I’m not surprised with a compressor. But there is no mention of a safety shutdown If ambient temps drop below recommended levels. I am assuming other makes have a recommended low ambient temp. Obviously as the ambient drops below setpoint the unit will not need to run to maintain setpoint, but what about at temps above setpoint but below min. recommended ambient for the unit to run, especially those who have them at a very low setpoint for freezing? Or am I overthinking this and just plug it in, set it and forget it? Lol

If not in use it should not run.
The more you cycle your battery the faster it will die.
A fridge when empty run a lot.

 

[dreadlocks]

Engel recommends running em non stop for longevity, both my ARB and Engel are always plugged in.. but I bring em inside in off season for keeping beer and stuff or keep em plugged into shore power when not in field.

 

[67cj5]

By rights these 4x fridges should not be run below certain temps because they remove all the warm Air and replace it with Cold but if the fridge is in an Ambient Temp that is as cold as the inside or lower than the inside temp then it can not do it's job properly,

I think the lower limit is somewhere in between 8 and 12c OR 46f and 53f, But saying that the fridge's max Temp is 10c which is 50f So in Ambient temps below 10c/50*f then it is not doing much when you have it in fridge mode but If you are using it as Freezer then you should be alright, When run as a fridge they rarely turn them selves on in a cold climate but when you run them as a freezer in a cold climate they will function normally although their OFF times will be longer so you might find that it may only turn On every 2 or 3 hours and then run for about 10 to 15 minutes which will give you some crazy Low Amp Draw, meaning you would be lucky if it only Drew 7 or 8 Amps in a Day,

Best thing is to keep a cover on it and keep it's Vent area away from draughts or the weather, This also Applies to the ARB All Weather Fridge, LOL because No fridge likes being frozen on the outside.

Hope that helps.

 

[ducktapeguy]

Had mine in the car a few weekends ago, low of 5F and a high or maybe 25-30F. Fridge just doesn't cycle very much but didn't do any harm.

 

[67cj5]

Here is something All fridge owners should read.

Can I keep my fridge in a garage or low temperature room? | Beko

Find out if you can keep your Beko fridge in a garage or low temperature environment.

www.beko.co.uk

https://cottagelife.com/design-diy/fridge-damage-during-winter/

 

[krick3tt]

when camping it is always on. when sitting in the LR (at home, always in the vehicle) it is off but plugged in to 2nd battery power. It is on when camping regardless of outside temp, it just doesn't cycle then. It is set for 35 deg F when camping.

 

[JaSAn]

I power my Norcold any time the temps are above 40ºF, but as others have said it doesn't run much (if at all).
If it will stay below freezing the fridge is turned off (to save the batteries) and I put warm water bottles in to keep the stuff inside above freezing.

 

[matoolie]

Thanks to everyone for the input. It seems a lot of people just let them run. When I posted my question here, I also sent the question to dometic and they replied today:

“The ambient temperature data is only a recommendation and your fridge will still function if the temperature reached below 61 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the cooler will need to work harder in temperatures above 109 degrees Fahrenheit, and you may find it drawing more power to keep cold.”

So should be ok without much worries to the fridge.

 

[ronnunan]

I have the Engel MT60 that I run 24/7 and haven’t turned it off for 8 months. I have two 100w solar panels that power the fridge when my van is parked.
I’ve never had an issue with power....in California and always enough sun to power the fridge.


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[67cj5]

I have the Engel MT60 that I run 24/7 and haven’t turned it off for 8 months. I have two 100w solar panels that power the fridge when my van is parked.
I’ve never had an issue with power....in California and always enough sun to power the fridge.


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Does your MT60 have AC power as well as 12v ?

 

[ronnunan]

Does your MT60 have AC power as well as 12v ?

Yes... there is another cord.


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[67cj5]

Yes... there is another cord.


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Cool yours must be the later model because I was looking at them and it said the one I looked at was only 12v, They are great because they are not too tall for use in the back of an SUV/Wagon.

thanks for that,

 

[pluton]

Engel recommends running em non stop for longevity, both my ARB and Engel are always plugged in.. but I bring em inside in off season for keeping beer and stuff or keep em plugged into shore power when not in field.

By recent email, Engel Australia says 5 hours per month, minimum. Many keep them running 24/7/365 for decades.