Best fridge for RV ???

Building out a new camper in an 06 sprinter.  Leaning towards a 12volt fridge so I won't need a converter other than a small one that I already have  for charging computers.   hoping this plan lets me get away with one soler panel and one extra battery?????    not certain how this set up works yet? assuming that there is a converter of some kind to take the power from the Soler panel and charge a battery bank. Then I would assume that you would have a fuse box coming from the battery bank (in my case hopefully just one battery?)  and you would run your fridge, lights and roof  vent fan from that fuse box??   All this being put out there what is the best 12v fridge?  they all seem pretty small?  Would love something at least 3cubic ft????
Thanks for any help, Nick 

Nick Goldsmith wrote: Building out a new camper in an 06 sprinter.  Leaning towards a 12volt fridge so I won't need a converter other than a small one that I already have  for charging computers.   hoping this plan lets me get away with one soler panel and one extra battery?????    not certain how this set up works yet? assuming that there is a converter of some kind to take the power from the Soler panel and charge a battery bank. Then I would assume that you would have a fuse box coming from the battery bank (in my case hopefully just one battery?)  and you would run your fridge, lights and roof  vent fan from that fuse box??   All this being put out there what is the best 12v fridge?  they all seem pretty small?  Would love something at least 3cubic ft????
Thanks for any help, Nick 

Interested in other responses as well.

https://www.westmarine.com/marine-refrigeration 

Engel.

https://www.engelcoolers.com/sr48f-u1-sr48f-u1-fridge-freezer.html

I have had this unit for about 5 years and it has been nothing but plug-n-play goodness. Very easy on the batteries (my fan draws more than the fridge). Very reliable. And it can make ice!

Followed some friends and their build....I like their "fridge" choice.  Top loader that can be moved outside.  Energy efficient.

Dometics have been well regarded and can be moved outside, but are a big pricy. Engels are very pricy. Indel-B TB600 is what I have. It was $600, has a 52L capacity, and draws under 2A when running, which isn't very frequently. All of these fridges have the exact same compressor (the most expensive and important component...FYI).

So as to link with climbing, you need redundancy!  Get a high end fridge that works on gas/12 V/ elec.  More options mean fixing problems fast when shit is going on.

Roy Suggett wrote: So as to link with climbing, you need redundancy!  Get a high end fridge that works on gas/12 V/ elec.  More options mean fixing problems fast when shit is going on.

I disagree strongly with this statement. Gas/electric hybrid fridges can use up to 5-7 times more current. That will be guaranteed to kill your battery. DC electric toploading fridges are extremely efficient, minifridge-style fridges and gas /electric problems are not.

There are many great van-building, overlanding, and RV forums about this precise issue. Do some reading!

I do not know anyone who has had a problem with their toploading 12V DC electric fridge. They are very reliable and efficient.

With that said, I would get 200W of solar and 2x 100Ah batteries if you want your battery to last. Running down AGM batteries is a guaranteed way of killing them prematurely, especially if you are also running a vent fan and any other electronics, such as a water pump, DC/AC inverter, USB ports, etc.

OP needs to do some reading on this subject. There are 100s of resources available. Here are a few good places to start:

https://gnomadhome.com/van-build-solar-electrical-wiring/
https://faroutride.com/electrical-system/
https://www.parkedinparadise.com/wiring/

I highly recommend planning out the ENTIRE system before purchasing any components to make sure that every component in your system can handle the predicted current load.

We have a Dometic top loader, has been great, no problems. Solar is 2-100W panelsystem (Renogy) and 2-100AH batteries (Both AGM UPS backup batteries used retired early from hospital backup duty, only $80/ea, have been fine for about 3 years so far.)

The only time we ran below 12v was parked under a shade tree for 2 days in 80-90' heat. Fridge was running quite a lot and panels did not receive direct sun.

michalm wrote: Engels are very pricey... All of these fridges have the exact same compressor (the most expensive and important component...FYI).

Engel doesn't use the same compressor as other brands. They use a Japanese-designed compressor (Sawafuji) that has an excellent reputation for reliability, which is why they charge a premium price. I'm not aware of any other brands in N America that use this compressor. I think Dometic uses a Waeco compressor.

As others have said, 3 cubic ft would be very large for an RV fridge. I have a 34 quart Engel (1 cubic ft), and it's fine for a week-long family car-camping trip.

I have 4.5cuft fridge at home and it seems perfect. Isa and I can fill it pretty quick with veggies and my seltzers. I  certainly could build one that size into a sprinter but most likly will settle for something in the 42+ qt range... just bought the max air roof vent and install kit... 

I would add that since you’re building out your own camper, what you can do to improve efficiency is to build a custom insulated receptacle for your fridge. Use insulation of your choice, but might be a good mix between fridge capacity you need and the extra space can go towards insulation.

You may not need solar panels.  I run a Dometic cf18 off of a 70ah battery which charges off my alternator.  It's seperated by an isolator switch from the car battery.

I paid $360 two years ago, seems to have jumped $200 since then.  That's why this can't be accurate, worth looking into:

https://www.tozore.com/products/bqx26693-dometic-cf18-12v-electric-powered-cooler--fridge-freezer

Evan Gerry wrote: I would add that since you’re building out your own camper, what you can do to improve efficiency is to build a custom insulated receptacle for your fridge. Use insulation of your choice, but might be a good mix between fridge capacity you need and the extra space can go towards insulation.

The fridge's condensor gives off a lot of heat. You do not want to trap the heat created in the process of phase change of the refrigerant. Increased airflow moving heat away from the condensor improves cooling and efficiency. It is fine and good to insulate the rest of the container as long as you don't impede heat loss from the condensor.

https://web.mit.edu/2.972/www/reports/compression_refrigeration_system/compression_refrigeration_system.html

We also have 12 volt set up with no shore power installed a CFX 65 Dometic , two auxiliary 12 volt batteries, 170 watt solar and Vectron Connect to monitor power and on our fall/ winter 3 month trip never were below 90 % charge.
From WA State to South Carolina to Key West to J Tree back up to Wa.  11000 miles.
Do the research as suggested and it sounds like you know a fair amount. It is a great activity van for us without needing more than a flat wild spot we like,

this has been super helpful so far. As a carpenter I am well aware that the electricians and plumbers (me) have to finish their jobs before I can insulate and panel… 

so far I have ordered the Maxair vent. I have a Hennings cheepo in the Astro and it works but the vent  cover hinge is flimsy and held together with Duct tape. hopefully the  $$$ max air will be sturdy. leaning twords this fridge. amazon.com/gp/product/B07FM…;psc=1 I am finding that even the really expensive units have a lot of bad reviews... 

Something to consider is the angle at which the compressor will function. With many fridges, if you park at a weird angle (as in not level), they stop working. Look for marine fridges with a danfoss compressor. The leveling issue has been worked out for boats. 

I am very happy with my truck fridge (that’s the company).  I bought the smallest one and am impressed with its capacity and relatively low power draw.  When my van sat for almost a month, the battery was at 100% with the fridge running.  I have a 180w panel on top, and the fridge alone isn’t a major power draw.  I do charge off the alternator using a kisae dmt, which is a steal at its current price.  Highly reccomend that too, if you need a charge controller.  It works as both a charge controller for solar and a b2b charger.  

Truck Fridge is a great option that I've installed in a few rigs. 

Jim, I am pretty anal about  leveling the  van.  Can't  sleep  if it's not right.. getting  old... have  heard of the  truck  fridge but thought it was a style not  brand.  More  googling to do. 

We're building a cargo trailer conversion, same theory as a van. We followed this wiring diagram (different loads of course).
http://www.enerdrive.com.au/wiring-schematics/
We got the Engel SB70F DC only fridge. Uses very few amps, quality looks good, it's a little louder than I expected but it doesn't wake me up at night. I'm satisfied with it. Front opening was better for our space saving layout compared to chest style fridges.