3 Way vs Compressor Fridge

Ramblinman

Ramblinman

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Joined
Aug 26, 2011
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Location
Alberta, Canada
Ok .. I am new here. I have been wanting a Pop up Camper for some time but have never found anything that impressed me ... until recently. I did a search and found FWC. Ever since I have been glued to the computer plotting and planning. I am moving towards ordering a new Hawk. I have been studying as much as I can. While I expect there is a thread out there that speaks to this, I have not found it. Many threads talk about each one specifically but I have yet to find one that pits the two types of fridges (3 Way/Compressor) against each other.

I am looking for a no fuss fridge that is reliable. I am debating solar panels. I want a FWC that is "high speed and low drag". I like the minimal set up leaving to do other things like enjoy the outdoor. 3 way fridges seem to be a little finicky for those on the move which I hope to be. I am looking for opinions good or bad. I hope that this will be my first and last FWC. I want to do it right the first time.

Let me have it!
 
Ok .. I am new here. I have been wanting a Pop up Camper for some time but have never found anything that impressed me ... until recently. I did a search and found FWC. Ever since I have been glued to the computer plotting and planning. I am moving towards ordering a new Hawk. I have been studying as much as I can. While I expect there is a thread out there that speaks to this, I have not found it. Many threads talk about each one specifically but I have yet to find one that pits the two types of fridges (3 Way/Compressor) against each other.

I am looking for a no fuss fridge that is reliable. I am debating solar panels. I want a FWC that is "high speed and low drag". I like the minimal set up leaving to do other things like enjoy the outdoor. 3 way fridges seem to be a little finicky for those on the move which I hope to be. I am looking for opinions good or bad. I hope that this will be my first and last FWC. I want to do it right the first time.

Let me have it!



Plotting and Planning. I have been there. Took over 2 years and countless computer hours to get to the point I was ready to buy a FWC and I have not regretted a moment, before or since. But like a house it will never be perfect and you can always upgrade. We have a 3 way fridge. Yes, there can be problems but it will run for ever on one tank of propane. If you happen to be in places where the sun is in hiding and if you don't plan to drive enough miles every day to recharge the batteries without solar power, then a propane fridge is hard to beat. But if you can count on the sun then solar powered compressor seems a good way to go. My eventual plan is both. We have a 3 way propane based fridge. I want to add a small compressor based freezer with solar charger. If the sun goes I can recharge with the truck's alternator. If the 3 way gets fussy I can use it as an ice box with freezer packs from the freezer. The best system is the one that has a huge number of backup options incase one method fails when you are far from the resources to fix it.
But in deference to other comments in this thread if you have an adequate supply of refers you won't care which kind of fridge you have or if the beer is really cold.
 
From following most fridge threads - it appears that as soon as a 3-way fridge dies around here, it gets replaced with a compressor fridge.

That is what I did and I am so happy. I plan to buy another compressor fridge long before I buy another 3 way fridge.


As for pro/cons. I think they have been covered already.
 
I've notice on Jay Aronow Camper Sales website (www.jayaronowcampersales.com) that most all of the campers he sells, the buyers have chosen to go with the Engle 12v fridge. I have had both. The 12v fridge is problem free. Mount a solar panel and let it run 365 days a year!
 
If starting from scratch I'd go compressor. My current FWC has a 3-way, which I've also added a relighter to and it runs decently but does take some finessing. I've now purchased a ARB compressor fridge for my camper I'm building but have used it in my FWC on my last trip. I liked it (aside from the fact it doesn't have a place suited in the current FWC for it but I'd make one if it was permanent).
 
From my recent research my gut is to go with the compressor. I only hear good things about it. Those who have it seem to like it. It will likely mean a solar panel ... but I may as do it right the first time. Out side of charging, it sounds as though I should be able to turn a compressor fridge on and forget it.

Questions:

1. Those with the compressor ... How long can you typically go with out recharging the battery via running the vehicle motor ?

2. Does anyone have experience with the Waeco model that FWC is currently offering?

3. Those with 3 way fridges, I would like to hear your input as well, good or bad.
 
It will likely mean a solar panel ...

<snip>

1. Those with the compressor ... How long can you typically go with out recharging the battery via running the vehicle motor ?


Depends on what battery and fridge you are running. Also the solar part depends on how long you want to stay unplugged, you'd probably be surprised how long you can run off 2 batteries. Here's a link to the thread I put up with voltage readings off my battery bank while running my ARB fridge for 6days: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4958/
 
From my recent research my gut is to go with the compressor. I only hear good things about it. Those who have it seem to like it. It will likely mean a solar panel ... but I may as do it right the first time. Out side of charging, it sounds as though I should be able to turn a compressor fridge on and forget it.

Questions:

1. Those with the compressor ... How long can you typically go with out recharging the battery via running the vehicle motor ?

2. Does anyone have experience with the Waeco model that FWC is currently offering?

3. Those with 3 way fridges, I would like to hear your input as well, good or bad.


I currently have my Engel running 24/7 off the truck using an 85 watt panel and a 75ah AGM gel batt. I show the camper often so I keep bottled water in the fridge for customers. At start up it took less than 20 minutes to reach the desired temp. The battery always shows completely charged so the panel runs the Engel.

Below is part of a previous post. Others claims are different I can only speak for myself and 25 years of using 3 way fridges in the Southwest.

My views of propane cooling are no secret on this forum. Roger's fan experience underlines what I've said previously. 30 degrees below ambient is about the best you can hope for and it goes up appreciably as the temps rise.
Again not an issue if you never camp in weather above 65 degrees. However in those temps you don't need a fridge either. A properly loaded Coleman Extreme with block ice will give you great service into the 90's and above for a few days depending on how often you open it, how well you cover it, etc. But if you're in Cayonlands et al in July & August or sitting on a remote beach in Baja and don't want to drive out to the local store for ice every couple of days a 3 way propane fridge won't do the job an Engel or other similar units will do.

Add an 85 watt solar panel and with enough water & Hornitos you can stay for weeks on end. Venting, fans and other fixes in my experience (and I've tried them all) are just putting a Band-Aides on a hemorrhage. I don't come by this position lightly. I've owned several 3 way fridges both used and brand spankin' new, all with the same results.
 
3. Those with 3 way fridges, I would like to hear your input as well, good or bad.


I have had no problems with my 3-way - yet. On my last trip at high altitude it held at 29 degrees F (according to fridge thermometer) at a medium setting while the outside temp was in the 70's. Unless I put the milk on the top shelf, it froze, but the beverages were good and cold. It's a little harder to light at high altitude, and I believe harder to control the temperature than a compressor fridge.

Based on other's issues with the 3-way, I expect that I will have to replace my 3-way sooner or later. At that point, I will be looking for a solar panel and Engel. If I had it to do over, I'd choose compressor from the get-go.
 
My views of propane cooling are no secret on this forum. Roger's fan experience underlines what I've said previously. 30 degrees below ambient is about the best you can hope for and it goes up appreciably as the temps rise.
Again not an issue if you never camp in weather above 65 degrees.


Granted I like my compressor fridge better but I wouldn't say propane fridges are this weak. I've had mine turn beer slushy in 95F temps.
 
I have had no problems with my 3-way - yet. On my last trip at high altitude it held at 29 degrees F (according to fridge thermometer) at a medium setting while the outside temp was in the 70's. Unless I put the milk on the top shelf, it froze, but the beverages were good and cold.

Granted I like my compressor fridge better but I wouldn't say propane fridges are this weak. I've had mine turn beer slushy in 95F temps.

Several others have already posted experiences confirming what pods8 and highz say, on this thread.
 
As I am a fairly new ARB fridge owner I'm still testing mine out to see what will work best for me. That said, my dying Blue Top has been handling the job for the 5 or so weekend trips I've done thus far. I'm about to upgrade to a Diehard Platinum and see what kind of run time I get out of that, depending on those results I will either buy another Platinum to run in tandem or just bite the bullet and go solar.

The other thing I like that I hadn't thought of when bought it is its portability of it...I am able to travel with it in my back seat for access to food and cold drinks while on the road and then transfer it to the back of the camper, or even out side when in camp. The down side is that there is nowhere to put it in the camper but on the floor but as we don't really hang out in the camper its no big deal. Just a couple of other things to consider.
 
How much battery life is also dependent on how cold you're running it. Mine seems to take quite a bit more juice when running as a freezer as compared to running it as refer.
 
I have a three way and started the thread at:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4980/
I like my three way fridge because I can run it off my 10 lb gas tank for days without having to switch, it works well on DC while traveling and I can save gas by using 110v for a week before leaving.
My second biggest issue (1st being the fan/cooling issue as note in the link above) was actually reading the manual (RTFM) and assuming that that gas low, medium, high was only for the pilot light level and that the 1-10 for the AC/DC also controlled the temp of the fridge while working on gas :oops: duh.
I do have to charge my AMG battery using a truck alternator about once a day for 10-20 minutes due to the fans.
I seriously considered switching to a DC electric fridge when I was having cooling problems. They are great for non-level camping, no pilot blowout issues, you can move some of them around like a cooler, more even cooling, etc.
I’ll post tomorrow why I kept my 3 way….
 
Thanks for all of the input. This is a huge help as I will be a brand new RV and FWC owner.

Roger: I anxiously await your next post.
 
Thanks for all of the input. This is a huge help as I will be a brand new RV and FWC owner.

Roger: I anxiously await your next post.


Sorry for the lag, I got caught up doing other projects.

For me the cost/benefit of a DC compress fridge did not pencil out. If I was using it day after day, as some do, I am sure getting a $400 solar setup + (wild guess) $800 compressor fridge makes sense.

I am not that lucky!

I use my camper 6-8 times a year for maybe 4 to five days each. I guess I spend maybe, between $5 to $7 on gas for charging the batteries and LPG to cool the fridge per trip. On winter trips I don't have to re-charge for the fridge,I have to re-charge for the heater and the fridge gets turned off if it gets cold enough.

The payback would be more than 7 years, so in my analysis it would not be worth it.
Now that does not mean that I am ruling out getting solar, just maybe a $200 20-30 watt system to trickle the battery in the summer.

So, bottom line, it depends upon your expected/actual usage.

Roger
 
Sorry for the lag, I got caught up doing other projects.

For me the cost/benefit of a DC compress fridge did not pencil out. If I was using it day after day, as some do, I am sure getting a $400 solar setup + (wild guess) $800 compressor fridge makes sense.

I am not that lucky!

I use my camper 6-8 times a year for maybe 4 to five days each. I guess I spend maybe, between $5 to $7 on gas for charging the batteries and LPG to cool the fridge per trip. On winter trips I don't have to re-charge for the fridge,I have to re-charge for the heater and the fridge gets turned off if it gets cold enough.

The payback would be more than 7 years, so in my analysis it would not be worth it.
Now that does not mean that I am ruling out getting solar, just maybe a $200 20-30 watt system to trickle the battery in the summer.

So, bottom line, it depends upon your expected/actual usage.

Roger


I think your numbers are a bit off in my mind, considering your trip lengths I wouldn't say solar is a requirement. If you've got the battery capacity to run your furnace in the winter for those 4-5 day trips you've got your fridge covered. I ran my ARB in "test" mode (ie I wasn't going in/out of it during the test and after 6 days my dual batteries were still sitting up at 12.3something volts.

So starting from scratch a new 3way fridge would likely run ~$500 where as I got my ARB for $700. So it was a $200 premium and in my rig I've got no worries about going for 4-5days. $200 to be able to freeze stuff, not worry about being level, having a portable fridge, ETC. was worth while to me.

That said everyone use what you want, I just don't think your assumptions about a compressor fridge is all that accurate.

FYI: For $200 you could get a 80watt panel and a Morningstar 6A sunsaver charge controller.
 
My biggest reason for going with a compressor fridge (I went with Nova Cool) is that I can have it running while parked in my driveway. With the angle of the driveway, I can't use propane. Compressor fridge just hums along like nothing. Haven't had any long term testing to see how long it runs on batteries only so no input there but it should do just fine for our needs. Future plans are to add solar at some point.
 
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