Compressor refrigerator sound level

[David C 707]

I'm getting ready to order a new Fleet model and I'm tending towards the compressor fridge but I don't like to hear any noise at all at night. In motels I usually unplug the fridge because they're too noisy.

How much sound do the new compressor refrigerators put out?

Thanks for your input.

 

[strayDog]

If you unplug the refer in the motel, pretty sure you won't like the compressor. It doesn't bother me but it does make noise. One reason I didn't get the propane is it has to be fairly level to work, then I found out I can't sleep on unlevel ground anyway.

 

[Squatch]

I can't speak for the factory installed fridges. But my Truckfridge51 in ECO mode is quiet. Unless the night is "still as a church mouse" you pretty much have to listen close to tell if it's running.

 

[Vic Harder]

and i suspect that they don't run that often at night?

 

[Smokecreek1]

When I first got my Waco 110, it used to drive me crazy at night with its' seemingly never ending on and off cycles every night. I used to keep turning the temp lower and lower to reduce time between cycles and still the cycles never stopped (see a pattern developing here). Second time out, same problem! Okay, I should say here that I just went solar on my Pop-up-that is added a new house battery, comptroller/wiring, and frig- the whole thing after almost 8 years of my 3/1 propane world-maybe this was just part of the solar learning process. Boy sure is real noisy at night and my food is sort of cold in the morning and then gets colder as the day goes on-more clues here!

I headed out on my third run determined to figure this thing out and found a camping spot at Eagle Lake to be close to home if things went wrong. Well at first my food (in between cycles)was not staying very cold-hmmmm, something still wrong here-thermostat maybe, could be thermcouple -what ever ? (was thinking like it was my old 3 and 1 propane one and not in the new world of compression frigs and solar power) ; then it went dead-like no power, no cold. Headed right from my camping site to my one and only NE California RV dealer and repair shop with visions of high repair costs-maybe even a new frig.

Well, after I described the problem to them-first thing they said-did you check your batteries of late? No-when did we put that frig in for you? Oh, hmmmmm. I remembered then somewhere hearing/reading that when you up graded to two batteries they both should be the same age. Did not do that, to much more $, it will work with one new and one old battery-my bad,my fault. Check the batteries-one not to good-one more or less okay! So I'm running every thing one one battery-no wonder my charge seems sort of work during the day and seems to die at night! Replaced both batteries and things seem allot better, more power, cold food, lights and allot less noise and more sleep.

Sooo, that's a long answer to your question of how noisy they can be. Now if you are cheap and don't do things right the first time (like me)--they can be very noisy and the moral to the story is ----spend the money, find someone that knows what they are doing so you do it right and if you have any questions drop a line here and maybe get the answer you need.

Smoke

 

[DavidGraves]

I have a small Dometic portable compressor and the noise of the fan is noticable......have not taken it fully loaded on a trip yet.....intermittent running of the fan noise might be something I could get used to.......of course I can also set it outside or in the cab of pickup.

David Graves

 

[Stalking Light]

I don't hear my Dometic at all in my Eagle and I'm a light sleeper. The new ones are Isotherm I think so not sure how the noise levels compare. Not sure I've ever camped anywhere that was totally quiet, though.

 

[rotti]

My two way Dometic frig doesn't bother me but if it did I would put in ear plugs. Also works good in WM parking lots, noisy campgrounds and yes.....motels!

 

[craig333]

I never hear mine unless I listen really closely. Still it sounds like you may be sensitive enough you'll hear it. If its not too warm just turn it off at night. Fully loaded it should keep cool until wake up.

 

[Redfish]

I have a 2016 Fleet with the 65L Isotherm and I can't hear it from inside the camper. I have to go outside and stick my ear to the vent to make sure it's running. It's that quiet. And I often camp in warm weather where it is cycling on and off all night.

 

[PaulT]

Fill the freezer full with blue ice packs, frozen water bottles, ice cream etc. Anything to buy you some thermal inertia that evens out the fridge cycles. Also, make sure you don't add any warm beer (or other, perhaps,less likely) thermal loads to the fridge at night or it has to run until they get cold. Mark your fridge thermostat for the desired daytime temp and also mark it for the warmest temp you can tolerate. Set it for the warmer one at night to reduce the cycles.

Paul

 

[Timothy McGowen]

I have the 130L Isotherm and slept on the dinette bed with my head next to it all night (actually 3 nights). The only time I noticed the noise is when it would shut off. Didn't even notice it starting back up.

It went from quiet to very quiet and thats what caught my attention. YMMV

 

[BFH4N]

I confirm what's been said about the Dometic 65: You can't hear it inside the camper. If you stand by the grill on the outside, you can hear it, so you might hear it in the bed with the windows open. But it's not very loud.

- Bernard

 

[Ramblinman]

Fill the freezer full with blue ice packs, frozen water bottles, ice cream etc. Anything to buy you some thermal inertia that evens out the fridge cycles. Also, make sure you don't add any warm beer (or other, perhaps,less likely) thermal loads to the fridge at night or it has to run until they get cold. Mark your fridge thermostat for the desired daytime temp and also mark it for the warmest temp you can tolerate. Set it for the warmer one at night to reduce the cycles.

Paul

Sounds like the process needed for a 3 Way Propane I never hear my 3 Way cycle at night