Engel SR70F in Fleet?

[badtoytrd]

I am kicking around the option of swapping my power hogging Dometic 65L for an Engel SR70F. I am also looking into the Isotherm 65L but I really like the power usage stats of the Engel. I was wondering if anyone has installed one in their Fleet or Eagle? The dimensions on the Engel website are a bit unclear and I would think that the Dometic and Engel are about the same capacity. If anyone has a Engel SR70 could you please measure and provide dimensions. I really only need across the front as that would clarify the posted dimensions.

 

[Esus]

I saw your other thread. I don't know the dimensions of the top of my head, but you might consider a Truck Fridge if it fits the old Dometic's space better. If I recall correctly, they use a Danfoss compressor found in other highly efficient fridges and they're not as expensive as others on the market. I had one a van that I drove the Pan American Highway in and never once had a problem with it and was happily making ice the whole way south! I did have 200 watts of solar though. Anyways, something to consider. Cheers.

 

[badtoytrd]

Esus

I took a look at this last night and if I go the Isotherm route it will be a hard choice between Isotherm and Truck Fridge. I am really curious about the Engel because from my research it draws about 1 amp less than the Danfoss fridges.

 

[97grandby]

I have the dometic 65l and have only been some what happy since i purchased it. We go camping for a week at a time so we often bring the truck fridge along with running the dometic and the truck fridge is a lot better overall. Plus, we take it on road trips with out the camper and we use it for our sodas at the house when ever its not at the camper. If I had to do it over again, I would buy a truck fridge or another cooler style option and not buy the dometic. Engel, ARB, Truck Fridge and a newer company Snowmaster all have great reviews. They have options for fridge and freezer combos and all different sizes so you should find something that fits your needs.

 

[badtoytrd]

Thanks for the heads up. I have a 37qt ARB portable but I really want to keep the functionality of a front load fridge. I kicked around the idea of installing my ARB where the Dometic is but it's a bit too big for the fridge location. I am still really just trying to figure out the size of an Engel SR70

 

[shellback]

I'm planning on a 70F for my 79Grandby build. Their measurement description is weird. LxDxH. I called them for clarification. The L is actually the width, side to side. D is depth, front to back. You will see the cutout is a couple inches less. That's because the face sticks out that much from the cabinet. H is the actual height. I'm liking the Engel because it needs no vent, it vents out the front. Maybe bad for hot weather campers, but I don't camp in the heat. Other fridges require a vent.

 

[badtoytrd]

Perfect. Exactly the info I was looking for and what I concluded. I like the no vent option as well.

 

[Ranger]

I just got through installing an Engel SB70F (which I believe is the same fridge you're installing except without the 240Volt AC option) into an 07 Eagle. Mine had the factory ice box that I had to take out. It fit almost perfectly but with very little room on the sides or behind it. The one problem I ran into was I found that the copper, propane line to the furnace ran behind the ice box. The placement of it didn't leave enough room to slide the new fridge all the way in. I had to have the propane line moved up to allow the fridge to slide in.

Also, while these fridges do have an air inlet and outlet on the front, they still need to be vented according to the Owner's Manuel, (page scanned here).

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[shellback]

Looking at a picture of the 70 series, there is a large vent at the top of the fridge. When I googled the 90F, it's picture doesn't show the vent that the 70 has. The 70 is also recommended for boats, and I imagineyou wouldn't want an outside vent on a small boat. Here's a copy and paste from the Engel site.

The SB70's self venting cabinet mounting is ideal for the smaller boat galleys or even for the exceptionally smaller pull behind trailer galleys all the way up to your full RV kitchens. When space becomes an issue, the SB70 is a perfect fit for all your frozen/refrigerated items you just can't leave home without.

 

[badtoytrd]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I will eventually go with an Engel 70. I would cut a hole in the counter above the fridge and install an a/v cabinet fan on a thermo switch to vent it a bit. As for right now, I am running my ARB in place of my Dometic.


Ranger, Is there any way you can let me know the average current draw from the Engel once you get that data?

 

[shellback]

I was also considering a vent out the top rear of the cabinet. Just don't want an outside vent. Seems all the campers I've owned have been leakers at one point in time. The less outside penetrations is one thing I'm striving for.

 

[badtoytrd]

I'm with you as far as external penetrations. I had a roof rack when I bought the camper and the first thing I did was to take it off and seal the holes with JB Waterweld and 5200 over that.

Take a look at coolerguys.com for a/v fans. Looks like they have some really good options.