10.7 Cu. ft. 12V refrigerator

[scotte303]

All,
I have read some complaints regarding the 10.7 Cu. ft. 12V refrigerator.
How has your experience been with these fridges in a sunseeker/forester Class C? specifically the 3010DS.
Thanks,
Scott

[distracto]

If you plan on camping with power hookups, they're fantastic (depending on the model I suppose), however if you plan to do a lot of boondocking (or even one weekend) you'll need a big enough battery bank and solar or a generator to keep up with the power draw from it.

They cool down super quick and are much larger inside as they don't need the absorption fins of a propane fridge.

[wildmanabe]

Well i have a 5'er with the 12V frig. love it. 1st rv we had had the old style prop/elec. Never going to have one of those again ever.

[tomkatb]

Tough question.

Generally speaking most folks have two multipurpose batteries.

The can provide about 100 dc amps for an hour.

The compressor fridge will use a large amount of the battery per hour. Depends on outside temp, how full the fridge is, how well you prechilled the unit. And what else is running and how often you can replace the amps. And how you replace them.

Your fridge could consume well over your 100 dc amps in 24 hours or two days.

Many pluses and minuses.

Every situation is different.

Big solar panels help. Big lithium batteries help.

If you boondock a lot a stock vehicle with a compressor fridge in most of North America, you will not likely be happy a lot.

If you mostly plug in and have a built in generator and do not mind running it daily you will be happy.

Study up.

We own a large battery bank, 215 dc amps available, and a gas electric fridge in our fifth wheel. We are generally good for 48 hours without the generator. The word generally means if we are in cold weather the furnace consumes a lot of power. Likely need the generator daily. We also have a cpap unit. Sort of a big user.

It is a hard question!

[itat]

You’ll read complaints about both absorption and 12V compressor refrigerators. Both have pros and cons. The 12V compressor fridges cool much faster, work better in hot and cold weather, and have more volume in the same footprint but they do draw more DC power than the absorption fridges. From what I’ve read, 150-200 watts of solar when boondocking should be more than sufficient to keep up with the demands of a 12V compressor refrigerator, but that’s on top of your other power needs in the RV. I haven’t read many complaints about the reliability of 12V compressor refrigerators but they’re aren’t nearly as many in use in RVs as there are absorption fridges. If you never camp without an AC hookup, then a 12V compressor refrigerator may be the better option.

[Rhumblefish]

Complaints are some of the things you won't have to look far to find - very few folks post when things work properly. There have been 12v issues: Some of the earlier Furrion-branded 12v have had a number of issues. The Way Global product has seemed pretty reliable so far (it's white labeled as a variety of different brands, including Magic Chef).

Every comment above generally rings true, and you've got some really good responses so far... such that I can only merely echo it: the modern 12v fridges are generally solid and out-performs 2-way, gas/electric in practically every way, save for two really important ones: power consumption (!) and noise (no big deal).

You'll need a way to generate power in order to deal with the former, and a tolerance for compressor sounds to deal with the latter. If you're not boondocking, this isn't an issue. If you are, LiFePo and a genset (or some more solar) can get you over the hump.

I sweated the fridge style decision prior to new TT purchase, and ultimately went 12v (and have been happy I've done so). Our 12v has been an absolute champ, with none of the shortcomings of propane. Granted, we've significantly expanded our battery bank and solar in order to be offgrid indefinitely, but that was part of the plan.

Your mileage may vary with your needs. Hope this helps.

[itat]

I wouldn’t want a Furrion brand refrigerator but the others are probably OK. You can search this forum for the brand that Sunseeker/Forester is using. Hopefully they have good stock levels and aren’t substituting other brands to complete their units.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by scotte303

All,
I have read some complaints regarding the 10.7 Cu. ft. 12V refrigerator.
How has your experience been with these fridges in a sunseeker/forester Class C? specifically the 3010DS.
Thanks,
Scott

Since you have a motorhome and an onboard generator which will recharge your batteries and run the refrigerator, you shouldn't have a problem with a 12v fridge if you decide to go boondocking. If you're doing a campground hookup, then it's definitely not a problem.

The people I've heard complaining about them are people who are boondocking in trailers which have been sold as 'off grid' but really aren't because they depend on the batteries alone.

I don't have any experience with them personally though.

[retiredintexas]

FYI, Some National Parks are about 4 hours per day on a generator. That may cramp your style without decent solar

[Sonseeker]

I was very hesitant on the 12volt refrigerator, The great thing is alot bigger. Love it! I feel if we did alot of boone docking then I could see that being an issue and would differently look into solar panels . Fortunately we do alot of state parks and electric is one thing we look for us it really not a problem. So I guess it depends on what kind of camping you

[scotte303]

The rep told me the batteries can run well over 24 hours without Generator or running the rig, so I’m sure you could get 2 days or so Boondocking if you wanted to.
I personally like a site with power however I think being self contained could open some opportunities for me especially finding some nice trout streams out west. Saw a ton near Cody and a few had power. Fed lands - meaning 12 v fridge.

[Mr Brian]

Originally Posted by scotte303

The rep told me...

Dare I say the four most dangerous words in the RV world?

[tomkatb]

Great!

Be advised. I can set up a scientific test under conditions That a single battery with a 50 amp solar panel could last 48 hours. Or 7 hours. Your choice. Also includes no other loads period. Battery damage is assumed!

If you want a compressor fridge then you need batteries and solar panels and generators to boondock. What comes from the dealer likely will not work well.

If you want a compressor fridge get the biggest lithium battery you can buy.

Recharge every three or four days with something.

If you have money left, get solar.

Live in the west! The rest of the country is different.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by scotte303

The rep told me the batteries can run well over 24 hours without Generator or running the rig, so I’m sure you could get 2 days or so Boondocking if you wanted to.

What "rep"?

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by scotte303

The rep told me the batteries can run well over 24 hours without Generator or running the rig, so I’m sure you could get 2 days or so Boondocking if you wanted to.
I personally like a site with power however I think being self contained could open some opportunities for me especially finding some nice trout streams out west. Saw a ton near Cody and a few had power. Fed lands - meaning 12 v fridge.

You might be able to run 24 hours without the Generator, but it depends on what state your batteries will be at the end of 24 hours.
If you're camping on federal lands and you are allowed to run a generator, run the generator to recharge your batteries.

If you're buying a rig from a dealer, have them install a battery monitor as part of the sale. Monitor the discharge and don't let them get too low or it will take a long time to recharge them and you'll be shortening their life. There's a reason these rigs come with an onboard generator.

Many people experiment with 'dry camping' in their driveway to test the systems before they go camping. There are too many variables in camping styles to tell you what will work for you.