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Old 01-19-2018, 01:03 PM   #1
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Name: Dave
Trailer: 1986 Scamp 16
Pennsylvania
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Replacement refrigerator suggestions?

Hi All,

Our 1986 Scamp 16 originally came equipped with an ice box only, with no venting for a propane refrigerator unit.

When we purchased our Scamp, the ice box had been removed by the previous owner and replaced with a simple 'dorm fridge' unit, sitting loose on a homemade shelf in the space the ice box had previously occupied.

We are looking for AC/DC units (no propane) with a 18.5" x 20.5" flange mount at a price that won't break the bank. Does anyone have a recommendation for a right-sized fridge at a reasonable price?

Thanks!

-Dave
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Old 01-19-2018, 01:48 PM   #2
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Sadly, your best option is a 12VDC compressor fridge. They have a low enough power consumption that running them on solar is practical, but they are not cheep.
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Old 01-19-2018, 01:54 PM   #3
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While they are not cheap, I am planning on getting the R3000 for my trailer. The Nova Cools have the best energy efficiency at 2.2 amps when running on 12 volt for the size you need. I plan to get the 12 volt only version and use shore power or solar to keep the batteries charged up.

http://www.novakool.com/products/sin...r1900_2600.htm
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Old 01-19-2018, 01:57 PM   #4
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Dave. You may wish to look at the Dometic CoolFreeze Refrigerator freezers. They come in various sizes and run on 12V DC and 120V AC. And although they can’t be built into your available space, they can be placed anywhere or even in your tow vehicle etc.
These units run on very small amount of power so if you are boondocking and have solar it may work also.
These units are adjustable down to really low freezing temps or just as a fridge.
Maybe will work for you.
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Old 01-19-2018, 07:29 PM   #5
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How much energy does the dorm type fridge use? Would it be feasible to just use an inverter to provide the 110 volts for the fridge you have since they don't seem to use too much wattage/amps? If running on DC, you will likely need to go with a bigger battery/batteries plus solar. As David mentions, the compressor type are the way to go if you need to run on 12 volts, the absorption fridges use about 5 times as much power.
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Old 01-19-2018, 07:37 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Tilston View Post
Sadly, your best option is a 12VDC compressor fridge. They have a low enough power consumption that running them on solar is practical, but they are not cheep.
Yes! Anything with a Danfoss compressor! I don't think it is "sadly" though, I would count it as first choice on a new unit.
When I bought my Scamp, a small Danfoss type fridge was $1600 plus, now it is $500. about the same as a entry level 3-way fridge, not cheap, but a lot cheaper than they were a few years ago.
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Old 01-19-2018, 07:42 PM   #7
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inverter

an inverter is not efficient and the battery will run down very quickly. there is just no cheap easy way!

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Old 01-19-2018, 10:21 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floyd View Post
Yes! Anything with a Danfoss compressor! I don't think it is "sadly" though, I would count it as first choice on a new unit.
When I bought my Scamp, a small Danfoss type fridge was $1600 plus, now it is $500. about the same as a entry level 3-way fridge, not cheap, but a lot cheaper than they were a few years ago.
Hi Floyd,

What brand of fridge with the Danfoss compressor did you find in the $500 range? Most of what I have found have been twice that.

Thanks to all for the suggestions!
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Old 01-20-2018, 12:11 AM   #9
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My first one I put in our 13’ Scamp was a Nova Cool, and now we have a Truckfridge......both were less than $700 USD. I installed them myself, are your quoted prices an installed price?
Dave & Paula
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Old 01-20-2018, 07:31 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forward Look View Post
Hi All,

Our 1986 Scamp 16 originally came equipped with an ice box only, with no venting for a propane refrigerator unit.

When we purchased our Scamp, the ice box had been removed by the previous owner and replaced with a simple 'dorm fridge' unit, sitting loose on a homemade shelf in the space the ice box had previously occupied.

We are looking for AC/DC units (no propane) with a 18.5" x 20.5" flange mount at a price that won't break the bank. Does anyone have a recommendation for a right-sized fridge at a reasonable price?

Thanks!

-Dave
I wonder if you could convert the existing dorm fridge or ice box with a kit such as this... something I have not investigated, so I don't know the cost or practicality.

Nova Kool, refrigerators, freezers, Marine, RV, Truck
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Old 01-22-2018, 11:17 AM   #11
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Name: george
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I used the Engle md70 12v fridge in my Burro, very low battery draw that uses a swing compressor. Even the micro freezer in it worked well. I am positive if I set it to 5 the entire unit would be a freezer! On a week trip never had to charge batteries( 2 6v golf cart) just charged from tow vehicle when moving
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:05 PM   #12
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Well, I scraped up a deal on eBay for a new Norcold NR751BB and ordered that. This newer version has a Danfoss BD35 compressor. Hopefully it will work out well for us. I am presently thinking we will run that with a 100 watt and 50 watt flexible solar panels mounted on the roof, but we'll

I will post an update when the unit is installed in a couple of months.

Thanks to all for the help!
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Old 04-15-2018, 04:57 PM   #13
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My Norcold 704 DE has a built in inverter that converts the 12 vdc to 22 volt 60hz.AC.
The 120 VAC is stepped down to that 22 vac. By the mulit-tap transformer.
Of course the swing compressor that it and the Engle uses has no starting surge like a rotary compressor has.
If you use an inverter make sure it has enough surge capacity to start the compressor.
If the thermostat were wired to a relay turning on and the inverter I think.it might be close to the efficiency of the Danfoss for a lot less money.
The dorm fridges are about 40 watt draw, but might need 300 + watts surge to operate.
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Old 04-15-2018, 05:52 PM   #14
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Norcold NR751BB

Hi Dave,

That Norcold NR751BB is the exact same model number we have in our EggCamper! We have enjoyed it, it has worked great! It also holds quite a bit of food! We went on a 2 week trip with just one grocery store trip half way thru. But we do use a cooler for beverages. Off grid we get about 48 hours before the dual 6v hits 50%.

I did 2 mods to this fridge:

One is we put a simple 12v on/off switch on the wall to cut the power. The reason for this is you must reach into the back of the fridge to turn it off with the temp dial. We find it much more convenient to leave the temp set at the sweet spot, and just turn the fridge on/off with the wall switch.

Second mod I just did today was a quick locking pin to keep the door tightly shut during travel. If items hit the door during travel, it will have a tendency to open about a half inch. The latch will keep it from opening any more, but the seal will be open a bit and the temp will raise. The locking pin mod will easily keep the door VERY secure during travel!

Last thing I can add is not to put heavy items in the door bins during travel. If you load them up too heavy - the retainer tabs on the bins themselves will break during travel. Just buy a new bin and good to go. But we learned the hard way!

But all in all - its been a great fridge! I would buy one again in a heartbeat!
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