Bar fridge ideas for Trillium 4500

[Chris, J]

Hi everyone

I would like to increase the size of the fridge in my 4500 Trillium. I'm thinking about installing a bar fridge. In the future I would like to run it off solar. Does anyone have any suggestions on the largest fridge possible if I cut away the space?

Thanks in advance
Chris

[Glenn Baglo]

You'll need a trailer-full of batteries and solar panels to run a bar fridge.

[Steve Hammel]

They do make 12v compressor fridges but they're not cheap. When I had my 4500 I converted it to one that I found on ebay. It worked fantastic and I actually got 2 or 3 days use on a single charge without recharging. If driving in between to charge the batteries it never discharged. They are usually used on boats and in some nicer big rigs.

[Gerry Kiernan]

My experience is that 12 volt fridge systems are not very effective. If you want to boon dock you are better off to buy a fridge that runs off of 120 volt AC as well as propane. Many of the newer r v fridges also require 12 volts to operate the control systems.

If you are planning to stay only in campgrounds that have services just buy a decent 120 volt bar fridge.

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by Gerry Kiernan

My experience is that 12 volt fridge systems are not very effective. If you want to boon dock you are better off to buy a fridge that runs off of 120 volt AC as well as propane. Many of the newer r v fridges also require 12 volts to operate the control systems.

If you are planning to stay only in campgrounds that have services just buy a decent 120 volt bar fridge.

Danfoss "compressor" 12v fridges are probably the best made. They FAR outperform propane. You must be talking about those cheap heat sink ice box pieces of junk. The 12v "compressor" fridge doesn't need all night to cool down and they don't have to be leveled when you get to your spot. In fact all the new Trilliums come with them as standard equipment.

[Gerry Kiernan]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

Danfoss "compressor" 12v fridges are probably the best made. They FAR outperform propane. You must be talking about those cheap heat sink ice box pieces of junk. The 12v "compressor" fridge doesn't need all night to cool down and they don't have to be leveled when you get to your spot. In fact all the new Trilliums come with them as standard equipment.

In all honesty I have not heard of these fridges before. It would be great if they perform as well as you indicate.

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by Gerry Kiernan

In all honesty I have not heard of these fridges before. It would be great if they perform as well as you indicate.

Yes they are great. They've used them on boats for a long time. Propane fridges used on 12v suck and 110 fridges used with 12v convertors suck. The Danfoss compressor fridge is just like a home fridge only they run "efficiently" on 12v. They are pricey though. Prices are getting better as a whole new market has started with the advent of solar. I have personally had 3 of them now and much prefer them to propane.

[Dave Fish]

We recently purchased an ACOPOWER compressor cooler, which uses an LG compressor. The model I selected has a built-in lithium battery that will keep it at 37 degrees + or - for around 14 hours. We used it this weekend found that the battery and 45w solar panel on our Campster kept it going well while we were driving. Our campsite was in the trees and the sun was mostly blocked by smoke haze, so I topped it off with the generator when we had it fired up for other reasons.

Our Campster came with a small dorm fridge, which was not useful while traveling or when boondocking. I took it out and reused that space. The only downside of the new cooler is that it is not built in and we have very limited floor space. We have to leave some space for the dog, so we put it outside in a pop up tent/changing room. A minor inconvenience.