12v/240v/lpg fridge?

[Chris4x4 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris4x4]

Prolly been done to death, but with all the talk here regarding dual batteries/isolation systems/alternator capacities/mounting batteries here there and everywhere/charging systems/solar panels etc, are gas fridges really that inferior? Simply connect the 9kg gas bottle to the fridge at camp and your done, why aren't we doing this? I know compressor type fridges are king for hot conditions but for average joe camping are LPG/3 way fridges any chop?
Cheers

[unknown Member Find all posts View Profile Close unknown]

We used one for many years.
But now that we have a camper we have a 12v one and wouldn't go back to gas. Primarily for the ease of setup. Pull out the drawer and its done. Constantly connected no setup needs and no need to carry extra gas bottles for fridge. Packup just as easy, push the drawer in and i'm done.

[schnitzel Valued Member Find all posts View Profile Close schnitzel]

for a standing camp the LPG ?12v/240v units are great , especially on gas a fridge can run for a couple of weeks on a 4kg bottle, start moving however and they quickly lose their appeal as 12v performance is poor.

in a caravan park with 240v there at best adequate without being great, so in the right situation they work well, but for a travelling style holiday the compressor fridge wins hands down.

p.s. I have multiple versions of both types and use according to what style of camping i am doing at the time.

[pajflareo Member Find all posts View Profile Close pajflareo]

Prolly been done to death, but with all the talk here regarding dual batteries/isolation systems/alternator capacities/mounting batteries here there and everywhere/charging systems/solar panels etc, are gas fridges really that inferior? Simply connect the 9kg gas bottle to the fridge at camp and your done, why aren't we doing this? I know compressor type fridges are king for hot conditions but for average joe camping are LPG/3 way fridges any chop?
Cheers

Depends what you need it for really. Depends where, or possibly more importantly, when average Joe goes camping. The best 3-way fridges are only good enough for about 20-25c below ambient temperature. If you go camping in summer theres not really anywhere in aust that can't hit 40c most years. That means your food and perishables in your fridge are up around the 15-20c mark, which means they will spoil pretty quickly. Additonally the bigger 3 way fridges run pretty terribly on 12v so when your driving around or changing camp site the temps begin to rise again.

Although i do admit, the big gas bottles run the fridges for 24hrs a day for ages, so thats a plus.

Compressor fridges run well on 12v and are pretty efficient and generally good for about 40c+ below ambient. So on those hotter days, will keep your food cold. I just bought a waeco today after a few weeks of indecision, just because most of my camping is done in summer. However if it were mostly winter I camped, i may have gone for a cheaper 3 way fridge

[hyperscooter Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hyperscooter]

I have just got back from 1 week at the Beach at Sandon River and was running 2 gas fridges on the 9 kg. One for food and the other for refreshments. I had the gas on both turned down to the lowest setting on both due to running too cold. But as everyone has mentioned, this is a great set up for a base camp. If it is an overnight or constant moving trip, then the Waco 12v comes out.

[sharkcaver "2000"+ Valued Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close sharkcaver]

Add to the above, they are also poor on heat transfer in comparison to compressor fridges, meaning it takes far longer to get the contents down to temp.

[Detonator Member Find all posts View Profile Close Detonator]

Fridge

A couple of years ago before we got a Waeco CF50, we drove 13000 km in a month. We put up a tent every night. The biggest pain was taking the fridge out of the Mitsu every night so that I could hook up the gas bottle. Take my advice, buy a Waeco CFX or CF ( ok if you must even an Engel) then buy an Ark battery box c/w battery, a Ctek 250S DC-Dc charger ,some cable, a few anderson plugs, a decent fuse system ( I also fitted a high capacity DC switch). Believe me , you will see the light. Our old 3 way fridge( its 20y/o) now gets used to hold the Xmas turkey prior to Xmas.

[Camsally Member Find all posts View Profile Close Camsally]

Used an old finch original 3 way fridge for nearly thirty years until we started doing more touring as opposed to week long stays. We started in Mt Isa during winter and it was great. As we grew up and had kids we would camp at the beach and the fridge on gas would cope in the shade. Now we have a camper with batteries and solar and a challenger with dual battery and have 2 Engels (60 and 40lt). Camp at the beach for a week now and have ice cream in freezer and beer and wine in fridge. My how things change.
PS old finch 3 way still going as drink fridge at home now 32 years old.

[MikeL Member Find all posts View Profile Close MikeL]

I have found that for very long (18+ hrs) driving stretches the gas fridge warms up too much in the car and compromises food so i prefer the dedicated 12v fridge not only for reliable cooling but the added safety of the second battery which I can use to start the car or bush weld - neither of these is easy with a gas bottle.