The need for a fridge

One of the critical and most costly things to get for a van is a fridge. You could use an ice box however that implies you can get ice and there is also the problem of managing the melted water. If you have eaten one roll that has soaked in ice melt then that is one roll too many.

Without a fridge you must shop for food on a very frequent basis and even so you are more open to gastric type sicknesses.

Fridge Types: Operation

Fridges can be divided among the different types of power that they use. 240v only fridges will limit you to only camping at powered sites. 12v and 24v fridges can be run off a battery system and, with a transformer, be run off 240v. Gas fridges run off the same gas as your stove.

The technology to cool is universally compressor technology for the electric fridges. Gas uses a different method called the absorption method. In terms of usability, the best energy source is 240v. There is plenty of power to drive the compressor and the fridge will deliver what it is capable of. However 240v is the least portable of the energy sources available.

12/24v can work well with a good fridge. The general issues that appear are two fold: cable length between the battery system and the fridge can cause voltage drops that in turn affect the fridge operation. Generally you will need larger cables than you would expect at first thought. There are many discussions on the web about sizing cables for this purpose.

Secondly, a problem with all small fridges, is that you may end up with warm and cold spots. Some people install a 12v PC style fan simply to overcome this problem by moving the cold air around.

Anything drawing power from a battery system must have a battery system and recharging process that is robust enough to keep the fridge cool for as long as you are disconnected from 240v. I recently calculated the energy draw I was expecting within Tin Lizzy. By far the most power was required to drive the fridge. Don't under spec your power requirements.

Gas fridges have a general reputation as being problematic. Their ability to cool is generally less than a compressor based fridge. Most seriously, for them to work well, they need to be completely level. On the pro side, a 9kg gas cylinder will drive a fridge for weeks compared to the days from a battery system.

When we chose a fridge for Tin Lizzy, we chose a 12/24v fridge with a 240v adapter.

Compressors

There are four classes of compressor that you should be aware of in a fridge. The Engel fridges use a swing compressor which is considered the best. Some EvaKool fridges use an EvaKool brand compressor which is the next best and some use a Danfoss compressor. The third in the line are the Danfoss compressors which are considered excellent. Finally there is everything else. The majority of fridges use a Danfoss compressor which is considered to be very good. Only Engel fridges use the swing motor and only EvaKool use their brand compressor.

The definition of quality:

There are several considerations in choosing a fridge. Choosing a quality compressor is probably the first. The second is the amount of insulation built into the fridge. These fridges are designed to use little energy because once you are off 240v, energy is hard to come by. Very good thick insulation is therefore a must to keep things cold. It means the compressor has a better chance of keeping the temperature down and will be less stressed and so last longer and at the same time use less energy.

The third consideration is how well the case is built. This is the area in which Waeco and some no name Chinese fridges fall down on. You can have thick insulation and a very good compressor but if the lid doesn't seal it is all pointless.

Choosing a fridge

The first thing to figure out is how you will use your fridge. Will you always have 240v because you use powered sites? Will you run a battery system supplying 12 or 24v? Are you willing to go the gas route?

The next question to decide is how big a fridge do you need? When we were looking there was a sweet spot around 40L. Above this size the fridges rapidly got more expensive. This will of course change over time.

Liveability questions should be considered. Do you want an upright style of fridge or an ice box style? Each have pros and cons in terms of access to the contents. In addition the ice box style will be more efficient because when you open the lid the cold air stays in the fridge. A normal upright will have the problem that the cold air will drop out the bottom when the door is opened.

Where are the fridge controls located? Will the fridge detect and switch modes depending on what energy source is supplied? A fridge that has a switch down the bottom and the back to change could well be annoying.

The dimensions of the fridge should also be considered. They come in many different heights, widths and lengths. The space you can put them in is limited. There would be nothing worse than purchasing a fridge that doesn't fit. In fact I will need to modify Tin Lizzy's double bed platform to make our fridge fit.

The final question is the budget you have. I can almost guarantee that you will end up paying more than you want to. We paid two to three times our initial budget.

Brands

Engel brand fridges are the top of the pack. They are considered to be bullet proof and efficient, lasting for many years in harsh conditions. However they are also very expensive.

Waeco brand fridges are considered to be the second tier. However they have a reputation for unreliability either in the electronics or case features. They do make things very cold though.

The Bushman fridges have a very good reputation both for quality and support. They are Australian made by a small family business. There are only two models though and although we looked closely at them, they came nowhere near fitting the identified location in our van.

EvaKool, which was the brand that we chose, is also an Australian company. They have a vast range of fridges and a very good reputation. We chose one of their two premium lines – the fridgemate – which is actually slightly superior to their more expensive fiberglass range.

There are also a range of fridges built by camping equipment suppliers such as Gasmate and Companion. These fridges vary in quality.

Down the bottom there are a vast range of no name and pseudo name Chinese fridges. Some of these will work well but there is also a large amount of rubbish you will have to choose through.

What we chose

We purchased an EvaKool Fridgemate 70L. We decided not to go the 3 way including gas absorption method but rather 12/24v with a 240v adapter. We sized our need at around 50L however the 70L, which is low and long, gave the best fit to the space under the bed we had earmarked. We just have to lift the bed by about 50mm.

These fridges are weird looking. They are essentially an ice box with a compressor bolted on. EvaKool also have a reputation for making superior ice boxes with great insulation. The compressor is the EvaKool compressor which is slightly better than the Danfoss compressors. Together this makes a very good fridge. One reported issue is that of hot and cold spots. I expect that I will add a circulation fan to counter this.

Be sure to shop around. When we purchased, RRP was $1299 without a 240v adapter. From the factory you can sometimes purchase a second for $899. However by the time you have added the 240v adapter and paid freight you will not have much change from $1000. Australian Direct have them for $1098 including the adapter at the time of writing plus shipping. We managed to find one for $1065 including the adapter, and they were local so we went and picked it up saving a little more money.