The CHEAPEST EFFICIENT 12V Fridge - Vanlife
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
- We finally got around to filming the specifics of our fridge conversion. If we left out any details please just ask in the comments below and we'd be happy to answer! This was by for the best and most affordable option we could find while converting and remodeling our van to be fully off grid.
NOTE- It looks like since we bought everything some prices have gone up. Especially the freezer. If possible search the website of the store Brandsmart to see if it comes back in stock there.
Chest Freezer: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Thermostat: amzn.to/2QwvMFH
Inverter: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Music: www.bensound.com and RUclips Music Library
Great setup. More people should know how easy this is. I ditched my 3 way fridge for this type of setup immediately. A few points to consider....
- a pure sine wave inverted while more expensive will save your compressor on the fridge/freezer. They don’t like running on modified wave inverters.
- your amp/hour calculation is great, but you forgot to consider that when running at a fridge temperature, this will consume much less power than the energy star number which is based on freezer temps.
- you’ll further increase efficiency by ensuring air can move around the unit, especially where the compressor vents, and if it has an external condenser that should have free airflow too.
Nice job.
My 2 way dometic is dead, trying to figure out how to fit one of these in, and still give it air circulation.
Always hear on van tour videos something along the lines of, "its about living out of the van, not in the van" But, the van is decked out with $1,500 fridges, $6,000 AC units, $5,000 heating systems, $3,000 showers, $1,000 toilets, etc. Nice to see you that you get just as much enjoyment from your travels - living out of youRVan - on a budget.
Yes and I think it’s even nicer knowing that if something breaks it’s not going to be a huge expense to fix. We think that all of the things we use work just as well as a lot of the expensive rigs out there.
C. Pala this was so true and hilarious!
Holy shit. This has been a back and forth stress for me. I am gonna do this first before I spend a million dollars since this is my first build. Thanks for the tip. And it’s spacious! Thanks.
I’m glad we could help!! Good luck on the build! Thanks for watching 😊
Same here Kelly.
Dude. I was like wow. Great job. Never thought of this. That’s why we need people like you guys. 5 👍🏻 up. Happy camping. 😁
Haha hope it was helpful! Thanks for watching! 👍
Just added this to my Midget camper. Running freezer at 30 degrees with 120 watt solar panels, a single marine deep cycle battery, and a 750 watt inverter. has been working on its own in my yard for three weeks straight, no problems. Thank You !!!!!
I have 35ah solar battery,1000 watt inverter and 100 watt panel and I'm thinking of doing the same and buy the freezer
@whiterock4769 you'll need a minimum 12volt 100 amphr lithium battery. Otherwise it won't last, and 200 solar panel , 2000 watt P.S.W.inverter. MPPT.CARGE CONTROL @ 30AMPS minimum
That drawer idea was an awesome design. Very well built my friend. I built a Promaster van with a 120v Fridge with a separate freezer. The external thermostat is an awesome idea. I'm going to be building a shuttle bus conversion soon and will be looking at your idea with the rolling out freezer on that build. Awesome design and build and 420 Ah might sound like a lot but, it's better to always have more than what you need for future additions. Cheers! Shu
Your rollout idea is perfect for my set up. Thanks so much!!! You're a lifesaver🙌
I just saw your video again and you did answer my question. Very good sir and thank you. We have been using ice but now we will have a fridge.
Great work. Awesome video. Definitely gonna go this route.
Thank you for this.
This really changed my plans and layout in my campervan.
hope we were helpful! Goodluck!
The energy star label is for the freezer operating as a freezer. It uses considerably less power operating as a fridge. That label is no longer valid data, but is not a bad place to start to oversize your battery bank. LiFePO4 batteries will save you money over time. If longevity is not a concern then stick with replacing those lead acid every 2-5 years. Overall, innovative and efficient solution if you don't mind the loading and unloading from the top.
Pi
my lead acid batteries are six years-old holding strong
Great information! ‘Love this solution!
great channel, your hikes are inspirational
Thank you - just the video I wanted/needed to see....simple, easy - Take Care
Thank you for breaking it down for us I want to take my deep freeze thank you for letting me know how to convert it into a refrigerator very intelligent thank you so much🌞
Thank you! That is an answer I've been seeking for awhile now!!!!!
very good video , read about this setup years ago , only the guy was using this system in his off grid home , very good , thanks again
Really? that guy had a good idea lol! thank you for watching! 😊
Thank you for talking about the voltage and cabling regarding 12v and 120v with lengths and such. Ive been looking for this info! It was hard to find
I like your video presentation. It is informative too, at the same time. Thanks a lot for your guidance!
Doing this in my bus 😍 thanks so much y’all! You are saving me so much!
I didn’t know you have a bus
Good job. I wouldn't have ever thought of that. I've learned something new today. I'm 65 and all this stuff is new to me. Just like my cell phone. Lolo finally learned how to e mail and had to learn to text so I could comunicate with my children and 13 grandchildren. So I guess I'm still teachable. ?? Thanks for the video.
My dad did this on a fifth wheel. His 3-way fridge went out so he bought a small Avanti frig/freezer and runs it off of solar through an inverter. Very small power usage.
Oh thank you, weeks from my launch in my cargo trailer conversion and have been desperately looking for an answer. I love you guys!
Hope we were helpful and safe travels.:) You're going to love it!
I just posted a reply to their posting. I'm not sure it will work, for long. But it is not based on anything other than what I know of refrigerators that do not travel or home units! They are fragile, delicate and are not built for falling in/over bumps and potholes!
So I will be anxious to hear from 'someone out there on the road'!
When something is too easy or so simple usually it doesn't work, for long. Perhaps this is an exception to that rule!
Let us know, please!
All the best to you!!!
@@paulortiz2035 hey Paul, from what I've researched the higher tier travel fridges (dometic) last 2-5 years max. For a lower tier unit (China brand) 1-2 years is all you can get, so if this set up can last anywhere over a year its worth it in my opinion. Let me know if you disagree
Thank you, accurately presented with relevant points clearly made - and easily understood.
Great creativity on the implementation and slider! Thanks for sharing
Great idea. I will be doing this set-up once I purchase my large cargo van.
I followed this video and did this exact freezer with thermostat 3 years ago and its huge amazing works on my jackery 1000 for long trips easy. Barely used power and is super cold in 5 min
ill be doing this for my van build. purchasing today! :) keep producing more videos plz!
Glad to hear it was helpful! Thanks for watching and good luck on the van build! 😊
Very smart guy. I like this decision.
Thanks!
Just subbed, great im going for this option too thanks for your video
I would have never thought to use a freezer as a fridge! Thanks for s great idea!
Nice Job you have done there & for a great price too. You can use it as a fridge freezer if you get or make a nice foam box to fit in the top half, and you can store frozen items underneath, you would obviously need to turn ur thermostat down. I did this when off grid with a large old kero come gas freezer, I just used some foam broccoli container on the top half as a fridge area while the bottom section stayed frozen solid. Cheers
Very cool video. Hahahahaha my favourite feature in your van is you two, oh and Buddy. Cheers!!!
Aww thank you!
😳
I can't believe I didn't think of that...!!!
Nice1 👍
Thanks, hope it was helpful. Thanks for watching 👍
Just subscribed. I needed this solution!.
pretty sweet the savings over a dometic. that dough can get utilized for more batteries, a generator, solar stuff, etc...
Yeah the amount of money we saved was one of the main reasons we went this route, also it’s bigger. Thanks for watching! 👍
Thank you for sharing this i really appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing. This was super helpful!
I'm on 12volt 450amphr for 4yrs & switched out everything & went lithium. Its surprisingly easy to max out your 450amphr & thats going half way. Thats why I'm going to 200amphr lithium
Cool video, thanks for the idea ill def be doing this.
happy to help! Thanks for watching! :)
REALY THANK YOU CHAD AND ASHLEY CAUSE SMALL FREEZERS ARE SUPER CHEAP WOW! IM VERY GREATFUL YOU TWO TEACHING ME THIS MUCH LOVE AND CARE THANKS AGAIN. OWENS.
Great idea ,those slides you installed really look professional, I've been looking at the dometic cooler fridge but they really are expensive. I will be trying this for sure ,how has this been holding up is it still performing great .Thanks for the idea I am running a bar fridge now and on consecutive cloudy days I am not holding up have to run my generator but a freezer is much better built Thanks again Dale
Excellent video. Adding batteries and/or more solar panels is WAY cheaper than an expensive ARB or Dometic fridge! Plus, your tiny freezer is TWICE as big as the 12-volt refrigerators! Added counter space is an added benefit! This will be an addition to the new GoneCamper cargo trailer conversion.
Thanks for watching and Good luck on the conversion! 👍😊
What a great idea.Thanks for sharing.
Good for you , always thought about doing the same at my cabin instead of propane
Thank you thank you thank you I have been wondering how this is done and I came across your video thank you so much and I love the RV
Great video and affordable refrigerator option thank you
This is the second round (a year later) of searching fridges for myVan build... started with the usual suspects and ended up back at this video, again. This is proof enough (for Me) that this is the way for Me 2go. I already have that same 2nd smaller inverter from Harbour Freight. This was meant 2be. I'll even have savings enough to fill the unit with some grub. lol Thankhz so Much for sharing. Wholeness n Essence of Love ((-;
We posted this video to help others find an affordable and reliable fridge, so it makes us happy to hear that this is going to work for you!! Wish you the best on your van build! Thanks for watching 😊
Thank you so much for this video. So thorough, and I love your place. Do you still like this fridge after a year?
This is a very good job and an intelligent use of space. Great idea to incorporate the flat top of the fridge as additional kitchen space which can be stored out of the way when not needed. I am wondering if this conversion could be used with a high capacity "power station" (say 2000 watt hours) running lithium batteries. If so this would be super efficient. Great video.
Interesting, well done video
THANKYOU BOTH OF YOU, I BOUGHT ONE TEMPERATURE GAUGES ON EBAY FOR $30.00 SINCE BOTH OF YOU MENTIONING IT ON YOUR RUclips CHANNEL THANKS AGAIN
Good job guys!
Great tip. I wonder why this is not more widely known. You guys are great. Marty from Australia
Thanks! It took us a lot of searching to find this method but it works great and is so much more affordable than other 12v fridges.
ouRVan those types of tips are what I search for a lot. Keep it up. Hope you can travel easier and more parks open for you soon. Our country is looking like opening up again over the next 4 or 5 weeks.
Why it isn't more widely known????
Because that setup doesn't have great durability, for 1 thing!
I just posted a lengthy reply to this guy's original posting.
But basically it says home appliances are not built strong and sturdy or to go 80mph down the road, fall in potholes, etc. The compressor will twist off its lines in no time and you will have a dead unit!
Rv appliances are (usually? Often? Hopefully?) built with jostling in mind while your fisher paykels aren't! Since they usually sit in but 1 spot on your kitchen floor and don't shoot up and down mountain roads and bump along gravel back roads.
But I could be wrong!
Kitchen units are not built as stout as are the rv ones! The kitchen refrigerator I got last year did not survive being unloaded off the truck incorrectly. There was a big sign on the box to ONLY tip the fridge/freezer to either side, NOT to tip it toward the front or back! And these guys do this all day long and they got it wrong! Which is another issue! But when we plugged it in, it did not work!!! So they brought another one the following week!
The point being: these Electrolux units are so fragile they cannot be tipped except in 2 directions!!!! And that just seems rather pitiful to me! And someone wants to sail down the highway with it, chuck holes, and all???
Just don't see that as a feasible plan! In the least!
It worked extremely well for them for almost 2 years... and is probably still going strong for the new owner of their van. :) Apparently potholes were no match for this freezer!
This video should really have at least 1,000,000 views.
Haha I wish! Thank you 😊
That is the best fridge fix Ive seen
Thank you!! And thanks for watching👍😊
Love the hack! Great idea! Ty
brilliant, great idea!
You didn't add the 20 percent loss when using the transformer. I do agree with your choice. I thought your sliding and thermostat idea was absolutely great. The money you saved can justify buying more solar panels as well. Great job on the video. Thanks for the great ideas.
Thank you so much guys ❤️🙏😊🚩
hope we were helpful! thanks for watching! :)
This is so brilliant! I've been shopping 12v fridges on Amazon for my 2003 Sprinter Class B RV, and the one star reviews on the affordable ones are so concerning. My current Norcold fridge is about dead and new ones installed are 2k!! So when I saw this I got so excited. My only issue is I don't have solar. I'm hoping this will work with a Jackery 1000, which I will charge with portable solar panels. Worse case scenario I can use it on my house for extra freezer or fridge space.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I followed and can't wait to watch more of your videos!
Wow 2k for a new fridge, that’s crazy! We were so happy when we realized how cheap the converted freezer was going to be. I hope this idea works for you! If we missed any questions you might have please ask away!😊 thank you so much for subscribing!
I just tried out a Colzer 53 qt freezer with a Jackery 500. I used my house to get the fridge down to zero before testing. Outside yesterday under hazy Ohio skies my Jackery stayed at 100% while keeping the freezer frozen. I brought the Jackery and freezer in my house at sundown. This morning my Jackery was down to 20% charge. The freezer only had 5 ice cube trays in it, so there was a lot of empty space. Right now I am cooling a Rockpal 12 volt fridge to test next. The Colzer is not very well insulated. The outside felt cold, so it needs a jacket.
You are the best mom ever
you just saved me a lot of money! THank you!
we always love the cheap option, glad we could help. Good luck! :)
You guys just saved me from a $700+ blunder . Thank you very much
Oh I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for watching😊
Thank you for sharing, well done. God bless.
Super job, great ideas regarding almost all parts of it, so many! Kept thinking you were gonna shred on the math as it got tougher but well done there too. :) Small part's that a perfectionist or someone not yet completed on a project like this might consider: the efficiency and standby draw of the inverter chosen since it's on 7/24. Also if there are any components in the inverter like relays that might spark hydrogen gas from the batts. Lastly, I did some drawer slides much like yours recently and used locking slides which help tons when I'm on a slant like during a quick pull over. Well worth a thumbs up!
Was thinking about why this is so efficient. These units usually run at about 5 amps at 120V or 600watts(that's 50AH/hour not including the inverter), that's obviously not what's happening for you, either that or it's super short and/or very infrequent run times. I believe it's because these units are rated for freezing temps and the power consumption is inversely proportional to the temperature selection. And since your running it way back from it's normal freezing temps the efficiency goes through the roof. :)
So if used as a freezer, it wouldn’t be as efficient?
this is a great hack. Bonus add on is to throw a digital thermometer in the mix to make sure your meat/food stays in a safe range and doesn't spoil. then once you have it dialed in after a few months of different scenarios you know where u will be
I've gotta learn a lot from you, y'all!
I appreciate your ingenuity. Piece of advice when you use modify sine wave inverter‘s your electronics are going to fail eventually so try to buy a pure sine wave inverter and electronics are going to last forever
Thanks for the advice, I’ll have to look into that 👍
Simply brilliant
Good Video Guys!
Thanks!
Thank you! This was so helpfull!
That's a great savings over the overpriced dometic fridges. But there are other brands like Smad and Costway that sell 12v top open fridges/freezers for $300-$350 fyi.
Those look pretty good! I didn’t see that option when I was shopping. Although the fridge setup I have looks like it’s about 20 quarts larger and $100-140 cheaper than those two brands. Still good options though. Thanks for sharing!
@@ouRVan I was wondering if a three way fridge uses more electricity than a dedicated 120 volt fridge. I tried to run my three way fridge on 300 watts solar and ran the batteries down in one night.
You are gonna have trouble with a square wave inverter on an inductive load. Pure sine wave inverters will make the freezer motor last a long time.
But they could probably replace this freezer a few times before this set up would end up costing them as much as an reliable DC fridge with similar capacity and functionality.
Very well done.
14:10 ... just on the voltage drop issue... if you use really high end copper wire with a large 6mm to 8mm core this (the voltage drop) will no longer be an issue... even over 25 meters... this was the distance from my solar panels to my regulator/inverter setup. Put simply ... use thick wire!!! Got it???!!! Don't be fick!!!
Fantastic new angle on motorhome refrigeration solutions. Thanks for sharing. I'm right at this same point with my Coaster bus... which way to go? This is sounding good. Very cheap and efficient. And as you pointed out... the insulation factor for freezers! Better than the average fridge. And as a result, quite power friendly. Food for thought... pun intended. Nyuknyuknyuk!!
Love it👍
Great job I did the same when home brewing. How many customers thank you
Excellent video!
You nailed on the positive points on using your freezer as a fridge: insulation, not losing the temperature because it's a chest and most importantly the price. It has been 6 months, how has it been holding up?
1. Do you have condensation on the interior walls?
2. Did you change out the Harbor Freight inverter for a pure sine wave inverter?
3. Is it a hassle reaching in to get your food?
4. Did you buy more basket (especially another hanging one) for better organization?
sorry for the late response but thank you! It's still going strong, not a single issue yet. we did not change the Harbor Freight inverter, that is still going strong as well. I'll be honest when the fridge is packed with a weeks worth of food it does become a little bit of a hassle but we never wish we had something different over it. We did not hang another basket mainly because it would block us from getting to the bottom of the fridge. we still love it and recommend it to everyone we know. especially for the price ;)
@@ouRVan great video. Is the fridge & setup still working 2 yrs later? Asking as so many fridges go out 1yr and a month just past the warranty.
Genius! Thank you. I'm going to do this too. The gap I have won't take a chest freezer unfortunately as it's replacing a 3 way fridge so it will need to be a front opening freezer. What temperature do you set your thermostat to?
I keep mine set at around 35 F so it’s just above freezing. You might be able to fit a chest freezer! This one replaced a 3 way also and it’s pretty narrow. Not sure on exact dimensions but I’d guess it’s only about 16” wide.
awesome! thanks brother!
Wow awesome how it going is fridge still working , you still on the road most people had go back to work by now but im planing for hard times ahead my handyman business is failing
Nice! and thnx! 🙂
Brilliant thanks
GREAT VID!!! Thanks soooo much!!!!
Great idea! How much more watt usage would you have if used as a freezer? I would like to freeze ice packs and rotate into camper for ice box use, would this be feasible?
probably 10-15% more depending on how low setting plus how hot the rv is
Guys great job! I am about to do the same thing with a 7 cu ft chest I bought on sale. Our elt bill at the homestead was 300 bucks. I love my 50 year old Kenmore but it gobbles the juice. Works great, just sucks it out the amps. You are right about the propane fridges. They gobble up the propane. I have one in the barn. Its a Dometic. BTW the Johnson Controllers are now almost 90 bucks on Amazon. Have you guys thought about a remote digital thermostat?
I love to see young people out doing stuff. I traveled the west and lots of the US in my converted school bus back twenty years ago or so. I had all these dogs and cats with me. We had an amazing time. Enjoy your adventures. Take care of yourselves.
My last bit of old man advice. Buy some land. Have a water source and put it in trust for yourselves. God is not making more land. I tell young people this. There comes a day you need to put down roots. Trust an old fart. Be free kids.
Yeah 1K
All gravy from here.
😉❤️
Almost! Haha
Amazing video helped me out tremendously. I'm literally going to copy what you did other than maybe a smaller freezer... I'm curious, you come up with this on your own??
We are building a icecream bike You have helped a lot with this information 👍
Hi! Can you do this inverter trick on a mini fridge to lower wattage/amp hour use? I need to lower my wattage use on this since it runs off house outlet power and draws too much for the size of solar and battery I’m going to be setting up.
Very nice video
Hi, Can you tell me what inverter to use for a Jackery 500 battery? It has a hole for 12V, but does not have terminals to clip onto. Thank you very much! =)
Very nice setup. I'd heard of people doing that, but your explanation and camera angles should allow anyone to do the same. There is only one thing I would change, and the compressor in your "fridge" will thank you for it. Ditch the cheap inverter for one that outputs a true sinewave, not a truncated square or whatever simulated-sine waveform the Centon produces. A 600W inverter should be plenty to cover the startup surge needed by the compressor. In addition to being better for electronics, true sinewaves are easier on motors as well.
do you know if there are any smaller freezers by them that are as efficient? if not im also currious do you think this fridge could run all night off of one seperate car battery?
Do you think this would work scaled up? I need a 15 CF Chest. Thanks.
love you guys.....
I love this solution and saved this video back when it came out. Finally got my skoolie, went to find a little chest freezer and found that they now have several 4+ star rated, convertible 3.5-5 cu ft. chest freezer/fridges for under $160 on Amazon. I think that all one would need is the inverter to pull this trick off now. Still an invaluable video, but it seems that China just made it so we can remove one step.
Now I'm poking around through all my other electronics, wondering what else I can convert that won't get too mad at me. I do miss the toughness of old tech. The 'smart' stuff is way too finicky and delicate. As far as I'm concerned, everything just has more ways to break.
Awesome hack! I ordered via your link :) It was still the cheapest price anywhere rn. Maybe timing
thank you! hope you like the set up! :)
Does it keep the bottom stuff froze and the top thawed? I will be off grid and I'd like to keep hamburgers, steak, chicken froze for a month and not freeze condiments, veggies and drinks. Have you played around with it for that reason to see? I imagine you could freeze a few gallon jugs of water and keep the thawed stuff in separate cooler cold enough by switching out water jugs, but thought I'd ask. Thanks for the video!!!
Such a great idea!! Thank you for sharing. Does it make a lot of buzzing sound? Sadly I’m very sensitive to electrical buzzing sounds.
The only noise is when the compressor is running which is about 10 minutes per hour. I wouldn’t call it an electrical buzz though. More of a compressor humming if that makes any sense. Either way it’s very quiet.
Thanks! One other question, does the thermostat have a 2 way plug? I only have an iPhone and it’s hard to see how you folks plugged it all in together?
Such a great set up!
No problem, the thermostat has a single plug. We have a separate inverter for other things.