You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Solo Stoves Fire Pit 2.0 Has a Nifty Upgrade, Biolite's New Portable Power Solution Goes Solar. Do what makes you feel best. All of which are reported as similar units. Thank you! Although I often entertain high-quality non-brand name knockoffs, and there are many of them out there, I found comfort and reassurance in purchasing such an integral part of our conversion from such a reputable brand. I have been running this freezer since August of 2017, the compressor seems to have increased a decibel or two over the years, and the cord juggles loose and cuts power to the freezer at times (though I believe this to be a truck side problem) but other than that, I have been having zero problems, it has more than earned its worth. Keeps food cold and will make ice. Stay parked and the batteries were done in maybe 18 hours. Formula:Power input : voltage Example:85 watts: 12 volts Fridge had been pre-chilled, some of the stuff went in frozen, fridge was near full, had a pile of clothing (insulation) on top of the fridge, factory window tint, white truck, etc. A quick fix is a DC cord extension (widely available for about $15). With a super cooler, as long as you take good care of your ice, it will last for an impressively long time. For the record, theres absolutely nothing wrong with having a properly configured, isolated, dual battery setup in your vehicle. represented by the energy efficiency. Super coolers are leaps and bounds ahead of your run of the mill plastic ice chest, but no matter how good your ice-powered cooler is, there is no beating the laws of thermodynamics and the fact that ice will eventually turn into water inside your cooler. The data was recorded at the 24-hour mark and again at the 48-hour mark to draw comparisons. On the higher end at almost 57Ah, the 75DZ might require a larger battery bank or an auxiliary energy source such as solar to keep it running trouble-free while stationary for a longer period of time. Some exceptions are vehicles with dark, and very large roofs, or vehicles with no insulation on the roof panel. CFX3 75DZ 31.1Ah 1.29Ah/hr Interior cabin temps would go north of 185F, so delta was about 193F. A month later, I have Dometics CFX 75DZW fridge stocked with food for a five-day, 2,000-mile round trip to southern Utah. The CFX 75 DZW is a great option for anyone looking to graduate from ice-powered coolers with a unit that is very dynamic and can work in almost any vehicle or off-grid abode. We bought this for extra food storage to sail across the South Pacific. We will never spam your inbox. As with any scientific test, strict and consistent parameters must be adhered to. Is This Ultralight, $6,200 Gravel Bike Worth It? While it might seem like a great idea as the USB port is in a prime location, (you always make it easy to get to your fridge / freezer) its only able to output 500-milliamps. For this test, the fridges were left sealed without ever being opened to eliminate another variable and to keep the data as consistent as possible. Learn more here. I realize that that everyone will be different. A smart battery protection system assures the Dometic fridge wont leave you stranded and a Wi-Fi app affords the convenience of programming either compartment remotely. Regardless of what power setup you use, you should always take good care of your vehicles battery by keeping it charged (you do plug your vehicles into the grid when theyre going to be sitting for a while, right? Thermoelectric The Good: Two independent zones and doors let you separate freezer and fridge items. I hope that the next revision of CFX electric coolers will get a more powerful USB port or two, as its a great idea for a world that can never have enough USB power. All of this is packed into a sturdy, well-made unit that has so far held up great to thousands of miles of remote travel over the last few months. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Ice-powered super coolers are definitely head and shoulders over el cheapo coolers that fall apart after a few trips, but super coolers still consume ice, and ice at the store costs money and still melts, and that water can still get in or on things you want to stay dry in your cooler. JavaScript is disabled. The models in the Dometic Wish I would have tried Engel. You will burn more amps in Arizona than in British Columbia. Vanlife Fridge: Dometic CFX 35 Three Year Review, series of electric coolers are some of the most popular options for van dwellers, offering impressively low power consumption, freezing capabilities, and can function on both AC and DC power. During these times the, Although weve been happy with the size of the, fridges look a little different than the one Ive been using, and thats because they were updated at the start of 2020. Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2017, Great Device, Solidly build, has a shut off so will not drain batteries if they go low. Coolers which are predominantly run on the mains are subject to Comparing the 24-hour consumption to the 48-hour mark, you can see that as everything got to its ultimate static cold temperature, the fridges became more efficient with time as long as they remained unopened. Looking online and reading a few threads the ARB and Dometic numbers appear way to low. Yet, the insulated cover highlights one CFX 75 DZWs two shortcomings, one of which is that the latch side of the units lid isnt the most obvious. For 48-hours, the fridges remained sealed. CFX3 55IM 24.8Ah 1.03Ah/hr I had an edgestar fp430, in 24 hours when set to 40 degrees it used 26ah. In order to test multiple portable fridges to see how they compare to each other, a test must be created. Under normal conditions the 75DZWs power consumption is modest (1.3 amps per hour), however, used in high ambient temps or without pre-cooling, the fridge can put a big drain on your battery. buying a lot of Coors for science = brilliant. Before my trip, Id intended to set up a dual battery system so the CFX could run exclusively off the accessory battery. Besides a few aesthetic changes and an updated compressor, not a whole lot has changed and everything I wrote about will remain true for the latest generation. I'm attempting to guesstimate my total power needs for our family when we move FT into our FWC and I can't figure out what a fridge will draw. Expedition Support Equipment & Adventure Activity. of 5 C. Born and Raised in Telluride, Colorado, Chad 2010-2021 American Adventurist All rights reserved. Pulling roughly 50Watts. For this test, the fridges performed very well and kept the ballast completely cold during the 48-hour period. Since one side of the glass is exposed to the outside air, this reduces heat transferred to the interior, as much of heat heat is convected away by the outside air. To see just how much of a difference the insulated cover made, I performed the following test once with the insulated cover and once without: In a temperature-controlled environment, I started with a room temperature unit, and cooled one compartment to 38 degrees and the other to 20 degrees. The larger 55IM model has an integrated ice maker, they made the switch from WiFi to Bluetooth for their smartphone app, and all models feature the latest Varial Motor Speed Optimization compressor. 3.75 A) Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2020, I Purchased the fridge in 2017. The Goal Zero Yeti 400 alone feeds it for 1.5 days, with the panel it's unlimited. The times we saw our batteries drain to 90% was during hot nights and when total daylight was limited to around 6 hours. This test was exactly what it is named, a test. I do highly recommend getting the insulating cover to go with it. As such, the accessory battery is now powering the fridge, but the cars alternator isnt recharging it. I have just finished Extensive Testing of the ARB 47L / 50Qt and the power figures in most conditions are a lot less that ARB Quote. ), then stow the fridge for the night. Maybe thats a blessing in disguise as your IPAs remain elusive. Below are a few common battery options for the 5th gen 4Runner: All of this to say that one of the best batteries you can equip your 4Runner with can provide 100Ah of capacity. Used around freshwater only, securely tied down out of the way, sheltered from being knocked around, and powered by the boat's 12V power supply which was always fully charged. The contenders for this test are two of the newest Dometic fridges in the CFX3 line, the 55IM and the 75DZ, and my original CFX50 that is about 5 years old. , its performance running off his Ford Transits solar system, and how the cooler has held up. The Dometic CFX 75DZW is a 70-liter capacity travel refrigerator with two individual cooling chambers that can be programmed +/- 2F between 7F and +50F. AGM batteries will only happily produce about 2/3 of their total capacity consistently while staying healthy. The owners of an absorption unit have an alternative, though: gas operation. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. The 55IM is one of the most popular CFX3 sizes as it fits very well for most vehicle sizes. Speaking of the compressor, its also very quiet, making all of 37 dB(A) when running. I love this thing. Overnight, they pre-cooled to a stable interior temperature and at 9am, they were unplugged from house power and plugged into Frankenbattery. ARB 47L Ah Freezer 20 hours @ -10 degc.jpg. Yet, dont feel like you have to have one to be able to use an electric cooler. The larger, Choosing the Best Roof Fan for your Sprinter, Transit, or Promaster Van, Sprinter Van Upgrades: Four Years of Maximizing Utility and Comfort. The fridges were all loaded at the same time after being in the vehicle for a 24-hour period with the lids opened and unplugged to equalize all of the unit temperatures. It was a 2002 Ford Econoline that was dirt cheap, showed many scars from its previous life as a delivery van, and was the perfect introduction to spending lots of time in a van, During the transition, the main conversion items that came along were our 250-watt solar panel and. Each compartment can be divided further with the included baskets, allowing you to protect your crushable items or make it easy to pull out your most-used items in one go. SpecsModel: CFX35WStorage Volume: 32LPower Rating: 7 amps at DC 12V / 0.7 Amps at AC 120VWeight: 42 poundsMade in: ChinaPrice: $899.99 USD (latest CFX3-35 model). Built-in lighting helps you find goodies quickly in the dark. BTW could you share some info on the window inserts seen in your photos.. It becomes obvious that longer periods of use (e.g. Plugged into my homes AC outlet, the fridge needs just two hours to cool from 70F to 40F for the larger compartment, and to 5F for the smaller one. mobile compressor coolers. A reflective tint can help (though it can be illegal in some places). With the CFX app, you can set the temperatures in each compartment, set battery protection levels, set temperature alarms, and see your supply voltage when on DC power, among other features.