Regular house type refrigerator vs RV type ammonia frige: pros and cons?

[MinnesotaTom]

Sent: 5/9/2008

Hi Guys,

I know this has been touched on before because I've SEEN it, I just can't seem to find the subject in a message search. Running low on time as usual (freaking evening rush hour....if people would just spend the NIGHT at their office I could stay home and play with Sunny, but NOOOOOO, they want the BUS....) so I figured I'd post.

What are the pros and cons of a 110V straight bar fridge vs the 3 way RV fridge? I think I can find one that'll just about fit the hole for less than $100. Current one stinks of ammonia when it is closed up for a couple of days, so we know it's toast. I thought about using it as an icebox for the time being with all the $$$ Sunny wants at once, but I'm not sure that'd be cool (pun intended) with the ammonia smell. Don't want to poison anybody.

Sunny's main purpose in life (for now anyway, at $4 a gallon) will be pretty close to home for the most part. I can see us driving three hours before being able to hookup to shore power. Plus, if we get the genny going I could run that underway....

Feedback, friends and neighbors?

Thanks as always.

MN Tom

[denisondc]

Sent: 5/9/2008

Its your call based on your circumstances: There isnt an overwhelming case for one type or the other.
The RV style fridge (absorption type) is great for doing long drives of 8 to 12 or 14 hours in hot weather - especially if you have youngsters who want cold drinks and the door gets opened a lot. Its also nice when camped away from electricity, as it will stay cool on propane. A tank of propane used for this will last many days. Thats the advantages. The price of course is not an advantage.
On the other hand, the 115 volt driven kind will cool down more quickly, and keep food cold enough - if your drives are less than 4 to 5 hours, and the campground will have 115 volts at the end.
Both types of refrigerators have a place in RV-ing. I have gotten an RV fridge from a kind-hearted member who was dismantling a Winnie for its parts. It works, but probably would need a new door gasket for constant use. (I use it in the summers in my workshop to keep my soft drinks cold and a supply of ice cubes on hand. I also got one from a junkyard for $200 that works fine, could also use a new door gasket.
Running the genset underway is something I don't think I would do. I know some people say they plan to do it to keep cool in hot weather, but I dont recall hearing from folks who have actually done it. My experience is that a typical 13,500 but roof a.c. unit wont cool an old Winny much on the highway, if the weather is hot and the sun is out. Maybe if its only 85°f and there is an overcast it would be enough. But running it on sunny days when it was over 90 or over 100 didn't make a difference that the driver (me) could notice. Another problem is the number of air leaks in an old Winny when moving down the highway. We just drove with all the windows down, using a sprayer to wet my face with water now and then.
I wouldn't worry about the ammonia smell. If its leaking at all it will soon be empty. Ammonia is lighter than air, so it wont pool in low places (like propane can). Ammonia is NH3 and air is 78% nitrogen. Just don't ever allow mixing of ammonia with cleaners having chlorine in them (like bleaches). Chlorine gas is one of the results - Poisonous!
P.S. We are in San Antonio today, its sunny and 96°F in the shade, and our van doesnt have air conditioning.

[ibdilbert01]

Sent: 5/9/2008

The first year I had my winnie the gas lines were too scary for my comfort, so I used the fridge on electric only.

On the trips where we would find a campsite and not use the winnie as transportation, there was never an issue as the winnie sat plugged into the campgrounds electric.

Not having a car we could flat-tow, sometimes the winnie not only was our shelter, but our transportation. This is when would run into some challenges.

To overcome not having a working fridge as the winnie sat unplugged outside in a parking lot, we would use an electric cooler plugged into a black and decker power pack that I would faithfully charge the night before. I would also freeze 4 of those large blue cube style freezer packs the night before and stick then in the cooler as well. The freezer packs helped the electric cooler keep cool, as my opinion is they don't work really well in hot weather.

I think its all a matter of how you will be using the rig, how much your budget is, and what are you willing to do to keep you food from giving you worms or even worse, the bathroom squirts.

-Timmy² AKA Ibdilbert

[bluebird]

Sent: 5/10/2008

If the frige is in decent shape, maybe a new cooling unit? There are several places that sell them on line both new and rebuilt.

Charles

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sent: 5/17/2008

Either fix the fridge you have (with a new cooling coil unit...relatively affordable...look at the resource links under fridge!), or get a new ammonia fridge!

Standard freon compressor fridges aren't meant for travel, and they really suck as far as versatility goes.  Do yourself a favor and stick with ammonia!

Either gas prices will come down, or else the country will switch to Ethanol...or else the whole country will go boobies-up in complete and dismal bankrupt failure...I'm hoping its the second of my three choices!....lol!

Kev

[ontheroadagain]

Sent: 5/18/2008

I just got a Chefmate Model  BC-50A it's a semi-conductor electric type it has no compressor it uses a large heat sink and three fans. It only uses 70 watts 1amp of 110 AC power so you can use a small inverter to run it. Its a small cube style without a freezer compartment. I don't know how much they cost because this was left behind as a parting "gift" by a college student at the university I work at.

[tiinytina]

Sent: 6/1/2008

When the fridge Gone came with finally gave up the ghost we used a Coleman plug in cooler for a while... plugs into a lighter... Bungeed over the doghouse... no temp adjustment just 40F below or above ambient depending on which way you plugged it in.... Worked many trips until we saved enough for a new RV fridge... Rv fridge just worth it in my opinion, at the price of gas I have no desire (unless its stinking hot and the AC is a must) to run my genny driving down the road.  Frozen stuff stays frozen and cold stuff stays cold for your ride... and an ice cold beverage is usually a must after pulling in and setting up!

Tina

[nikoj]

Hope you found a solution to your problem.  The differences between vapor absorption and vapor compression type refrigeration systems are significant, but for practical purposes it boils down (a refrigeration pun) to convenience. 

Absorbers are very inefficient, ammonia/hydrogen are the worst. For every BTU of heat that goes into the process you get .2 to .4 BTU  of refrigerating effect.  For a compression type system each BTU input gets you about 3 BTU  of refrigerating effect, basically 10 times as much. You can really see this in a hot pulldown, that is starting the unit when its been off and reached room temp, compressors pulldown very quickly.  The problem with compressors in motorhomes is of course electricity.

If you have an adequate solar system and it does not really have to be that big of a system definitely go with electric, since most rv's already have propane,  absorbers are very handy.

If you go electric you want a manual defrost model with no fans to suck power.  There a lots available up to about 4 cubic feet and they are cheep as you pointed out.  Compressors work great in all kinds of circumstances and their efficiency can't be beat.  btw, your air conditioner is a high temperature refrigerator.

Nick