Upgrade from Norcold to Dometic CR-1110 E/F-S (compressor fridge)

[tentcamper]

So for towing it draws less power, but for dry camping you run between 4 to 7 AH vs 0 when running on propane with the norcold?

But over all you get better temp control.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by tentcamper

So for towing it draws less power, but for dry camping you run between 4 to 7 AH vs 0 when running on propane with the norcold?
But over all you get better temp control.

Yes, it's all about keeping contents COLD in places with really high temperatures.

[ShrimpBurrito]

For that reason, I don't think the compressor fridge is practical while dry camping unless you have solar, a generator, or a very large battery bank (like 400+ Ah).

Dave

[tentcamper]

Even with solar, east of the Mississippi and a few over cast days. Making the assumption you are getting some amps through the overcast, but also have other power usage. You are out of power in two days if you are burning 5 AH (60 amps/day) to run your fridge.

[davlin]

I gotta chime in here. I've owned both the Norcold gas absorption and the Dometic compressor refrigerator. It seems to me, that a lot of folks are making inferences about the efficiency of the Dometic on 12vdc from their experiences with the Norcold. The Dometic pulls 5.9 amps ONLY when the compressor is running. When it's not running, let's call it "close enough" to zero. A gas absorption will pretty much have to keep the heater on full time on 12vdc, so it's a continual drain. I don't know how long a Dometic will run on battery alone; I gave up after 41 hours because I knew I'd never need it to run that long. I'm a firm believer that you'd be concerned about running incandescent light bulbs long before you'd worry about the Dometic.

Having said that, I should also say that "dry camping" for me is when you run out of wine. But as rickst29 pointed out some time back, if you're a serious dry camper, you're going to need some kind of electricity augmentation anyway. That might be generators (Padgett) or solar. In either scenario, the Dometic should work fine.

[scrubjaysnest]

Friend of ours has one in her Tiger, and she got along fine with 200 watts of solar. Once a week she did go into a CG for laundry and watch the football game. That was winter time in AZ. It may have been the Nova Kool instead of the Dometic.

[rickst29]

If you're worried about lengthy boondocks (longer than 3 days) under clouds, the "Charge Batteries from the TV through Solar COntroller" mod would solve the problem. When switched on , with the TV running, the TM Solar Controller "sees" the Tow Vehicle as Solar panel with about 350W @ 27V. (Inside the TM, the Solar Controller adjusts battery charge voltage according to TM battery SOC.) with 30-40 minutes after flicking the Dashboard switch and letting the TV idle, my TM batteries are moved from 45% to 85%, and good for multiple additional days of running the CR-1110 fridge.

Although the electronics makes the TV act "as a solar panel", the concept and result is to use it as a small "350 watt battery generator" in 12V mode - with an 18 gallon gas tank, and the ability to drive to a gas station whenever you need more. The combination has been "ELECTRIFYING" (from the 4runner) and "COOL!" (inside the fridge).