With good inverter theres not much difference between 12v and 240v AC . A little more due to inverter but hardly anything to worry about . If solar , batteries are big enough ??
While the inverter is a great way to go, don't forget the inverter unit uses extra power to actually power it..a power loss. Just make certain you have sufficient battery supply and backup solar before you make a decision
Hi Joe, From my understanding, when we brought our van with 190 lt Dometic (Waeco) compressor fridge, we were told it basically runs on 12 v all the time.
My thinking was that it has a built in inverter like a split system air con has a AC to DC convertor, but I am not 100% on that.
We rarely plug into 240 v, so the fridge runs on 12 v all the time, and it is supposed to be better in high heat than a three-way, I think it uses about 5 amp/hour so overnight it would draw 60 amps, which is our main usages apart from a few lights at night. It runs at about 2 degrees in the fridge and minus 20 in the freezer, plenty of room inside and cold beer.
my vote is for 12v. why add another piece of equipment that could possibly fail into the mix ?
Although, 12v stuff can be more expensive than the 240 equivalent, so depends on what the cost of the inverter is .
Others may be able to advise but I figure 12v stuff is made to travel, where as 240v is made for stationary home use.
That said, I've not run 240v fridges, so they may be exactly the same from a build perspective.
that's all the food for thought I have....at work ....shhhhh
Yea depends on cost ? A good 12v fridge freezer is $2500 plus . I just fitted one, replacing 3 way. A seperate inverter is not expensive .,Can be built in fridge . Although it would be better if inverter was close to batteries as 240v has way less voltage drop . Seperate circuit ..
the fridge in our van is compressor type waceo 190 litre and is a bit of crap 2x100ah batteries 300watts solar full sun van not used for 3 days fridge defrosted and was off. son accidently disconnected power. van new 2017 had all sorts of problems with it at cape York last year. leaving it at our new house site ( no power ) back after 2 or 3 weeks food off as well as fridge. We had no problems with our old 3 way so are now looking at replacing it with 3 way. Bringing van home in 2 weeks for work. diesel heater will not run on 12 volt ( not wired directly to battery ) anode in hws , pull fridge out. NEVER NEVER NEVER touch a Sentinal van or sentenial van repairs.
Cheers bass
We have a 12v Waco 217 lt fridge freezer, We brought ours with the van following advice given to us by members of this forum. What you need to understand is, that a 12v fridge is a totally different proposition, you have no gas to fall back on, so your 12v system and especially your 12v alternate source needs to be also considered.
The type of camping you do will make a difference, if it is mainly in caravan parks, with an occasional non powered site here and there you shouldn't have much of a problem, but if your away for weeks with no 240 then you need to plan very carefully.
With the fridges, have a look at the ventilation of the condenser and fan, and the way it is supplied by cooler air via the vents, ours falls on its head a bit in hot weather and I think its the way the vents are sited. In that respect a 240v fridge with an inverter may be better, the condensers on them look better being big and vertical.
Yep I added extra solar . Kept the 30 amp
Reg . The panels are never 100 % efficient. More a feel good part having 50% extra solar than required . We free camp for up to 3 weeks at a time .. Water is what keeps us coming back to civilisation.
