Hi, I was considering one of these for regular camping, but most people I speak to all use compressor fridges. So really hoping for some input.

Would a sub T rated unit do well in a 40 degree ambient temp running under my tent awning mostly exposed and opened?

With the waeco/dometic units, what size is T rated? 90L or 120L?

What size family are the 90L & 120L units for?


thanks

At 40 degree ambient temps even a T rated will struggle even if you don’t open it all day, remembering that every time you open it all the child "falls" out of it and is replaced by hot air

In those sort of temperatures I’d go for something like the Evakool which has great insulation and uses little power

Hi Jman,
I am assuming you are considering purchasing a portable fridge to have under your awning when bush camping. If you are going for something bigger than 40ltrs as a portable it could be a two man job to handle.
Any of the good compressor fridges should handle the 40 degree heat but the three way portable would be struggling.
So if you go for a compressor fridge you will need a good auxiliary battery and solar or dare I say it a generator.

I have a portable forty year old 40ltr finch fridge (3 way) and a 10year old Engle (compressor). The Engle is the better and has handled 40 degree plus temperature easily but years ago camping in the bush with the Finch in the shade and level and running on gas it always did the job and all that was needed was a gas bottle.

A sub ‘T’ fridge will not handle 40 degrees. We have a built in 150Ltr ‘T’ rated and it can handle forty degrees and in fact it still kept everything in the freezer frozen and held everything in the bottom area at a safe temperature at 46 degrees outside. Our ‘T’ rated fridge does have extra insulation and good ventilation.

I think ‘T’ rated three way fridges start at about 120ltr and bigger but these are the built in type. I don’t think ‘T’ rated three way fridges are available in small sizes.

JR

A limitation with this tech? Wish they change these & beef them up as 40C isnt even that high.





Thanks for sharing. Yep under the tent awning. What do you mean by ‘are the built in type’? Sounds like something that must be used in a caravan only.

Cheers.

Yes the ones that are fitted into a caravan, built into the caravan cupboards.

To gain the ‘T’ rated specifications in three way fridges it appears that fridges with a reasonable size area (cooling area) can do this with the right refrigerant mix but the smaller size fridge just cannot make the grade. The larger fridges have a seasonable area up the back of the fridge to allow a good flow of cooling air for the condenser. This may have changed and smaller fridges may have the ‘T’ but I am not aware of it.

Note I am only talking three way fridges as most compressor fridges can handle the higher temperatures.

JR

Climate Class
Minimum Temp Maximum Temp
SN…..10 Deg C…32 Deg C
N…….16 Deg C…32 Deg C
ST…..18 Deg C…38 Deg C
T……..18 Deg C…43 Deg C
In some models of refrigerators the following classifications are also available:
SN / ST = running at room temperature from 10 ° C to 38 ° C
SN / T = operation at room temperature from 10 ° C to 43 ° C.


JR

Hey Frank!….It’s no wonder you have trouble keeping things cold when you keep a child in there!!!!!

Seriously though. I cannot believe the negativity towards 3 way fridge/freezers. We have 2 x 40 litre Chescold (Dometic/Electrolux) portable explorer units. Been using them for many years and had the old metal model before them for about 20 years. We have never had a problem with these units keeping frozen in really hot weather – even in 45 deg. heat (Broken Hill, Cobar last year).

They are brilliant on gas and 240v and will hold on 12v whilst traveling.

They also have a 50 litre model which serves as a fridge with a freezer section to one side. Before buying the 2nd. Chescold , I did waver and bought a Waeco 3 way but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the Chescold so sold it on e-bay after one trip up to Lakefield N.P..

Sure, the Dometic 3 way in the caravan is very inefficient and I’ve had to install solar powered exhaust fans and a sunshade on the outside of the van but the portable Explorer freezers are a completely different kettle of fish…Dont worry about T-Rated and all the rest of the Tech stuff….They are brilliant!


Jock
P.S. Also cuts down on the other paraphanalia you need carry or install to power compressor fridges..e.g. solar panels, generator extra batteries etc. etc……Also, quite often, when We head into the bush with the tent and leave the van behind, having the gas option is fantastic.

They are going to have to beef em up on paper anyway to address climate change, even now it can get to 46 in victoria.



Thanks Jock, sounds great. I think a 3 way is only worth it with a size of around 90-120L at least. I think I will try a refurbished dometic unit just in case the units don’t give chilled drinks in 40C+

I forgot some questions Jock, can you give example of chescold unit and the inferior waeco? I thought they were pretty much the same. All these issues with elements burning out, did your chescolds ever have that problem? 240V is a big part, as you normally leave in on ac all night before a trip.

cheers.

Hi Jman. If you google "Waeco seconds shop" You’ll see them all there. At great prices too!

We camped at Hanush’s waterhole in Lakefield, for 2 weeks just before the Barra closure (1st Nov.).. It was in the high 30’s most days with a couple of 40’s thrown in. I had the Explorer side by side with the newly bought Waeco. The Explorer clearly held up much better than the Waeco. Don’t really know why but, as We do a lot of FNQ camping, I had no hesitation in getting rid of the Waeco and replacing it with another Explorer.
I didn’t read your original post properly and missed seeing that you are looking for a 120 + unit. So really the stuff I’m talking about wouldn’t suit…As mentioned, I have 2 of them (total 80 litres) and even if you bought 2 of the 50 litre units, you’d still be short of your requirements. I, personally, couldn’t handle these large units..reckon you’d need a forklift to get em in and out of the tent.

When We go on our Sth. Aust. fishing trips, We usually have no trouble in bringing back the 2 units full of Whiting fillets, squid and oysters, using the two freezers and the caravan fridge (cant bring back any more-new in possession laws). When we do our tenting desert trips, We find the 2 Explorers more than adequate for food and drinks…The 2ic likes a cold white wine and I dont drink red wine so I like the Scotch and dry to have some nice big chunks of ice to go with

Great talking to you.

Jock