Replacement for a RM212 3 way fridge?

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mjb666
Posts: 618
Joined: August 23rd, 2014, 5:07 pm
Location: Surrey. M3-Junction 4.

Replacement for a RM212 3 way fridge?

Post: # 18877Post mjb666
August 11th, 2017, 9:24 pm

I would like to replace my old, rather tempermental Dometic/Electrolux RM212 3 way fridge.

I have seen this 12v fridge Vitrifrigo C60i and wondered if anyone else has done this and especially anyone who has fitted this model as it say's it's a direct replacement?

http://www.penguinfrigo.co.uk/blog/2015 ... 2v-fridge/

I realise i lose the gas option but it's not really that good on gas.

I would also like to get involved with a solar set up.

Any info, advice, alternatives would be gratefully received?

Thanks

Mike
2005 Mitsubishi L200 Single Cab 4x2
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Big Jim
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Joined: February 25th, 2015, 9:19 am
Location: Wolverhampton

Re: Replacement for a RM212 3 way fridge?

Post: # 18882Post Big Jim
August 12th, 2017, 9:08 am

It looks impressive . I am always forgetting to switch between gas and 12v . I guess this is idiot proof ?

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sabconsulting
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Joined: July 27th, 2015, 9:49 pm
Location: High Wycombe

Re: Replacement for a RM212 3 way fridge?

Post: # 18908Post sabconsulting
August 13th, 2017, 9:53 pm

I changed from an absorption fridge (3-way) to compressor fridge 6 years ago.

Absorption fridges are great if you intend to camp somewhere without hookup or solar power without moving your camper for a few days (don't drain your battery and are very frugal with your propane), but can fail if you try to run them while parked unlevel. They can also take a day to get down to temperature and don't hold an exact temperature. Plus, if you run them on 12v they can quickly kill your battery since they draw a lot of current. Note that Americans run such fridges on propane while driving (I've done it myself several times in the US and Canada).

A 12v compressor fridge will get cold quickly, maintain the correct temperature and will operate perfectly even if the only place to park is on a 30 degree side slope while you go for a hike. there is some noise from the compressor.

We have a Waeco fridge, so you might like to compare their specification for this size - however our 140 litre Waeco was not an exact size replacement for our Dometic RM 2410, meaning extra fabrication work was involved fitting it.

A solar panel with a good charge controller is a good match for a small compressor fridge. But you do have to think about the current that fridge is drawing and how you charge it. Remember, overnight the fridge will be running draining the battery. During the day if driving your alternator will need to both charge the battery to recover the drain overnight, and power the fridge at the same time - this may take many hours of driving, plus I believe the alternators on modern Euro-6 trucks aren't particularly suited to charging camper batteries. So even though this 60 litre fridge probably doesn't use much power, you still need to ensure you have a good charging solution in place. In my case (and remembering I am supporting a larger fridge than yours) I have 160 watts of solar panels powering a MPPT solar charger to a 110 ah AGM battery. To optimise charging from the alternator I have fitted thicker cable (minimising electrical losses) and a DC-to-DC charger that produces optimal charging voltage and current from the alternator to the camper battery and an intelligent multi-stage 240v to 12v charger for when I have hookup. Plus a Victron battery monitor so I can see the state of charge at any point in time.

Also critical here is what type of battery you have. Cheap leisure batteries aren't designed to be discharged much overnight - with an absorption fridge you wouldn't have been putting much stress on that battery (unless inadvisably running it on 12v). If you let the battery's charge get down to 50% each night you might only get a few camping trips before the battery dies. A good AGM battery can be discharged to 50% many hundreds of times. In fact my AGM battery specification states it can take several hundred discarges down to only 20% charge level, but I would still aim at 50% as the number not to drop below.

Steve.
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mjb666
Posts: 618
Joined: August 23rd, 2014, 5:07 pm
Location: Surrey. M3-Junction 4.

Re: Replacement for a RM212 3 way fridge?

Post: # 18927Post mjb666
August 14th, 2017, 9:34 pm

Thank you Steve for that comprehensive reply.

May i ask, prompted by your user name, do you offer a design, supply & fit service for all aspects of off grid living & world travel based around a De-mountable?

It would be of great interest to me as far as my initial enquiry goes.

Mike
2005 Mitsubishi L200 Single Cab 4x2
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