Propane Refrigerators

[Redoverfarm]

Anyone have any info on Propane Refrigerators.  Brands, reliability, size, and etc..  I guess I am asking for a sort of " Consumer Reports of CP member" .  I did notice that they are generally small in comparison to convientional AC units except for the price.  Any sugestions?

[phalynx]

I am going to piggy-back on this thread.  It's useful info for me too.  I can say that with the research I have done, RV type fridges work well and up to 12CF in size.  They will run off both electric and propane and use about 1.1lb per day.  Dometic is a large RV brand.

[Whitlock]

I have used two of them for about 10 years both Servals. Use a lot of propane and as they got older the ice cubes start taking on a propane taste Other than that they worked great.

I still have one free to good home

[considerations]

"I still have one free to good home"

Seriously? 

[Whitlock]

Yes seriously!

It is out of a RV I don't believe it is a Serval though.
It has been sitting for 6 mo. and still smells like propane
I will look tomarrow and let you know.Or better yet I will take a picture and post it.

[glenn kangiser]

We used the one for about 5 or 6 years I guess, but as W said - it took a few hundred dollars -maybe 3 or 400 now-of propane per year.

As I recall, Dometic now owns Serval also.

[Don_P]

I finally heaved the one out of our RV it was an old Dometic, I had it rebuilt once. They do seem to only be able to keep up in moderate temps, if you end up in a really warm spell its time to get out the ice chest. From talking to others and seeing the fans they aftermarket for them I think that's true on more than just the one we had. I put in a small electric and was much happier... but on jobsites we always had some form of heavy power handy.

[considerations]

In this 5th wheel I have a Norcold.  The 5th wheel is a 1989 model, and I assume this is the original model.  About 2002 it quit and I hauled it out, took it to an "authorized service center" in the Seattle area and they replaced what wasn't working.  i don't remember exactly what broke, but it was about $750 so it was a significant repair.

Its worked since, mostly on AC, but I switch it to propane when using big power tools. It's only about 7.5 cubic feet and does not self defrost. 

Some friends down the road have two Dometics, and although small by normal standards, they look like a regular fridge.  The model I have is more like a cabinet, sitting in an "alcove" about 2.5' off the floor.  Considering the fact that this is an RV, and used as a "permanent" residence, I've not been unhappy with it, although defrosting is not my favorite pastime.

[phalynx]

The ones I am most interested in hearing about are Crystal Cold.  They have combo models up to 18CF.  Supposedly used about .3 gallons of propane a day.  Anyone have one of these?

[NM_Shooter]

Try to find one with an electronic control rather than a mechanical control.  Ours struggles with consistent temperature depending on the ambient temps.  We had to learn how to use it as well.  They don't have much horsepower when it comes to cooling stuff down.  We always pre-cool our food before inserting it in the RV fridge.  We also learned to not go in/out of the fridge much.

[Dave Sparks]

The ones I am most interested in hearing about are Crystal Cold.  They have combo models up to 18CF.  Supposedly used about .3 gallons of propane a day.  Anyone have one of these?

Yes I and several of my offgrid customers use crystal cold.  There is nothing better at this date! There are tricks to making a perfect install and if in the design phase of the kitchen I can give some pointers.

[Redoverfarm]

The ones I am most interested in hearing about are Crystal Cold.  They have combo models up to 18CF.  Supposedly used about .3 gallons of propane a day.  Anyone have one of these?

Yes I and several of my offgrid customers use crystal cold.  There is nothing better at this date! There are tricks to making a perfect install and if in the design phase of the kitchen I can give some pointers

[kenhill]

In Alaska, Lowes and Home Depot sel Danby propane fridges for about $999.

[Redoverfarm]

Ken here they are a special order item.  I haven't checked with them most of my searches has been on the net.  Just trying to get a feel for what appears to be the best and most reliable brand. 

[cordwood]

 I grew up with the old round top Servels & we probably went through 4 or 5 in in 15 years of living in the sticks. I wish i had one now because I think I could convert it to run on something other than propane. Maybe some home "Home Brewed" white gas Cause if I was realy wanting out I don't want rely on a refinery.

[tc-vt]

I have had this model (see the link below) for about four years now.  A couple of times per year the CO output goes up.  Cleaning soot from around the burner and brushing out the exhaust flue returns it to a cleaner burning condition (normal maintenance).

The interior light works on 2 D batteries.  I might still be on the original batteries had I not left the door slightly open overnight one time.

It needs to be defrosted 2-3 times per year.  It takes 1-2 days to defrost.

The piezo ignitor has never been successful at relighting the burner and it requires some contortion for one person to hold the valve open and light it with a butane lighter. 

Overall construction quality = cheap.  But it has worked well and has no moving parts.

Made in Brazil and as you can see the sam refrigerator gets different brand names stamped onto it (Danby, Consul, any more?)

Tom



http://www.bensdiscountsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=408

[Dave Sparks]

Tha Amish make the Crystal Cold for themselves and others. It is one of the few  gas units that will make ice in the hottest places in the world. I can give a link to one of the best  propane service guy's in the world up near Vallejo California.

The 15 and 18 are now certified for use without a vent but I use one anyway. They were Amana boxes without the electrics. Ervins cabinet shop in Illonois is the manufacturer and has been good over the years.

These units look like normal appliances and have a high wife acceptance factor!

To make them last they need to have room around them for air and a notched cabinet back up to high ceilings really helps lower gas usage and running temps.

There are no quirks to using them except defrost 4 times a year and a vacume with a shop vac. Ice is made in about 14 hours, mas y menos.

I have had good luck with 4 and one had to have a rebuild after 5 years. My trophy offgrid home near La Paz (baja) has the same unit now for 11 years.

When I do an offgrid home consult I use this unit in my 24V never run a generator design. It gives the user a decent amount of battery storage, for a reasonable price so the homeowner can be pretty normal without too many worries on cloudy days. They are also great for early on in building your home as you can discuss prices from a position of strength when you have the cold ones.....

[Redoverfarm]

Dave are those AC as well as propane?

[Dave Sparks]

I really wish they were as it would be a perfect diversion load!
The link for repairs and a wealth of knowlege on many different brands is at gasrefrigeration.net

[Redoverfarm]

I think many brands have this option.  I will have to research it a little more to determine which do.

[river place]

We have an RV at our place in AR which has a Dometic fridge.  Look for the recent recalls some of the Dometic units as some can leak the gas used to cool which I think is amonia and if running on propane this could be an issue.  We run ours on 12 most of the time when there.  Still need to get the recall done which includes a metal shield.

[Dave Sparks]

Yes there are many that have the AC option but none that are a decent size in my opinion. After we built our house and moved out of the RV there was no option for me with my significant other.......

[lisaandmike]

Hi I am new here so I hope I do this right.  My Dh and I lived in an RV for almost 4 years.  We had a 4 door Norcold which was propane and electric which was not very efficient.

We just built an Off Grid home last summer and I have an 18cu ft stainless steel Diamond Propane refrigerator.  It works well and it is supposed to use 1.7 gallons of propane per week.  I don't know how to verify that.  It does need to be manually defrosted which takes a few hours once every 2-3 months.  So far I have no trouble with it but we are thinking about more panels for an electric refrigerator.

We started off with all propane appliances and I think we will gradually switch over to more self sufficient options.

[phalynx]

Hey Lisaandmike...  I think I know you... You have the huge TN thread on your home building right?

[lisaandmike]

Hey phalynx,

That's me.  how come you didn't share this thread with me, lol?  It looks like a lot of interesting stuff.

Lisa