I'm fairly new to this forum so please bear with me. I know this subject has been covered elsewhere but I can't find the relevant post.
My girlfriend and I are off to France in August and for this year I want a 3 way fridge to keep things (i.e. beer) chilled. I've done a bit of research and it seems Waeco models are pretty popular as are sibir. My question is whether a cooling temp of 20C below ambient would be sufficient for keeping things cool when in France at the end of August or would I need a 30C below ambient fridge? I would be gratful if anyone can help me on this and recommend a particular model! Thanks
Hi we have the sibir, it's brilliant...not sure about temperatures but this fridge is capable of freezing things if you forget to turn it down!!!..it has a thermostat from 1-7, start up on 7, but need to turn it down to about 2-3 after an hour, and it keeps things really cold, but as I say I am not sure what temperature it is running at at these numbers...even had to keep it turned right down to 3 even when it was really hot last summer, it was like an oven in the tent but the fridge was fine - and so was hubby's beer. The blurb about the sibir states it cools to 3degrees regardless of ambient temperature...hope that helps.
If running on gas do you need to make an external flue and vent it to outside. Was thinking about using one in the awning of folding camper when we don't manage to get EHU.
Sorry another question i have just thought of. Do they have auto safety gas cut off if flame fails. Are they generally safe or do you have to keep an eye on them.
I have a Waeco, you don't need a flue - as long as you site the fridge in a well ventilated area (in my case, the living are of my Monty 6) ensure that the fridge is in no danger of touching anything (it does get hot where the flame is, but not tremendously so) that it shouldn't you'll be just fine.
Can't comment on temperature really, as we didn't camp in hot weather (has anyone managed to this year !???) but I can confirm that after five days, the bag of ice I'd put at the bottom of the fridge was still totally frozen.
And yes, mine has a cut-out if the flame should go out. The only thing we had problems with was lighting it (when using gas). We ended up having to use the long, hand held, gas lighter I use for the gas hob, as the fridge just wouldn't stay lit when we tried the way you're supposed to do it !! Once lit, everything was fine.
I just bought a Waeco CAB40 last week from the calor gas website. I went for the 100W model (goes to 30 degrees below ambient) based on advice from this forum.
Works a treat.
Tip for lighting the gas...Set the gas regulator on the fridge to the low setting since I found I could get more gas through the valve. If I followed the instructions in the manual (which like a ding-dong I did), then it never lit.....even struggled with matches.
We used a 3 way fridge last summer in France, Spain and Andorra. No problem keeping cool, especially on gas.
I've found they work much better on 240 volts, as on 12 volts there is no temperature regulation and it doesn't keep as cool.
We now run ours using a 12 to 240 volt inverter, but if you decide to do this check the power requirements of the fridge and get an inverter with a greater power rating.
Make sure it's well ventilated at all times when running, and keep it shaded from the sun.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: 3 way fridge question
!???) but I can confirm that after five days, the bag of ice I'd put at the bottom of the fridge was still totally frozen.
