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Topic: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator (Read 209 times) previous topic - next topic
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Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Not sure if anyone has posted this video I recently running into. Seems to be a pretty thorough comparison. For LD owners with sufficient solar power, the compressor system looks to be a sensible choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DV0bdNtF9w
2004 Mid Bath,
2007 Jeep Liberty Towed
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #1 –
Nice comparison, tilted towards compressor fridge as expected.

Would love to switch to a compressor fridge once the existing fridge fails.    Looks to use 1/4 the power.    Already use electric for most days with the absorption.
Dave

2017 TK
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #2 –
12-volt compressor refrigerators seem to be the future of RV refrigerators. We have run a compressor ice chest continuously for a year and a half on solar without any problems.I would estimate a minimum of 600+ watts of solar will be needed for a refrigerator, along with a lithium upgrade of 200-300 amp/hours. For most, it will not be a cheap upgrade.
Occasional generator run time may be needed during multi-day storms, on the short days of winter, or when camped in deep trees. Propane still has advantages.
I will seriously consider switching to a compressor refrigerator when the present Dometic propane refrigerator bites the dust, an additional panel or two may be needed.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #3 –
It would be nice to have a dual absorption/compressor fridge, but a Freon system is totally different than absorption. The absorption type just has a electric point source element, for it to be able to run on 110VAC.
     Cli288,  your profile says that your home base area is in Michigan. That far north, and with actual weather, you might need more solar than someone in Phoenix with more direct and sunnier days.  Now that I have 400AH of lithium, and 450W solar I've thought of a compressor 'fridge as a replacement.
     Dave, if you wait for your 'fridge to crap out, you may have a long wait.  23 years on mine and still running. (Most of that run time has been very level).   RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #4 –
Yes, this video sounds like an infomercial. There's nothing in it that is inaccurate, but the sales pitch is a little too blatant for my taste--it seems as if every third word is "Vitrifrigo."

The comparison of initial cool-down times is meaningful--2.5 hours vs. 8 hours is a big difference--but I'd have liked to hear more specifics in other areas. For example, absorption refrigerators "operate at low sound level" while compressor fridges "operate at medium noise level... but new innovative technologies are bringing noise levels down." That last phrase is just marketing fluff. Why not give us actual dB measurements so we can judge for ourselves? (My unscientific description of compressor fridge noise: a quiet hum when running, no worse than a residential fridge.)

Don't get me wrong. I've owned several Vitrifrigo compressor fridges in various RVs, and I've also used several Dometic compressor chest fridges, which use the same Danfoss/SECOP cooling modules, in trucks and cars. The advantages mentioned in the video are real, and they apply to any compressor fridge, whether it's made by Vitrifrigo, Dometic, Isotherm, or other manufacturers. I'm just a little put off by the heavy-handed way this guy pushes the product.

Here are a couple other things I've noticed about Vitrifrigo compressor fridges: for a given cubic foot capacity, they are shallower than absorption fridges, because they don't have that huge mass of plumbing on the back. The compressor module, which is very compact, is usually tucked in at the bottom, which makes for slightly smaller crisper bins. Less depth for the same capacity means you can fit more insulation behind the fridge--and "behind" is the RV's outside wall, where it's hottest in the summer.

Also, some Vitrifrigo models can be ordered with separate compressor units, connected to the "box" by a three-foot bendable insulated pipe. That makes it possible to place the compressor where it will get the best air circulation, and thus cool most efficiently. I did this when installing a Vitrifrigo C130 fridge in my current Airstream, and it allowed me to completely surround the fridge with several inches of insulation.

As we've discussed before, compressor fridges aren't for everybody. If you have one or two solar panels and batteries, or if you spend a lot of time camping in wooded areas, you may not be able to supply enough electricity to keep one running. But if you can, they have a lot of advantages.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #5 –
Quote from: Andy Baird  - 
Yes, this video sounds like an infomercial. There's nothing in it that is inaccurate, but the sales pitch is a little too blatant for my taste--it seems as if every third word is "Vitrifrigo."

The comparison of initial cool-down times is meaningful--2.5 hours vs. 8 hours is a big difference--but I'd have liked to hear more specifics in other areas. For example, absorption refrigerators "operate at low sound level" while compressor fridges "operate at medium noise level... but new innovative technologies are bringing noise levels down." That last phrase is just marketing fluff. Why not give us actual dB measurements so we can judge for ourselves? (My unscientific description of compressor fridge noise: a quiet hum when running, no worse than a residential fridge.)

Don't get me wrong. I've owned several Vitrifrigo compressor fridges in various RVs, and I've also used several Dometic compressor chest fridges, which use the same Danfoss/SECOP cooling modules, in trucks and cars. The advantages mentioned in the video are real, and they apply to any compressor fridge, whether it's made by Vitrifrigo, Dometic, Isotherm, or other manufacturers. I'm just a little put off by the heavy-handed way this guy pushes the product.

Here are a couple other things I've noticed about Vitrifrigo compressor fridges: for a given cubic foot capacity, they are shallower than absorption fridges, because they don't have that huge mass of plumbing on the back. The compressor module, which is very compact, is usually tucked in at the bottom, which makes for slightly smaller crisper bins. Less depth for the same capacity means you can fit more insulation behind the fridge--and "behind" is the RV's outside wall, where it's hottest in the summer.

Also, some Vitrifrigo models can be ordered with separate compressor units, connected to the "box" by a three-foot bendable insulated pipe. That makes it possible to place the compressor where it will get the best air circulation, and thus cool most efficiently. I did this when installing a Vitrifrigo C130 fridge in my current Airstream, and it allowed me to completely surround the fridge with several inches of insulation.

As we've discussed before, compressor fridges aren't for everybody. If you have one or two solar panels and batteries, or if you spend a lot of time camping in wooded areas, you may not be able to supply enough electricity to keep one running. But if you can, they have a lot of advantages.


I completely agree the overhype sales pitch is a distraction to the meaningful data presented here. In fact I never heard this company making refrigerators before. I knew their inverters. I found our yesterday that their contractor's plant in China has been shut down since March of this year and any new stocks will not be available until November. Some of the 12v compressor, condenser, and evaporator kits will not be available until next March. Vitrifrigo is just an Italian marketing company, all their productions are contractors made in China. Not sure about their quality control although their products are very expensive.

Interesting that another Italian company, Isotherm who sells marine  refrigerators, is facing the same supplier issues. No fridge with DC compressors from them either until October.
2004 Mid Bath,
2007 Jeep Liberty Towed
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #6 –
"In fact I never heard this company making refrigerators before."

I'm not sure when they started making them, but I think it's been quite a few years. I put a Vitrifrigo DP150 compressor fridge in my midbath back around 2016, and at that time they offered a broad range of refrigerators. Like Isotherm, they're better known in the marine market than in the RV market.

Dometic also makes compressor fridges. In addition to the chest fridges I mentioned using in my cars and trucks (CF-40, CFX-50, and CFF-45 models), my Trillium fiberglass trailer came with a small but very nice Dometic compressor fridge/freezer with a conventional front-opening door. It used the same type of Danfoss/SECOP compressor module as in the Vitrifrigos, in this case top-mounted.

A feature I like about these is that they will run on 12 VDC, but will automatically switch over to 120 VAC when that's available. 12 V power consumption is typically around 4 amps when the compressor is running, depending of course upon the size of the fridge and the outside temperature. Compare that to 30 A when running an absorption fridge on 12 VDC using an inverter. BIG difference!

As you can see from the attached photo, these compressor modules are quite compact, compared to the large and complicated plumbing of an absorption refrigerator.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #7 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
     Dave, if you wait for your 'fridge to crap out, you may have a long wait.  23 years on mine and still running. (Most of that run time has been very level).   RonB

Sounds like I need to abuse my current fridge then.😇
Dave

2017 TK
 
Re: Technology Comparison: RV Absorption Refrigerator VS RV Compressor Refrigerator
Reply #8 –
Funny how when considering replacing our fridge with a compressor model I never thought about sound level. I notice the very muted sound now our fridge circulation fan makes at night - I enjoy a quiet night with only the sounds of nature outside, free of mechanical humdrum. A fridge cycling at the other end of a 40' rig from the bedroom might not be an issue, but in our short FL...

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit