17 replies to this topic

[Happy Adventure]

Any advice about the 85 liter Isotherm versus the 130 liter?   Will the smaller one be less of a power draw?

Four Wheel recommended the larger fridge as the power draw difference was miniscule.   I am planning to order a new Grandby next week and upgrade to solar from my 2007 Grandby.  I have the dometic 3 way and when it is over 90 out the fridge is 60 inside.   

[billharr]

Depends on how you use it. Power draw difference if full would be very little. Storage is the trade off. We really like the storage over the fridge. We do need to stop and refill the fridge, but we do not stay in one place for a long time. If you are staying for a week in one place I would get the larger fridge. 

[Straitline]

Here is some data on power use of the 130 liter model in my 2017 Grandby:

5.5 setting - 92°F at 8 PM, refrig went to 38°F, running continuously, 39 AH used in 12 hrs, 3.25 amp/hr average with 33-34°F minimum internal

This is with both an added in internal and external fan to help cooling.

[Dirtroadsavant]

As Bill says, it depends on how you use it, so the best way to help is to tell how we use it.  

 

We’ve now lived with the 130 for two years, including a three month trip, and have been happy with the results.  We are big cooks, so carry lots of ingredients—-fresh produce, meats, etc. We both have a fondness for canned soda waters, so that is our key ballast—and ballast is essential to stable temperatures.   We usually shop every 5-7 days, depending on what we are up to. 

  
With a small reduction in ingredients and cold water, and a shopping trip just a bit more often, the 85 would be fine for us, but I love the 130 and the easy ability to be out for a full week.

 

ps.  Pints of premium ice cream stay rock hard in the freezer but you need to cut them in half to fit.  I have been a bit of a spectacle in many  grocery store parking lots as I get out the butcher knife and cutting board and saw the little buggers in half for storage.  But then, sitting 40 miles back down a gravel road in the desert and greeting the stars with a dish of Ben and Jerry’s.  Dang.

[Vic Harder]

+1 on the 130L

 

Straitline, that is some awesome data.  Thanks for sharing.

[billharr]

FYI for putting ice cream in the freezer. Find Talenti Gelato in the plastic jar with screw on top. They fit layed on their side. Tastes great too. 

Edited by billharr, 27 February 2020 - 05:56 AM.

[Cayuse]

I'm not sure it's possible to have too large a fidge in the camper.  I replaced my original 3-way with the Isotherm 65 and it is frequently stuffed on a weekend trip with two people and we replenish the beer as we drink it.  One of these days I'll probably modify things and put in a 130L but there are a few other things that are higher on the priority list first.

[Colorado Mark]

I'm with billharr.  Storage loss.

 

We really like the storage above.  We went with the 85 in our new Grandby.

 

The freezer section on both the 85 & 130 are the same size. . . really small.  We purchased a TruckFridge that we can run in the cab of the truck while driving and added a 12V outlet on the outside of the camper to keep it under the back bumper when parked.

[Zirdu]

I choose the 85 for my new Grandby, mostly because of the extra storage space on top.  I am happy with my choice.  The refrigerator seems to have plenty of room for me, even on longer trips, and the storage space is very handy.  

[heinphoto]

We rented a Grandby over the holidays that had the 130L refrigerator.  Based on that experience, when we ordered our Grandby, we decided to go with the 85L.  We will mostly be doing shorter trips (typically a week or less), and we think the 85L will be just fine and a good tradeoff for the extra storage you get as a result of "downsizing".  However, if we were planning to do longer trips, I think we would probably have gone with the 130L.