9 replies to this topic

[joez3]

Is anyone using a Dometic CFS3 35 cooler/ref? Are they any good?

Thanks

 

[PaulT]

Haven’t used the 35 but my IntechRV Pursue has the 45 installed. Had the trailer for 14 months. The fridge is very quiet and has good temperature control. So far it has worked fine and doesn’t seem to run too much. Better than the Dometic 110l built into my FWC Hawk

 

Hope this helps.

 

Paul

[ckent323]

We have a Dometic CFX-28 that we place in the truck cab behind the center console.  The CFX-28 is the next size smaller than the Dometic CFX3 35 (which is a newer model).
 

It uses the same compressor and electronics and a similarly built (but slightly smaller) container.

It is quiet and works great.  Have had it since 2018. 

Edited by ckent323, 24 March 2021 - 10:42 AM.

[joez3]

I ended up getting the Dometic CFX3 35. Last night I plugged it into my Yeti 1000, using the 12DC, and put 12 cans of soda in it. Set the temp to 38. It ran for several hours then it turned it self off, due to low battery voltage. It looks like the older (non x versions) Yetis don't have a 12v regulated output. That is a problem with the Yeti not the Dometic. 

I changed the setting on the Dometic so it won't shutdown for low voltage, and restarted my little test. After a while I noticed that the compressor stop running and the Dometic is showing a temp of 38. I check the temp of one of my cans and it was 56, the floor of the cooler is only 40. I was expecting my soda to cool down to somewhere around 38.

Does anyone know where the temperature sensor is located? My thinking is I should move my sodas near the temp sensor, so that they would heat up the sensor and cause the compressor to come on.

[Brewery Meister]

I've had one for about a year now. Just returned from a week long trek to Oregon with the frig. on the whole way. It works great, keeps things very cool and uses about 1amp per hour. I have two 120amp deep cell batteries and 300 watts of solar. My batteries are also charged while driving... Never had a problem... Although...

 

There was some serious "operator error" midway through the trip. Because the panels were charging at such a high level I turned their breaker off before leaving home and didn't turn it back on till midway through the trip when I notice the batteries slowly losing voltage. I checked the breaker (for the heck of it) and after slapping my forehead we were back in business.

 

Needless to say, I highly recommend this refrigerator. lt was just the right size for the two of us and kept everything nice and cold. I am still trying to figure out a way to permanently mount it in the camper so I'm not constantly moving it around.

[jasper]

Has anyone come up with a way to tie them down without the handles being attached?

 

I'm working on building on my FWC camper, and the difference in width with the handles (27.32") vs 24.80 without isn't a ton, but is significant enough with the space I'm working with I'm curious if there's a way to use the existing mounting point for the handles to mount a slimmed down way to tie it down. 

[Dirtroadsavant]

We could use a small additional cooler/freezer for longer trips.  For people keeping them in the cab of the truck, what is the power supply when the engine is not running?

[ckent323]

They run on 12v power so if you leave it on overnight it is advisable to have a way to keep your starting battery from being drained.  An automatic charge relay or DC-DC charger (depending on if you have a smart alternator or not) between your truck battery and camper house battery is one approach.   

(I assume these days that anyone running a 12v refrigerator has a solar system of appropriate size along with an appropriately sized house battery).

Alternatively you could have a separate solar system for your truck, say a 50W panel (and charge controller) either permanently affixed or deployable to keep from killing your starting battery.

Depending on ambient temperatures it is safe to assume a draw of about 3 amps per hour (actual use will probably be less).  So if only overnight you need around 36 available Ah to run the refrigerator.  If sitting for days at a time you need around 72 Ah a day.  Since most of the refrigerators use the same compressor the power need does not increase very much for larger units (until they get much larger).  The limiting factor for us was the external dimensions for fit and weight because I want to be able to move it in and out of the cab of the truck by myself.  We have a Dometic CFX 28 as a consequence.

In all events calculate the round trip wire length and use a wire size big enough to avoid a voltage drop of more than a couple percent.  The refrigerators don't like low voltage.

I hope this is helpful.

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 27 January 2022 - 06:34 AM.

[joez3]

My Dometic CFS3 35 cooler has a battery saver mode, you can set it so when the input voltage gets low it will turn itself off. I have a yeti 1400 that I power mine off of, it will last for several days without needing to be recharged. I can recharge the yeti off a 12v outlet, so when I am driving around, I'll change it up. 

BTW: I found that the older yeti's don't have a 12v regulated output. So you might have 75% batter life but the output voltage will be around 10-11v. If you have one of these older models you can buy a cable with the regulator built into it.

[BlueSky]

I have 200w solar/LifePo4 powering everything including the CFX 55 and no problems whatsoever.  Nice fridge, quiet, and I use the handles as tie-downs. I was getting by on 100w of solar initially but that panel got old and the output dropped so I added the second one.