12 replies to this topic

[MarkBC]

Last night I picked up and got installed an Indel Isotherm Cruise 130 refrigerator for my FWC Hawk. I got this from XPCamper-Marc. This is a DC-only compressor-type fridge-with-freezer, 130 liters / 4.6 ft³, vertical/front-loading, and has the "ASU" option. ASU = "automatic starting unit", which runs the compressor harder/more when it senses that the battery is being charged (i.e., engine is running or solar-panel is producing), and this freezes a special block under the freezer, to provide a "source of cold" when extra power is not available, at which point the compressor runs more slowly.

Marc and I spent a couple/few hours installing it at the XPCamper shop (in central Calif) -- took so long mainly because the new fridge is just a little too wide to fit in the spot where my recently-deceased Norcold 3-way sat, so some camper-cabinetry modifications were required.
Just 10 minutes after turning it on, before I even left the shop, the freezer compartment was already getting chilly!
I'll be learning how/how-well it performs on a several day trip on the east side of the Sierras, starting today.

According the the weather forecast, looks like there will be no lack of sun to feed power to the fridge via my solar panel...and no lack of ambient heat to test its cooling capacity and resultant electrical-power demands.

More later, when I know more.

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Hey, Mark, let us know how that compressor sounds when you're trying to sleep.

[leadsled9]

Very interesting, thanks for the post. How much did the new fridge cost? How much was installation?

[MarkBC]

Hey, Mark, let us know how that compressor sounds when you're trying to sleep.

There is a bit of a sound when it's actively running, but nothing that would remotely affect my sleep. The main sound that I hear is the little fan that blows over the heat-exchanger -- the compressor itself is very quiet.

[Gormley Green]

Would love to see some pics of the fridge installed. Any idea if the install would be similarly straightforward if replacing the factory icebox? My other choice is the front opening Engel SB70 which seems quite a bit smaller in the 'height' measurement. 29.33" for the Indel (not sure if internal/external) vs. 20.43" for the Engel (cut-out dimension). You have a Hawk too, so I assume I have the extra 9"...

Do you have the pull-out drawer over the fridge from the factory?

[MarkBC]

Would love to see some pics of the fridge installed. Any idea if the install would be similarly straightforward if replacing the factory icebox? My other choice is the front opening Engel SB70 which seems quite a bit smaller in the 'height' measurement. 29.33" for the Indel (not sure if internal/external) vs. 20.43" for the Engel (cut-out dimension). You have a Hawk too, so I assume I have the extra 9"...

Do you have the pull-out drawer over the fridge from the factory?

I don't have photos yet, but I will.
There was no problem with the height or depth clearance; it was extremely tight width-wise, but it fit. I cut out/back the front 2.5 inches of the plywood "box" that holds the existing fridge because the front couple inches of the Isotherm is just a bit wider. I don't know if a Hawk with icebox has the same size box that surrounds it...
The 29.33" height for my new fridge is external. There is/was no pull-out drawer over my fridge.

This 130 model that I got has 50% greater volume that the original Norcold 3-way, so if I had gotten a similar-size replacement (the "CR-85") it would have fit with room to spare....but the smaller fridge was only a little cheaper than the bigger one.

[camelracer]

Mark,

My 3cf Norcold refrigerator died with an ammonia leak so I'm starting my research for a replacement. Can you update me on your experience with this Indel unit and maybe add a little detail on the cabinet mods required. Also how does the freezer size compare to the old Norcold unit?

Dick

[pods8]

He did an install thread here, FYI: http://www.wanderthe...hp?/topic/5180/

[MarkBC]

Mark,

My 3cf Norcold refrigerator died with an ammonia leak so I'm starting my research for a replacement. Can you update me on your experience with this Indel unit and maybe add a little detail on the cabinet mods required. Also how does the freezer size compare to the old Norcold unit?

Dick

He did an install thread here, FYI: http://www.wanderthe...hp?/topic/5180/

So, Dick, your Norcold gassed you, too? Did it happen while driving, like mine did -- catastrophically? Or were you in it?

As pods8 pointed out, my other thread covers my installation. (I should have already posted a cross-link to that thread -- how sloppy of me! )
Somebody handier than I am could do a better job...Hell, I could do a better job if I cared -- but I don't. Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions about installation/issues.

The freezer: Is smaller than the freezer in the Norcold...even though the volume of the unit overall is 50% greater. It's vertically shorter and horizontally narrower, but it's deeper than the Norcold (because the overall unit is deeper than the Norcold), so it looks more-smaller than it is...but still, it's smaller. However, it's been adequate for my needs -- it holds several frozen chicken breasts and frozen fish fillets and a bag of frozen vegetables, for example.

Overall: Am I satisfied with the Indel Isotherm 130? Hmmm...well...I wouldn't say I have any regrets, but...I didn't really do any comparative research into DC-compressor fridges before I bought this one. MarcXP offered me a bit of a deal on this one, and I took it.
It performs fine, in general, and it seems plenty rugged -- bouncing over/into potholes and washboard hard enough to make me curse the road has not seemed to hurt it in 2 years of use.
On the other hand, I read people's posts about other brands, how they "set if for 40° and it holds it steady", and I'm a bit envious, since the control on mine doesn't allow setting to a numbered temperature, it's just a dial with arbitrary numbers on it. That is, I'm sure it's thermostatically controlled, and it seems to hold a steady temperature, but I don't know to what temperature I'm setting it (other than by putting a thermometer in the fridge). On the other hand, the fridge in my house doesn't allow setting to a specific-degree temperature, either, so maybe I shouldn't deduct points for that lack.

Secondary-but-annoying issue: The wire-grate shelves flex/shift enough on rough/bouncy roads that they allow bottles/cans/celery-bunches to fall down through to lower shelves. They should be more rigid. I can imagine straightforward modifications that would fix this -- adding more-rigid cross-supports for the shelves -- but I haven't done anything about it yet.

So, I'm obviously not giving it a totally glowing recommendation...but I'm OK with it.

Again, let me know if you have any more questions. If you need specific dimensional measurements they'll have to wait a week or so -- right now I'm across the country from my camper, touring Georgia and adjacent states in a rental car.

[camelracer]

Marc,

Thanks for the reply. After my last post I did find your other thread and that helped explain the installation. The width looks like it might be a little tight.

Mine dumped it's ammonia on the way to San Ignacio lagoon. I opened the door and it almost knocked me over. Luckily the wind was howling so it aired out in a hurry. Had to continue the trip with ice chests which is a PIA.

Do you know if there is a difference between the Isotherm and the Truck Frig TF130 which looks the same and seems to have the same specs. I think they're both made in Italy but the Truck Frig is $600 and I haven't been able to find the Isotherm for anywhere near that price.

I wish there was a place to actually see the different units. Problems like you mentioned with the shelves are hard to see in the pictures.

Dick