Camping Fridges
Camping fridges are smaller and larger fridges perfect for use in mobile homes, caravans, awning tents and boats. With brands like Dometic, Engel and Berger, you're sure to find the right fridge. Absorber or compressor, powered by gas bottle, 12 V battery or 230 V, all are on high demand.
What are the advantages? What are the characteristics of the different technologies?
The Camping Fridge
Camping-Fridges provide cold food and drinks in mobile home, Caravan, awning tent or garden shed. A distinction is made between the absorber or gas fridge and the compressor fridge. The technology used in camping fridges and the cooling capacity achieved differ fundamentally. With a gas fridge you order and buy flexibility, because the absorption fridge runs on gas, 12 V and 230 V. The compressor fridge stands for a stable cooling capacity down to below zero degrees. There are such beautiful, highly technical descriptions of compressors and absorbers on Wikipedia that we can't and don't want to top here. But, a generally understandable explanation of how the cooling systems of camping fridges work, we can do that.
How does the compressor fridge work?
The compressor fridge works with pressure and evaporation. A liquid gas is forced through an evaporator into the inside of the fridge. The system is similar to the gas fridge, the liquid gas tries to become gaseous again and evaporates. The energy required for evaporation is absorbed as heat from the cooling chamber of the compressor fridge. The compressor directs the resulting gas at high pressure to the outside of the fridge. In this way, the heat is dissipated and the pressure causes the refrigerant to liquefy again. It is then pushed through a choke. Due to the pressure drop after the throttle, evaporation (the refrigerant has a boiling point of -30 degrees) starts again and the liquid gas becomes cold. Incidentally, the same effect also occurs at the valve of the gas bottle if too much gas flows out at once. In cooling mode, the built-in temperature sensor indicates if the cold inside the compressor camping fridge drops. The compressor then switches on automatically with a slight hum.
Click here for an explanation of the gas fridge!
The Dometic Fridge
The Dometic fridge is probably the best-known camping fridge on the market. Powerful and economical compressor fridges from the Coolmatic series or absorber fridges from the 5, 8 or 10 series. Many innovations make the Dometic fridge so successful. For example, the freezer compartment of the newer Dometic compressor models can be easily removed. This way you can either increase the capacity of the refrigeration chamber or convert everything into a freezer. Thanks to sophisticated technology, Dometic has succeeded in reducing the energy consumption of the new Coolmatic models by up to 25%. But the newer absorption fridges from Dometic are also very convincing; economical consumption with a very good cooling capacity are what set them apart.
Cooling with the compressor?
What kind of camping fridge should you get? A good question. If you have a good power supply on board, often have shore power or don't want gas in the vehicle, the compressor is a good choice. This camping fridge cools to below zero and works regardless of the outside temperature. Compressor fridges are often installed in panel vans and smaller mobile homes.
Built-in Fridges and Free-standing Fridges
The camping fridge is available as a free-standing unit, equipped with an absorber. These fridges often run on 50mb and are connected directly to the gas cylinder. These models are often used in the awning, in the holiday home, for long-term camping or in the allotment garden. The free-standing 50mb absorbers are not intended for installation in a motor vehicle. The built-in appliances that you can integrate into your kitchenette in a mobile home or caravan are 30mb fridges or compressor appliances.