RefrigeratorsUpdated 2 years ago

When you're building a camper van, you have lots of choices for recreational vehicle (RV) appliances, and one of the most important is the RV refrigerator. 

For front-opening refrigerators, we particularly recommend the Nova Kool AC/DC refrigerators, because they use 15-30% of the electric power of a comparable RV 3-way refrigerator of a similar size. You can read about our blog post on which goes more in depth on their features!

Nova Kool refrigerators are available in two versions:

• the standard DC version has a 12/24VDC power module
• the optional AC/DC version has a power module which can run on 12/24VDC or 100-240VAC

We also sell portable refrigerator/freezers from Dometic and Norcold, and we particularly recommend the Dometic CFX chest-style portable refrigerator/freezers.

For portable 12VDC refrigerator/freezers, the quietest and most electrically-efficient are those which use sealed compressors. The two most efficient sealed compressors are the Sawafuji Swing (used by Engel) and the Danfoss/Secop BD-series (used in Dometic CFX-series portable refrigerators).

The Danfoss/Secop BD-series sealed 12VDC compressors are brushless variable-speed sealed compressors. Because the entire compressor is sealed within its own canister, this means that the lubricants and refrigerants are contained within the canister and thus do not leak. It also means that the compressor operates very quietly, since it only operates at the speed needed to maintain the desired internal refrigerator temperature at the current ambient temperature, rather than at a constant speed setting.

We sell many models of Nova Kool, Dometic and Norcold fridges, so if you are looking for a model you don't see listed, just let us know and we can get you a price and current availability.