Bomber2012
Well-Known Member
Great vid , my only concern with an upright was stuff moving around in the fridge when mobile , glad to see it’s not an issue.
Bomber2012
Well-Known Member
Did you have trouble with stuff moving around ?
cam04
Well-Known Member
Yes, and everything that falls down ends up working against the door which is invariably locked only at the top or middle so it eventually bends/loosens and hemmorages cold air out the bottom. Then the freezer ices up. That, and wondering what the hell is going to fall out every time you open them after driving sent me running back to old school chest fridges.
I've never owned one after my Goldstream Camper 90l, which was mostly onroad. But it does bring back memories. Ill never forget cleaning up the floor.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
True and all the cruisers ( boats) fit them as standard fair too. Doesn’t seem to be an issue
cam04
Well-Known Member
Negative. Yachts have top loaders. The main access is through a cutout in the bench. The front door that looks like an upright setup simply gives access to the lower baskets. All the baskets inside are slidable. They are the business and are well designed.
cheap (competitively) American sports cruisers have small underbench uprights. Their usage of space inside are woeful and they ice up quickly.
Modern galleys are also moving to the vitrifrigo staino side by side sliding fridge/freezer drawers. These are common in the bridge deck galley cats. Great fridges.
top loading rules.
interesting to hear, maybe I just haven't done wild enough tracks with the new fridge yet. I'll have to think of a way to keep the stuff from sliding against the door for when I do!
red hilux
Well-Known Member
Try laying the fridge on its back
cam04
Well-Known Member
Camec and other van shops sell adjustable bars to fill the voids.
Triton14
Well-Known Member
My main issue with these is continual loss of cold air when the door is opened & therefore more power usage to recover the temp.
Open your fridge door at home & put your bare feet in front of the base of the fridge & yeh your feet will get cold pretty quick because all the cold air being heavier is being lost through the bottom of the fridge.
Then when you close the door you'll most likely here the fridge motor cut to get the fridge to the temp set by the thermostat.
All well & good when your running 240v
With a traditional top opening fridge when you open the top the cold air just sits in the cavity with minimal loss so the fridge does not drop in temp= less power consumption.
Open your fridge door at home & put your bare feet in front of the base of the fridge & yeh your feet will get cold pretty quick because all the cold air being heavier is being lost through the bottom of the fridge.
Then when you close the door you'll most likely here the fridge motor cut to get the fridge to the temp set by the thermostat.
All well & good when your running 240v
With a traditional top opening fridge when you open the top the cold air just sits in the cavity with minimal loss so the fridge does not drop in temp= less power consumption.
Toyasaurus
Well-Known Member
When we built our cruising yacht the fridge/freezer were 2 separate compartments both top loaders with 4" of insulation.
The doors were part of the bench top in the galley.
In all the years I lived on the water I never saw a yacht with an up right fridge.
Ships were a different thing, all the cold rooms are walk in`s.
The doors were part of the bench top in the galley.
In all the years I lived on the water I never saw a yacht with an up right fridge.
Ships were a different thing, all the cold rooms are walk in`s.
cam04
Well-Known Member
I will own a decent yacht once I stop paying school fees. For the time being i am a charterer or crew. Sooo tempted to catch a flight to Croatia or the Caribbean right now and grab one of the charter yachts they can’t flog off and sail it home but the timing is wrong by about 6 years. Is it wrong to hope COVID hangs on that long?
Every one writes up an issue with front opening fridges loosing cold air when the door is open and stuff bouncing around yet just about every caravan and campervan has a front opening fridge and they survive fine - so why is it an issue if installed in a car rather than a van. I dont have an issue with my front opening fridge in the van - a little air might escape but the food still stays cold. I think you will find that just opening a lid and rummaging around in a chest style fridge also looses a bit of cold air.
Karl Fehlauer
Well-Known Member
I know a few who have them in their caravans and things bouncing around inside and doors opening are an issue.
I think there was a YouTube video from 'Sparky's On The Loose' where they opened their caravan up after driving some bad roads and everything was on the floor of the van.
Given that most caravan owners don't drive too much off of the black top it probably isn't an issue; however, I don't think I would get one as I drive regularly on very corrugated roads and I wouldn't trust them.
I know a lot of the canopy companies and installers are fitting them, but I think it is more for convenience rather than being practical - would really like to see how they test them out?
Karl