Freezer to fridge guys, need a recommendation please!

[RCinFLA]

Issue with using a freezer for refrig is the freezer may not run a defrost cycle often enough.

The more ice buildup on cooling evaporator coils the less air flow across cooling coils so it runs longer to cool down air. In a humid environment, >70% relative humidity, this can have a significant impact in less than 24 hours without defrosting.

If you use a temp controller or timer to cut total AC power to freezer you may totally defeat its defrost timer by resetting it every time power is removed. Some units trigger a defrost cycle every time they initially get AC power. This will consume more power if total AC power cut is used to control temperature.

Refrig's normally get opened more often allowing more humidity in.

A freezer with top opening door reduces the amount of outside air exchanged when opened.

Many freezers use a positive temp coefficient thermistor to control the engagement of starter capacitor to compressor. They need at least a 20-30 minute off time to allow thermistor to cool down to reenable start capacitor.

If you attempt restart of compressor before thermistor resistance has dropped back down in resistance you will not get starting boost of start capacitor. Compressor will have longer starting surge current or may even not start up resulting in locked rotor until over temp switch protection disables power to compressor. If this happens it can take a couple of hours before compressor cools down enough to reset over temp cutout switch.

 

[E. Cho]

Not exactly pertinent to this thread but adding this info below for those searching for off grid options in the future, that might come across this thread.

Convertible Danby Chest Freezer / Fridge info at the Danby Canada website. I saw a thread today that shows it on sale inside some Costco Canada stores for $249.99 CDN ($186 USD). On the Costco Canada website it shows it at $399.99 CDN. The Energy Star card shows it using 225 KWhr/year but doesn't mention if used as a Freezer or Fridge. I'd expect it to be as a Freezer, as my similar size and rated Danby freezer as a fridge uses less than half the energy of the same freezer set up, so 125 KWhr/year. Although there are variables to this rating, as in how often the lid is open and closed and the ambient room temperature, so the real world use may use more energy or less energy.

Of course there is only the manual defrost option and so use as a fridge, in humid environments, could cause considerable interior condensation that would require either more frequent sponging to remove condensation build up. In my Inkbird controlled conversion, I get very little condensation but I also don't often open and close the converted freezer to chest fridge that often each day.

The advantage with this convertible option is that with a capable inverter, the thermostat does not require power until the temperature control requires it, unlike the Inkbird Digital Thermostat option, which always needs power, however that electricity draw is minor. Also, this thermostat on a freezer will turn on with my old Xantrex SW 4 KW inverter in standby (Search) mode, whereas the Inkbird digital thermometer will not.

It is also a lower cost option than a DC chest freezer fridge and obviously a simpler control than converting an AC Freezer to a Fridge.

I have not seen any info whether the compressor is different or the technology is different other than a different thermostat being used. This to me is a nice off grid small use application option at a pretty low price and FWIW, a 5 year warranty.

 

[featherlite]

Never even knew this was possible.

I searched on the web for a few minutes and found no mini freezers that had the upper temperature range anything near 32F. Too bad, I would like to have one. I currently run a 2.1 Cu Ft mini upright freezer in my trailer. I use it as a refrigerator with a 12v Ink Bird and relay that cycles my 1000 watt inverter on and off.The freezer/fridge uses about 3 amps per hour on average taking into account cycling. I have read that cycling the inverter on and off can be harmful to the inverter. However, after three years of use, the inverter still works fine.

 

[Rednecktek]

Issue with using a freezer for refrig is the freezer may not run a defrost cycle often enough.

Fortunately for me it's a really cheap unit without a defrost cycle, just a plug in the front. As long as it keeps the corn dogs cold for the week of camping it can spend the next few months dried out. ?

 

[E. Cho]

I searched on the web for a few minutes and found no mini freezers that had the upper temperature range anything near 32F. Too bad, I would like to have one. I currently run a 2.1 Cu Ft mini upright freezer in my trailer. I use it as a refrigerator with a 12v Ink Bird and relay that cycles my 1000 watt inverter on and off.The freezer/fridge uses about 3 amps per hour on average taking into account cycling. I have read that cycling the inverter on and off can be harmful to the inverter. However, after three years of use, the inverter still works fine.

I've been reading info for a couple of years on converting a chest freezer into a fridge and just found this option in the last couple of months. So as near as I can tell, it is a new product for Danby. It was not on their website as a product until recently.

I'll pretend that they did this after my back and forth with Danby customer service and technicians of the need for a chest fridge thermostat for off grid users, as there were no other affordable options and their current freezer thermostat inside temperature controls, of which they have 2 (sort of like fine and course setting screws), had too wide a temperature range at settings for a fridge.

I hope that other off grid users also made such a request and Danby listened.

But, unless my present 2 Danby appliances fail, I won't need to buy this new dual mode freezer/fridge. It was much too expensive when I first came across it but it's great news now if this Costco sale indicates the price may be dropping, as it often does for new products. $250 CDN is about my affordability limit.

 

[Notes]

I used a Johnson Control A19BAC-3C thermostat in my old freezer conversion. Or use their remote bulb version. Just wire in place of existing thermostat. It Has a differential setting also to help with freeze ups.

 

[gelmjw]

So I had this BRILLIANT thought that if I got a chest freezer and just set the thermostat to 1 that it would hover right around the freezing mark....

Yeah, not so much... BUT having seen videos of people doing it I know there is some sort of magic relay/thermostat/probe/thingymabober out there that will go between the freezer's compressor/thermostat system and the wall to have it kick on and off at fridge temperatures.

Unfortunately I don't know the terminology involved to even start looking for that magic thermostat/contactor box.

I'm good keeping it all 110v so no inverters or low/high voltage combinations or anything, I just don't know what I'm looking for or what makes one better or worse?

Someone on here knows what I'm talking about, right? Wanna point a guy in the right direction?

Some maybe important details: It draws between 62-74 watts and only gets used 2 weeks a year at the family camping trip. It's a 7cf Magic Chef that I got for $175 new and I really don't want to spend $5000 on a relay for such a cheap freezer.

I wrote about this earlier today!
link

 

[Haxx]

Not exactly pertinent to this thread but adding this info below for those searching for off grid options in the future, that might come across this thread.

Convertible Danby Chest Freezer / Fridge info at the Danby Canada website. I saw a thread today that shows it on sale inside some Costco Canada stores for $249.99 CDN ($186 USD). On the Costco Canada website it shows it at $399.99 CDN. The Energy Star card shows it using 225 KWhr/year but doesn't mention if used as a Freezer or Fridge. I'd expect it to be as a Freezer, as my similar size and rated Danby freezer as a fridge uses less than half the energy of the same freezer set up, so 125 KWhr/year. Although there are variables to this rating, as in how often the lid is open and closed and the ambient room temperature, so the real world use may use more energy or less energy.

Of course there is only the manual defrost option and so use as a fridge, in humid environments, could cause considerable interior condensation that would require either more frequent sponging to remove condensation build up. In my Inkbird controlled conversion, I get very little condensation but I also don't often open and close the converted freezer to chest fridge that often each day.

The advantage with this convertible option is that with a capable inverter, the thermostat does not require power until the temperature control requires it, unlike the Inkbird Digital Thermostat option, which always needs power, however that electricity draw is minor. Also, this thermostat on a freezer will turn on with my old Xantrex SW 4 KW inverter in standby (Search) mode, whereas the Inkbird digital thermometer will not.

It is also a lower cost option than a DC chest freezer fridge and obviously a simpler control than converting an AC Freezer to a Fridge.

I have not seen any info whether the compressor is different or the technology is different other than a different thermostat being used. This to me is a nice off grid small use application option at a pretty low price and FWIW, a 5 year warranty.

I can confirm that these Danby freezers are indeed cheaper to buy in-store than online.

Costco actually had a similar Danby freezer (almost the exact same) without the fridge temperature settings, and we picked up two of those and love them. In a bit we realized we needed just a bit more space, so went back and picked up one more, and at that point they had switched to these newer ones with the fridge option and we didn't even notice until I set it up.

So now I have one of these and two freezer-only models that live in the woodshed (they are garage-friendly, so can handle moderate temps, i think).
They never seem to draw much, even when it is warm out. They are simple but very appealing, practical units. We love that we could use the one freezer in fridge mode for when we have guests that want to have their own fridge or during harvest season for holding fresh veggies that we haven't canned/stored yet.

I can't imagine a thermostat/contactor combo being so cheap that it isn't easier just to get a unit like this that offers it built-in.

 

[Rednecktek]

I can't imagine a thermostat/contactor combo being so cheap that it isn't easier just to get a unit like this that offers it built-in.

Well my MagicChef 7cu was $169 and the contriller was $35 so still much cheaper than the Danby + Costco membership.

 

[Haxx]

Well my MagicChef 7cu was $169 and the contriller was $35 so still much cheaper than the Danby + Costco membership.

USD or CAD?

 

[pollenface]

I use one of these Ink Birds to control my freezer for use as a refrigerator when I have shore power. I am very happy with it.

Temperature Controller ITC-308

INKBIRD ITC-308 is out-of-the-box, safe and reliable with temperature calibration, independent setting for refrigeration and heating, over-temperature protection and automatic temperature control system for more accurate temperature control. With output power of 1,100W(110V) /2,000W(220V), it...

inkbird.com

I have 4 of those, they're awesome.