New Fridge, got it under $275

[Viking1204]

After some more research this is actually the Rich Solar one I'm considering now. Not sure what Rich Solar panel he was using in his review but he wasn't comparing apples to apples. He compared a standard monocrystalline Renogy to a black monocrystalline Rich Solar which actually outperformed the Renogy but that happened due to size difference no doubt. Looking at this Rich Solar and Renogy he reviewed they look a lot a like so I'll most likely give the $27 cheaper one a try. It all depends on if they offer any solar panel sales on Prime Days coming up, that could sway me at the last minute LOL! Ok, where is the solar panel debate thread, I think we've derailed the fridge thread LOL!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

After some more research this is actually the Rich Solar one I'm considering now. Not sure what Rich Solar panel he was using in his review but he wasn't comparing apples to apples. He compared a standard monocrystalline Renogy to a black monocrystalline Rich Solar which actually outperformed the Renogy but that happened due to size difference no doubt. Looking at this Rich Solar and Renogy he reviewed they look a lot a like so I'll most likely give the $27 cheaper one a try. It all depends on if they offer any solar panel sales on Prime Days coming up, that could sway me at the last minute LOL! Ok, where is the solar panel debate thread, I think we've derailed the fridge thread LOL!

I'm thinking the two subjects should be discussed together for the following reasons. One it takes electricity to run the refer. and second, what kind of power will the refer. get. It all has to do with how well the refer. will perform and for how long. I stopped talking refer's for two reasons. One, there are none on sale presently, two, it dosent do any good for me to think about buying the refer. if I don't have an electrical source. I have solved that now and will begin a new search for a decent refer. I tried to find a way to buy the one on sale by an OB member. It was a great deal since it came with a slider, battery and name brand refer. Unfortunately the shipping cost knocked me off the buyers list on that one. He made a post before the 4th that if it didn't sell by this past Saturday he was withdrawing the sale from OB forum. Search continues for a sale..

 

[Viking1204]

So this weekend since I had my cables I decided to plug in my Fridge and do some testing. Well the brand new fridge wouldn't power on with the 110v cable or the cigarette lighter DC cable. No power light when plugged in, no light when you opened the fridge, completely dead! This was an Ebay deal so went on Ebay and requested a refund due to the product being defective. Ebay agreed I should get a full refund and the seller refunded my money, it's processing through PayPal now. Then the seller sends me a message saying I don't need to return the fridge to them. I guess they don't want to pay the shipping? Kind of odd on a $279 item I think so emailed them back to confirm. If that is the case I'm going to fix it myself if I can or take it someone who fixes appliances and see what the cost to fix would be.

 

[OtherOrb]

Then the seller sends me a message saying I don't need to return the fridge to them. I guess they don't want to pay the shipping? Kind of odd on a $279 item I think so emailed them back to confirm. If that is the case I'm going to fix it myself if I can or take it someone who fixes appliances and see what the cost to fix would be.

Obnoxious question: Did you check the fuse? ;)

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

So this weekend since I had my cables I decided to plug in my Fridge and do some testing. Well the brand new fridge wouldn't power on with the 110v cable or the cigarette lighter DC cable. No power light when plugged in, no light when you opened the fridge, completely dead! This was an Ebay deal so went on Ebay and requested a refund due to the product being defective. Ebay agreed I should get a full refund and the seller refunded my money, it's processing through PayPal now. Then the seller sends me a message saying I don't need to return the fridge to them. I guess they don't want to pay the shipping? Kind of odd on a $279 item I think so emailed them back to confirm. If that is the case I'm going to fix it myself if I can or take it someone who fixes appliances and see what the cost to fix would be.

Very well could be something very simple for an electrician. Smart move, free ref and $50 repair bill. I've had that experience with dealers before and it amazed me how often they say just keep it. This is still a good thread and a good learning lesson for us all.
Lanlubber

 

[Viking1204]

Obnoxious question: Did you check the fuse? ;)

LOL, a buddy of mine and I checked the fuse and checked to make sure that power was coming out of the cable to the fridge. My buddy and I are pretty good with electronics so we'll attempt to fix it before I take it to a local appliance repair man. I wasn't going to do anymore than that until the money was refunded to me. I can see the credit in the cue on my PayPal so once that clears I'll open it up and see if it's something simple.

 

[Jim SoG]

Wow that sucks even if you get your money back. But as you see, they do not want to pay shipping so you will have 2 of them as it has to be a very simple power in issue unless a board is fried......

Are you considering trying another one? or one try was enough?

Jim

 

[Viking1204]

Wow that sucks even if you get your money back. But as you see, they do not want to pay shipping so you will have 2 of them as it has to be a very simple power in issue unless a board is fried......

Are you considering trying another one? or one try was enough?

Jim

They don't have anymore in stock, that is why they refunded my money. Honestly, very good by them. The fridge came packaged as new so no doubt it came bad from the factory and they are just the reseller. I found where I can open it up and take the panel off that covers the area where the power goes in and where the compressor is located. I'm going to open it up tomorrow and see if I can figure anything out using my multimeter, at least find out where it is getting power to. Might be as simple as finding a bad part & replacing it.

 

[Viking1204]

Well I opened up the refrigerator panel that covers the area where the power goes in by simply taking 3 screws off the bottom of the fridge! I now have a working free to me fridge! I'm in shock how easy it was to fix, will post some pics in the morning showing what it took LOL!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Well I opened up the refrigerator panel that covers the area where the power goes in by simply taking 3 screws off the bottom of the fridge! I now have a working free to me fridge! I'm in shock how easy it was to fix, will post some pics in the morning showing what it took LOL!

Damn good job there Scott. Some how I just knew you would get it to work. You don't give up ! Hurrah

 

[Viking1204]

With Anthony still having 1 more semester in college before he graduates and gets a real job I have to save money where I can. I have vowed to no longer use credit cards so it would have been a while before I could try and buy another fridge, glad I was able to fix it. Anyone who has ever worked with DC voltage before could have fixed this as you can see from the pictures. 3 screws on the bottom allowed me to open up the area where it plugged in, same place the compressor is located. Just had to connect the wire going from the fuse to the input plug for power. Been running it all night and so far so good!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

With Anthony still having 1 more semester in college before he graduates and gets a real job I have to save money where I can. I have vowed to no longer use credit cards so it would have been a while before I could try and buy another fridge, glad I was able to fix it. Anyone who has ever worked with DC voltage before could have fixed this as you can see from the pictures. 3 screws on the bottom allowed me to open up the area where it plugged in, same place the compressor is located. Just had to connect the wire going from the fuse to the input plug for power. Been running it all night and so far so good!

Your the luckiest guy I know. No place in this world for pessimism, go man go...

 

[Jim SoG]

Excellent news Scott, love it when it works out, worst case you would have had spare parts but now you got it and it is calling you to go camping....LOL

Glad for you and thanks for the pics for us that own one that wire could pop off at any time.

Jim

 

[Brewbud]

With Anthony still having 1 more semester in college before he graduates and gets a real job I have to save money where I can. I have vowed to no longer use credit cards so it would have been a while before I could try and buy another fridge, glad I was able to fix it. Anyone who has ever worked with DC voltage before could have fixed this as you can see from the pictures. 3 screws on the bottom allowed me to open up the area where it plugged in, same place the compressor is located. Just had to connect the wire going from the fuse to the input plug for power. Been running it all night and so far so good!

Excellent! As it had no power at all I was guessing it would be a somewhat simple fix. Congratulations!

 

[Aaron Niemi]

I had the same fridge from Amazon. Mine died after a couple months, but my compressor died :-/ error E3

I also got a refund quickly. I wish mine was a simple loose wire.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I had the same fridge from Amazon. Mine died after a couple months, but my compressor died :-/ error E3
I also got a refund quickly. I wish mine was a simple loose wire.

From all the info I have gained about these compressor chest type refer's, I think we in the recreational field are getting ripped off by the FAD factor. The difference between a small chest type ref and a stand up model commonly called a Truckers ref is $200 to $300 dollars, there is not a big difference in cost to build. It's ridicules that a full stand up refer for your home, with a freezer I might add, can be bought for a price similar to these little piece of junk chest ref's they are selling us. I own one of the stand up ref's that has a compressor and makes ice, I paid $60 for it 3 years ago. It sells at wally world for $99 now. I just cant see paying that much difference for the two units. To make things worse they are all made in China which is as bad as in 1948 when they were being made in Japan.

 

[Aaron Niemi]

From all the info I have gained about these compressor chest type refer's, I think we in the recreational field are getting ripped off by the FAD factor. The difference between a small chest type ref and a stand up model commonly called a Truckers ref is $200 to $300 dollars, there is not a big difference in cost to build. It's ridicules that a full stand up refer for your home, with a freezer I might add, can be bought for a price similar to these little piece of junk chest ref's they are selling us. I own one of the stand up ref's that has a compressor and makes ice, I paid $60 for it 3 years ago. It sells at wally world for $99 now. I just cant see paying that much difference for the two units. To make things worse they are all made in China which is as bad as in 1948 when they were being made in Japan.

I think the knock-offs are definitely ripping people off. Lots of people say "they're probably made in the same factory in China", which may be true, but I'd be willing to bet the lower end models are using cheaper components.

Also, when I complained on Amazon, the seller changed the reason for return to "canceled order" which makes me think they're gaming Amazon so they don't get pulled off the marketplace for selling faulty stuff.

That being said, a friend bought a similar model as mine around the same time and she hasn't had any problems (knock on wood).

I think in the end, you get what you pay for.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I think the knock-offs are definitely ripping people off. Lots of people say "they're probably made in the same factory in China", which may be true, but I'd be willing to bet the lower end models are using cheaper components.

Also, when I complained on Amazon, the seller changed the reason for return to "canceled order" which makes me think they're gaming Amazon so they don't get pulled off the marketplace for selling faulty stuff.

That being said, a friend bought a similar model as mine around the same time and she hasn't had any problems (knock on wood).

I think in the end, you get what you pay for.

That's true but it is still twice the cost of a Truckers model that does the same thing. I found one truckers model that is a chest or stand up model that I may buy. If I do I will post my buy and performance to OB.

 

[tundraconvert]

Not an ARB or one of the thousand dollar units out there, but great for my tiny budget.....Good reviews and the thing is so quiet I thought it was broken and not running....
Site said it had packing damage, and that is all I see wrong and it was small, did not even hardly dent the foam inside.....


Will let you know how it does on the trail later on.

Jim

Hi Jim,
Any updates on your fridge? How is it working? How is it holding up? How much use has it seen?
Thanks.

 

[Jim SoG]

Hi Jim,
Any updates on your fridge? How is it working? How is it holding up? How much use has it seen?
Thanks.

Have used it a few trips now, week on the north rim, few days in the Sierras, couple local camp outs, so far works great, need to watch the temp you set to, I did to low thinking the unit might not work so well, froze my stuff LOL now I set to correct temp and runs great. Thinking on getting another one, on for freezer only for those longer trips.....I would say get one for sure.
I love mine.

Jim