12v Refrigerator: Door vs Drawer style?

[OCD Overland]

If there's any advantage to drawers in not losing cold air, I suspect that they lose it back in the time it takes to rifle through the drawers looking for what you want. Most drawer units really don't have drawers that hold much air anyway.

The second post pretty much summed it up - drawer units exist for rough seas and bumpy roads where you don't want everything falling out of your fridge when you open the door. They're also good if you don't want to bend over so much. But door units give you more storage and are easier to access - and they're cheaper.

fwiw - both drawer and door units are 'front loaders'. 'Top loaders' usually refer to chest or well style units that actually have the door on the top. For those, it's a given that they're better at retaining air.

 

[draker3838]

My wife and I have a front loading NovaKool in our Alaskan and have had it turned off only twice over our last 9 months on the road. It has worked tremendously for us and we have no regrets going with the front load.

As for efficiency, only in Central America with hot temperatures did the refrigerator run a whole lot and could we have really benefitted from increased efficiency. With 210AH in 95+ temperatures our battery would last 2 days, 3 max before needing to plug in or run the truck. In cooler temperatures (highs around 70, lows near 30), we can easily go 4-5 days before needing to plug in or run the truck. At these temperatures with our solar panel of 100W, we are pretty much self sustaining and will run out of beer before our battery discharges.

We have driven 22,000 miles with our fridge and probably only 5 times have we opened the fridge only to find half of its contents fall out. I think the convenience of the front style fridge is worth a minor compromise in efficiency. Additionally, having a freezer to make ice is a huge luxury and kept us sane in high temperatures. My only regret for not going with a chest style is that it would be nice to be able to use the fridge in other vehicles. Our current fridge is there to stay until it dies.

Either way, the luxury of having a fridge is huge!

 

[java]

I used a Isotherm Drawer in my build, being that its under the counter, I didn't want to have to crawl on the floor to see in the bottom shelf of a door unit. I like it so far.

One con, its pretty tight to the floor (it sits on it in my build) so no carpets or towels can be in front of where it opens.

 

[stargaze]

our drawer fridge died a few weeks ago. It's taken quite a beating over the years, but I guess it just couldn't take anymore. I was considering a cheap 12 volt cooler I just really don't think that I'll be able to keep butter and cheese and that kind of stuff in there. A buddy recommended a dometic door style fridge that he bought for his semi. He too has had it for years and it's still going strong. This is the one ( https://www.12volt-travel.com/semitruck-refrigerator-freezer-p-14670.html ) that he has, but he paid a lot more for it straight from peterbilt. I ordered one earlier this week and it's due to be delivered monday. I'm thinking it's going to be a huge upgrade from the drawer fridge that I just finished pulling out.