Small dometic fridges anyone have the 18L
- Thread starter captwoody
- Start date
PirateMcGee
Expedition Leader
I have the 25L and love it.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
We had the 18l for about two years from 2012 to 2014. It worked well, but there are a few things you should know: First off, it has a dial control for temp - not a thermostat, so you'll want to put a thermometer in it. As with most top-loading fridges, you can expect a fairly significant difference between the temp at the top and the temp at the bottom.
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Also, if it's the same one we had, it will NOT run off of 120vAC. You have to buy a separate 120vAC adapter (and no, you can't use a generic 120v-to-12vDC adapter either, they don't have a high enough amp rating - I tried two different kinds and ultimately ended up buying the Dometic adapter which was the only one that worked, for about $75 + another $15 for shipping.)
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I bought the 18l for about $350, and adding the 120v AC adapter raised that to about $440 (by the time you factor in shipping costs.) By the time you get to that point, it's just another $100 for a 41l Truckfridge. Something to consider, at least.
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It's a good unit, don't get me wrong, but if you look at the cost-per-liter of usable space, it's not much of a bargain.
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Also, if it's the same one we had, it will NOT run off of 120vAC. You have to buy a separate 120vAC adapter (and no, you can't use a generic 120v-to-12vDC adapter either, they don't have a high enough amp rating - I tried two different kinds and ultimately ended up buying the Dometic adapter which was the only one that worked, for about $75 + another $15 for shipping.)
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I bought the 18l for about $350, and adding the 120v AC adapter raised that to about $440 (by the time you factor in shipping costs.) By the time you get to that point, it's just another $100 for a 41l Truckfridge. Something to consider, at least.
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It's a good unit, don't get me wrong, but if you look at the cost-per-liter of usable space, it's not much of a bargain.
captwoody
Adventurer
Thanks for the pointers, the bigger units have the same loading issues as my 50l Truckfridge . I am ok with being 12volt only on the smaller unit its the one I just want to be able to grab and go. will pick up fridge thermometer for the fine tuning. My vehicle is a 2dr jk so loading the 50 is a pain getting it in the back seat. Easy if I pull rear seat but wont fit behind it
danfromsyr
Adventurer
we had a 18l between the front seats in my brothers Westfalia.
he loved having cold drinks always handy.
he loved having cold drinks always handy.
captwoody
Adventurer
It was delivered today its plugged in and cooling now inside my jeep, set on high for power setting so it wont kill starting will see how long it lasts. should last overnight then I drive to fire station for 2 days will check every couple hours and see how long it lasts on starting battery. don't have thermometer yet so will guess on temps. much lighter and easy to put in back seat.
captwoody
Adventurer
Well had power setting on high from 330 pm yesterday till 6 am this morning and had to jump start jeep. thought high setting would cut off power before dead batt. Did I get it backwards and it should have been on low? Had a 2l juice in it started warm it was very cold this morning.5Ol lasted all night and jeep still started but its items were already cold maybe having to cool items killed batt for overnight parking. my little lithium Powerall 400 amp jumpstart worked like a charm though ,jeep fired right up
crusaderJK
Adventurer
You're right, cooling food in your fridge will stress the battery a lot more than just keeping food cold. Guess your fridge was running non-stop that night. This would also have an affect on the battery protection.
The battery in my JK survived a 10 day trip with a 35l fridge. Was driving everyday, current draw over night was too little to drain the battery. But the food was already cold when I went on that trip.
The battery in my JK survived a 10 day trip with a 35l fridge. Was driving everyday, current draw over night was too little to drain the battery. But the food was already cold when I went on that trip.
captwoody
Adventurer
Got my 110 to 12volt converter plugged in set on max cold with thermometer inside -20f in 2 hours. At 80f trying to find 33-34 f on dial have rolled dial back to 1/4 and it is still to cold. Maybe need to fill it so it balances better. It appears to cool a lot faster on the 110 converter, but maybe it had to settle from shipping for pump to work better. All I know is it is cooling a lot faster on 110. Overall I am very happy with 18L Dometic (Waeco)
