67cj5
Man On a Mission
Thanks for that, All I have found is that it is referred to as the Danfos / Secop micro compressor and according to Danfos Secop they list the BD 1.4F , maybe the service department might know ??
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Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
Re: temp differentials based on proximity to side walls. I borrowed a method used in RV absorption fridges. I have a small battery powered fan that gently circulates air inside the fridge side (I have the 75 DZW). Definitely helps keep consistent temps. The fan is powered by 2 “D” batteries but I’m sure the techies out there could wire up something that uses micro power.
67cj5
Man On a Mission
The trouble with putting a fan in there destroys the flexibility of the fridge because a lot of foods require different temperatures because even a single zone fridge in fact has multi zones with at leased 3 temperature zones from the bottom to the top and then the dairy compartment, and by putting a fan in there that would make it a single zone single use fridge, With a Twin Bin fridge having the extra bin makes it a true multi zone fridge in every sense of the word, It will work better without a fan, If fitting a fan was a good Idea then Every brand would of fitted them by now.
Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
67cj5: you make a good point and indeed, when I used a single bin fridge, I had to load items (and rearrange items as they were depleted) with different temp requirements in mind. But I was never completely satisfied or successful with that method. You are correct that there are certainly colder/warmer areas in these fridges. Adding the fan circulated more “cold” to higher/inner items at the expense of the lower/outer items while maintaining safe temps for all items. That’s one of the reasons I went to a twin bin and still use the fan on the fridge side. One side for cold and the other frozen. No rearranging of items and no worrying whether some cold items were freezing and some were not cold enough. It just works for me...YMMV. I should add that the fan moves a small amount of air at a very low velocity.
67cj5
Man On a Mission
Well you have one of the best If not the best fridge on the market and the options are limitless, because I am trying to save space and have 2 perfect places going spare I have opted to buy 2 Dometic CDF 18's. Then I can run one as a fridge and the other as a freezer, If I need more fridge or freezer space I can always grab one of my other Victims, LOL I also have a 35L/37Qt and a 50Qt and an 82Qt from another brand,
Two things about Dometic that impress me is the Quietness of them and the way they Sip the power, At the moment I am doing some tests using 3 fridges with 3 different power sources, being 240v mains and using the Dometic PLB-40 and lastly using a 115 Deep cycle battery and although the little CDF 18 is smaller it is just blitzing the others when it comes to power draw on any of the 3 methods of power,
Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
Very interested in hearing about your experience with the PLB-40. I have resisted the urge to install a dual battery setup in the truck and currently use an ArkPak 730 with 105ah marine battery. Calling it a portable system is fine until I pop a hernia moving it in and out of the truck. ???
67cj5
Man On a Mission
Well where do I start, LOL,
The PLB has revolutionized my power need, My 3 New 115Ah batteries are redundant, I went away for 4 days and I plugged the little CDF 18 into the PLB and I plugged the PLB in to the Vans Cigar socket and the PLB never dropped below 100%, On the 3rd day I unplugged the PLB from the Van and although it was pretty cool weather I plugged the PLB back in 27 hours later and the little fridge had used 14% of the PLB's power and when I plugged it back in I went to the local shops and back about 5/10 minutes away and I got home about 40mins to an hour later and the PLB was back up to 100% again,
I Love It, The Van has the Factory 80Ah AGM Battery and leaving the PLB plugged in for 3 days did not effect the AGM Starter battery, Ok in warmer weather it might chew a bit more power but not enough to worry the AGM battery,
Yes the PLB might seem expensive but the benefits are 10 fold, 1) I have not had to add a secondary battery, 2) The PLB is high tech Lithium which means it's fast Charging, 3) I can use 80% of it's power and still have 2000 cycle lives left, 4) It's ultra light and 100% portable so I can move it around the Camp site or from Vehicle to Vehicle and it can be carried by just about any member of the family,
HERE's the important bits, 5) I have not had to Tap in to the Vehicles wiring risking messing up the Vehicles Computers or Error Codes etc, 6) I have not had to pay anyone to wire in and AUX battery system, 7) I have not had to buy a DC to DC Charger Because the PLB already has one Built In, 8) I can Charge it via AC power or Generator or the Vehicles Cigar Socket Or Direct from a 100 to 150w Solar panel without the need of a Charge Controller,
I bought 2 of them just in case I ran the 1st one flat and needed to have power while I was charging one but the truth is I never had to use the 2nd PLB but it is nice to have just the same, One thing I did do when I got home was test the PLB out to see how it would cope running 2 fridges set to 2*c / 35*f for 24 hours and I was surprized to see that the PLB ran my ARB 47L/50QT and it ran the Dometic CDF-18 both at the same time for 24 hours and the PLB's level got down to 51% So I still had power to spare, Being 20% as the preferred Lower Limit,
EDIT:- Just to confirm my 2 Fridge vs the PLB-40 Test, I ran the ARB 47L/50Qt fridge for 24 hours and it used 28% of the PLB's power, then I Ran the CDF-18 for 24 hours and it used 21% of the PLB's power, when you add them both together it makes 49%, which is exactly the same result I got when I ran them both together at the same time from the PLB-40.
My overall views are the PLB-40 is a Power problem Solver and it does it Very well and it is always pumping out 12.8v, so The fridge is always running at it's optimal Voltage,
hope that helps.
J.
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Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
Very impressive! Like you, I want my system to truly be portable. I use my truck (USA pickup truck, 8’ enclosed bed gas guzzler) as a truck, so my camping setup in the back is comfortable, but completely removable. I have a Utah desert trip with friends scheduled in June (C-19 tentative) and plan to rent a Jeep...the truck is just too big for those trails. I’m not looking forward to securing the heavy ArkPak in the back. Options:
> Buy a lithium battery for the ArkPak. External ports are limited, requires a solar controller (I already own one), the available lithium batteries are $$$ but lighter than my current lead acid , more available amp hours, and as a plus I already ready own the ArkPak.
> Buy the PLB-40. More port options, self-contained as a unit, lightweight but fewer amp hours (I’m concerned that my larger twin bin fridge/freezer will draw too much power), includes the solar controller, less expensive than buying a separate battery but an additional outlay of money nonetheless.
Oh well...1st world problems which pale in light of what’s going on. Thanks for the review and write-up and stay safe down there.
> Buy a lithium battery for the ArkPak. External ports are limited, requires a solar controller (I already own one), the available lithium batteries are $$$ but lighter than my current lead acid , more available amp hours, and as a plus I already ready own the ArkPak.
> Buy the PLB-40. More port options, self-contained as a unit, lightweight but fewer amp hours (I’m concerned that my larger twin bin fridge/freezer will draw too much power), includes the solar controller, less expensive than buying a separate battery but an additional outlay of money nonetheless.
Oh well...1st world problems which pale in light of what’s going on. Thanks for the review and write-up and stay safe down there.
67cj5
Man On a Mission
Well when you consider that you will be doing a lot of driving during the day if you leave the PLB plugged in to a Cigar socket it will stay fully charged all day so it is only going to have to run your fridge during the Dark hours So I can't see power being an issue, And if you plugged it in to a 100w Solar panel via the PLB's Anderson socket it would stay fully charged during the day also, I wish I lived closer because you could take one of these and try it,
You take care too out there, these are tough times we are in across the Globe,
J.
67cj5
Man On a Mission
I know it is not a CFX BUT my 2nd CDF-18 turned up today, These are incredible little fridge/freezers and although they have a Tiny Compressor they are very powerful for their size and yet they use minimal power, They are so practical and can easily hold enough food for 1 to 2 people for about a week or more with a bit of forethought,
WTG Dometic,
WTG Dometic,
Dometic
Supporting Sponsor / Approved Vendor
They are great little fridges! Thanks for picking one up. It should give you years of dependable use!
DOMETIC
mobile living made easy
shop.dometic.com
Use promo code Expedition20 for $25 off your order of $75+
Dometic
Supporting Sponsor / Approved Vendor
Sorry! I must have missed your post.
Give our technical service team a call at 800-Dometic. You can also email them at techservice@dometic.com. Hopefully, they'll be able to get into the level of information you'll need.
DOMETIC
mobile living made easy
shop.dometic.com
Use promo code Expedition20 for $25 off your order of $75+
Dometic
Supporting Sponsor / Approved Vendor
Thank you for taking the time to write up your impressions of the PLB40. This is great to hear and your experience is just what it was engineered to do.
Thanks again!
DOMETIC
mobile living made easy
shop.dometic.com
Use promo code Expedition20 for $25 off your order of $75+
67cj5
Man On a Mission
Your welcome, And thank you for making 2 products that work to suit the end user and not adding a load of stuff we never need, As you know I have 2 PLB40s and 2 CDF18's and the TCX35, All of which surpass expectation,
The TCX range are the best powered Coolers on the planet and are Ideal for anyone on a limited budget or for anyone on the Road a lot, I powered mine up when the Temp in the house was 27.2*c and the TCX 35 went down to -1*c in under and Hour and the best bit is they will cycles like a fridge,
take care and thanks again.