Tundra Refrigeration?

[ssullivan]

Does anyone have any experiece with Tundra brand refrigerators?

They are built using the Danfoss compressor and charged with R134-a, but also look just like a Norcold. It's an advantage over the Engels, since my wife hates reaching down into ice-box style refers. On second thought, so do I!

I'm asking because I'm looking at my next step after we sell the boat. We have a lot of interest and expect it to sell in less than a month. Time to plan out the next phase...

Thanks in advance for any info on these Tundras.

[Talbot]

The trouble with side opening fridge/freezer rather than top box, is the loss of cold when the door is opened.

[GordMay]

Refrigerator and Freezer Comparison Charts (Manufacturers’ Spec’s):
http://www.nauticalair.com/tundra/co...omparisons.htm

I believe they all utilize Danfoss compressors

[Pura Vida]

Sean, Are you still planning too move into an RV? The reason I ask is that, unless you 'boondock', the whole refridgeration equation changes with an RV.
pv

[ssullivan]

Talbot: Yes, I'm aware of the inefficient properties of a front opening refrigerator. We have decided that the loss of energy is acceptable when compared to the constant annoyance of digging into the bottom of a freezer to find things from months ago.

Pura: Yes, we are building a highly customized RV akin to a cruising boat. We will not be using propane, as I still feel it's a PITA. Everything will run on diesel. I like the idea of having one fuel source. I had a small RV in the past (RoadTrek), and I absoulutely hated hunting around for propane. The refer will be a 12V system.

Thanks for the link to the specs, Gord. I have the data, but am missing the real life experiences people have had with Tundras. Haven't heard much about their reliablility.

[Richard Kollmann]

Heat disposal and climate application is the key to performance from mobile refrigerators. A Danfoss BD50 compressor sounds like a large compressor but there is a limit to the amount of cooling it will provide. There is a good example of poor application of a Tundra in a long thread on my refrigeration forum:Tundra t-80 BD50 again a Problem

http://www.kollmann-marine.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=2

[Pura Vida]

Sean,
Yes I recall you do not like propane. I was thinking that efficiency might not be as important if you are plugged into municipal power most of the time. BTW there is a guy in Florida that posts to the HiLo yahoo group and is a boater. He is always pulling some idea off of his boat for his RV. As I recall he has "marinized" his 12 volt system and "shore" power. It might be worth checking out. Good luck.

pv

[ssullivan]

Hi Pura,

I will not be plugged in at all. I'm literally creating an RV that acts just as a boat at anchor would. I'm generating all my power from the main engine and solar panels, using diesel for everything, have a house bank of 6 Trojan T-105's, etc... Anyone familiar with a boat could walk in and understand the systems very quickly. So, I am trying to select a refrigerator that's front opening, will run off 12VDC, and will be reliable. I'll run the large diesel engine I have in the vehicle to generate the gobs of power it will take.

Unfortunately, after looking at the thread on Richard's site, I see the Tundra just might be too weak, as the temps inside an RV will be in the 90's quite often.

I really don't enjoy fishing things out of a deep refrigerator (and the wife really hates it). Is there any front-opening pre-made refrigerator with R-134a and standard compressors that *isn't* garbage?

Maybe it's time to move this thread over to Richard's site. It's more of an in-depth refrigeration discussion. May not be as appropriate here, since it could have to do with a boat, but is more of a general refrigeration discussion.