Dometic Refrigerator CRX 110: The BEST Off Grid Fridge for Vanlife

[@madetoexplore]

Thank you guys for watching! Which Dometic fridge are you gonna buy for your off grid kitchen?

[@ItsLevy7]

Please reply

[@madetoexplore]

@@ItsLevy7 what’s your question?

[@ladygardener100]

It took me about two years to actually fork out for a Dometic CRX65 fridge, lets hope it lasts twenty years. I try not to open it too frequently. Its not irritatingly noisy

[@madetoexplore]

Ours still works great after about 4 years. The interior plastic has a couple cracks in it which is unfortunate but it’s only cosmetic.

[@robertanderson5796]

The CRX 110 is a brilliant fridge. Had ours for around 2.5 years.

[@madetoexplore]

I agree man!

[@shadowstalker130666]

Thank you for the video. Ironically im not looking st this for a camper, but for my semi. Very similar lifestyle, including lack of space. Lol. But a good, tough, fridge is a must for me, for the same reasons you mentioned.

[@madetoexplore]

Welcome! It’s been an awesome fridge. The only issue we’ve had is some of the plastic has cracked.

[@ladygardener100]

My crx 65 was about £650, as it had damaged packaging, so reduced by about £65

[@ladygardener100]

This is not economic for a house with standard mains, it is for 12v supply from batteries, as in vans and boats

[@wfdTamar]

Been trying to reply to my comment below but it's not working. To give an idea of price comparison: CRX110 is A$1600-2100 in Australia. 100-110 litre mains powered fridge/freezer A$300-500 Victron Phoenix 800VA A$370 (does run off the A$212 500VA one, but is overloaded for initial 20 seconds compressor starts) So you'd be looking at A$900 total at most. The fridge I used in the UK I got from Germany - Beko TSE 1284. 101 litre fridge, 13 litre freezer. Very quiet at 37db. Bigger veg tray than the CRX. Rotary dial temperature setting (CRX just has 4 options I believe). It has a cooling grid on the back so as long as the rear is vented you can build it in. It doesn't need space all around it. Rated for 16-43 C climate.

[@madetoexplore]

What kind of power consumption were you getting? Including the inverter and fridge/freezer.

[@wfdTamar]

@@madetoexplore I have a battery monitor with shunt, so pretty accurate measurements. I did 3 months in France last year, temps up to 39 C. The fridge handled it fine - always had the freezer below -18 C. The only issue is to have the fridge at 1-4 C the freezer would sometimes be very low, wasting power (I saw -30 C). Important thing is it never had a problem maintaining safe temps. I'd rather that than the rotten 3way which struggled over 30 C. I didn't make careful notes. I had it powered off a 100 Ah lithium battery, 300 watts solar and 30A B2B (all just for the fridge). As it turned out, plenty of capacity for the fridge. Usually was using 20+ ah per day @ 25-35 C I think, might have been as much as 30ah on the hottest days. Should let it run for a day without charging the battery to be more sure. You can leave the inverter on eco setting, so it only powers up when the compressor is on, but then the fridge light only comes on when the compressor is running. So I just left the inverter on all the time.

[@kristenwright8152]

What did u do with the condensate drain..or did u just chose to wipe out the bottom when needed...do u have to do that often?

[@madetoexplore]

I left the drain because we haven’t found that very much condensation builds up ever. It’s very easy to wipe if it ever does as well

[@tiffaniwoodworth5942]

What is the door dimension so I know if will fully open where I want to install

[@wfdTamar]

I used a 230 volt house fridge run by inverter on a Motorhome I have in the UK (when the 3 way fridge died). It’s a very efficient one. Yes you have the inverter cost, but the fridge is cheap. Overall cheaper

[@madetoexplore]

Yeah this seems to be the way to go if your sticking to a budget!

[@wfdTamar]

@@madetoexplore Budget or not, it’s a better fridge. Has no trouble maintaining correct fridge and freezer temperatures (lower than -18c). I did that in temps up to 39C. Uses less power too. I’ll know that definitively soon as I’m getting a van with a CRX110, so I can compare consumption and performance.

[@madetoexplore]

@@wfdTamar nice! Would you mind sharing the make and model? You’ll have to keep me posted because I’d be very interested to know!

[@richardsracingmad]

But will it last ? Domestic fridges have much longer runs of copper pipe, much thinner and bigger evaporators etc, they are not meant or designed to go down the road, over bumps etc…if u only occassi9nally go camping and never drive on a track, you may be ok As an ex refrig employee for 25+ yrs , I got the CRX110🎉

[@wfdTamar]

@@madetoexplore Sorry missed that reply Beko TSE 1284 fit into the space my 100 litre was in (in a 2002 Hymer B584). Done three 4 month trips in up to 39 degrees. Victron Phoenix 800VA inverter.

[@MotoMiles]

I just bought a mini fridge for my box truck it’s lower in height then the sink I’m trying to find a way to make it level with the counter so I can use the extra counter space .

[@madetoexplore]

These things always take a lot of planning!

[@tiffaniwoodworth5942]

what is the depth of the countertop so that the fridge sits flush with it? 22"?? the measurements Im finding for the fridge depth is 21.97".

[@madetoexplore]

Yes that’s correct 👍

[@tiffaniwoodworth5942]

what is the door dimension...need to know if it will fully open in desired space since will be directly across from other cabinets @@madetoexplore

[@kirstygreening428]

Hi, Do you know if the feet are removable for installation?

[@madetoexplore]

I’m not to sure. I don’t recall installing feet on ours so I think they are probably removable

[@skippylearn]

I wish I could see how the wiring looks for this fridge...is it connected directly to the battery???

[@madetoexplore]

It’s connected to my 12v fuse panel, which then connects to my busbar. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions for the wiring!

[@LongStraightLines]

Nice review thanks! I've just bought the exact same fridge and have it running in my house prior to installing in the camper van. The coldest it will go is 6°c at around 14° ambient. Just wondering if you've checked the temp of your fridge with an accurate guage? I'm in Australia and heading off to the outback soon where it can reach 35+ in winter and am a bit concerned! Btw, thanks for the metric measurements!

[@madetoexplore]

No I actually haven’t since everything inside has always stayed pretty cold. The freezer makes ice very quickly too.

[@ak47marx16]

Hi, is this still relevant today? I am looking for a fridge for my van build and crx110 is on sale for 1100 eur. Do you still recommend it? Thanks.

[@madetoexplore]

@@ak47marx16 yeah, absolutely! It’s a great fridge and it’s still working perfectly for us

[@Joop3000]

I got another question. Did you install the drainage? Or can you go without it?

[@madetoexplore]

No we didn’t install the drainage. Haven’t had much of an issue with it. The freezer can get a build up of frost sometimes but we’ll usually just wipe everything it when it thaws.

[@Joop3000]

@@madetoexplore thanks for your quick answer! I won't install it then. Yes unfortunately no "No Frost" freezers yet for campers.

[@genevievemeuser8157]

Hi! I am looking only to buy one of those (maybe a smaller one). But I can’t seem to find a website that ships to québec province… Where did you buy yours? Thanks

[@madetoexplore]

We ordered ours from Canada Marine Parts in Vancouver. It took a LONG time to arrive and I probably wouldn’t recommend it. I would try to contact RV stores and Marine stores in your area to see if it’s possible for them to order one in.

[@JAMO707ONKYO]

Thanks for your video. I plan to purchase Dometic CRX110, where do you order it in Vancouver?

[@madetoexplore]

I would go to the Dometic website and search the distributors.

[@Joop3000]

Maybe I missed it, but what about the sound?

[@madetoexplore]

This fridge is VERY quiet!

[@Joop3000]

@@madetoexplore Thanks for your response.

[@greenybros]

Thanks for vid, how many qt.s size?

[@madetoexplore]

Welcome! 116 quarts

[@valedepa4328]

is it really silent?

[@madetoexplore]

Yeah, I can barely hear mine at all. There’s only a slight humming sound front the compressor when you stick your head back behind it.

[@bobbear4437]

Less money and woks just as well, What does a 3cu ft (approx 90 qt) chest freezer cost,,,,,maybe $150. to $200.,,,,,add a thermostat that costs $30 to $40.,,,,plug the freezer into the thermostat, and the thermostat into you power, set it at refrigeration temp, 36 to 42,,,,and you have a 3 cu ft refrig for about $200.. The only thing you need to make sure is the thermostat electrical rating covers your chest freezer/refrigerator energy needs If you run a 12v system you need an inverter, about $40 more

[@madetoexplore]

Might just have to give that a try! Haha thanks for the recommendation

[@matreyia]

Wait a minute... you telling me that you chose this fridge over $2k and uses 50W for maintaining temperature at 3.7 cubic ft.... you chose this model over a RecPro RP2019 model which is 3.3 cu ft. uses 35W at idle and costs $589.... ? When you bought this unit, I imagine the RecPro unit was also available. Can you explain why you chose to pay 3x the price of a RecPro unit? Do you think the Dometic actually has $1500 more quality than the RecPro? I'm genuinely curious as to why you would want to pay this company that much for a little fridge...it makes no sense financially. I've known people with the RecPro units that have no complaints at all. I'm about to do a van build and I been researching hundreds of vids for all parts and this is the one that is the most confusing so far.

[@madetoexplore]

Yes this fridge is overpriced but it does have more features than the RecPro. RecPro would make a good budget option tho. I didn’t choose RecPro because all the professionally van builders I know said Dometic is the way to go and that it’ll be worth it in the long run.

[@iman80skid91]

I can't believe the price of Domestic it's absolute ridiculous even in the UK

[@cuerenegeland5947]

Recpro 3.3 doesnt have a freezer the 4.whatever uses almost double the power

[@diaz-550]

What are the dimensions high, wide?

[@madetoexplore]

Check there website. All the specs are online

[@MatthewFordVictoria]

Where abouts are you in Canada? I'm in Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. If you ever do a trip out here, make sure you pay a visit to the Butchart Gardens! As for Dometic, I'm looking at a SMALL Portable Chest type for carrying in a kid's wagon, with an "EcoFlow" Power Pack.

[@madetoexplore]

Thank you! We’ve been out to the island a few times now. Nice choice!