Eurovan refrigerator upgrade

[Triumph]

It does make a difference Kourt, Happy Motoring!
_________________
'72 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'77 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'01 T4 Winnebago Camper (long live EVC)

[kourt]

I did an Isotherm ITC project on the TF-49 on my Vanagon a few years ago. It really made the TF-49 into a much better refrigerator. Nice documentation.

Of course, the damn LED display on the ITC is extremely bright, even in dim mode. So just be ready to be awakened by that at night. I covered mine at night with a pot holder I kept nearby.

kourt

_________________
2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper

[Triumph]

This is a follow-on to my 2019 Truckfridge replacement project (https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9138361&highlight=#9138361) in which I replaced the original Norcold 3-way unit with a Truckfridge TF65 AC/DC 2-way unit.
I’ve been very happy with the unit but the TF65 comes with a mechanical thermostat having settings from 0 (off) to 6. Additionally, this thermostat does not have the ability to vary to compressor speed to help cooling when ambient temps are up, a key feature of the Danfoss units. This leads to wide fluctuations of internal temps. I researched digital thermostats that were compatible with the TF65’s Secop BD35F / 101N0510 control unit. I narrowed my search to the Coastal Climate MkIII and the Isotherm Intelligent Temperature Control (ITC). Both these digital controllers work with the unit and the appendix contains a comparison of the features/functions of the two. I settled on the Isotherm ITC.
I went with the Isotherm unit and ordered it from Marine Parts Source. I spoke with Tanner Noll who was a very helpful chap who corresponded with Isotherm to answer a few of my questions. The original thermostat can be left in place as the only component for the new ITC is a temperature sensor that is mounted low in the fridge.

Before you start, disconnect power and pull the fridge out from under the range and place it on the floor.

What's in the Box? These are the parts for the ITC. It comes with flush and raised mount options (upper right), wiring and hardware.

The new ITC would be mounted on the annunciator panel. The key question was whether it could be flush or raised mounted. In this picture, you can see roughly where the display will be. There isn’t room behind the panel for a flush mount so raised mounting was the approach. Additionally, I was concern about proximity to the range and heat affecting the circuit board.

The temperature sensor is to be placed low in the unit, away from the freezer compartment. Using the template, I drilled two ¼” holes for the temperature sensor grill and a 3/16” hole to feed the sensor wire through the cabinet to the rear of the unit. To protect wire, I put a length of shrink tubing on the wire where it comes through the metal case. Use the sealant that comes in the kit to pack and seal the hole around the wire.

Insert the sensor bulb into the metal tube in the grill and loop the wire per the instructions. The sensor grill unit just pops into the holes drilled earlier.

I painted the raised mount and face plate holder to match the other grey interior components.

I drilled a wire access hole in the annunciator panel, slid a grommet over the wire (took some doing to clear the plug) then pressed the grommet in place to guard against wire cuts. Then fasten the raised mount to the panel. Pressing the control panel into place takes a bit of patience. Take your time and follow the instructions. Be sure to pull the excess cable back through the panel. Now to the back of the fridge to complete the wiring.

Disconnect the following from the SECOP controller:
• Blue wire from old thermostat to T terminal
• Brown and double brown wires from lower C and P terminals

Zip tie them out of the way rather than cutting them off.

Connect the black temperature sensor leads to the SECOP control unit using the ACC01 connector. All the plugs have small collars indicating where they should be connected. Additionally, the plugs are oriented male / female so mind the orientation.

You can connect either black wire to the green and brown plugs (picture on left).
Connect the ACC01 Brown to the SECOP T terminal (picture on left).
Connect the ACC01 Green to the SECOP lower C terminal (picture on right).

The space is quite tight and the picture may not do justice, but the P terminal is not used.

Note: there is a LOT of temperature sensor wire. I coiled it and zip-tied it off.

Connect the ITC control panel leads and other leads to the SECOP panel. You’ll notice that there are several double leads allowing multiple wires to connect to a single terminal.

• Connect the ITC Yellow connector to the SECOP D/I terminal to provide diagnostics.
• Connect the ITC Brown & Red wires via the double lead to ACC02 Brown then to the SECOP A terminal.
• Connect the ITC Green & Black wires via the double lead to ACC02 Blue then to the SECOP upper C terminal

Before applying power, go back over all your wiring and double check. Leave the fridge outside the enclosure for the initial startup. When ready, reconnect the battery. This will start the fridge on 12v power. Using the manual, set your options & temperature as desired. In the picture, I’ve set the temp to 35 and monitor it using a separate thermostat (far right) to confirm temperatures. In battery mode, the ITC will display ECO mode indicating an economic approach to the compressor. Now plug in shore power. You will see the ITC switch from ECO and adopt a more aggressive cooling.

Optional Cooling: I made two modifications to help with cooling.
1. I installed a 2” OD plastic bulkhead in the cutout for the old gas vent and used 1.5” ID tube/ducting to bring outside air to the cooling fan for the coil. This helps on hot days when you have the van closed up.
2. I added a second fan mounted high in the cabinet area by the grill. This vents up to the rollout window and exhausts hot air out of the cabinet. The maximum fax power draw is 0.5 amps. I chose a super-efficient & quiet DC computer fax to keep the overall power requirements within spec.

Results:
I have to say, this is a most welcome enhancement to the Truckfridge. While it clocks in at around $200, the temperature consistency is near perfect under shore power. My cream & milk aren’t frozen when I wake up in the morning nor is my beer warm in the afternoon. I also like being able to turn the unit on, off, check and adjust the temperature without having to open the unit.

Notes & Appendix
ACC01 & Thermostat
• The original thermostat's blue wire going to T and the double brown wire going to lower C will be disconnected. ACC01 lugs will be connected to the controller's T & C terminals as marked. The new thermostat will be connected to ACC01, the order is not important.

ACC02 & ITC Controller
• Disconnect existing wires from terminals A and upper C, you'll reconnect next. Connect ACC02 to these terminals, connecting A to A and B to C (B is mislabeled). Now reconnect the wires from A and upper C to the 2nd spade on the corresponding spades on ACC02.
• Connect the three wires from the ITC harness to A, upper C and D/I: Brown to A, Green to upper C and Yellow to D/I.
• Disconnect the Brown wire to terminal P, it is not used with the ITC (confirmed with Marine Parts Source as well as wiring schematic)

Unused Wires from Old Thermostat
• Blue wire from old thermostat to T terminal
• Brown and double brown wires from lower C and P terminals

[/list]
_________________
'72 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'77 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'01 T4 Winnebago Camper (long live EVC)

[Robert Knapp]

Replacement of Norcold with Vitrifrigo on Eurovan 2002 Camper

Hi, this is my first post on Samba so I hope it works.

Two concurrent projects are covered in this post: replacement of the broken Norcold fridge with a Vitrifrigo C60-I, and partial replacement of the van's rotten floor.

http://xochi.com/evc/vitrifrigo-c60i/ is an excellent guide to what needs doing. One must pull out the Norcold fridge, tie off its propane supply line, clean things up a bit inside and out, and then install the Vitrifrigo.

BUT -- what I hadn't realized when I bought the Vitrifrigo C60I is that UNLIKE the van shown in his pictures, my van has a wild bundle of propane pipes sprouting upward behind the fridge, with its base being a huge, unruly mound of silicone caulk. Not sure if this is true of every year's van, or if others have fixed that mess, but it meant that despite my best efforts, the fridge sticks out ("proud") of the cabinetry.

Dimensions of C60I per Vitrifigo site: 25 15/16" high x 21" wide x 17 13/16" deep.

Dimensions of TF65 per northernfridge.ca site: 21"h x 17 3/4"w x 19 3/4"d.

I was jamming my C60I fridge in very hard and "blind," hopefully not destroying its wiring, so I don't understand how a TF65 would fit, but perhaps there are people who do. I'm no expert at this.

Anyway, my floor was rotted and was sprouting mushrooms. When the Norcold came out, I had to take the floor out in bits and pieces, even digging with a screwdriver at places to remove the rotted strand board. My plan was to install microban-underlayment, 1/2" plyboard, and a "dotted" garage floor plastic as the top layer.

I cut and dug out the floor as needed. I couldn't get all the mycellium out, but I used Bondo and Kilz white spray paint as needed to cover the holes etc. and I hope it's sealed against most new water. (Water came in through the skylight to cause most of the damage; it for some reason wants to open up by itself, but the floor was also damaged near the van door, too.)

I couldn't make a single piece of wood that would go in as the floor, so I made the floor in 7 pieces and just taped them down. There were a few high corners; I used screws through the board and through the van floor hoping dearly that I wasn't puncturing anything important. (I don't have a way to see the bottom of my van, and its clearance is a joke.)

I plugged my fridge into the back outlet and tied it into the 12V system. This seemed to work OK (and because of that bush, the 120V plug isn't the problem in terms of making everything fit.)

I also built a freestanding "cubby" unit from 1/2" ply which takes up the space to the left of the Vitrifrigo. The picture shows the final result:

Best wishes, Robert

Other pics:

[swsl]

I just saw that Acopower has one unit used with battery. Good price ! Somebody should jump on this one:

https://www.acopower.com/collections/solar-freezer/products/hy-p40a-u

I wouldn't go below 40 liters for size. If you need more cooling, you can use the 12v as a freezer for frozen goods and to make ice for an ice chest also.
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2002 EV WK

[swsl]

No idea how well built they are, but here are some new 12V fridge options and some come with their own battery that could be charged with a panel or the alternator as well.

https://www.acopower.com/collections/solar-freezer
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2002 EV WK

[swsl]

[swsl]

[lucksp]

I'm quite fed up with the 3163 fridge...cannot get it to run on LP and it seems to drain my Aux battery right quick. I think Solar is the way to go...living in Colorado, theres plenty of sun.

I really am a weekender. I just need the fridge to run while driving and while setup at my spots. It seems like a "100w" solar setup is the way to go. But how do I really calculate this? Can i get away with less to save a little?

Would the fridge still run on DC power?

This is a slick setup using the luggage rack, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feYa79Dyk-U

Otherwise, some foldable panels seem pretty good to get a location close to the rear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5-PiFdQteA

Question on solar setup, is it really as simple as it seems in terms of run the cables to the battery and connect +/- ?

[Triumph]

That looks nice Paul, and light enough i could place it on the poptop. I have a battery cutoff on mine as well. Seems to be the thing to do!
_________________
'72 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'77 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'01 T4 Winnebago Camper (long live EVC)

[paulvh]

Hi Triumph,

I got the 120W foldable solar panel from Acopower
https://www.acopower.com/collections/foldable-solar-kits/products/hy-ltk-3x40wpx20a

An extension cord will allow you to place the panel in any sunny spot at the campground.

The panel is connected to the marine battery.

The battery switch will disconnect the marine battery from the car circuit, but the solar panel will keep charging the battery. I installed this because something in the car seems to be draining my battery overtime when I am not using it.

[Triumph]

So glad it helped Paul. That looks like one happy pup! btw, i debated a solar panel... I like how you did that, what make & size did you install?
_________________
'72 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'77 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'01 T4 Winnebago Camper (long live EVC)

[paulvh]

Dear Triumph,

thank you so much for your detailed post. I installed the same fridge and the extra shelf in our 1995 Eurovan and it looks fabulous.
I also added a solar panel and switch to disconnect the marine battery when not in use.

Paul

[Triumph]

I've just completed a swap of the Norcold for the TruckFridge TF65 AC/DC.

Removal of the old fridge was pretty standard. Turn off the gas supply at the tank and be sure you’re well ventilated, as some gas will leak. I decided to remove the gas pipe for the fridge to clean up and free additional room for the installation. I went below to the regulator and capped it off using a new brass cap and gas pipe dope. I filled the old pipe hole with the instant insulation foam that come in a can. This will keep out the bugs and water.

For the installation, I needed to place the fridge 3” up from the floor. I purchased some 3” cabinet trim from Home Depot and built a pedestal then braced it to the floor. The pedestal width fits just inside the feet of the fridge. I used the 3” material on the sides and standard 1”x2” on the front and back. This provides air flow for venting and clearance for the remaining gas piping.

Notice the original wiring on the left and right. This wiring will be relocated to provide clearance for the cabinet on the left and ensure the wiring is out of harm’s way.

As the fridge’s frame screws in on the left & right, I needed to frame in the fridge’s place using 1”x2” pieces on either side. The right frame is attached to the existing metal frame by screws from behind. The fridge’s frame will wrap around the 1”x2” so I added a washer for the proper spacing, then clamped, drilled & screwed it in. The washer is removed afterwards since it’s only needed to space the frame for attachment.

The left frame is anchored to the floor and upper rail using L brackets. The upper L uses flush mount Phillip’s machine screw with a nyloc nut to provide clearance and ensure it doesn’t vibrate loose. I added a cross brace for stability.

The left and right frames have relief cuts to allow the frame to sit flush and tight. In this picture, you can also see how the fridge frame wraps around (see above on spacing of the right side frame).

With the frame in place, it was time to test fit the fridge. I made a few adjustments but all in all it fit in quite nicely. I also checked the rear for clearance of both the gas piping and ventilation space.
Next was cleaning up and relocating the wiring. I put wire cover on the left side wiring then attached it to the rear of the cabinet then up and over to the front panel. This freed up the floor space on the left for the shelf. Did the same on the right.

At the back of the opening, I relocated the 120v plug to allow the fridge to be better placed in the opening.

Next up was to seal off the old fridge vents. My bus had the high altitude kit which meant I had two holes to cap. I cut two discs from a piece of sheet aluminum (I don’t remember the gauge). A liberal dose of caulk made sure the screws coming through had plenty of sealant.

I placed the aluminum discs between the rubber gasket and the original metal disc so that the clamping would be more secure.

I also clamped the gas pipe running to the heater to the lower screw to keep it firm.

Everything (except the right frame) is in place and ready for installation. Notice the relocated 120v plug; from facing out to facing up. The 12v plug is hanging down ready to plugging in.

The fridge is installed and you can see the space on the left for the slide out cabinet. This area is about 5 ¼”. Rev-A-Shelf makes a variety of cabinet parts. I found a slide out shelf that fits nicely in this space. The part# is RV-448-HP-523C. It’s about 11” deep and while I wish it was a few inches deeper, this shelf is just what you need. The shelf is designed to have your cabinet face attached to it. In my case, I had a piece of 1” thick hardware that I used to make the fascia board. There was a little manufacturing issue with the lower slide rails (they protruded too far when closed) to I used my router to remove about ¼” of the lower back of the fascia board to ensure it would fully close and engage the little catch when closed.

The Rev-A-Shelf itself is very easy to install, you release the slide catches to remove the slide out shelf from the base. Align and screw the base into the floor. Slide the shelf back onto the rails (I did pull the fridge out for the installation, btw).

Attaching the fascia board is easy as the screws come through the slide out shelf and into your fascia board holding it in place.
Here’s the final installation of the slide out. I added a child proof catch at the top to ensure the shelf won’t come out when fully loaded and the bus is being driven “robustly”.

The shelves are adjustable and I actually removed one of them to get additional height for the other shelves. A can of soup is in the lower shelf for reference.

(Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Progresso)
Many thanks to Karl Mullendore at Westy Ventures for his advice on the Truckfridge. I place the order with Karl and the fridge arrived two days later!

_________________
'72 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'77 T2 Westfalia (RIP)
'01 T4 Winnebago Camper (long live EVC)

[whizzif]

I am replacing the NORCOLD with the TF65 that I got from Karl and WestyVentures. Super knowledgeable and helpful. Pulled the old fridge out, not too hard. I'm actually chipping away at the install. Reading the install instructions, I'm trying to make sure I have good ventilation. Maybe a shim on the bottom? I'm a total noob when it comes to mounting/cabinetry, etc. It'll be a bit of an adventure but hopefully will get it installed. Looking at a 100W flexible panel on the roof. I think I'm just going to mount that with heavy duty 3M tape (like car logos are taped with) - anyone us that? I've read a lot on panels. Flex is good because you don't have to drill but framed is better for heat dissipation. Hopefully the flex panels work. Hiring a plumber to cut the tube that was going to the fridge and cap it. Other than that the fridge install is done! Pretty easy!

[chrisvolk]

Seeking anyone who has replaced the stock Norcold in a EV Camper with a Truckfridge 65 AC/DC. I've heard that this works, but I have yet to actually identify a human that has made the switch.

[e&m_ghia]

[dixoncj]

[Outback Kampers]

[dixoncj]

Does anyone know if there's a replacement fridge for the EV Winnebago that fits into the exact space of the stock unit a la the TF49?
THX