Eurovan refrigerator upgrade

[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!

[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 +/- ?

[swsl]

[swsl]

[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]

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

[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:

[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

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'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

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2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper

[Triumph]

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