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Vitrifrigo or Waeco


curly

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Half way into our latest adventure the 230l Vitrifrigo died (2007) leaving us to live out of a borrowed 40l Engel. So on the way home we stopped in at the Fridge Whisperer only to be told that the damage to the fridge was terminal. The sad thing about it is that the fridge had been working the best it had ever worked thanks to the good work that the Fridge Whisperer had done a year ago. Up until that time we were not happy with the performance of the fridge.

The damage to the fridge was caused by the rough roads that we had been traveling on.

So now we have a big decision to make;

1; replace the fridge with another 230l Vitrifrigo this is by far the easiest or,

2 replace it with a 215l Waeco this will require a fair amount of alterations to enable the fridge to fit into the existing opening.

To help with this decision I am seeking some information on the effectiveness of the 215l Waeco and any problems people have encountered with this fridge. Also if anyone has had any experience with the new Vitrifrigo this is the one with the additional rack in the freezer.

We have heard that the Waeco uses less power than the Vitrifrigo and that the fridge compartment is colder.

Thank you

Graham and Ann

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Be very interested to hear everyone's opinions on this as well as I'm going through exactly the same thing.

Graham and Ann I have discovered that to get the old fridge out you have to remove the van door frame completely from talking to Tom at Kedron, he was most helpfull and indicated that they are no longer installing Vitrifirgo.

Cheers

Southy

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Half way into our latest adventure the 230l Vitrifrigo died (2007) leaving us to live out of a borrowed 40l Engel. So on the way home we stopped in at the Fridge Whisperer only to be told that the damage to the fridge was terminal. The sad thing about it is that the fridge had been working the best it had ever worked thanks to the good work that the Fridge Whisperer had done a year ago. Up until that time we were not happy with the performance of the fridge.

The damage to the fridge was caused by the rough roads that we had been traveling on.

So now we have a big decision to make;

1; replace the fridge with another 230l Vitrifrigo this is by far the easiest or,

2 replace it with a 215l Waeco this will require a fair amount of alterations to enable the fridge to fit into the existing opening.

To help with this decision I am seeking some information on the effectiveness of the 215l Waeco and any problems people have encountered with this fridge. Also if anyone has had any experience with the new Vitrifrigo this is the one with the additional rack in the freezer.

We have heard that the Waeco uses less power than the Vitrifrigo and that the fridge compartment is colder.

Thank you

Graham and Ann

Good morning Curly

A couple of months ago we had a problem with our Vitrifrig & we went to Portable Fridge Solutions in Cairns & he put a new freezer unit in as pipes were cracked he said to put lighter product to the bottom of freezer & heavier product on wire shelf as pipes run around bottom. Also if you want fridge to be a bit colder drill a few holes in Plastic slide out tray. To replace fridge he pulls the fridge apart in van & passes through window & same with new one. I suppose if you Google the power usage of both fridges you will see which uses more power.

Neville.

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Hi all

We have had the Waeco 215l in our van for over 3 years and love it. I opted for this fridge due to the more robust latches and hinges and the fact that all the hot stuff (motor compressor etc) was mounted at the top of the fridge where you want the heat to get away. Our last van had the Vitrifrigo and had no problems.

Our current van has been around the block including a trip to the Gulf country and the Cape last year.This included some of the worst roads that we have experienced since caravanning. The cape trip included 8 km's of the old telle track to get into and out of Eliott Twin falls. The road in included 1/2 meter deep wash outs and lots of rocks to negotiate or climb over, so not only the fridge but the van had a huge shake up.

Personally Love the 215l Waeco.

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G`Day Graham & Alan

We have had our new Vitrifigo for about 4 months now and so far it has been very good. The hinges are a lot stronger there are 2 shelves in the freezer, 1 at the bottom. The freezer itself is integrated with the fridge instead of just hanging loose.Even with the old heap we never had a problem with keeping food cold.As you said if we wanted to change brands it would have required extensive alterations in the van to fit. Power wise it has never been a prob. Draws about 4.5 amps on average. They seem to be a lot more efficient when full.We claimed on insurance with the old one and got about $600 back based on fusion.

Cheers

Rick & Lea

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Graham,



FYI, I replaced my 230 litre Vitrifrigo last week with another Vitrifrigo, when the old one died just as I was leaving to go away for a few days, plain black $2,200.00 from Camec in Brisbane.


Removed doors from existing fridge and took through van door, same with new fridge, removed doors and easily fit through door, also took the opportunity to replace existing 3mm factory wiring with 6mm wire. Whole process took just over an hour.


Delighted with new unit, appears more efficient than old one, but perhaps now there is decent wiring its not working so hard.


Replacement done ten years to the day of delivery of van.


Love the LED light on the new one also.


I also previously fitted a switch above the fridge to turn it off and on rather than use the thermostat.



In saying that seems such a waste to dump old one so if anyone is chasing parts, tray under freezer was cracked and I was going to replace it but was struggling with the $135.00 price tag, I also have a number of 24 volt festoon bulbs, had trouble getting them so bought half a dozen when I found them.


Shelves are in good condition as are doors, they are silver in colour.


Would prefer pick up from Gold Coast if anyone interested.



John


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