The Official Dometic CFX Fridge Feed!

[kcSNOWrunner]

Hey [MENTION=212966]Dometic[/MENTION] just bought the CFX75 on the Labor Day sale...do you know if the Slide will fit in the 5th Gen 4Runner by chance?

thanks!

 

[Taco_Runner]

Bought a stock 02 4runner about a year ago when I got to Germany, hoping to start building it this summer. Been looking at installing a fridge and Dometic is what's caught my attention the most. The cfx 35w is what I'm planning on getting, for now at least, may go bigger once state side and the truck gets used more for longer trips.

Are the fridges both 110 and 220? I do plan to ship the truck stateside once I'm done in Germany, so would it be a problem? I plan on running a dedicated 12v to the rear for the fridge anyways.

Thanks

 

[BlakeA]

Cfx3 35

Just received the latest model CFX3 35. Will be installing it next week in my 5th gen on a platform I built. I’ll be using the DFG Offroad fridge slide.
I’ve been testing the fridge the last 3 days. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of a dual battery setup, so I have it plugged into a Jackery 500 L-ion generator which I will plug into the 12 volt outlet in the back when driving, and when camping, I bought a Goal Zero Boulder 100 suitcase solar panel to charge the Jackery while camping.
I charged the Jackery to full capacity and ran the Dometic (empty) inside my garage for 48 hours and used 70% of the generator’s capacity.
I expect the fridge to do even better when it contains food and drink and is pre chilled, but that will be offset by opening the fridge several times while camping.
Once I get the slide installed on the platform, I’ll post some pictures of the setup.

 

[DallasTRDPro]

Can these be run straight off the battery or is a dual battery setup necessary? Or maybe just a goal zero?

 

[BlakeA]

Can these be run straight off the battery or is a dual battery setup necessary? Or maybe just a goal zero?

Read the post directly above yours. My Jackery 500 lithium is basically the same as the Goal Zero lithium, but cheaper by $100. Got mine for $425 when they were on sale about a month ago. Works great with my Dometic and no need to wire up a second battery or run dedicated 12 volt to the back. I just didn’t want the hassle of doing either of those things, plus...I can use the Jackery for other things if I want to, and I also charge it with a solar panel as well.

 

[TexasTJ]

Can these be run straight off the battery or is a dual battery setup necessary? Or maybe just a goal zero?

I'm running a Dometic 63qt wired directly to the battery. Ran the wiring through the firewall grommet, under the driver side floor trim and to the back to power the fridge.

 

[duffdog]

I run the CC40 connected directly to the 12V outlet in the back. No worries about voltage drop or draining the battery as it draws only a small amount of power and shuts off when the ignition is off. Its as foolproof as you can get. It opens to the side so you can easily get stuff out without the lid closing on you.

 

[esteban008]

Read the post directly above yours. My Jackery 500 lithium is basically the same as the Goal Zero lithium, but cheaper by $100. Got mine for $425 when they were on sale about a month ago. Works great with my Dometic and no need to wire up a second battery or run dedicated 12 volt to the back. I just didn’t want the hassle of doing either of those things, plus...I can use the Jackery for other things if I want to, and I also charge it with a solar panel as well.

[MENTION=450930]BlakeA[/MENTION] have you run this battery setup much as of yet? I was contemplating the same approach, but using my PLB40 instead. I removed that 12V outlet to get a look, and the wires that run into it have got to be 18 AWG (pretty small). Has me a little worried about pulling ~8 amps continuously during a charge...though it looks like your Jackery 500 will only pull 3.6 amps, so maybe not as big a concern for you.

Thanks!

 

[BlakeA]

[MENTION=450930]BlakeA[/MENTION] have you run this battery setup much as of yet? I was contemplating the same approach, but using my PLB40 instead. I removed that 12V outlet to get a look, and the wires that run into it have got to be 18 AWG (pretty small). Has me a little worried about pulling ~8 amps continuously during a charge...though it looks like your Jackery 500 will only pull 3.6 amps, so maybe not as big a concern for you.

Thanks!

Actually, I have NOT had a chance to run this system for any length of time, other than testing. I may not get a chance to until July. Before I bought this setup, I watch some YouTube videos where some people had run similar setups though, so I’m reasonably confident it should work fine.

 

[ElectroBoy]

Hey [MENTION=212966]Dometic[/MENTION]
You’ve gone dark.
How about giving us some info on the recall of the CFX3 line due to fires caused by simultaneous AC/DC operation.

 

[DallasTRDPro]

I found a used CFX45 on Craigslist. How would I know if it was one from the recall dates??

 

[ElectroBoy]

I found a used CFX45 on Craigslist. How would I know if it was one from the recall dates??

From what I understand ALL of the CFX family have this electrical issue. There is no fix. Dometic says just do not plug the 120v and 12v cords into the unit at the same time. The “recall” is to send you a sticker to apply on your cooler to remind you not to do this.

WARNING :: Dometic CFX3 cooler units | IH8MUD Forum

Dometic CFX3 Recall info thread | Expedition Portal

Edit: Looking at the pdf again, they give a range of serial numbers.
00700001 thru 02303122 or 94900011 thru 95200240

 

[DallasTRDPro]

From what I understand ALL of the CFX family have this electrical issue. There is no fix. Dometic says just do not plug the 120v and 12v cords into the unit at the same time. The “recall” is to send you a sticker to apply on your cooler to remind you not to do this.

WARNING :: Dometic CFX3 cooler units | IH8MUD Forum

Dometic CFX3 Recall info thread | Expedition Portal

Edit: Looking at the pdf again, they give a range of serial numbers.
00700001 thru 02303122 or 94900011 thru 95200240

Well I ended up buying it. My serial number is not included. I guess I feel ok with my purchase.

 

[ElectroBoy]

Well I ended up buying it. My serial number is not included. I guess I feel ok with my purchase.

It’s a good fridge. As long as you run from DC always in your vehicle, you should be OK. Then disconnect the DC plug when you run on your house AC. I don’t see any reason to ever run from the AC in the truck, it’s less efficient.

 

[BlakeA]

I love the fridge but it will only run off the DC from the truck or the AC from my Goal Zero.

So, it always runs off the AC on the Goal Zero and the Goal Zero gets charge from solar, and truck DC when driving, or plugged in when there is an outlet.

I really wanted to run it off the Goal Zero DC outlets, but it just doesn't work.

My Dometic CFX3-35 runs off of DC from my Jackery 500 generator, but it seems I recall something about needing a special cord for running off DC on some Goal Zeros. Maybe someone with more knowledge will post about this (if in fact I’m not dreaming).

 

[ElectroBoy]

I actually reached out to Dometic and they told me it wouldn't work with the battery in the Goal Zero. Something about not working with Lithium.
But that didn't make a lot of sense because my Goal Zero is AGM and I believe your Jackery is lithium.

Which model of Goal Zero do you have? The older Yetis had unregulated 12V outputs for the car port that didn’t play well with Dometics. You’re supposed to use their special regulating power cord for them.
Here’s an article about it.
How To Run A Dometic 12V Fridge/Freezer With Goal Zero Yeti - The Solar Addict

But the lead-acid versions are supposed to work OK.

 

[dride]

Love having my cfx355 im.


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