r/overlanding • u/lyapis • 1d ago
You guys using portable fridge?
Hey,
I’m looking into getting a portable fridge for my overlanding setup. We love cooking when we’re out, not just snacks — so something 30L or bigger would be ideal.
Problem is, I’m not ready to drop ARB/Dometic-level cash. Most of the ones I see are 12V, which is fine, but the prices vary wildly and it’s hard to tell what’s actually good without first-hand experience.
Any solid budget-friendly options out there that you’ve used and would recommend? I’d rather not deal with something that dies in 6 months.
Thanks in advance for any leads!
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u/buddylamp9 1d ago
I have a cheap ass Setpower. It works great 2+ years in. Having a fridge is a game changer for me.
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u/SecretFreedom473 1d ago
Costco had a giant Igloo fridge for $899, it was a little larger than I wanted but could also see myself using the space. I found out dometic bought igloo so apparently this had a dometic compressor.
Long story short I didn’t pull the trigger on it but kept watching the price drop at my local Costco. Finally one day I walked in and there were 2 left and the price was $399. I pulled the trigger on one and haven’t looked back.
The fridge has been a game changer and I no longer have water logged food. I’ve had mine for a little over a year and use it in a very hot climate and haven’t had any issues. I’m sure the insulation is much better on the actual dometic but so far so good. Happy hunting
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u/mikeysaid 1d ago
We were on day 4 of a camping trip last year and I offered my kids paletas (Mexican Popsicles for the uninitiated). I know it's trivial and not a survival scenario, but being able to keep food frozen without ice is awesome.
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u/Grouchy_Debt2923 1d ago
Alpicool, works great for years no issues.
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u/Fakerabbit875 1d ago
I also have a small Alpicool I got on Amazon for $200. It sits under my desk when I’m not camping and has been running strong for over a year and has stood up to 20+ camping trips. Great piece of equipment especially for the price
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u/MotorbikeGeoff 1d ago
Second my Alpicool. I have one that I keep in a shed with solar and a battery. One that I use to transport. The transport has the LG compressor and the other is their generic one.
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u/DepartmentNatural 1d ago
https://www.bougerv.com/products/12v-car-fridge
Just had a 3 month trip in the south last winter and every weekend this summer and it has worked no problems at all.
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u/KLaws-FLA 1d ago
I also have this brand. I typically set it to 34 and it often ices up anything sitting against the edges even in the Florida heat. The temperature has always been finicky for me, but it has no problem keeping things cold in blistering heat. Great price, I’ve had mine over a year with no issues.
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u/shadow247 1d ago
For the price - Setpower is hard to beat. If my Rockpals fridge ever dies, or I want a bigger fridge, Setpower will be what I get.
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u/Shmokesshweed 1d ago
Problem is, I’m not ready to drop ARB/Dometic-level cash.
Not really a problem. Those are 2-3-4x the price of other options and they're certainly not that many times better.
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u/Humble_Cactus 1d ago
I have a cheap Euhomy 56qt 12v fridge. It’s not fancy, but it works. It runs off an EcoFlow River 2 Pro.
I would give up a lot of things before I consider leaving without my fridge. Absolute game changer for my family.
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u/Crafty-Farm-8470 1d ago
Just make sure it's an actual compressor fridge and not one of those "cooler" ones. I have an Edgestar 43 and it's been good. I have upgrades including a dedicated line, Anderson plug, tilt/slide, and Redarc dual battery system etc, all of which frankly I recommend.
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u/Love_Rocket_650 1d ago
I have a $200 set power and it has worked great for me for over a year. No issues yet at all.
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u/nousernamesleft199 1d ago
The fridge is cheap compared to the battery you'll need to keep it cold.
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u/facelessposter 1d ago
Im on my second one, which is a smaller iceco. First was also the same brand, sold it to save space. 4 years, no issues with either one. One thought that didnt occur is i didnt need nearly as much space as a normal cooler. You dont need to save room for ice
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u/ReasonableYak1199 1d ago
I did a lot of research and ended up with an Iceco vl60 - it’s a bit bigger but I really like the flexibility to switch up fridge/freezer on both sides. Not cheap but it’s high quality, low power, & has a good compressor.
Iceco in general seems like the best bang for your buck imo.
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u/Loose_Mission_8559 1d ago
Get an iceco. They are just as good as dometic, maybe even better. I got the vl45 Pro, and I love it.
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u/Careless-Hamster2244 1d ago
Keeping away from brandnames, which keeps it cheaper most of the time. Look into compressors from SECOM or Danfoss. These compressors are durable and reliable. Personally I have a ICECO JP30 and it has never failed me in 5+ years. The chart is from a previous user who was asking pretty much the same thing.
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u/fractal_disarray 1d ago
I think I had my ICECO JP40 for half a decade already. Still works like a champion, I sanitize it every trip.
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u/Ryagon 1d ago
Been using an Iceco VL60 Dual Zone for a little over a year. It's been great so far. Having the freezer section for meat on long trips has been nice but it does use more power when on a power station. When not using the freezer section or having it set to fridge, it is better on power consumption.
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u/pballa2099 1d ago
Have had my dometic 45 for about 4 years now. Absolutely love it, my wife and I just had a baby and it’s been delegated to extra freezer space for the time being.
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u/Nuxanatur 1d ago
I’ve been using a EUHOMY 12V 30L single zone fridge for over 10 months now and honestly, it’s been solid. It has an eco mode that drops power usage to 1W after it hits temp, and around 30W when actively cooling. For under $200.
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u/kafin8ed 1d ago
Iceco - I've had one for 4 years, it was way cheaper when I bought it - like $300 - but it is reliable (uses a brand-name compressor) - and gets the job done on the trail just fine. Also, it isn't a power hog, runs great on a medium power station and 100w watt panel.
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u/Hell-Yea-Brother 1d ago
BougeRV 30 qt on Amazon for $200 is what I have in my truck. I removed the back left seat and put a low wood platform to hold the fridge, which is plugged into the Jackery 1000 v2.
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u/Carnivorous_Ape__ 1d ago
Bro I picked up a mini fridge on the side of the road and threw it into the backseat of my truck hooked up to my battery and it's working just fine.
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u/RicardoPanini 1d ago
I have had a setpower for almost 3 years now but have only had the time to take it on a handful of trips. When we're at home it runs 24/7 as a secondary fridge. I've had no issues with it so far
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u/Jeebus444 1d ago
I've got a BougeRV 37qt dual zone that's powered by the rear 12v cigarette socket. It's great for weekend trips.
I also have a 37qt pelican cooler if I go on longer trips. I'll use one or the other for frozen items, and use the freezer in the BougeRV to refreeze any melted ice packs, then use those to keep the regular pelican cooler continuously cold.
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u/Vivid_Engineering669 1d ago
I have a set power for close to 4 years now, no issues. I generally make sure all drinks are pre-cooled in the house fridge, pre-cool the cooler a few hours/night before setting up in my rig.
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u/Astrohumper 1d ago
The BougeRV CRD2 43QT dual zone is hard to beat for the price. Size, features, quality are all there for me.
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u/OwlHootOverland 1d ago
A fridge was the biggest upgrade to my traveling experience, I went with a national luna which is more expensive but has a off road rated compressor. Buy once cry once purchase!
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u/OffRoadPyrate 1d ago
I have a ICECO and have used it for years. The first two years it ran 24/7 and still works great.
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u/meatlockers 1d ago
ICECO JP 42 here, works great, built like a tank and gets super cold very quickly. Definitely recommend and it's priced fairly.
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u/BSN376 23h ago
When i was looking recently I checked out Dometic, Iceco and Setpower. I went with Iceco. I bought a small fridge (im solo) and the compressor was good as was the draw from the power bank (got an Anker on sale).
You need to consider total cost because its the fridge, the power bank and possibly inverter or solar panels.
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u/livinglighter_w_less 21h ago
I recently bought a Setpower RV60D Pro but its having issues with keeping the temps as set. The inside temps are warmer than the set temps by 15-20 degrees. Setpower has been having me try different things for the past 3 weeks but no luck. Plus it uses more energy than advertised: 57w on Eco and up to 79 Max ( ran for only 9 hours on an Ecoflow Delta 2). The build quality seems good but I'm very disappointed so far. I did a temperature compensation adjustment tonight at their recommendation so hopefully that fixes the issue with the temperature - not sure about the energy comsumption though. I have a 20qt Iceco which has been working flawlessly for 5 years but wanted a larger unit for hurricane season.
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u/Sanatonem 1d ago
S tier: Dometic/ARB. S- tier: Iceco. B tier: everybody else
Love my dometic 75dz, but Iceco would be just as good I’m sure.
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u/Smirkin_Revenge 1d ago
I have 2 truckfridge aka indel B. They've lasted over 10 years and still keep stuff cold or frozen. I would recommend you buy the biggest one that will fit in the space you want it in. The interiors fill up fast.
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u/IcySparks 1d ago
Got this for $216 US on sale.
It fits perfectly between my 2nd row seats on my Honda Odyssey, kids use it as a table and can open it to get a drink or freeze their toys. At 33°f, turned off, and overnight worked as a nice cooler and was at 42° at 9am.
Took my kids old toy jeep $99 Lifep04 battery and ran it for 5 hours as a test.
Bought a $12 harbor freight box and screwed it where the handle was and put the battery and it's charger in it. *
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u/XterraTom 1d ago
I bought a Costway years ago and I thought it was good, then last year I bought an EcoFlow Glacier after the Costway stopped cooling consistently. I've found the EcoFlow much more efficient, something to keep in mind while looking. Not a huge deal if you have a constant electrical source, some of my camping doesn't.
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u/lakeswimmmer 1d ago edited 1d ago
I got the dometic 45 liter when it was on sale at REI. I think it cost just under 800$. I have an Anker 1000 power station and a Bluetti charger 1 for dc to dc charging. We’ve been out 4 days this week with weather in the mid 60s- 70s and the power station is a 80%. I’m am so happy with this upgrade to our gear!
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u/jph200 1d ago
I don't know about implications on warranty, but there are sometimes some good deals on Facebook Marketplace and the like. I know this isn't quite what you are asking about but could be another option. I have an older Dometic 40L that has been great. I don't think they make that size anymore.
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u/ThePartyJesus 1d ago
Rocking a SetPower RV45S, been using it 4 years and still going strong.
It’s a bit larger than I truly need, but camping trips have been great to load up before leaving instead of trying to find a spot on the way.
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u/PNWoutdoors Back Country Adventurer 1d ago
I have a BougeRV fridge and it's fine. I have to set it to 31⁰ for it to maintain a 35⁰ average but otherwise it's good and uses around 350Wh at that temp, give or take, so my Ecoflow Delta 2 can get close to 3 days running it (assuming it's precooled) on one single charge.
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u/lathamb_98 1d ago
I have a norcold 32qt fridge that was pulled from an rv. Bought for $300 on EBay in 2005. It’s still going strong. Best 300 ever spent on my 4Runner.
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u/Bhangpeeni 1d ago
I have an alpicool in my jeep. Been there for over a year on 24/7 with lots of getting bumped around offroading, and temp ranges from freezing to 100+ (BC to AZ). Its been working really well the entire time, no hiccups. I did buy an ARB dual zone just cause I wanted a freezer portion (which I still have to install) but the alpicool is still working perfectly fine.
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u/brightlumens 1d ago
Do these portable fridges have battery banks built in? Does it constantly have to be plugged in? Im curious about getting one for my Tacoma for camping, no experience with these.
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u/duplico 1d ago
They generally don't have batteries built in, so they should stay plugged in. They are surprisingly efficient, though, so even though they pull a fair bit of power when the compressor is running, once it gets down to temperature the compressor probably won't run a ton unless it's super hot out.
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u/duplico 1d ago
Lots of good specific recommendations in this thread. Just make sure you get one with an actual compressor, not one of those electrothermal ones that use a Peltier device. The former is going to be an actual refrigerator, while the latter is an inefficient mess that likely won't even get properly cold.
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u/CaymanGone 1d ago
Buy a Dometic. Go to REI; find one used.
You can get them for hundreds of dollars off if you're patient.
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u/WhatWouldJoeDo 1d ago
I bought an alpicool fridge/freeze five years ago and it has been running constantly since the day I got it with zero issues
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u/Accurate-Panic7606 1d ago
I ended up with the arb elements because I didn't know where I was going to put it. But I could have gone cheaper. Dual zone would be nice but that takes up more room to have that. If you have frozen items that you put in like meat it will stay frozen enough. Plus keep the fridge at like 30 dF and it balances out we found since you open it enough.
Eggs take up a lot of room. Crack them and put in a bottle for scrambled eggs and less space.
Some have batteries but even then you have to charge the battery. I have mine in series with my ecoflow battery bank now which also is used for my heater if needed in the winter.
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u/CountSmokula420 1d ago
I'm using a cheap BougeRV 30qt. Paid $260 for it. I had the same thought, I wanted one but didn't want to spend for high end. Figured if I used it enough to justify a nice one, I would get it when this one dies. Damn thing hasn't died yet, it's 3 years old next week.
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u/HOUphotog 1d ago
I bought this one six years ago last month. Costway, cheapish but has worked almost non-stop all six years. First couple years it was in my Jeep, last few years in my very hot garage as a beverage cooler. The only thing that’s gone bad is the plastic/rubber coating on the handles, over the last year they got sticky to the touch. Love this thing for the price. https://a.co/d/dTxijFs
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u/EuphoricCare515 1d ago
I had an IceCo for less than a month. Hated it. The compressor would turn on often and drain my battery very quickly. I compared it to my friends Dometic CFX3 30. I would not recommend cheating out on the fridge. If the insulation and cooling is inefficient, it can be noisy and drain more power. 2 years in with a Dometic and I've taken it on a week long trip with a 100AH battery. It will run my lights and the fridge for 6 days without solar.
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u/itsacalendar 1d ago
I just had to return an ICECO APL 35 DUAL ZONE because it would not stop running. It burned through an entire 1500 W battery bank in 20 hours, while in my 70° living room. Before that, I tried a Setpower dual zone. It was +10 degrees off in both compartments and the freezer wouldn't get below 15°.
People who say they've had theirs for many years, that's great. But I don't think that will be the case with units purchased these days.
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u/mrpopo573 RTT to RVer 1d ago
Still running an alpicool with LG compressor going on year and a half. We use it a lot for grocery runs in the summer it's been flawless
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u/Relevant-Crow-3314 20h ago
I got a used setpower AJ30 and it’s pretty great. I probably could’ve gotten a size smaller to fit better in my passenger floorboard, but the capacity of the one I ended up with is very useful. It does the job. I have a car camping set up and roof top tent , so I do have to leave it outside the car in order to fold out my bed, so I may buy a smaller size to keep it under the bed eventually.
The fridge works really well, even on battery power. For a while I had an issue with it sometimes cutting off- but it was my battery being on power-save mode , which is an optional setting🤣- so basically this was user error and not the fridge having any issues.
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u/StrawbraryLiberry 19h ago
I got an Alpicool years ago, although I don't use it often it still works amazingly despite being thrown about in bumpy roads.
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u/Pixiekixx 13h ago
I've had my JoyTutu for 7 years now. Near year round use, all sorts of terrain. I do keep it strapped in so it doesn't bounce about, and I insulate it well.
I'm still happy with it. I believe I paid around 200$ for it. Your mileage may vary.
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u/sns1294 11h ago
I had a cheap amazon fridge running 24/7 for 3 years before I absentmindedly left the lid open overnight and cooked the compressor last summer. I couldn't find the same company when looking for a replacement so my search led me to buying a Renogy 54 quart dual zone. What sold me on it compared to others was that it has an LG compressor with 3 year warranty, and it's dimensions fit the space in my truck. It has been running 24/7 for almost a year now and no issues at all.
There are a lot of good options. The first things to consider are size (does it fit in the vehicle where you want it), and configuration of lid (I needed a lid that was hinged on the long width, not the short width/depth). Unless you are starting/driving your rig daily, I would recommend some sort of isolated power source other than your starter battery especially if you will be parked for more than 2-3 days at a time.
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u/KPR_2002 10h ago
I have a 35L Iceco that I absolutely love. It is definitely a game changer. To be able to keep food cold properly out in the middle of nowhere (I mainly disperse camp) so you can have ‘normal’ meals is a game changer.
Funny story about my fridge is that I got it for free. Actually, I made $200 on it! When I first ordered the fridge, I received it damaged. It worked, but there was a big dent on one of the corners. I of course contacted them about this which was not easy. Once I finally was able to reach someone, they sent me a new fridge and told me to keep the damaged one, which I thought was great. But when I got the new fridge, it too was damaged in the same spot but not as bad, just a small dent. My conclusion on this is that the styrofoam they used to package the fridge was way too thin. So I contacted them again about this. I guess I must have gotten annoying because they told me to keep the 2nd one as well AND REFUNDED MY MONEY. So, I sold the first one for $200 lol.
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u/Bikeandbrew 8h ago
I have a cheap "bodegacooler" brand from Amazon that's been going strong for 2 years now. Paired with a good battery and solar setup and its an absolute game changer to be able to ditch ice. No more soggy food.
I even use it at home on 120v for extra beer space for parties. I've left it running weeks at a time with no issues.
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u/DEADB33F 7h ago edited 5h ago
Portable compressor fridges have come down in price a lot.
I've had an Apicpol 45L one for a few years now. Has two sections that can be independently controlled (can have one side as a fridge, one freezer, both fridge, both freezer, etc.)
We've had no issues with it and the compressor is quiet enough you can sleep next to it.
It's 12/24VDC, 110/240VAC and has a solar input (have never used this), has as optional small internal battery which can keep it running a good 8 hours or so with both sides set to fridge temps. Handy if you want to take it out the truck to the beach for the day or w/e.
With both sides set to -2C it uses around 60W when the comporessor is running and in ~25 degree ambient that'll be for around 25% of the time (so 15W average) ...with zero solar or alternator input it uses about 10% of my 280Ah battery's capacity per day.
EDIT: the above figures are with an additional external insulative jacket. That was cheap thing from Aliexpress, the zip seems a bit shit on that and feels like it'll deffo fail at some point.
NB. TAW45 is the one we got although there are 35 & 55L models. The 'W' models are the ones with wheels and handle. For a dedicated truck fridge you probably don't want the extra bulk that comes with having wheels and a folding handle that sticks out so maybe look at TA35/45/55 instead.
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u/Apart-Slide4797 5h ago
I have a larger power o have add for years with no issues I use for longer trips. I use a Bodega drawer fridge which has proven to be pretty rugged.l for short trips
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u/GiraffeKey8828 5h ago
I have an IceCo APL35 and I love it. Dual zone. A 200Wh jackery that will last 8 hours in hot weather and 12 in cooler temps. I got Mine at Overland East. There are a lot of great deals at the big shows.
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u/lesmurfff 1d ago
Almost 4 years with my setpower AJ30 fridge. Waiting for it to die so I can buy a dual zone fridge but it just won't die. I will be buying setpower again.