The Dometic CFX3 Mega Thread

If you have been trying to figure out which CFX3 size will work best, check out this video from Dometic's CFX3 product manager - Reed Frick. He walks you through all the details and info you'll need to choose the right size.



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For science. This is Walmart brand. Kinda have to shove the 5th and 6th one in but the lid shuts.

 

Thank you again!

 

So before I order the 55, when's the cover coming out?

 

I also completed the science experiment tonight. You can easily fit four Safeway ice cream sandwiches in there and you could probably get two more if you didn't mind smashing part of them.

 

Getting fancy with the flavors, too!

 

Fridge is purchased.


...if you're on the fence, REI is offering a 20% off coupon. Ship to store, 20% off, plus whatever dividend you've accumulated? Not going to beat that.

I paid less than $900 for mine, including tax.

 

I haven't taken any fridge specific photos so I'll post a couple cameos, but I can say that fridges are game changers!

I got a CFX3-55IM in early May and the cover in mid-May. The cover is surprisingly good and worth the $130 or whatever I paid for it. It zips together really well and is quite durable, though I haven't tested how much more efficient it is while on. The numbers I see are in line with published specs, or about 1Ah/h for 80 degree ambient. It's closer to 3.5-5Ah/h with the peltier ice maker on, so if you want ice plan accordingly. It takes 1.5-3h to make ice, depending on how cold the water is to start in my experience. A couple small cubes with a nice rye whiskey on day 5 of a desert tower climbing trip is a game changer. I will bring tequila, cointreau, and limes next time!

Have made a few trips now that lockdowns are easing in my state, and especially in these times it's a revolutionary. We did a 6-day trip over Memorial Day, parking for 3 days in the middle of nowhere. We were able to shop once at the local grocery to stock up on food and beer, and were still eating fresh stuff at the end of the trip. All with no mess of ice or having to stop and enter a store to deal with ice or fresh food.

The 55IM lives in the back of the truck now; debating on a slider and how that would work out in my current ghetto-plywood-platform.

Truck does have an OGE dual-battery setup with a group 35 house battery and redarc bcdc25 system. I ran 8ga wires to the bed of the truck and don't notice any voltage drop, maybe 0.1V under load from the battery to the fridge when the compressor is on. After 3 days of sitting with some ice making battery read 11.9 per the fridge.

Happy to answer questions or take photos or whatever if it's useful for y'all on the fence, but honestly: if you can afford it, it's well worth it.

Two thumbs up Dometic, hope to take this thing on trips for years to come.

[post not sponsored, just found this thread and have some thoughts to share]

 

I dig it. I used mine last night for a "concert in your car" event out here. Sit in your car/bed/tailgate, watch a concert.

Fridge is great, and much much quieter than I had before. Really happy so far.

What wire and fuse size is recommended to hard wire it to the truck?

 

I'm not from dometic or an electrician, but the cartridge fuse in the 12V plug that comes with the fridge is 10A and if you're running it into the bed I'd use 10ga wire minimum from the engine bay. There's going to be some voltage drop over the 8-15 or whatever feet you use to get it back there and you want to minimize that. Definitely put a fuse as close to the battery as possible in addition to the one on the socket because safety. If it's just the fridge you're wiring you use a 20A fuse on the battery. If you're wiring for more than the fridge (I have some USB, anderson powerpole, etc.. for camp lights and other stuff in the bed) then you will have to size up to 8ga and a 30-50A fuse or circuit breaker, but you should use a fuse block and the minimum rated fuse for whatever is on the load for the circuit you're wiring. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff on this forum and elsewhere that's more informed and safer than what I can post after a glass of whiskey though...

 

Sounds reasonable. I have 12ga wire to the plug now, and a 20a fuse. Sounds like I'll need to rip that out and go heavier.

edit: Nope, I have 10ga, and I'm just going from engine to the cab. Should be good!

 

My interest is in a smaller, rugged secondary unit dedicated to freezing temps with the CFX3 bells and whistles of WiFi/Bluetooth, more capable (2A) USB, etc.

@Dometic, your marketing dept. retained the older CFX-28 while obsoleting the other CFX units.

Are there eventual plans to introduce a modern CFX3-28 model?

 

Dometic, have you started shipping the new slides yet? I ordered the one for the 55 from Northridge 4x4 back in March, and I’m being told that it’s shipping Directly from the manufacturer.

 

Have y’all found a DC power cord that incorporates a 90° bend into the plug?

The male end of the cord, where it plugs into the power source/truck, is too long and is getting pushed/folding the cord. I need a 90* solution.

 

Used my new CFX3 75DZ for the first time this weekend and I've been experimenting with it in the driveway all last week as well. One concern I'm having is the unit is shutting itself off to protect the battery around 12v, maybe 11.9v when my understanding was using the mid battery protection setting the unit was supposed to run until reaching 11.2v. Used it camping Saturday night at Rausch Creek, arrived in camp around 4:30 PM, and by 5 AM the unit had shut itself off. I was really thinking that I'd be able to have a longer run time since I'm not looking at dual batteries at the moment. Ambient temp was in the 70s and down to the low 60s overnight, so not really that hot either.

Large side was set to 37* and was mostly full, freezer side was set to 5* and only had 1 tub of ice cream in it. Maybe having the freezer side more full would help?

I'm running to a Blue Seas socket in the bed, tied into my aux fuse panel under the hood with 10ga wire. Anyone have any ideas how to improve performance?

 

If I had to guess the freezer was the culprit. These fridges have to work hard to maintain that cold and an almost empty freezer means it’s working that much harder.

 

That's my initial thoughts too. I'm probably going to give Dometic a call today too just to hear their thoughts. Maybe I'll take some things out of the freezer at home and try again, just don't tell my wife.

 

What kind of battery do you have?

 

Odyssey group 34. It's only 6 months old so I don't suspect the battery.

 

But here's my real question, regardless of the contents of the freezer section. Both the fridge and app, and the blue seas panel read out were showing voltages of ~12v and the unit already entered battery protection mode. Documentation for the fridge states that on the medium setting it should run until 11.2v.