The Dometic CFX3 Mega Thread

@d.shaw Thank you.

 

So I am having a couple of problems with my IM55.

The temp varies by several degrees. It’s set it to 37º, it’s dipped to 32º. Currently it’s 44º outside and mid-day. I haven’t driven the truck in over 12 hours so I am sure it’s 44º at the cooler. Previously I had it set at 36º and it dropped to 30º during a trip where outside temps were in the mid to upper 80’s. For the most part the temps were between 37º and 32º Having the dip to below freezing is concerning but my greater concern is the additional power draw. But having the temp vary more than 2-3º is concerning.

It seems to run a lot. Usually between 35 and 40 watts. Sometimes it will drop in wattage draw but that’s rare. I do have the ice maker running.

I’ve got this all running through an EcoFlow River Pro. It has 720 watt hours. I’m getting just over 14 hours of use. This seems to be a lot larger drain than others are experiencing. I was hoping at the least I’d be getting 24+ hours.

 

The ice maker draw a loooottttt more power than the fridge. I don’t recall exact numbers, but I remember it was like triple as much as when it was off. Regarding temps, it’s gonna fluctuate. I’ve owned three Dometic fridges now and they all do it as the temp rises and the compressor kicks on to bring it down. Everything you’re describing sounds normal.

 

That explains the results of my first test.
Thanks.
Will test Friday with the Jackery 500 with ice maker OFF!! this time.

 

I like it.

 

I ended up shortening the DC power cord and wiring it into an ARB fridge plug since it’s a threaded socket. I also cut up the AC power cord and wired it to a bulkhead connector, pictured lower right of the second pic. Now when I’m trip prepping, I just plug the female end of the extension cord in and the fridge has AC power.

 

Oops, wrong forum

 

Does the protective cover do any substantial insulation?

 

For the CFX3 line, no it doesn't.

 

Yes, it does. I turned the ice maker OFF.
Last night I left the cooler on the Jackery 240 for 11.5 hours. It only dropped to 59%. The ambient temp was in the 60s.
Yahoo. That is great news.
And, that is not even the Jackery 500.

 

That's more true than I wanted it to be. I've been doing my "tests" with the ice maker on because it's a huge selling point for me. I was looking for something in the 45-50 liter size and got this because if the ice maker. So yesterday I turned the ice maker off and that's made a huge difference. Previously I'd estimate it stayed on most of the time running between 35 and 40 watts. Now it looks to be running about half the time and the wattage is in the mid 20s.

My complaint isn't that it fluctuates, it's by how much. If I set it to 36º I would think 38º to 34º would be fine. I went back and checked my notes, and it dropped to 26º. I'm going to complain about 10 degrees. That was only once, I did see 30º several times though and I consider that too much.

 

As others have mentioned, the covers for the CFX3 line are protective only

DOMETIC
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Well that settles it for me to not get the cover. I have a few questions about the CFX3-95D. Can i mount it using the 4 threaded holes on the bottom? What size bolts do I use? This model only has vent slots on the rear and not the sides, does that mean it only needs a 2" space for the rear?

 

The bolt size is an M6 and you can mount the cooler that way. As for space around the cooler, I would try to leave as much room as you can to provide as much airflow as you can.

DOMETIC
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Reference the 55im model.

To test it again, I used it to feeeze water containers.
It is on AC power.

I put 4 large plastic bottles, 3-4 qt size, with room temp water.
I set it to -4°F.
It has taken 2 days to get the temp to get to (so far) +1°F.
The room, it is in, is about 62-64°F.

Is this normal?

Thanks.

 

I don't know if people have noticed this, but the hardware that the seat backrest bolts to is perfect for supporting a CFX3-55IM platform. By notching the platform, the stock hardware doesn't rotate out from under it. Also key is to use a 1" square piece of bar stock bolted to the bottom seat hinge. It sets the platform dead level. Incidentally, I slapped a few squares of mastic tape on the fridge where it would rub on the backrest hardware and it helps to keep it from sliding around. I used 1/2" plywood, but would opt for 3/4" if I did it again.

 

I believe this is pretty close to normal. To draw down the temperature of the water in those bottles, plus any void space left between the bottles, takes a lot of energy and time for a system the size of a 55IM. You would likely find something similar to a freezer at home if you started with the system completely off (space is at room temp), added the room temp bottles, and then turned on the freezer.

To get the fastest cooling times we recommend taking all of your already frozen/chilled items, packing the cooler densely, then monitoring the drawdown in internal temp. It should be much faster and take a lot less energy to do this

DOMETIC
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Use promo code TacomaW20 for $25 off your order of $75+

 

@Dometic
Thank you. It sounds good. I wanted to verify it is working correctly before the trip in the future.
It got down to -2°F. So, good to go.
When I use it for real items will be pre-chilled.

Ken

 

I’ve been running my new CFX3 55IM for a couple days now and have been noticing a slight gurgling sound when the compressor is running and for about 30 seconds after the compressor shuts off. Everything is running fine temp wise.

Is the gurgling noise normal?
@Dometic

 

I don't know if it is normal but mine does the same thing.