experience with SunDanzer fridge or freezer?

olives · 07-08-2018, 01:02 PM

Do you have experience with fridges or freezers made by SunDanzer? We're thinking of possibly getting:

https://sundanzer.com/product/dcr165-dcf165/
https://sundanzer.com/product/dcr225-dcf225/

Anyone know how well they work, how finicky, how well they hold up, pitfalls to be aware of ...? Also, how much space do we actually need beside/around it (the coils are on the right side if I understand correctly)?

PNW_Steve · 07-08-2018, 02:34 PM

I have not had firsthand experience with them but I have know a couple of people that have them and have heard good things about them.

I considered them myself. After much consideration I decided to buy a 10.8 cu.ft. apartment fridge for $399 and spend an additional $2k on solar and batteries instead of buying two of the sundazers for $2400.

serpent · 07-10-2018, 12:42 AM

I have had two SunDanzer's for about 3 years now. One is set up as a freezer and the other a fridge. Both have been running 24/7 since I bought them and have had no issues and use very little power.

The only problem I see with them is that they take up quite a bit of space considering the amount of sq. ft. storage they offer internally; this is due to the insulation/construction.

Are they worth it? To me, yes. These keep temperature where it needs to be even if it's ~120F in the bus. No other 'standard' fridges/freezers in my experience have been able to do this.

serpent · 07-10-2018, 12:46 AM

Quick additional notes in regards to the first post: The thermostats can be 'finicky' for first dialing in your desired temperature but once set and tested they remain consistent throughout use. I have approx. 2" of space around them for ventilation. They have been abused quite a bit if you consider road bumps/etc. Still rocking in performance.

olives · 07-10-2018, 09:22 AM

Thank you for the review and tips!!

Do you need to have more space around the coil side (which I think is the righthand side?) than the other sides, or just 2" on each side?

I'm thinking of setting these on some sort of rack or wheels (belted in or such for travel) under a countertop so at least I don't need to clear off the counter (i.e. fridge top) every time I open the fridge. Any thoughts or advice on this setup? Thanks!

(Also, I'm new at this - is it normal for a bus to get to 120F??)

Benny23 · 09-23-2023, 03:30 AM

Sundanzer has absolutely the worst customer service. I bought a freezer from them thinking it was going to be a great addition to my solar powered battery setup. Long story short, they sent it to me with missing pieces, are impossible to get a hold of, and it still doesn't work. I am writing this to let others know to be extremely wary of them and to save yourself some headache and go with another brand.

Rwnielsen · 09-23-2023, 04:03 AM

I bought one of these to use just as a freezer and, it also will run on 24 vdc. It cost me about $100 more than it is now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Benny23 · 09-23-2023, 06:22 AM

They come equipped to run on either 12v or 24v DC, I paid them an extra $60 to have a converter installed so that it would run on 48v DC, which they did not install. I didn't know this when the unit arrived and assumed it was good to go. So when I went to connect it to power, the fuse inside the unit automatically blew. I replaced the fuse, tried again and it blew again. I was finally able to get in touch with them and after looking into it they realized that they accidentally sent me a unit withiut the converter. They said they would send me the converter which I would have to install myself. I was not pleased since it was something I had already paid them to do and I did not want to have to work on the machine myself... I bought two units, one to work as a fridge and one as a freezer, only difference is the thermostat. The fridge is working fine. They said to open up the fridge and install the converter on the freezer exactly the same as it is installed on the fridge. I did that, put in a new fuse, and the freezer still doesn't work. I don't know if maybe putting 48v to the original 24v design must've done more damage than just blowing the fuse, but they are next to impossible to get a hold of. Now I am stuck with a freezer that I bought and paid for and still doesn't work. I hope I can reach them and they will do something to help me rectify the situation, but alas they are very hard to reach, they respond slowly to emails and never answer their phone. Very frustrating since I originally paid to have the unit sent to me to operate on 48v DC from the manufacturer and they acknowledged that it was their mistake. I think they are otherwise good units and have been happy with my fridge, but just warn folks that if you do end up having any issues at all their customer service is horrible.

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