Bushman LPG Gas Fridges buying guide

Gas fridges are actually powered by heat generated by a small gas flame. When the flame burns, it heats up the refrigeration liquid inside the fridge and turns it into gas. As this gas flows through the refrigeration system, it absorbs all the heat from inside the fridge cabinet and transfers it to outside the back of the fridge – hence the name absorption cooling system! It sounds a bit unusual, but it is an effective and proven cooling system.

No! Most gas fridges do not require any electricity to operate, so they are ideal for no power situations. On the back of our fridges, you’ll find a small AA battery compartment which powers the interior LED light only.

A small 100 litre LPG gas fridge uses around a third of a kilogram of gas over 24 hours, so a normal 8.5kg bbq gas bottle will last you around three weeks.

A larger 2-door gas fridge, around 200 or 300 litres, will use around half a kilogram of gas per day. Larger fridges are more commonly operated from the taller 45kg gas bottles. A 45kg gas bottle will last you for around three months running non-stop.

LPG gas is available in most towns throughout Australia. You may be able to organise a pick up and drop off service from your local LPG gas agent closest to where you live.

Unlike a normal household fridge, gas fridges have no moving parts, so they can be very reliable over many decades. As with most appliances, gas fridges are designed to be operated and this actually extends their lifetime – so the more often they get used, generally the longer they last.

If you live in a remote area with no mains power, or are looking for a fridge for your beach shack, outdoor kitchen, or even long-term fixed outdoor camping – a gas fridge may well be a decent option for you as they don’t need electricity, are efficient and operate with only a single LPG gas bottle.

It depends who you ask. At Bushman, we do not recommend gas fridges being used in mobile situations like as caravans or RVs. Even when we used to sell gas fridges, we did not approve them for mobile use. We always recommend 12V compressor fridges for all mobile situations. If you’re looking for a caravan or camping fridge, you can browse our range of portable fridges voted by productreview.com.au as the best in Australia for six years running, or read more about the difference between gas and 12v fridges