First fridge?

[chester ver2.0]

Personally I would save up and buy a Trailblaza. They have a mean reputation but costs alot of $$$$. That will be my next fridge when I sell my Engel.
Cheers
Wayne
http://www.norcoast.com.au/

I found the problem with the trailblazer was due to all the extra insulation that the external dimensions were huge compared to how much space was actually inside

[feisty]

Funny you should say that.   I recently camped next to a lovely couple travelling in a twin cab with a tray.  Apart from the weirdness of climbing a ladder to get a drink out of the fridge it was the exterior size of the fridge vs it usefulness that got me.  He kept telling me how good the trailblazer was and how well it worked uncovered in the back of his ute in 40 degree heat.  Well it would cos it had more insulation than the space shuttle.  Was very impressed by the build quality though.

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[Vards]

I have got 2x 60 litre evakools and are rapt with them, never had an issue.  One in the car and the other in camper.  One I brought second hand and the other new.  I have used a 40l engel before and it was more power hungry than the evakool in my opinion.  You won't be diss appointed with either.   As long as they keep the beers cold all good.     Steve

[Swogjb]

IMO the Evacool RF 60 is a brilliant fridge that underrated and very versatile. You can use it as fridge only, freezer only or combo.
The Evacool RF60 in the Trakabout definitely cycles way less than the 40 l Engel in the back of the cruiser. When summer camping we normally leave the back door of the cruiser open with the fridge in the drop position so that is not in the heat of the vehicle. Even SWMBO has noticed how little the Evacool is running compared to the Engel.

Don't get me wrong the Engel has been a brilliant fridge, but if I was in the market again the Evacool would probably get the nod.

 

[nbd73]

It does stand to reason that evakool fridges would be efficient > after all it's just one of their esky's with a compressor and a few other bits tacked on the side, and the evakool esky has been THE only and best brand to get for the last 20+yrs IMO, and that of others judging by the numbers sold. You get what you pay for.

[JCOJ]

 Just for your interest - Snowy's here in Adelaide have the later model CFX Waeco's on sale at great prices (CFX35 for $749).

Take this price to Anaconda and get them to beat it by 10% = super cheap fridge!!

[weeds]

I found the problem with the trailblazer was due to all the extra insulation that the external dimensions were huge compared to how much space was actually inside

Gotta agree....

I was at the 4wd show on the weekend and had a chat to them about custom size. They do a fridge with 50mm insulation all round but were not real interested in doing a custom size.


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[SteveandViv]

I have had plenty of Waeco's over the years and all have been excellent.   In fact I just bought another one a few weeks ago to put into the new LC200.

Very happy with the Waeco product.

me to. I've had a 60 that has not been turned off for 6 years now. Been across aus three times and going great. I have a 50 Dual zone which is great for fruit and veg because it does not have an evaporator plate in the fridge area. You need to look at that else you will have no end of ruining veg.

[MrNoodle]

Just for your interest - Snowy's here in Adelaide have the later model CFX Waeco's on sale at great prices (CFX35 for $749).

Take this price to Anaconda and get them to beat it by 10% = super cheap fridge!!

I looked up that snowys but couldn't find fridges?

[MrNoodle]

At the moment I will be running the fridge from 240 but hopefully 12 volt off the car if I get it set up in time. I have a 130Amp SSB AGM going in an Ark Powerpack and going to be playing around setting up the 12 volt system soon (lights, fridge and chargers). Also plan a 160 watt panel for recharging. Am I reading into this too much?

The Evakool RV 60 litre or 80 litre on Evakool website says

Power usage*: Between 1.5 and 2 Amps per hour on average measured over a 24 hour period, motor cycling on/off. Power usage while running 3.75 Amps (RV25 & 35) & 4.58 Amps (RV62 & 82)

The Waeco CF40

Average Power Consumption: 0.87 amps/hr (@ 12V, 5°C interior, 32°C ambient temperature)

The Engel MR40F

DC POWER : Variable from 0.5 to 2.75 AMPS Maximum
 

Does this mean that the Evakool uses twice as much power as the others (its obviously bigger)? Does it even matter with the size battery and planned setup I have?

[Patr80l]

IMO the Evacool RF 60 is a brilliant fridge that underrated and very versatile. You can use it as fridge only, freezer only or combo.
The Evacool RF60 in the Trakabout definitely cycles way less than the 40 l Engel in the back of the cruiser. When summer camping we normally leave the back door of the cruiser open with the fridge in the drop position so that is not in the heat of the vehicle. Even SWMBO has noticed how little the Evacool is running compared to the Engel.

Don't get me wrong the Engel has been a brilliant fridge, but if I was in the market again the Evacool would probably get the nod.

 

How often it cycles is not the same as power consumption.

[Swogjb]

How often it cycles is not the same as power consumption.

Oh really..... Thanks so much for pointing that out!!

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

How often it cycles is not the same as power consumption.

Ok, I'm confused, please clarify your claim.

If a Fridge needs a burst of power to start the motor from static.
The Fridge starts up its cycle more often.
How is it using less power, than another Fridge that is not cycling as much?

Not cycling as much may mean it is better insulated and not heating up as quick.
I can understand that part.

As the owner of an ENGEL 60Ltr. F/F Combi..
 I know I'm going to need to keep an eye on the batteries, if it's at a static camp.

In the words of a Fish and Chip Lady.

"Please explain."

[swanny]

There is so many on the market these days, it makes for a pretty hard decision, particularly if you trying to be conscious of money.

Ive just bought a new fridge myself, the price really chits me for something which is not that big after all.

Ive had a 40 litre Engle in the back of my bus' for many years and its never let me down, so for me the choice was very easy, I bought a 60 ltr F/F Engle, which will go in the CT, yes it costs more, but you get what you pay for IMO.

Engle all the way for me.

Swanny.

[sanz]

We purchased an Evakool RV80 for our trip around AU as it was the perfect size to fit in the Patrol with all our other gear. Also helped it was fairly cheap as well. I'd researched and Evakool had a good name etc so felt fairly safe getting it.

Actually worked mostly fine for nine months then the thermostat played up and ended up freezing everything even though was set to 4 degrees. Was also fairly sensitive to voltage drops and our 12v wiring setup needed to be redone to cope. Anyway we had the unit replaced at the closest BCF (they are an imported BCF only product) and thought we'd be fine however several weeks later the new unit failed. As it is a BCF product Evakool pretty much said it is a BCF issue so deal with them. Not quite the response I was hoping for!

Ended up backtracking 500kms to another BCF and they were actually great ... I said we needed something reliable and they said we'd need to upgrade. Timing meant they had a 25% discount on as well as the manager of the store knocking cash off of a brand new Waeco CF80 so it was straight swap!! Couldn't be happier now ... IF something goes wrong with the Waeco there are people around who can actually service them as opposed to the RV where it has to go back to a BCF!

I'm sure the actual Evakool fridges are probably good, just be wary of the RV range. Has to go back to BCF if issues and can't be serviced locally. For what it's worth my testing seems to indicate the power consumption might be less for the Evakool compared to the Waeco.

Sanz

[Patr80l]

Ok, I'm confused, please clarify your claim.

If a Fridge needs a burst of power to start the motor from static.
The Fridge starts up its cycle more often.
How is it using less power, than another Fridge that is not cycling as much?

Not cycling as much may mean it is better insulated and not heating up as quick.
I can understand that part.

As the owner of an ENGEL 60Ltr. F/F Combi..
 I know I'm going to need to keep an eye on the batteries, if it's at a static camp.

In the words of a Fish and Chip Lady.

"Please explain."

To use a hypothetical example; a fridge may draw 0.5 Amp while it runs continuously and use less power than a fridge that draws 10 Amps while cycling at 5 minutes on and 15 minutes off.    The first will consume 0.5 Ahr and the latter 2.5 Ahr   (ie 10 divided by 4 as it is running 5 minutes out of twenty or 15 minutes out of 60).
So it's not just how often the thermostat switches on and off, but also how much power the motor needs when it does run.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

So My Engel Needs approx. 4Amps when the motor cranks up and once the initial draw is over it's running on 1.5A - 2.5A, depending on thermostat setting. 
This small draw of power continues until the temp. drops enough for the thermostat to shut off the motor.  Then it waits till the temp. rises and it starts again.
Am I right so far? 
Because that was how it was explained to me at the time of purchase.

Or is there another pump in there somewhere that continues to push the refridgerant through the coils?  (I don't believe so.)

I believed the motor compresses the refridgerant into liquid and it is pushed around into the coils by this action.  The heat turns it back into gas which then bleeds off and the thing starts another cycle.  In the down time between Cycles.  The only part actually sucking power would be the Thermostat and its display (milliamps.). (and maybe the inside light when you open the door )
Have I got that part right?

I'm just trying to understand, ok.
I'm a lot happier with spanners  and screwdrivers etc.

[Patr80l]

So My Engel Needs approx. 4Amps when the motor cranks up and once the initial draw is over it's running on 1.5A - 2.5A, depending on thermostat setting. 
This small draw of power continues until the temp. drops enough for the thermostat to shut off the motor.  Then it waits till the temp. rises and it starts again.
Am I right so far? 
Because that was how it was explained to me at the time of purchase.

Or is there another pump in there somewhere that continues to push the refridgerant through the coils?  (I don't believe so.)

I believed the motor compresses the refridgerant into liquid and it is pushed around into the coils by this action.  The heat turns it back into gas which then bleeds off and the thing starts another cycle.  In the down time between Cycles.  The only part actually sucking power would be the Thermostat and its display (milliamps.). (and maybe the inside light when you open the door )
Have I got that part right?

I'm just trying to understand, ok.
I'm a lot happier with spanners  and screwdrivers etc.

Sounds reasonable, but my comment was not so much about the "how".   It was more that you can't compare two different fridges' power consumption or efficiency just on how often they cycled.   

[MrNoodle]

Well I was still unsure and went for a look at the fridges at Anaconda. Walked in and the Waeco CF 50 was $799 with a travel bag. Now I hope it fits under the ute cover! Cheers for your hints and tips

[Woodsie]

Same as Swannie.......40lt Engel in the cruiser and 57lt Engel fridge/freezer in the camper, running off solar when static.

[itchvet]

what I don't get is why they are so damned expensive.

I can buy a big upright fridge/freezer for the kitchen for the same amount as these little suckers.
these have less components, smaller compressors etc etc

total rort if you ask me!

Miko1 Dead right. Just had to buy a new house fridge, bloody thing is taller then I am, and cost LESS then a car fridge. W.T.F. ?