Portable Fridges - A lesson learnt.

Duh · Guru

RE: Portable Fridges - A lesson learnt.

Olley46 · Guru

Duh wrote:
Olley46 wrote:
Duh wrote:
Just a question on 12/240V Engels (or others), when using inside a vehicle do they have to be vented (ie; window partly open travelling or stationary etc?). I notice on the small Engel fridges they have a vent on the front where the setting dial is?
Hi Duh
With my fridge I don't worry about opening a window ,just make shore the vents on your fridge are able to breath,don't block them with other article,s.
Lance C
Thanks for the feedback Lance, I thought that might be the case.
Welcome to the forum Mal, glad your Evacool has served you well!

Duh

just as small question for you,I need to know how many litres of water to the 100km do you get out of your Camel. biggrin smile disbelief

Lance C

Olley46 · Guru

mal wrote:
Hi
I own a Evakool RF60 and have had it for over 6 years
It has done a 6 month trip around Aust without turning it off.
Temp in the freezer section was -18C cold enough to keep icecream and in the fridge section 0C beautiful cold beer.
I also use it every time we go away and also at Xmas for the food and grog.
I am a Fan of Evakool.
Oh by the way the compressor in the Waeco 40 Lt and the evakool 60 Lt is a Danfoss BD35F and will not run a standard home fridge but will run a 120Lt Bar fridge as the max. size for that compressor.

mal

Hi Mal

The fridge that was said the motor would run a house fridge was not a Waeco 40 ltr it was a 52ltr bushman and is not a Danfos.

Lance C

Duh · Guru

Olley46 wrote:
Duh wrote:
Just a question on 12/240V Engels (or others), when using inside a vehicle do they have to be vented (ie; window partly open travelling or stationary etc?). I notice on the small Engel fridges they have a vent on the front where the setting dial is?
Hi Duh
With my fridge I don't worry about opening a window ,just make shore the vents on your fridge are able to breath,don't block them with other article,s.
Lance C

Thanks for the feedback Lance, I thought that might be the case.

Welcome to the forum Mal, glad your Evacool has served you well!

mal · Newbie

Hi
I own a Evakool RF60 and have had it for over 6 years
It has done a 6 month trip around Aust without turning it off.
Temp in the freezer section was -18C cold enough to keep icecream and in the fridge section 0C beautiful cold beer.
I also use it every time we go away and also at Xmas for the food and grog.
I am a Fan of Evakool.
Oh by the way the compressor in the Waeco 40 Lt and the evakool 60 Lt is a Danfoss BD35F and will not run a standard home fridge but will run a 120Lt Bar fridge as the max. size for that compressor.

mal

Olley46 · Guru

Duh wrote:
Just a question on 12/240V Engels (or others), when using inside a vehicle do they have to be vented (ie; window partly open travelling or stationary etc?). I notice on the small Engel fridges they have a vent on the front where the setting dial is?

Hi Duh

With my fridge I don't worry about opening a window ,just make shore the vents on your fridge are able to breath,don't block them with other article,s.

Lance C

Duh · Guru

Just a question on 12/240V Engels (or others), when using inside a vehicle do they have to be vented (ie; window partly open travelling or stationary etc?). I notice on the small Engel fridges they have a vent on the front where the setting dial is?

mr glassies · Guru

fair nuf ollie just what i got told a

dibs

Mike C · Senior Member

I have a two tone puke green unit from the late 70's in the shed that still runs well.
Chuck it in the back of the car when needed.

cheers

Mike

mr glassies · Guru

hi olley not 100% sure on this 1 maybe someone here can put ma and every one else straight . like you i love the hi rise lid dad made 1 for the old engel i got outa ply yrs ago out of ply and fibre glass dont know what happened to it but i havnt got it .

so i was in bcf geting a fuse for mine as there a bit different than a normal fuse there one way directional $8 each from bcf . i blew1 in a hire bus last yr going to bathurst . i asked the sales guy about the riser and he said he wouldnt use 1 as the fridge compressor is only made big enough for that size fridge and it will work over time to keep up to the larger size and it would burn the motor out quicker . fair enough but could that be the case .

just curious

dibs

Olley46 · Guru

mr glassies wrote:
hi olley not 100% sure on this 1 maybe someone here can put ma and every one else straight . like you i love the hi rise lid dad made 1 for the old engel i got outa ply yrs ago out of ply and fibre glass dont know what happened to it but i havnt got it .

so i was in bcf geting a fuse for mine as there a bit different than a normal fuse there one way directional $8 each from bcf . i blew1 in a hire bus last yr going to bathurst . i asked the sales guy about the riser and he said he wouldnt use 1 as the fridge compressor is only made big enough for that size fridge and it will work over time to keep up to the larger size and it would burn the motor out quicker . fair enough but could that be the case .

just curious

dibs

Mr Glassies

I was told when I purchased mine ,the sales person told me the motor in this fridge was big enough to run a full size house fridge, I have had not one bit of trouble with mine,even in the high lid part it gets cold,if I set the tempature on minis 2 and put frozen food on the bottom ,I have a piece of poly styrene over the frozen food it stays frozen and the reset is just like a fridge,this fridge inside has the cooling elements around all 4walls,a lot of fridges only have them on one wall,as far as the high lid goes not a problem,I have had no trouble motor wise.

Lance C

ps. This fridge has a power saving mode wich is on quite frequently ,I think if the motor was working hard to burn it out I don't think the power saving mode would be working at all.

-- Edited by Olley46 on Saturday 9th of March 2013 10:27:10 PM

mr glassies · Guru

my 2 bobs worth or should i say 2 engels worth .

we have two 40 ltr engels 1s about 35ish yrs old it was mum n dads they dragged it all over nsw with there horses doing shows when dad died mum used it as her freezer for 17 of them yrs it was never turned of . you know the one it 2 tone puke green used as a seat (bent lid) never misses a beat .

there was 1 of them down at moray field in a camping shop and the lid was held open about 6 inches by ice from people opening it to see how cold it was . the owner has now sent it away to be restored.

the other is the last one they made before they put a temp gauge in a 40 ltr we bought it from a guy at tin can bay it was like brand new as we walked up the driveway i said to della im not even gunna haggle on this it was so clean.it now resides in 1 of my trucks gets turned on when it starts and turns of at the end of the day if i remember lol. the only problem is 1 of the mounting rubbers on the pump is buggered and it vibrates and its an annoying noise . one of them 1 day jobs .

will be able to give a report on a camper with a chescold 3 way fridge in it its there so winners are losers a llllllloooooolllll.

dibs

Olley46 · Guru

Cupie wrote:
Like the look of the Bushman, especially the tie down brackets.
(edit .. A job for me to make a pair for the Engel)

Would like to see
- security head screws on the handle/tie down bracket.
- Padlock capability on the lid latches.

Love the high rise lid
(can get them for Engles too .. Don't know if Waeco have that option but I would expect so).

Good power consumption on 12v.
Would look closely at them if the Engel ever dies ... If the price is right.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 7th of March 2013 03:11:34 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 7th of March 2013 03:13:04 PM

The Bushman fridge freezer with the high lid , the spacer , and the low lid ,when I bought mine was $1080.00 for the lot 52 ltr I think they are around an extra $100.00 now.add another $15.00 I just looked up there price

Lance C

-- Edited by Olley46 on Friday 8th of March 2013 09:45:24 PM

woosy · Senior Member

Hi!!!! I see this is the place to ask question's about our waeco could you tell us what

temperture to set it on for freezing it is a waeco c.f.40 it is a way at waeco factory

at the moment ... We took it in to be repaired on the 2/1/13 and are still waiting

We was running it on -18 in the car as that was what we was told to do

but if other forum traveller's could tell me what to run it on would love to hear from you confuse confuse confuse

SaltyDog · Veteran Member

Well maybe not the place to ask, perhaps in your other thread?

But -18c is considered freezer temp across the board, doesn't matter what make model, domestic or portable.
Health Regulations state (if you are running a food business) that all freezers must measure morning and night at below -18c
Fridge's at below 4c

If you have a Waeco that only has the old 6 LED bar display, then i have no idea what you set it too, no doubt you set it too the 6 green bars, as that is the coldest it will go (apparently)

-- Edited by SaltyDog on Friday 8th of March 2013 03:02:30 PM

SaltyDog · Veteran Member

Olley46 wrote:
Well here goes
i have a 52ltr Bushman fridge freezer had it about 6years never had a problem as yet,power usage wise is suppose to be better than the engal and the waeco it is a great fridge freezer I was told the guts of it is good enough to run a full size house fridge ,I just hope it keeps up the good work ,I run it in the back of the Prado and it has never flattened the crank battery,I dont think Waeco and Engle are on there own.
Lance C

Those Bushmans look really good!!!!

I like it.....

http://www.bushman.com.au/sites/bushman.com.au/files/images/bushman_brochure_081010.pdf

SaltyDog · Veteran Member

I have to do some more bench tests with my CF-40, 240volts its fine, on 12volt its a real battery killer!!!!!
Even when on the lowest setting and in a cover and kept in the shade.

woosy · Senior Member

A lesson learnt wish we had read this page before buying our waeco C F 40

we had our waeco for about 12 months when it had a problem with turning

off just when you have all the frozen food in it What a waste furious furious furious

Has been in the repair shop for 2 mths finally being sent back to the

factory not happy confuse confuse confuse

Cupie · Guru

Like the look of the Bushman, especially the tie down brackets.

(edit .. A job for me to make a pair for the Engel)

Would like to see

- security head screws on the handle/tie down bracket.

- Padlock capability on the lid latches.

Love the high rise lid

(can get them for Engles too .. Don't know if Waeco have that option but I would expect so).

Good power consumption on 12v.

Would look closely at them if the Engel ever dies ... If the price is right.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 7th of March 2013 03:11:34 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 7th of March 2013 03:13:04 PM

Olley46 · Guru

Well here goes

i have a 52ltr Bushman fridge freezer had it about 6years never had a problem as yet,power usage wise is suppose to be better than the engal and the waeco it is a great fridge freezer I was told the guts of it is good enough to run a full size house fridge ,I just hope it keeps up the good work ,I run it in the back of the Prado and it has never flattened the crank battery,I dont think Waeco and Engle are on there own.

Lance C

-- Edited by Olley46 on Thursday 7th of March 2013 09:09:10 AM

Curl · Member

Have 2 Engels running non-stop for 3 Years now on 12Volt in the back of my Ute.
Only issue at present is one of the Leads(12V) is a bit dodgey where it plugs into the back of the Fridge......but I suspect that would be my doing, with other equipment occasionally making contact with it has probably loosened/weakened the connection.
Otherwise they work great.

valiant81 · Senior Member

I to are a Engle fan have 2 X 40 Lt engles. The first one is 3 years ond and lives 24/7 in the pajero and the other only travels in the back of pajero right next to the the older one is just over 12 months old. When traveling we use on as a fridge and the other as a freezer. Both run of 12 volts or of the 240 Volts when we stay at the caravan park. I now have 2X120 watt solar panels on the roof of the caravan to keep my house battery charged when we free camp as the HD second battery in the pajero will only run both the engle's for about 24 Hrs befour they will shut down ( low voltage ).

I have one 200 Amp 12 Volt battery in the caravan and this alone with the solar panells will run every thing in the caravan including the water presure pump and also a small ( 330 Watt ) inverter for my vast reciever .I also have led lighting. This system now will and does run both the caravan and both my engles.

I also have repaired ( at work, I'm i electronics teck ) several of the engle and also a few of the Primus 2 way fridges . All problems have been cased by miss use.

One primus fridge that comes to mind is that a owner some how managed to plug in 240 Volts in to the 12 Volt inlet......OUTCH.. A new digital controler , new 240 Volt 12 Volt inverter and also a new motor controler modual and the fridge lived for a nother day.

Some of the Engle fridges have a fuse that would fail on the inverter board ( old model ) !!

wasn_me · Guru

Wow, never seen so many replies in such a short time. I bought a waeco CF 35 five years ago. In the first two years it was in the repair shop three times (totalling nine weeks) with freezing & error problems. The old story, things don't break down when not being used. Every thing was eventually replaced except the compressor. It has gone ok since.

A couple of weeks ago a local camping store had the engel MT35 on special, $1100 fridge & cover. I thought I'd check with the local engel repairer to see if they still had minimal electronics. He told me they were still the basic reliable engel. I told him the history of my waeco. He told me he removes all the electronics from the waeco & fits a danfoss thermostat, to make them a reliable unit (cost $160)

I bought the engel for the 4WD & will move the waeco to the van & use it for short trips instead of the van fridge. If the waeco fails again I'll get it modified.

Cheers Pete

gst · Senior Member

Well I was lucky I got my 40 lt Waco free with my 4x4 but its cost me $100 in 7 years and I picked up Engels 60lts second hand 1year old in 2001 and it still going. So they both great if you can pick them up cheap or it would be back to the old hot ice box.

bill12 · Guru

I have had a cdf 55 waeco for about 5 years and it has been great , except for a few corosion problems on the circuit board. The only other problem is its freezing my beer!I usually set it on -2c, whin draws about 2.5 amps.Had an old engel many years ago , and it was great too. Bill

Freebee · Member

We bought an Aussi made Chescold 50lt about 25 years ago and gets lots of use. It is still running (mainly on gas) still chills and if I turn it full on can freeze things (don't do that much though). Only problem was the piezo igniter failed and I was told the part was no longer available due to its age (and the fact that they are now not made in Oz?). Cut a hole in the back screen and light it with a match now, no worries.

Baz421 · Guru

Well I must belucky.

Chescold lasted over 22 years if I recall,, sold it for $100 bucks last year,,, no probs.

18 litre Waeco bought in 2003 still going strong and 50 litre in 2007 still good,, occasionally needs to be turned off and on to clear the low voltage light (don't know why as never had low voltage).

Maybe the new stock is a problem???

-- Edited by Baz421 on Monday 4th of March 2013 11:30:22 AM

blaze · Guru

I have had a couple of fridges over the years, never had an engel or a waeco. My first was a cheap chinese job, only lasted 5 years and 80000km in aust outback being abused. Worked out about $100 a year. I wasnt prepared to complain about that for the joy it helped give me. I now have a fridgemate, run continuos for the last 3 years now, only problem has been the cheap plugs which have been replaced by anderson plugs. I wont ever buy an engel or waeco
cheers
blaze

SaltyDog · Veteran Member

Agreed mate... and that is what this thread was meant to all about.....
Not really a Waeco vs Engal thing, as i am well aware people have had a great and wonderful journey with each.

More just about your personal storys.
We could contest all day about which is better.... and still never get anywhere. I only know what i've been through and all fairness, i have not owned or lived with an Engal (although my friends have).
I hope i get the run out of my Waeco that you have out of yours!!!
Recent events have concerned me, but i've also learnt what to look out for too.... No doubt with the Engals, its another learning curve.

The biggest lesson was to suck it up and buy the right thing the first time around :)
As i lived in a false economy for a long time.

AL H · Veteran Member

Hey Salty, it's all cool. Facts are facts. If the Techs see more Waeco's being piffed, well it's just that....a fact.

Just my experience with one Waeco and one Engel.

Considering the CF60 is based off the same platform as the 40 and 50 and the low consumption and not letting a gumpy (but straight) lid get to me, I have been very impressed with it's performance and reliability considering what it has been through.

Who knows, it maybe an Engel next, or dependant on my budget at the time. I have never been the type to cheer one brand with most things as I tend to think you are only short changing yourself in the long run.