Powered Cool Boxes

MJohnston

Is there anywhere to buy one of these (such as the Campingaz Powerbox) in Dublin, or am I going to have to order off Amazon?

Benbecul97

http://charlescamping.ie/store/index.php/accessories/cooling/thermo-electric-coolers-1.html

*Kol*

They will surely have them in Lidl or Aldi any time soon in the run up to the summer.

Alkers

How much current do they draw?

crabbypaddy

Simona1986 wrote: »

How much current do they draw?

The 36l one is 54w, cooling element is about 10% efficient so they are only good for keeping stuff thats already cold cool.

To give you an idea, if it was a well insulated box (most of aren't) and you didn't open it. It would take about 30Ah to cool a 2l bottle of water from 20 degrees to 5 degrees.

Markcheese

They stock them in halfords, but not sure if its a seasonal item,usually written on them how much below ambient they'll cool to.. think mine does 18 below ambient temp ... not wonderful if the temperature in the car is 35 c ...

Simona1986

Simona1986 wrote: »

How much current do they draw?

Too much.

sunshinereggae

I used one in my first camper (home conversion) got it in o'Meara camping, worked ok and did what I wanted, I only ran it with the engine running or from mains on sites so as not to run down van battery - it came with 12v and a mains power supply. I would carry a couple of cool blocks in it as well, when staying on a site I'd throw them in the freezer and then into cool box to help keep down the temperature during the day and even managed to survive some very very hot weather in France. It was a cheap option that I used for a couple years. Two or three way fridge is better but as a cheap option it does the job if used carefully - only my opinion.

MJohnston

We're just using it for a trip around the west coast of Ireland, starting next week, so high temperatures aren't really a concern. Already have a bunch of cool blocks that I'll be throwing into the box, and I might pick up bags of ice from Tesco or wherever as we go, but I wanted a backup option in case we needed to keep something cool for a few days for whatever reason. Ended up buying this off Amazon with speedy delivery because we needed to get it sooner (which is why I was looking for somewhere in Dublin that would sell them).

Actually, I wouldn't mind some recommendations for a good, small permanent fridge for a camper (VW T5).

sunshinereggae

Hi MJohnson. I'll give you my tuppence worth but make up your own mind as you will know what suits you best You'll have no problem here especially this time of the year, a household fridge normally runs at about 5 deg (4-5) so you are only talking about bringing down the temperature by a few degrees the 12v box should do fine. What permanent fridge you buy depends on what you want it do for you. If you only intend staying on campsites and a lot of people do, there is nothing wrong with that a small counter top fridge (absorption type) will run off site mains or gennie ( absorption type over compressor as it is totally silent and economic - uses a heater element, I wouldn't recommend a standard compressor type ) They are not as common as they used to be but I have seen counter top absorption fridges for sale in shops from time to time lately if you ask around. If you want to cover all options including wild camping a three way fridge is the way to go 12v mains and LPG. Dometic and waeco (both are absorption) are the only two brands I ever came across and I have had both and would not see the difference between either just pick the one that looks most solid - they are good but not as good as your fridge at home. Having said all that I wild camped when I started out by putting milk into a full bucket of water and leaving it under the van to keep cool and it worked surprisingly well but would probably not be recommended nowadays :-). Enjoy your trip Wesht in the T5 I'm heading to Tralee this weekend Ford Transit mk5 smiley

MJohnston

Thanks for that! Just a question, I know the some of the fridges require you to have ventilation for them to be safe to run, would the three-way fridges be different?

Freedive Ireland

Defo fine for Ireland, I have a halfords one. Only ran when I was driving and I topped up with ice bags when I could in France. A few hot days alright and it suffered then. Only open when you really have to, get all out and close up again fast.

Absorption fridges are not economic they use 8 times the energy a compressor fridge does for similar cooling. Two of the three ways it is powered are not thermostatically controlled and they're ridicously expensive for their size.
If I was refitting mine I'd stick a domestic fridge on a true sine soft starting inverter, add 100w PV and an extra 235Ah of lead.

All condensers perform better with ventilation.

sunshinereggae

The three way fridge needs proper ventilation and should only be fitted by someone qualified to do so as LPG is nothing to be messed with, (especially so in a small area like a camper) the one piece of advice I would give you is that any gas appliance in a camper needs to be fitted by someone who is qualified and to manufacturers specs as incorrect fitting could be fatal (sorry for the downer). Its peace of mind to know its done properly anyway. Ventilation is mega important in a camper and a good gas alarm is something that I wouldn't be without either. On the up at least the weather is supposed to improve next week so enjoy your trip, I will no matter the weather.

*Kol*

A three way fridge is the way to go. When you are driving you are on the battery, if you stop without mains you have the gas, and then mains in campsites. Couldn't be handier. I have a powered coolbox for "beverages" which I leave plugged in outside.

Macy0161

A lot of the conversion companies, particularly in smaller vans, go for compressor fridges now. They seem to be much more efficient than they used to be running off the battery.

I'd assume a lot less hassle to fit too, and then less requirement to be level when parked than a 3 way on gas.

We also use a plug in cool box for "beverages", to save fridge space.

Macy0161

Macy0161 wrote: »

A lot of the conversion companies, particularly in smaller vans, go for compressor fridges now. They seem to be much more efficient than they used to be running off the battery.

The Danfoss one is spec-ed to run at an average 30Ah per day (360Wh). AAA rated domestic about 20Ah (240Wh) and silent.
Absorption is about 240Ah (2880Wh)
You'll save nearly €350 on a domestic fridge to spend on a decent inverter, lead and the rest which have tertiary benefits.

sunshinereggae

Dometic RM123 three way fridge which is a fairly common small model

Energy supply 12 V DC / 230 V AC / LPG
Input rating 12 V: 75 W, 230 V: 75 W, Gas: 8.6 g/h
Energy consumption (12 V) 1.3 kWh/24 h
Energy consumption (230 V) 1.3 kWh/24 h
Gas consumption 140 g/24 h
Thermostatic regulation for gas and 230-Volt

All info viewable on Dometic eu website. They also do a 12v/24v 45w compressor type non LPG
There are several different options depending on what you want it to ultimately do for you.

( Additional info : The Caldura SF40 would be an example of a mains only 230v counter top absorption fridge which is only 40w and thermostatically controlled but there are other makes available as well)

75W x 24 hr = 1800Wh
My elements are 120W

The thermostatic regulation on gas is a manual valve that's temperature regulated by the user compensating for under/overshoot.

crabbypaddy

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

The Danfoss one is spec-ed to run at an average 30Ah per day (360Wh). AAA rated domestic about 20Ah (240Wh) and silent.
Absorption is about 240Ah (2880Wh)
You'll save nearly €350 on a domestic fridge to spend on a decent inverter, lead and the rest which have tertiary benefits.

Australian defence force tested the waeco 40l at something like 22.5Ah at 55c ambient.

I looked at the domestic fridge route. Apparently domestic compressors internal mounts dont have sufficient damping so when you're driving around they bang about internally stressing and eventually breaking the rigid pipes internally. If it's cheap enough it's worth a punt.

UsedToWait

MJohnston wrote: »

Actually, I wouldn't mind some recommendations for a good, small permanent fridge for a camper (VW T5).

You could speak to Cosy Classics about a permanent fridge - they specialise in VWs old and new, and any of their work I've seen was first class..

crabbypaddy

crabbypaddy wrote: »

A If it's cheap enough it's worth a punt.

I can get a standard electric fridge with no upkeep costs for the same price as 35kg of butane or every 5 month's of running an absorption fridge.

The inverter is the hardest part..need a big 'um for inrush with a low self consumption, soft starting and true sine or twil nay fly.

Good salvageable dampers in washing machines for fortifying compressor housings.

Moomat

These passive cooler boxes are a surprisingly effective alternative to a powered fridge/box. We got a coleman model years ago and used it for a summer in France. Just throw in a bag of ice for a €1 every 4/5 days and it stays nicely chilled. Even better if you stop somewhere that will allow you freeze those blue blocks and then stick them in. The only drawback is the ice will melt but there's a handy drain plug on the bottom. They are pretty bulky too.

spaceHopper

Why don't you try east coast campers, they break camper vans and might have couple of fridges. I know friends who scraper their can which and the best of everything in it bit the body was rusted and they weren't interested in fixing it or converting another van

Benbecul97

http://www.lidl.ie/en/Offers.htm?action=showDetail&id=38624

_Brian

We got a large one from halfords a few years ago in a half price offer in the Autumn.
We use a 2l bottle of ice in it as well as running and it does work well then.

MJohnston

I ended up with this one off Amazon - Campingaz Powerbox 28L and it worked really well - it was able to keep milk fresh for 5 days or so, cheese and other hardier things for a whole week (and they were still good after, our trip just ended first!). The only thing was that it sucks in a lot of moisture, and bread kept instead got a little bit soggy. You could probably keep some cat litter wrapped up in there and that'd solve things!

54and56

Available in Aldi for €49 - https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-23-june/products-detail-page/ps/p/electric-coolbox-3/

Useful for keeping things cool (with a helping hand from some of those blue cooler blocks) on a 3 week trip to France in July or a waste of time?

MJohnston

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Available in Aldi for €49 - https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-23-june/products-detail-page/ps/p/electric-coolbox-3/

Useful for keeping things cool (with a helping hand from some of those blue cooler blocks) on a 3 week trip to France in July or a waste of time?

As mentioned above yes, but with the much higher temps on France, I wouldn't keep too much in it (the more contents the more difficult it'll be to cool), and not for more than 2-3 days either. I think bags of ice might be more effective than the little I've blocks though. Maybe also try and rig up some kind of heat reflective cover for the box, while keeping the vents clear. It'll be worth it if only to keep some milk fresh for a couple days

Markcheese

The aldi ones are grand... here.
Think they cool to 15/16 degrees below ambient, so think a hot car in france.. still better than nothing though..
They're actually quite big.. which makes it harder to chill.. depends a bit on what you want to store.
The type that a lot of truckies and yachties use I think is waeco (or something like that..) a bit dearer though..

crabbypaddy

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Useful for keeping things cool (with a helping hand from some of those blue cooler blocks) on a 3 week trip to France in July or a waste of time?

They have their uses if you understand their limitations.

When the ambient temperature is very high it can melt your blue blocks rather than help them.

It can take 6-10 hours just to cool the box itself from room temperature to fridge temperature let alone any food inside so food needs to be cold when you put it in or you need ice / iceblock to compensate.

We found a lot of supermarkets in france will have frozen 2l bottles of water which is a great cheap way of keeping your coolbox cool. Or just buy a bag of icecubes.

If you spent the same amount of money on a passive coolbox on ebay you should be able to get a coleman or igloo one with good enough insulation to keep ice for 4-5 days