Thread: car fridges

Originally Posted by PhilipA

They ar every robust even though they get surface rust. I doubt a bar fridge would lat one trip on corrugations, if the Dometic fridges in caravans are anything to go by.
Regards Philip A

The Engels we had on road train service in Western Qld didn't like them either. We ended up mounting them on four coil springs to stop them self-destructing. This is why I am cynical about the price.

I wonder what it would cost to buy the necessary components and fit them up in a good class of Esky? Boat builders do this in big cabin cruisers. They commonly build in the insulated box.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

[snip]

I wonder what it would cost to buy the necessary components and fit them up in a good class of Esky? Boat builders do this in big cabin cruisers. They commonly build in the insulated box.

I've been threatening to do this for years Brian but couldn't be bothered if someone else isn't paying me to do it, AKA sheer laziness

My first Engel cost me $1275 when I earned $9000 a year before tax. Lasted 22 years of use and abuse, 3 trips round Australia, dozens of trips across it and hundreds of weeks and weekends away and 2 years as my only fridge at home. Plus borrowed by all and sundry.

When it slowly died and would not cool so well I checked the new fridges on offer and bought the new Engel of the same size for $1175. Listed the old one and got $200 on Ebay for it advertised as not working. Have now got 40 and 13 litre versions.

Not many items last 22 years with the kind of treatment portable fridges suffer.

Icecreams in the nullabor, gormet food on 3 week safaris, cold beer any time. The price is easily justified and forgotten.

James


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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I wonder what it would cost to buy the necessary components and fit them up in a good class of Esky? Boat builders do this in big cabin cruisers. They commonly build in the insulated box.

Thats how my EvaKool fridge was made. I have their 60 litre esky and was so impressed with it I bought their 50 litre fridge (ED50 is their 60 litre esky with the fridge element inside it).

I just bought the 60l evakool for $650 with cover and a few other bits it's going fantastic

Yep the 60 litre Evakool for me to, now nearly 3 years old and going well, cheap as chips and easy on power consumption which is a real bonus when free camping.

As for lasting 20 years that is fine but chances are I won't be doing much if any camping by that stage of my life.

Cheers,
Terry

For what its worth i bought a 60 litre Evakool RV range fridge recently because i thought why not get the extra capacity for the same price as one of the 'brand name' fridges. I took it out for its first camping trip and the temperature control was all over the shop. I set it on 2 degrees and it would range up to 12 degrees without the compressor coming on. I played with it a bit and noticed that if i held it on an angle and touched the earth screw on the bottom the compressor would then come on.
I took it back to the shop (BCF) (great service) and they were happy enough to do an exchange for an Engel 45 litre. I love the Engel. It finished that trip and the next with no dramas and lives in the back of my car now. Very happy with the Engel.

I have had my cheap ebay 55litre fridge freezer coming up on 3 years now - works great with no issues - low power, cold on hot days. Was a third the price of the brand names.

As I tend to go on shorter trips for which it is a bit big, last week I bought a 25l EvaKool fridge freezer for the smaller trips - easily fits in the back of the RRS. Have not used it in anger but has been running and does have a 5 degree range around the set temp but I assume that is because there is nothing in it to provide a stabilising cool mass.

On longer trips I will most likely use both fridges - one set as a freezer and the other as a fridge.

Happy with the cheapies - all the fridge faults posted up on forums seem the be the big brand names but rarely the cheapies.

Garry