Engel portable frig.........

[Boulter]

Originally Posted by msponer

Au contraire!

If you are ever nerdy enough to want to measure consumption for a single device, these work very well -- Watts Up Amp Meter -- better than a Kill-A-Watt for AC.

Though of course I am not implying that anyone here is a nerd.

Good to know. I have a Kill-A-watt meter. Does that make me a nerd?

Oh, and I hacked a AA battery carrier onto it because my policy is never to own anything that doesn't run on AA or AAA, perhaps watches excepted (though currently do not own a watch). *Does THAT make me a nerd?

Boulter

[boatsail]

What about edgestar.....Portable Travel Coolers | 12 Volt Coolers | 12V Portable Fridge/Freezers

This is what I was looking to purchase...any thoughts on this vs the engle?

[MarkJ]

Hi folks,

I will do a better reply tomorrow as Im a bit tired after n overnight passage most nights in the last week... And can I tell you that grib files that say 16 to 18 knots are bull twaddle? The last two over Nigel's have been up to 28 and last night was sitting at 25/26 for hours. And I was trying to go slow to make a daylight arrival so the apparent wind effect was negligible...


Anyway, where was I?

Ahhhh freezers...

The Cool/Freeze idea is great... But if you want to freeze ice Cream it MUSt be quite cold.. At least -10 deg C, even then is soft.
Solid meat, ie not mince, ground etc, stays frozen at -3 or -4.
Water stays frozen at -2... But not sugared water, kids ice blocks etc.

Also in the Dometic its only the bottom of the fridge that is that cold, the thermostat is in its FLOOR which is itself a plastic tray so not as cold as the sides.
The upper parts of the box are much warmer, not frozen even when the freezer is set to -10deg C

The coldest I have ever seen it was -16 d C when I was in Charleston where it was autumn, Late October.
Now in th Caribbean where its hot as hell and humid, it won't get down to -8 unless I have it on for days... And NOT OPENED!

There's the rub. The hotter the weather the more everyone puts warm water in to cool down to then drink. How the hell can it get cold or do anything economically when the lids always open?

So to drop from 35 D C inside boat temp with the hatches closed, to -10 D C is gunna make that compressor to be on a LOT of the time. And you lose the lot when you open it.

Yes, mine is great... But to support it I need a bigger battery bank! Maybe more solar too!

AND the old fridge won't run while the Dometic is on at night. Not enou volts to keep the old compressor from triggering a mode where it runs but doesn't cool.

Mark
PS they need to be well ventilated so you can't take measurements and find a small box for it to fit in! You must have both sides free to ventilate. So where do you put it when at sea?

[slowshoes]

We are looking at converting to refrigeration aboard our boat as well. Wouldn't you be better off just converting an onboard icebox with an Adler Barbour than using any of these units? It seems like even a poorly insulated icebox will still have more insulation than these units. They don't look like they have any more insulation than a Coleman cooler.

[Dos Gatos]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

freezers...

Also in the Dometic its only the bottom of the fridge that is that cold, the thermostat is in its FLOOR which is itself a plastic tray so not as cold as the sides.

Maybe depends on the size or model? I have a dometic (waeco) cf50 12/24/120. The sides of the compartment have refrigerant and will ice up.

[zeehag]

i have lots of ventilation around the area in which i want to place this whatever it is unit for keeping food somewhat cold. my on board fridge unit was stolen 6 yrs ago, before i bought boat, and i have no method for food cold storage whatsoever. (was a bad neighborhood, with only one thief, and he got it when i was gone for a weekend,,lol)
i am going to be rebuilding my galley where fridge used to be and i will have room for some kind of thing to use. i need measurements of whatever works so i can order and fit it into this boat so i can keep stuff sorta cold.
i do not want to make another silly ice box with coldmaking device, i want a one piece all in one thing to drop into the hole provided, so i can use it in that place. that is why i am researching this ...and why i need measurements so i can see what will fit into the area i have for something i can use.

hay guys, humor me--i dont usuallly plan this far ahead......

[s/v 'Faith']

Zee,

The engle ( the one I have) has several different models. The dimensions of the mt-27 I have are about 18x12x22". I suspect the space you have on your wonderful Formosa will allow you a bigger space... There are bigger models, like the the mt43 which is something like 20x14x45".... For another 100$ you get almost twice the interior space. (43qt, as opposed to 22qt.)

For me, the 22qt was plenty, so much so I just went down to the mt-17 which is 16qt.

If you had enough space, the really cool set up might be to have 2. You could set one to a low setting to use as a refrigerator and the other in freezer mode.

Jeep in mind that the lids open from the top, so whatever space you give them will need to include a way to raise the lid.

Here is a Link that might help.

MT45FU1 Rugged Compact Engel Portable Refrigerator Freezer

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i have lots of ventilation around the area in which i want to place this whatever it is unit for keeping food somewhat cold. my on board fridge unit was stolen 6 yrs ago, before i bought boat, and i have no method for food cold storage whatsoever. (was a bad neighborhood, with only one thief, and he got it when i was gone for a weekend,,lol)
i am going to be rebuilding my galley where fridge used to be and i will have room for some kind of thing to use. i need measurements of whatever works so i can order and fit it into this boat so i can keep stuff sorta cold.
i do not want to make another silly ice box with coldmaking device, i want a one piece all in one thing to drop into the hole provided, so i can use it in that place. that is why i am researching this ...and why i need measurements so i can see what will fit into the area i have for something i can use.

hay guys, humor me--i dont usuallly plan this far ahead......

I was looking at getting one a couple of months ago as a supplement and back up to my normal fridge. I talked to a few friends and did a bit of Internet research.
Bush camping is very popular in Australia and fridges on the camping forums are like anchors are on CF. Lets say there is no shortage opinions available.
These are my conclusions, but note this is not based on first hand information:

Engel:
Uses a swing compressor. Very reliable will run forever. Not quite as efficient as the best and some models have steel casing.

Weico:
Efficient and cheap. Some build shortcuts effect reliability. When they last people love them, when they don't people hate them.

Trailblazer:
My personal favourite. Most efficient. Will custom build to your requirements with thicker insulation etc. aluminium exterior.
The most expensive option and delivery costs are likely to be high.

All of these companies have a multitude of models in many sizes.

If you are building one in try to leave room for some thicker insulation if possible.

[zeehag]

thankyou---i am hoping for a fridge holding space by end summer, so i can begin to price compare at that time....will make life a lil different, i think...be able to actually plan what i cook and keep it for later..

[w32honu]

Zee,

Engel also makes a "drop in model" that might be of interest if you are doing a total rework of you galley/counter space.

Its a completely self contained unit that drops into existing counter. Compressor can be left with the unit or mounted remotely.

There is more info on their web site........

I believe it is...... www.engel-usa.com

Cheers

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by w32honu

Zee,

Engel also makes a "drop in model" that might be of interest if you are doing a total rework of you galley/counter space.

Its a completely self contained unit that drops into existing counter. Compressor can be left with the unit or mounted remotely.

There is more info on their web site........

I believe it is...... ENGEL USA - AC/DC FRIDGE/FREEZERS | PERFORMANCE COOLERS - - AC/DC FRIDGE/FREEZERS \| PERFORMANCE COOLERS

Cheers

WHHOOOOOO YAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNEW I COULD HAVE IT MY WAY..... now--are there any other models of these that also have this ability....please advise..

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The engel fridges are efficient but most of those figure look too low to me.
For example as a fridge @25C this would be less than 3AHrs a day

Using the reference (which seems to involve cooling down from the ambient temp) but then no openings. I think the correct manufacturers figures are:

For fridge (7.5 C) 154 w-hr for a 24 hour day
For freezer setting (-9.5C) 430 w-hr per day
For deep freezer (-20.5 C) 599 w-hr per day

For ambient of 35 C
For fridge 323 w-hr per day
For freezer 694 w-hr per day
For deep freeze 826 w-hr per day

Double check the performance sheet. You forgot to factor the run time percentage. This is how you crunch the numbers for the one you got 154 w-hr day. Run current is 0.5 amp X 12.8 volts = 6.4 watts X 24 hours = 154 w-hr X .177 (17.7 % run time) = 27 w-hr per 24 hour day.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Double check the performance sheet. You forgot to factor the run time percentage. This is how you crunch the numbers for the one you got 154 w-hr day. Run current is 0.5 amp X 12.8 volts = 6.4 watts X 24 hours = 154 w-hr X .177 (17.7 % run time) = 27 w-hr per 24 hour day.

The compressor draws about 2.8A. At 25C ambient, set to 7.5C the compressor runs for 17.7% of the time.

The average draw is therefore 0.5A.

(Multiplying the 0.5A by 17.7% you are in effect allowing for this factor twice)

To get the total daily draw you need to multiply the average draw x24.

Therefore the total draw is:

0.5x24=12AHrs, or 0.5X24x12.8= 153.6 WHrs.

A compressor with a draw, when running, of only 0.5A with a duty cycle of 17.7% and a total draw over 24hours of 27WHrs (less than 3AHrs) would be nice, but is simply not possible.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The compressor draws about 2.8A. At 25C ambient, set to 7.5C the compressor runs for 17.7% of the time.

The average draw is therefore 0.5A.

(Multiplying the 0.5A by 17.7% you are in effect allowing for this factor twice)

To get the total daily draw you need to multiply the average draw x24.

Therefore the total draw is:

0.5x24=12AHrs, or 0.5X24x12.8= 153.6 WHrs.

A compressor with a draw, when running, of only 0.5A with a duty cycle of 17.7% and a total draw over 24hours of 27WHrs (less than 3AHrs) would be nice, but is simply not possible.

I stand corrected, thanks. I hate it when I'm wrong but will admit it when I am.

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The compressor draws about 2.8A. At 25C ambient, set to 7.5C the compressor runs for 17.7% of the time.

The average draw is therefore 0.5A.

(Multiplying the 0.5A by 17.7% you are in effect allowing for this factor twice)

To get the total daily draw you need to multiply the average draw x24.

Therefore the total draw is:

0.5x24=12AHrs, or 0.5X24x12.8= 153.6 WHrs.

A compressor with a draw, when running, of only 0.5A with a duty cycle of 17.7% and a total draw over 24hours of 27WHrs (less than 3AHrs) would be nice, but is simply not possible.

If I read this correctly.................

12Ahrs or 153.6 Whrs is still pretty efficient use of those precious electrons.........

Yes???????