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Topic: Is a fridge any good as a cool box?

vickey

20/6/2011 at 8:53pm
Location: Portsmouth
Outfit: Hobby 540UK Nissan Terrano

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I have a Dometic 3 way fridge which needs to go in the boot first before I can pack anything else in there. Am leaving at 6am so want to pack the car up the night before and wont reach my final destination until about 8pm so my question is.....................If I get my fridge cold then fill it with my food, freeze my milk and some bits to act as ice blocks (fridge isnt very big and dont want to waste space with ice blocks) will it still be cold 24hrs later?

Dont want to use 12v in car as tight squish and worried about it over heating

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Vickey

D S B

20/6/2011 at 9:12pm
Location: Polesworth Warwickshire
Outfit: Bailey Unicorn III Valencia (LR Disco)

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I see no reason why it wouldn't work as well as a coolbox. A fridge needs to be insolated to keep in the cold as well as a cool box. The main difference is that where a cool box will just keep things cool, a fridge will make them cool. If you don't plug in the fridge, but instead use ice packs, it will essentially be a cool box, in my opinion. The biggest problem is that, as a fridge is probably bigger than your cool box you may need more ice packs/blocks to keep this larger area cool.

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David

D S B

20/6/2011 at 9:15pm
Location: Polesworth Warwickshire
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Didn't read your first post properly. I would still use ice packs, to be honest. You could always take less food and buy when you arrive?

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David

vickey

20/6/2011 at 9:23pm
Location: Portsmouth
Outfit: Hobby 540UK Nissan Terrano

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I could but cant get bacon and sausages in France as good as UK and cant go camping for 2 weeks without a cooked brekkie at least every other day!

I thought if I freezed my milk and curry for dinner on arrival or next day if still frozen and a some sausages and bacon and drink cartons for kids I would waste too much room with cool blocks? Or am I just trying to kid myself?

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Vickey

bolton_lass

20/6/2011 at 9:29pm
Location: Bolton UK
Outfit: Green Vango Maritsa 600

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Freezing food should work ok as makeshift ice packs. Thats what we tend to do and it works in the coolbox - milk especially stays frozen for ages.

dezzie

20/6/2011 at 9:40pm
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I'd imagine it should be fine if you freeze what you can to allow for the rest of your food to stay cool.

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B Chrystie

21/6/2011 at 7:47am
Location: south london
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We have done this and it works fine. Freeze everything that you can, and as it is packed under a load of kit in the car you also have that insulation too!

Lostdreamer

21/6/2011 at 11:37am
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Quote: I see no reason why it wouldn't work as well as a coolbox.

The fridge mech. It's designed for heat transfer. Just because it is unpowered doesn't mean it isn't there or is useless, it will naturally transfer heat across the temperature gradient (but much more slowly, as the coolant isn't being pumped or anything).

Also most fridges don't have as good insulation/seals as coolboxes simply because they are actively chilled & don't have to.

But to reply to the OP: As long as there is some ice in there (frozen milk should work fine) I think it will be fine for a day unpowered (assuming the car doesn't get at all hot). Just don't expect it to make it through a long weekend without power.

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charlichoo

21/6/2011 at 7:29pm
Location: Yorkshire
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Freeze as much of the contents before hand and you'll be fine.

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