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 Topic: New small 12v fridge advice please
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12/6/2024 at 5:49pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Horses for courses! If you truly only want something for roadside picnics, then you're looking more coolbox than fridge to satisfy your needs.
Looking at fridges and a wider use, perhaps first consideration is what power options are available to you, 12v, 240v EHU and/or Gas cylinder? That will constrain, or even make your decision for you!
Second consideration, budget! Some options are potentially great, but pricey!
There is some confusion in many peoples minds over the divide between fridges and coolboxes. A fridge should be able to maintain 0-4 degrees C in all but extreme ambient temps for the safe storage over days of perishable foodstuffs. A coolbox only has to keep things cooler than ambient, but not necessarily safe for perishables for more than hours. The electric (thermoelectric/Peltier) coolboxes generally can only chill down to 18C below ambient (say at 30C ambient = 12C internal temp!), and will take hours to chill down, which is a long way off fridge requirements! They are also horribly power hungry and inefficient, to the point they can only be run off a vehicle WITH the engine running on 12v, or a 240v EHU (maybe needing a separate 240v-12v adaptor), no chance of running off a battery alone.
When it comes to proper fridges, two choices, the venerable 3-way (12v-240v-Gas) absorption type, but they are pretty much limited to a couple of models from Dometic (and rebranded versions of), of 30-40 litre capacity, again the 12v option is only suitable for running off a vehicle WITH the engine running, and gas MUST only used in a ventilated space. Or to come more up to date, an ever growing choice of compressor fridges from around 20 litres to 50 litres, which may be 240v only, 12v/240v, or 12v only. Some will run for a few days off a 12v leisure battery. Many are capable of freezing as well. But the downside is the price, they can go up to around £1200!!!! You can get obscure brand (Chinese?) models of unknown quality from around £175, but well respected brands start at around £325.
Not to be overlooked are passive coolboxes. A really good quality Igloo, Icytek etc. kept well stocked with ice/ice blocks can perform really well, but again you pay for the quality/performance.
For camping only with a EHU, small table top 'domestic' fridges are reasonably popular, as pretty cheap to buy at around £80. Unwieldy and slightly fragile (heat exchanger on back vulnerable) to transport unpackaged, they do the job OK(ish).
What you have to consider is that inside a car or tent, the ambient temp can be MUCH higher than general outside ambient temps (40C plus is common even in UK!), so either the insulation performance has to be excellent, or the chilling performance has to very good, or the storage period can be quite short before temps become compromised. Also, with modern cars, when the ignition turned off, ALL the electrics often automatically shut down within maybe 10 mins, which means your electric coolbox/fridge stops running and becomes no more than a passive coolbox!
I've got Ye Olde Electrolux (now Dometic) 3-way fridge, still going strong after must be 25 years, and used on gas when no EHU available, I wouldn't get rid of that. I've got a couple of years old Mobicool MCF40 compressor fridge which I mostly use as a freezer to get food to my caravan, and as a freezer in the caravan. And a couple of electric coolboxes which TBH really don't find much use at all these days other than maybe as a coolbox on a shopping run to help stop the frozen stuff defrosting totally on the way home!
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17/6/2024 at 6:06pm
Location: Essex
Outfit: None Entered
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Thank you both. Our old large fridge box is 3 way, it was very expensive and has done a grand job, still does, but for this summer its just too big. And yes, there is a lot of confusion about fridges, cool boxes etc, I think the manufacturers play on that deliberately.
I`m just after something cheap & cheerful, 12v, to use in the car, but I`d prefer it to hit a temperature, not simply keep stuff a certain number of degrees below the ambient temp.
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17/6/2024 at 7:54pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Quote: Originally posted by CaravanSkier on 17/6/2024
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I`m just after something cheap & cheerful, 12v, to use in the car, but I`d prefer it to hit a temperature, not simply keep stuff a certain number of degrees below the ambient temp.
Think 'cheap' may be a relative term! 'Proper' (compressor) fridges just aren't cheap, some are just no where near as expensive as others!
Can't vouch for the quality and reliability, but this may tick the box: https://www.halfords.com/camping/all-camping/outdoor-revolution-eco-deep-extreme-c........ Even freezes down to -20
No mention of warranty period, fridges Halfords have done before, have had 3 years though!
Beware of cheap obscure branded products from equally obscure online retailers, if it fails, you'll probably never get a repair/replacement/refund, some of these companies operate from outside UK, have no legal obligation, or customer support. At least Halfords have some accountability in UK and Outdoor Revolution are a UK based company too! Bound to be Chinese manufacture at that price, so don't expect after sales support beyond legal protection of warranty.
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