Refridgeration When Camping

[Reel Nauti]

Blaze, that is why a lot of composers and authors keep their manuscripts in the freezer.

(Sorry Greg for getting off topic)

Dave

[GBC]

I have a 60 lt evacool in the ute which never gets turned off. We usually do enough driving to keep the batteries charged, and have an 80w panel - however chilling hot tinnies in the freezer section drags a bit more power out of it - go figure.

We also have a cheap ($350 companion 33 litre) 3 way for extended trips up the beach in the one place - set it up and leave it. It also means the girls have a fridge with the necessities while the ute is away (maybe fishing or something?).

I'd strongly recommend a chest type fridge/freezer over a front opening bar fridge simply because the cool air can't 'fall out'.
I've tried the chest freezer/genny thing as well - once - and it drove me nuts. Good luck, but in the end there isn't a viable cheap alternative to purpose built refrigeration.

[FNQCairns]

andy
i really do think the bar fridge is good.
i looked at a new westinghouse 120lit with a completly sealed freezer for $295.
i think the 2kva will shit it in.
shouldnt take long to cool down and stay cool enough through night till morning, especially when not opened and with sep sealed freezer.

greg

that might work we have the Westinghouse 140l bought new with 8 years ago, ATM it sits on the patio with the lower freezer water catcher out as well as the freezer door (unless freezing new stuff), has new bait in the freezer as well as frozen bottles of water in the fridge portion also a 10l bucket of frozen leftover bait on the floor of the fridge, so it has the guts to freeze the entire fridge (each night when you turn of, remove the freezer tray)

i would buy a quality temperature instrument with thermocouple so it can be read without opening.

the battle is not keeping the freezer frozen as the mass of frozen food does that well, it's keeping the fridge portion below 5degC, 2degc or less is optimum.

cheers fnq

[shano]

what i have is a eva cool fridge mate it is the 70ltr one and does us 2 adults and 3 kids! i bought a 120AH deep cycle battery , i run a honda generator at night for lights and maybe tv so when the gennie is on for the 6 hours i trickle the battery at the same time and run the fridge on the gennie power also! i haven't run the fridge yet to see what i will get out of the battery without charge, but the camp shop where i got the fridge from said i will get 4 days without charging! i also have solar panel that trickles my batteries also!
i also have a gas caravan fridge that i used to run before i had the 12volt one! it was alot of stuffing around! i love the 12volt it gets down to -23 deg, and best thing about the fridge mate is it is made from esky material and is very very strong and can be used as a seat also! plus you can use it as a conventional esky with ice if you dont have 12volt power or have run out!

[PinHead]

The key factors for any type of refrigeration regardless whether it be ice, 3 way, eutectic or any other type:

1. The quality of the insulation material
2. The ambient temp
3. The temp of the product being placed into the fridge/freezer.
4. No. of times the door is opened...makes no difference whether chest or upright.
5. The temp inside the cabinet.
6. COP of the refrigeration unit.

[Seahorse]

shano.
do u use it as a rezzer/ fridge combo?
all sounds good.

[shano]

shano.
do u use it as a rezzer/ fridge combo?
all sounds good.

i can use it as freezer/fridge combo, but i personally dont! haven't had to as yet! i use it as one big fridge! i set mine at 5 on the dial and that gives me about 0.5 deg! i put the food i want like meat etc up the cooling element and have had the meat freeze up that end! they are a top tough fridge!

[legsy11]

i have a 120 l autofridge connected to a acid battery which is attached to a solinoid in the engine bay.i believe the autos store energy 4 up to 4 hours before sucking any juice out of your battery.

[legsy11]

i had an anderson switch installed and a irun all my lights off that from a deep cycle battery in the camper.changed all my camping appliances to 12v plugs lights/bilges 4 your shower etc.this battery is also wired to charge whilst u drive.the battery 4 the fridge is a dryacid 110 amp battery.

[TheRealAndy]

i had an anderson switch installed and a irun all my lights off that from a deep cycle battery in the camper.changed all my camping appliances to 12v plugs lights/bilges 4 your shower etc.this battery is also wired to charge whilst u drive.the battery 4 the fridge is a dryacid 110 amp battery.

legsy do you mean anderson plug or anderson switch?

I have a 120ah deep cycle in the tray of the 4x4, I have it connected to the main battery by a anderson plug and a dual battery controller in the engine bay. Great thing about that is I can take the fridge and battery out of the car and onto the camp site so I can also run lights etc. off it. I also made up a 10m 12V extension cable so I can run lights without taking the battery out of the car.

I just aquired a whole bunch of second hand AGM batteries (4 * 40ah) from work for nothing. They came from a UPS yearly service, so all are perfect. I am going to build a box for them and the other battery so I can run the fridge longer..

[sheridan]

Hi Seahorse
I have an old steel cased chescold 3 way 45ltr fridge freezer( which i bought at redlands recycle $10.00 works perfect gave it a coat of 2pak looks brand new )also have 75ltr quality esky . We freeze at least 20 one lt bottles of water in our freezer at home that is our ice .10 bottles in our esky 10 bottles in our chescold which we turn right down cold and use as freeser only to make ice only . When you leave home all the ice in your freezer is frozen solid and your esky is cold . Use freezer on 12volts while traveling . AT your camp set freezer up in a shady spot and set up on gas Exchange the frozen bottles from your freezer to your esky at night and morning this keeps your freezer closed all day and night and dozn,t allow the bottles in your esky to thaw to much so you don,t have to freeze a lot of water again .The secret is less you open the colder it stays our main esky has a seperate door for beer so it dozn,t effect the coldness to much 9kg lasts about 4 weeks depends on temp may not be much help but thats how we do it .

Geoff

[pop_eye]

Seahorse,
I

[pop_eye]

Seahorse,
I fish up north in the NT and at fraser every year some times for one to two months with ambient temps up 50 deg c. The old boy has engels and I have trailblazers. The engels realy struggle up north even in the shade and do not freeze well at all. But inturn my trailblazers cycle less inturn drawing less amps and depending on what type you purchase you can leave in direct sunlite in the back of a ute bolted down, units freezing to -20 deg c. The lids and insulation is the key. Also I have had one of my trailblazer since 1988 it has bounced around in the back of ute on some of the worst roads in this country battle camp being one, early this year I had to upgrade the electronic unit in it. Some house hold fridges wont last hat long.

I would not buy a chescold as i have had bad experiences with them, a mate of mine has one he upgrade it to a tropical unit and travelled around australia. But dont think your going to drink heeps of grog or freeze meat/ fish fillets in it.

I would ring baintech technologies in regards to quality battery chargers that charge to different float levels if you do want to charge batteries even with a one or two kva honda EUi geny's. As cteks, normal battery chagers won't put enough amps back into your batteries as they are realy not designed for AGM batteries/gel batteries which are what you need if you go for Trailblazers.

Also I have a battery charger made by Christies Engineering which is brillant, it is a petrol powered direct drive alternator with a 750 ml fuel tank which I run every second to third day. I even take it up in the gulf with me, as it is more suitable then charging with DC chargers on the EUi honda genys.
Pop eye

[pop_eye]

Seahorse,
I fish up north in the NT and at fraser every year some times for one to two months with ambient temps up 50 deg c. The old boy has engels and I have trailblazers. The engels realy struggle up north even in the shade and do not freeze well at all. But inturn my trailblazers cycle less inturn drawing less amps and depending on what type you purchase you can leave in direct sunlite in the back of a ute bolted down, units freezing to -20 deg c. The lids and insulation is the key. Also I have had one of my trailblazer since 1988 it has bounced around in the back of ute on some of the worst roads in this country battle camp being one, early this year I had to upgrade the electronic unit in it. Some house hold fridges wont last hat long.

I would not buy a chescold as i have had bad experiences with them, a mate of mine has one he upgrade it to a tropical unit and travelled around australia. But dont think your going to drink heeps of grog or freeze meat/ fish fillets in it.

I would ring baintech technologies in regards to quality battery chargers that charge to different float levels if you do want to charge batteries even with a one or two kva honda EUi geny's. As cteks, normal battery chagers won't put enough amps back into your batteries as they are realy not designed for AGM batteries/gel batteries which are what you need if you go for Trailblazers.

Also I have a battery charger made by Christies Engineering which is brillant, it is a petrol powered direct drive alternator with a 750 ml fuel tank which I run every second to third day. I even take it up in the gulf with me, as it is more suitable then charging with DC chargers on the EUi honda genys.
Pop eye

[griz066]

Personal prefernence I guess. My style of camping goes from hiking with a backpack and pretty much nothing, to swag on the beach in the 4wd right up to almost hotel style camping with fridges and gensets. Whilst I have only been once with a generator (honda) I didn't really have a problem with it. I do have a problem with the idiots who fire up the 2 stroke $99 GMC shitters in busy campgrounds though.

I have tested my shitty $99 gmc against a $1200 honda and there is bugger all difference in the noise as a matter of fact. And when it stuffs up I am going straight in to get another one. Starts first pull regular use no problems in 3 yrs i have owned it.