odrisc2
Member
any advice on a 12v /240v cool box?
how good are they at cooling beer etc.
on a boat?
how good are they at cooling beer etc.
on a boat?
coolbox. advice?
- Thread starter odrisc2
- Start date
Pinnacle
Well-Known Member
Most Peltier type boxes cool by around 18deg C compared with the ambient temp. So, for the uk, thats not too bad. The downside is that they are usually powe hungry and some peeps find them noisy.
odrisc2
Member
power hungry ..sure plugged into shire power it wouldnt matter? or have them plugged into 12v while on a voyage would be ok?
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
We have a Coleman 12v coolbox. Always worked well for us. Had it 20 odd years.
rotrax
Well-Known Member
I purchased a Dometic 40 litre 240/12V compressor fridge/freezer unit to use as a freezer.
Smart switch, detects and uses the highest incoming voltage, very quiet. not too power hungry.
Really impessed so far after two weeks aboard, half on the hook. Far superior and less power hungry than the peltier type one on our Kiwi boat.
The genset was only used when away from shorepower 1 hour each morning for a tank of hot water and battery charging.
Its really nice to have ice cream on board when you fancy a treat..................
I did a deal with You Boat of Endevour Quay, Gosport at the last Southampton Boat Show.
I find them very reasonable and always up for a deal.
Smart switch, detects and uses the highest incoming voltage, very quiet. not too power hungry.
Really impessed so far after two weeks aboard, half on the hook. Far superior and less power hungry than the peltier type one on our Kiwi boat.
The genset was only used when away from shorepower 1 hour each morning for a tank of hot water and battery charging.
Its really nice to have ice cream on board when you fancy a treat..................
I did a deal with You Boat of Endevour Quay, Gosport at the last Southampton Boat Show.
I find them very reasonable and always up for a deal.
PCUK
Well-Known Member
Get a secondhand ice cube maker for around £40 on Ebay and a 200 watt inverter for about £20 to power it from your battery and have a constant supply of fresh ice to put in the cool box and the drinks and the ice bucket!
odrisc2
Member
how do u use it best.12v when stopped/cruising ? or shore power?
Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
I've had several Peltier cool boxes over the many years of boating and none of them were any good until I discovered the boatshow a Waeco Tropicool T35.
A few good points:
- It can do 30c below ambient temp.
- dual power connection for both 12v and 240v and automatically switches i.e. the default is 240v and switches to 12v when 240v is disconnected.
- no pooling of water/condensation in the bottom of the cool box and soaking everything.
- thermostatically controlled and therefore once temp has been reached it switches off and hence uses little power on 12v. You can also adjust to the desired temp.
- the cooling fan switches off when the lid is open.
I've had mine for about 5 years and still working well, I paid around £200 which is a lot more than the basic halfords type electric coolbox, but I think it is worth it.
A few good points:
- It can do 30c below ambient temp.
- dual power connection for both 12v and 240v and automatically switches i.e. the default is 240v and switches to 12v when 240v is disconnected.
- no pooling of water/condensation in the bottom of the cool box and soaking everything.
- thermostatically controlled and therefore once temp has been reached it switches off and hence uses little power on 12v. You can also adjust to the desired temp.
- the cooling fan switches off when the lid is open.
I've had mine for about 5 years and still working well, I paid around £200 which is a lot more than the basic halfords type electric coolbox, but I think it is worth it.
jon and michie
Well-Known Member
We've got one from aldi about 10yrs ago 12v and 240v and it's brilliant
derekbland
Well-Known Member
Having slagged-off caravans all my life, I decided to buy one about 7 years ago and had it for a year. One trip was I driving it from the East Midlands to the Vendee. As there were 4 of us including two fizzy drink addict children and two adults that like an occasional cold white or a lager, we took a very old plug in cool box to use just for cold drinks as the fridge was not big enough and kept it in the awning and plugged it into a 12v socket inside the caravan. It was brilliant and as long as we replaced what we took out we had very cold drinks. I was given this by my sister who never used it and so was really cheap
It's also good to plug into the car for long journeys to keep food fresh or drinks cold. Also if you want to take frozen stuff with you and put it in there, it will keep it frozen for quite some time. It may not be good practice but it worked for us.
Deffo get one.
Montemar
Well-Known Member
Currently in Lidl at £39 and work well. 12 and 230 volt
PCUK
Well-Known Member
Generally when running or on shore power. But occasionally off the batteries when stopped if desperate!
derekbland
Well-Known Member
Have a look on ebay. There are loads from £11 up. I've got a really old one handed to me and it's bril.
dpb
Well-Known Member
I've noticed that some of the higher end cool boxes claim to keep ice for at least 5 days and have wondered if they would make a good fridge replacement if you had good access to ice, especially in a smaller boat with limited battery capacity.
Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
Even the lower spec cool boxes can keep ice for about two days, was a good solution for me on those hotter days in the past. Now changed to a much better Waeco unit.
