Coolbox

[Reallyretired]

As swmbo thinks the fridge should only be used for food I have a peltier effect electric coolbox for beer.
In temperatures of up to 39c in France in the last few weeks it was no better than tepid and uses a constant 50w.
I have splashed out on a Dometic compressor cold box and what a difference, it made ice in 3 hours from first switch on turned to -18c and suitably adjusted keeps beer just above freezing point. It still uses 50w but it doesnt run continously so much less strain on batteries and solar. Its roughly the same size as the old coolbox, but 10kg heavier and ten times the price. Cold beer on a scorching day priceless .

 

[Langtoftlad]

Which model...

 

[Camdoon]

Cheaper changing the wife

 

[DBK]

I have one too and they are brilliant. I use it home in my shed as a booze fridge when not travelling with a 240v/12v converter.

From memory it's a CDF25 and fits between the seats when we stop.

 

[Zepp]

We have also just bought the 31 litre Dometic Compressor Fridge / Freezer it’s brilliant used it in Spain and Portugal it worked well

done

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[Reallyretired]

Which model...

Dometic CDF18. Their second to smallest. It currently contains 8 cans and 12 small bottles.

 

[audlin]

Reallyretired I'm currently researching these Dometic compressor fridges and the CDF18 would suit well. I'm finding it difficult to calculate the 12 v drain. I have a 110 leisure battery and a 50 w solar panel on my micro camper roof though I'd be happy to put a 100w solar panel on as well. Would that be sufficient?

 

[DBK]

Reallyretired I'm currently researching these Dometic compressor fridges and the CDF18 would suit well. I'm finding it difficult to calculate the 12 v drain. I have a 110 leisure battery and a 50 w solar panel on my micro camper roof though I'd be happy to put a 100w solar panel on as well. Would that be sufficient?

Not in my experience. I've got 200W on the roof and 180Ah of batteries and we can struggle at times, especially in the autumn. We cope, but anything less would be an issue I think.

But much is down to how you use it. If you are only putting salads in there it should be OK but a 3 litre wine box will have it running continuously for five hours or so before it has chilled it.

 

[audlin]

DBK That's very disappointing but they're so expensive, I need to know before buying one. Many thanks for the info.

 

[Taran_Las]

Not in my experience. I've got 200W on the roof and 180Ah of batteries and we can struggle at times, especially in the autumn. We cope, but anything less would be an issue I think.

But much is down to how you use it. If you are only putting salads in there it should be OK but a 3 litre wine box will have it running continuously for five hours or so before it has chilled it.

I've never known a wine box last that long​

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[Richard n Ann]

DBK That's very disappointing but they're so expensive, I need to know before buying one. Many thanks for the info.

We've got a 150w panel on the roof and managed easily with our Mobicool FR40 compressor coolbox in Spain. It runs at between 2 and 3 amps depending what temperature it's at inside. I even ran it at -5°c

 

[eddie]

I fitted this to my previous camper, and it was only thing I swapped over to the new one, other than the water filter.

It has been on 12 volt 24/7 since 2014. This keeps my beers perfectly cold in any ambient temperature. It’s never turned off irrespective of wheth or not we have hook up.

I also had a CDF40 which we used as a extra freezer on A boat, again worked fantastically well on 12 volt.

When this one packs up I would order a replacement immediately

 

[Reallyretired]

Reallyretired I'm currently researching these Dometic compressor fridges and the CDF18 would suit well. I'm finding it difficult to calculate the 12 v drain. I have a 110 leisure battery and a 50 w solar panel on my micro camper roof though I'd be happy to put a 100w solar panel on as well. Would that be sufficient?

150w would be sufficient when the sun shines, in effect the coolbox will take the entire output of your 50w panel. I have 400w but obviously your roof is smaller. The coolbox consumption is a max of 50w, roughly 3.5A when running and less than 1A in between. Actual consumption will depend on what temperature it is and particularly how often it is opened. I havent tried a 3l wine box but I doubt it would fit in this model. I prefer my red wine at ambient, and swmbo drinks white so thats allowed in the fridge.
At one point out in the sticks in France the local garden centre only had wine in large boxes so we were decanting it into empty water bottles to save space in the fridge, cooled down quicker too.

 

[DBK]

DBK That's very disappointing but they're so expensive, I need to know before buying one. Many thanks for the info.

On reflection I might have overstated the issue. . We originally had 100W and that was fine when the sun was shining. Where we struggled was when it was cloudy in the spring or autumn.

One trick to reduce power consumption is to turn it off last thing at night. The contents should still stay under 10C until the next morning.

 

[Hellski]

Great to see others also using these, a fantastic recent addition for us and yes expensive but does exactly what it states on the tin

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[pete4x4]

I have a 35lt version and run it in my Jeep for overland trips, its powered by a 65Ah Yellow top Optima gel battery and it will run for 2.5 days at 0C before shutting down due to low voltage. Thats in external temperatures of 25C+ and its inside a vehicle.
They dont take a lot of power at all particularly if you keep it fully stocked!!

 

[audlin]

Thanks everyone for your invaluable comments and experience with these Dometic fridges. As I really need one, I'm going to buy one and consult with my marvellous mobile motorhome mechanic about powering it.

 

[Zepp]

Just restocked mine for tonight before anyone asks the coke is for the barcardi and JD LoL

We have used ours as a freezer it was running -14C

 

[StephDeLux]

As a Belgian, always good to see a fridge full of Leffe

 

[Richard n Ann]

As a Belgian, always good to see a fridge full of Leffe

I'll be taking a few boxes home with me

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[Zepp]

As a Belgian, always good to see a fridge full of Leffe

I just hoping I put enough in for tonight lol

 

[Brains]

Its a brilliant bit of kit but at £550 so it should be !
Frankly about £500 more than I can justify to keep food and beer cold when we have a perfectly good fridge.

We had an electric cool box that we bought in Carrefor Calais for £13 about 20 years ago.
It's just given up. So looking for a replacement under £50

 

[Richard n Ann]

Look at the coleman xtreme range of passive boxes. You put supermarket ice cubes in and as they melt there is a drain plug to empty the water. They work very well and are within your budget

 

[JockandRita]

So looking for a replacement under £50

Try the Adventuridge 39ltr 12v/240v one from Aldi at £40 ................... if they have any left.
I am running one at the moment. I had it on mains last night at home, and then on 12v when I was ready to move off. It chills as well as heats the contents, (not at the same time obviously ), but it is not a freezer like the Dometic model discussed above.
It does however, come with a 3 x year warranty covered by Dometic UK.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[klaatu]

As a Belgian, always good to see a fridge full of Leffe

Some people pooh-pooh Leffe as just another mass-produced beer from the largest brewing company in the world.

I tell them I don't care, as I open another bottle...

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[David and Sally]

Leffe is lovely.......and lethal

 

[JockandRita]

Some people pooh-pooh Leffe as just another mass-produced beer from the largest brewing company in the world.

I tell them I don't care, as I open another bottle...

I too am a fan of Leffe, and I do like their Brune as well.

Leffe is lovely.......and lethal

Absholootly. hic.

Jock.

 

[Happy1]

Waco cd30 in offside rear locker perfect when awning out and bbq on

 

[StephDeLux]

Some people pooh-pooh Leffe as just another mass-produced beer from the largest brewing company in the world.

I tell them I don't care, as I open another bottle...

Between the ages of 14 and 17 I went to a boarding school located just a few km from Leffe That was before the big concentrations between brewers.

I am a bit partial to another beer of that region, la Cuvée de Ciney. And one originally from Flanders, the Grimbergen. The top beer of course it the Orval.