Waeco Fridge

Submitted: Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 16:22

ThreadID: 104192 Views:2765 Replies:4 FollowUps:12

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Bega Photographer

G'day there!

I got some good battery advice the other day from the forum.

I've bought a new battery for the ute and put the ute battery in the back for the fridge, lights, shower and charge a few miscellaneous things. The auto electrician wired it up so all should be well. Thanks for the help!

It's an all in one type fridge: fridge or freezer but not both.

I plan to run the fridge on 2degC and put a few lamb chops in a small cooler bag, hoping they'll stay frozen for a few days. How do you rate my chances?

Do you expect we'll buy frozen chops in Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Innaminka, Lyndhurst, Marree?

I know frozen meat is all we'll get at Andamooka and expect that will be the case in all the small places.

Of course, there's always roadkill. It's fresh every morning! ;)

Thanks,
Laurie.

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Reply By: Member - Michael P (QLD) - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 16:39

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 16:39

Laurie Hi,
Make sure that you get to the road-kill early, best is at sunrise.

I have a vacuum seal unit that I use when I am not taking a fridge and freezer. Your lamb chops should last at least 3 weeks vacuum sealed. A lot of butchers will cryovac meat for You. Normally best to give them an order that You can pick up later.
Regards Mike.

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AnswerID: 517685

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 17:54

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 17:54

Thanks Michael!

I thought cryovac would come up.

I have a diet problem. Intolerant of a number of natural and artificial food chemicals. To cut a long story short, I need my meat either fresh or frozen when fresh.

Maximum a couple of days in the fridge or a few weeks in the freezer.

Not much tinned meat I can eat

FollowupID: 797400

Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:26

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:26

Not sure if it makes any difference to you but cryovacced meat it not treated any differently to fresh or frozen meat it is just wrapped in an air proof plastic wrapping. We cryovac our meat and then freeze it at home before putting in the camping fridge and it slowly defrosts over the next week on the road

FollowupID: 797421

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:27

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:27

Thanks Alby!

A week to slowly defrost, huh! That sits well with my timeframe. About a week is about the longest between shops on our trip.

FollowupID: 797429

Follow Up By: Member - johnat - Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 20:15

Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 20:15

We pre-prepare some foods (spag bog, for example) and then vac pack 2 feeds worth - one for me and one for +1 - and freeze. Place in the waeco before leave and, with the temp there at -18 at start (set and pre-cooled while at home on 240v) should be OK for a while, especially if you are in a powered camp site for the first couple nights.

FollowupID: 797474

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 23:49

Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 23:49

Thanks Johnat!

Afraid we won't be on power very much for about 5 weeks.

I'l, have to keepthe temp to around 2degC, I'd reckon.

But your general idea sounds good.

I've bought a little cooler bag so will put some frozen meat in it, inside the fridge. Hope it will last maybe a week.

Apart from that it will be rice and tinned salmon. I make a pretty good loaf of bread in the camp oven, too!

FollowupID: 797488

Reply By: marc p - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 19:23

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 19:23

Hi Laurie,

I have purchase one of those home vac seal machines and they are great.

But I do a few trips on the bike every year so no refrigeration or esky. What I do is to freeze the item, wrap in foil, some newspaper, foil, newspaper and repeat for as much a space will allow. Then in the freezer for a couple of days to really cool down. I have had whole chickens, snags and steak this way.

If you place that in the bottom of your fridge it will probably not thaw for at least a week at 2 deg. I have a Waeco 40 and 60 litre. If I set them on 4 deg and cans of beer will start to freeze on the bottom in up to 30 deg max weather. Plug it in at home and see what the temp is at the bottom with a good thermometer. If it is vac sealed and on the bottom all the better.

I've bought frozen meat at innaminka and marree. Broken Hill will probably be all fresh. The others I've been though a few times but never needed food. It may sound stupid but I reckon most of the pubs at that way keep their meat frozen so you could probably have a chat and buy from them - at a premium of course!

AnswerID: 517692

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:38

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:38

That sounds great marc!

I'm encouraged by these reports.

FollowupID: 797430

Reply By: mikerosenkids - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:12

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:12

Hi Laurie
I take my wire basket out of my fridge up to my butcher and select the meat for camping and ask him to Cryovac them and put in his freezer until I leave, normally overnight is enough to have the meat rock solid
I remove tomorrow nights dinner ready to thaw out in the fridge section.
I have done this with up to three weeks meat works well
If you have chicken/beef/pork on bone use those cuts first

Cheers Michael

AnswerID: 517699

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:45

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:45

Sounds like you eat well when traveling, mikerosenkids! Thanks!

It's all new to me, having a fridge.

Of course, we have a small caravan with a fridge, but it's not an off road van so we're mostly at civilisation every few days.

FollowupID: 797432

Reply By: Shaker - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:15

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 21:15

Ok, I'll bite! How did you change the spelling if the thread title?

AnswerID: 517700

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:48

Thursday, Sep 05, 2013 at 23:48

Dunno Shaker.

I guess I must have spelled Waeco wrong?

Must have been the admin fixed it.

The education system failed me a bit as a boy in that I never learned to spell very well.

FollowupID: 797433

Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 08:19

Friday, Sep 06, 2013 at 08:19

I wasn't being critical, we have always needed an edit function & I thought I may have mised something!

FollowupID: 797444

Follow Up By: Bega Photographer - Saturday, Sep 07, 2013 at 00:03

Saturday, Sep 07, 2013 at 00:03

You're right Shaker! I didn't take it as criticism. Just that it wouldn't surprise me if I made a spelling mistake.

My spelling used to be so bad it was just beyond possibility to check it all and get it right using a paper dictionary.

Spell check on the puter is great and my spelling has improved no end through using spell check and noting the correct spelling.

I still remember how good I felt the first time I typed half a page with no errors!

FollowupID: 797489

Follow Up By: ModSquad - Saturday, Sep 07, 2013 at 10:14

Saturday, Sep 07, 2013 at 10:14

Hello

We fixed the heading. Under normal circumstances we wouldn't do it unless asked and/or with OP's permission but in the interests of making the thread easier to search for later (and to keep the "school teachers" happy) we just quickly did it hoping no-one would notice. Hope this is OK.

We do not edit in anyway actual threads/posts unless asked....so if you need some minor (stress minor) corrections to something you have written use the alert moderator button with an explanation and we will attend to it ASAP.

Cheers
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