Fridge/Freezer

Quick response

1. used to think so and had both. Found that freezer was leading us to unhealthy eating. Scrapped it and have never regretted doing so. But do like a good fridge.

2. No - we found 40 litre too small.

3. Doubt if there's much in it - but a 70 litre Autofridge uses only 50% or so of the energy of either the Engel/Waeco.

4. No comment

5. Engels fetch high prices second-hand.

6. Service/parts relatively easy Oz-wide - even in where we live in Broome.

7. Excellent. But prefer Autofridge. They (and Indel) work on the quite different eutectic principle. Ours (now eight years old) runs very comfortable and goes as low as -12 degrees if needed in our often plus 40 degree temps. It runs comfortably from two 80-watt solar modules with power to spare for lights etc.

Most people go for Engel/Waeco (both of which are excellent products) because they are (a) unaware of the small Australian Autofridge maker, (b) because Autofridges cost more than most - about $2200 for the 70 litre unit. There are no bad issues.
Trust this helps
Collyn Rivers

My suggestion for your time frame would be a seperate fridge and freezer, 40LT freezer, 60LT fridge.
Either Waeco or engel will do the job fine. Waeco is cheaper to buy. Both are good performers.
2nd hand? Try the FridgeShop for factory seconds.
Repairs should be fine for both brands.
Also, dual batteries should be considered essential.
Buying ice for the Eva Kool will soon become a PITA.
John

Some people in our club travel with a 40L or so running as a freezer and make ice for an esky. However I use an 80L fridge and freezer. Have used extensively the 80L Engel SS80 combo and it was very good but very expensive. Extremely robust and worked very well. However the big freezer and small tall fridge was a pain.
I just bought a Waeco CF-80 and it appears to work fine. I used it as fridge and freezer. It is better proportioned having a big fridge and small freezer but can be used as a bigger single compartment unit with the divider removed. Only used it on an overnight stay so can't comment too much. Not as strongly constructed as the Engel but it was half the cost and half the weight of the Engel.

I have just found out from a fridge technician the other week that Engel have now changed the way they supply parts - they don't. If anything happens to your compressor out of warranty, you have to buy the whole compressor!!
Waeco on the other hand are still supplying parts. Considering the life span of these fridges, that is a huge factor is buying one brand over another to me.

Fridges seem to keep their value fairly well. A fridge may have had a tough life but you may only save a few hundred dollars. I think it's best to go new with a warranty.

As for what's best. I guess everyone has their own opions. Waeco compressor have been driving fridges around the world for a long time. They are new in Aust in the 4wd market but they know what they are doing. They give a longer warranty and are approx 20% cheaper. I guess because they are wanting to get their "foot in the door" against an already known brand.

Waeco also come in hardened plastic so if you wanting to go on the sea with the fridge then thats also a bonus with rust. If not then I guess that doesn't really matter.

I don't think any is better than the other. Both will work find for a long time. It comes down to the externals like parts, price etc which is why my recommendation is to lean towards the Waeco.

Hi Kriso

There is probably no definitive answers to your quest however, here for what it is worth are my thoughts.

Depending on how much battery+charging power you have may possibly limit your choice. I had an Engel 60 for for 8 years in my boat. Ran continually 8x365 days before it needed major work. Only other probs were that it was a heavy weight and that it rusted pretty bad. Next we bought (after much researching) an Eva Kool 50. Has a Danfoss refrigeration unit as MOST other compressor fridges have but the big difference is in the insulation. Eva Kools have thicker/better insulation than most other we checked. This tends to minimise running time and thereby saves power . We do not use it as a freezer . Not necessary and consumes more power. If you want meat etc to last longer then have it vacuum packed. Lasts several weeks+ on refrig. If you need to make ice, then hang one of those plasiic 'Glad" ice bags from the supermarket over the cold plate and you have ice in an hour or so. We also use the Eva Kool on off road trips mounted on a shock absorbing foam pad connected to the dual battery and works well. One of the 4WD mags did a test a year or two ago on fridges and the Eva Kool came out v/good. Waeco use the same Danfoss compressor but their insulation is not nearly as good. I would not recommend any fridge that has spent years off road / on corrugated roads. Compressors like other machines do not like bad vibrations over long periods of time.

Kriso,

I agree with what the others have said for the most part.

However, in my opinion, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions....

1) how many in you family will be travelling; for some reason I'm assuming it's just 2 of you. If so, you'll need less fridge room than say my situation of 2 adults and 3 kids.

2) Where do you plan to go? If you're going up the CSR for 3 weeks (and thus away from regular supplies etc), then sure, you're gunna need a fair amount of fridge space or else use a 40 litre (or thereabouts) as a freezer and keep stuff cool in your existing ice box, which you can keep cool by using those ice bricks; say have 6 ....3 in the freezer at one time; the other 3 in the ice box....rotate them every day as required.
If you aren't going to be all that far from civilisation for too many days at a time (say up to 4 days), you might get away with a 40 litre fridge alone. Think about what you NEED to keep refridgerated. One litre of milk per day (long life, rest can stay unchilled), 6 stubbies of golden fluid per day?, tub of marg/butter etc. You can pick up supplies along the way. Don't get fooled into believing you've gotta be like Burke and Wills and take 4 months worth of supplies with you. Places like Innaminka, Birdsville etc have good supplies and I believe most people over-stock when they pack up to go away.

Just my thoughts.

Kriso,

Some fine advice above and I'll add my two bob's worth.

I upgraded from a 39L Engel to a Waeco CF 80 two weeks ago and I've been away the last two weekends.

A 40L fridge is just too small for my requirements. And it is only a fridge OR a freezer. The CF 80 has three compartments ( freezer, fridge and "dairy" which is great for keeping your lettuce and tomatoes cool but not frozen).

The most important thing about this unit is that it can be run as a fridge/freezer or all fridge or all freezer. Be aware that running it as a fridge/freeezer draws a lot of power, OK if you are on the move each day and have a good dual battery system.

If you choose to sit in one spot for 5 days as I have just done, I just ran it as all fridge which works brilliantly; put the beer on the "freezer" basket (24 cans) and keep it at about 0 C as it is nearest the cooling element, put the food in the "fridge" basket at about 4 C and stick the fruit and veg in the "dairy" compartment.

I got by for 5 days by idling the motor for 15 min 4 times a day (used about 7 litres of petrol in total as near as I can calculate). Be careful with this however as you can upset some people in certain camping areas depending on how noisy your vehicle may be. Also depends on your battery setup. Mine is an AGM second battery and a small amount of idling puts in a lot of charge.

At $980 for a "second" from the Fridgeshop I couldn't be happier.

The thing that put me of the Engel Combo's, other than price, is that they are have dedicated fridge and freezer compartments, that is to say they lack the versatility of the Waeco.

Good Luck,

Jim.

Hi not sure what you folks put in big fridges, but we have an EvaKool "RF 47 DT"
fridge /freezer, and find it quite big enough for 2 adults.
We have done 2 /16 day trips & numerous shorter trips, taking all food from home including pre cooked frozen meals, and yes we love good food,cold beer & wine , all the nice little goodies.
use UHT milk in plastic bottles.
Cyrovac your meat.
Fruit & Vegies in a cardboard fruit box.

Did 1/ 16 day trip with 39litre Autofridge ( needs clear air space around the whole unit) & we managed ok but IMHO the EvaKool DT is much better.

What ever you choose enjoy your travels.
Cheers

Kriso

I run a 60Lt Waeco. The reason for this is the small footprint. No other fridge on the market has a smaller footprint for the same capacity.
I also have a evacool 110Lt fiberglass icebox (not a fridge). This however is my fridge. My waeco runs as a freezer. My missus likes has cold treats so i keep ice cream, frozen meat and veges, and one side of i (about 1/3 as it has a divider) i put in there long narrow 1.5Lt drink bottles of water to make my own ice. I consistantly swap these over with ones in the ice box to keep things cool and being fully self sufficient.

Including ice cream in the freezer, i can carry enough food for 2 weeks on fraser island without the need of shops.

I prefer Waeco over Engle for a few reasons.
1. Engle is metal and metal likes heat. (friends have engles and this is what they hate the most about it). Even with insulation bags, my waeco is still cooler than the engle.
2. When the metal gets scratched, it can rust. The waeco is a dense polyproplyene.
3. The effective use of space and size of waeco and very ergonomic, engle is a bit old school in its design.
4. weight, plastic is lighter.
5. I can buy a 60Lt waeco for the price of a 40Lt engle.

Other people will have their opinions but these pretty much pointed me to a waeco.

I would buy second if i knew its history and hrs of work it has done.

One thing i know that does go wrong with Waeco is the temp control. I found out however this is so minor to fix you can do it your self. and this problem only occurs if the waeco lives ourside on the back of a ute on dusty roads. The dust works its way inside the electronic and get stuck in between the electronic pads and the panel you actually see. That's why some people say their buttons get stuck as they are only a light touch pad button and the dirt is enough to presss them down. All the repairs do is peel the sticky panel off, clean the dirt from it and sand the buttons down a little bit more so dirt won't come in contact with both at the same time.
I keep my fridge in the back of my GU so i've never had this prob.

I also considered the eva cool fridge. Crap use of space, poor design and build quality and it's easily seen as a last minute slap together unit. The inside of the fridge is very hard to clean and wipe compared to the waeco.

For my money, I would like functionality, practicality, and value for money.
i went for Waeco 60Lt

Kriso
You're planning a trip round Oz with no time frame (years Maybe) then the most important thing you will need is a fridge that can be used and relied upon, to do this you will also need a decent power supply and a method of RE-charging your power supply, simply starting the motor and letting the vehicle idle over fast will do the job, BUT it will do more harm than good and you and also your neighbours will soon get sick of the idea, as well as quickly killing your battery/s.

I left Melbourne in 1997, and I tell you only from my own experience, as I did not read books or a magazine, "IF" you are going to be spending quality time camped in the bush or on a beach for long periods of time, you will need a fridge for two people of at least 60Ltrs, if you are going to the shop every week then yes a smaller unit may do the job.

For a test prior to buying,
get a cardboard box of approx 50Ltrs and put it into your fridge at home, then place everything you want to take with you into it and throw away, yes away, the rest and live on the cardboard box size fridge insert for a few weeks to get some idea of the size you will need, yes sounds like a stupid idea, but it worked for me.

simple answers to questions;
1. yes, genuine two compartment fridge/freezer, with at least 12 deg difference
2. No, you can have not enough, but not too much
3. Personal opinion, I am about to buy a better quality fridge but more $$
4. No, try it at home and see for yourself, will use too much power
5. Depends on warantee and price, generally not a good idea.
6. The new fridge is fully servicable and can be repaired by any fridge mechanic
7. Too big a 'foot print" for the size, get it taller and save your storage space

I spend months at a time camped on beaches on the west coast, I use solar power to directly recharge a 160a/h DC battery bank, and I don't have power problems.

Enjoy our country, it truly is a fantastic place.