Quick Repco Fridge Report
Submitted: Monday, Dec 13, 2004 at 22:26
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Outbacktourer
Quick report on the Repco $399 fridge after a long weekend near the
Barrington Tops.
If you were around you would know mother nature really threw it at us this weekend. Raining and cool Friday PM for arrival, 36 Deg. high humidity both Sat and Sun followed by howling thunderstorms and heavy rain.
We had the fridge in the trailer, in the shade of the tarp, but still not ideal conditions. There was plenty of space behind it but being in the trailer would not have helped air circulation. I ran it on gas for the weekend. We had it loaded with mainly drinks (cans, cask, plastic bottles) and some salad makings, olives, hummus, marg etc. It was pretty stacked and drinks were replaced with warm ones when used, which they were. We went through a dozen drink cans and 3 1.25L large bottles etc etc. Made sure it was level.
The highest temp I saw was 12 Deg in 36 Deg heat after the kids had been at it a couple of times. Generally in the heat of the day it was maintiaining about 8-10 Deg., less at other times. Coldest was of course in the morning after a mid 20's night when it was 4 Deg.
I ran it off a 1.25Kg bottle which had "a bit" out of it, so let's say it had 1Kg to work with. It was started on Friday about 5pm and ran until the early hours of Monday morning. Let's say 2 1/2 days on a kilo give or take.
Bottom line, started first time, everything was cold when we needed it, beers were just the right temp at 5 PM and no complaints from SWMBO or tin lids.
Reply By: Shaker - Monday, Dec 13, 2004 at 23:45
Monday, Dec 13, 2004 at 23:45
What setting did you have it on ..... if it was level, it should have maintained a colder temperature than you have reported. Terracan Tim bought one before we went to the outback & his was freezing it's contents, as did my old Finch Fridge that I had years ago.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:34
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:34
Shaker,
What's happened to Terracan Tim, I haven't heard from him in moons.
Cheers,
Jim
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Follow Up By: Outbacktourer - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:35
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:35
Shaker, it was full noise.
Don't forget these were not "ideal" conditions. Kids in and out of it replacing cold cans with hot etc etc.
I had it on my back verandah last week (mid to high 20's ambient) cooled down and stable (no opening /closing or replacing items) and it was running a constant 4 Deg and below.
If you were to use it in anyhthing but summer and kept the load constant I have no doubt it would freeze stuff.
This was a no excuses real world family environment and it went fine I reckon.
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Reply By: Brew69(SA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:25
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:25
Sounds like it runs a bit too warm for my liking.I run my car fridge at about 1-2 Deg........beer any warmer is not at its best. Just My 2 cents.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Outbacktourer - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:38
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:38
Brew, hear what you are saying but I never felt the need to move the beers over to the Engel (2-4 Deg). Mind you I didn't have one until 5:00pm, not sure what time beer o'clock is in your
camp!!
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Follow Up By: Nick R - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 08:49
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 08:49
All depends on the beer, yeah, VB, etc as cold as possible, Coopers, cascade and the like or european beers, 6-9 degrees is best for flavour.
Back in January, Howqua river temperature was great for the Cascade Lager and Tooheys Old.
NickR
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 13:38
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 13:38
Nick R, you're spot on mate, if your beers any good, warmer about 5-7 degrees is the best for flavour. But yeah, if it's VB YUCK!, colder colder colder.
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Follow Up By: Member - T-bone (ACT) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 14:13
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 14:13
Jeez, you better not bag VB mate - I might turn all "David Au" on you! :)
T-Bone.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:07
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:07
I'll say it again, you falmin eastern staters! LOL
Come over here and try an EMU Bitter, that'll get the hair growing on your chest! :-P
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Follow Up By: Brew69(SA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:07
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:07
Jeff mate...i was in
Perth last week and invested in a 30 pack of emu bitter for under $30....i was impressed with the taste.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:12
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:12
Can't beat the WA beers, pitty the brewies are owned by kiwis now!! :-(
My mate in Melborne misses his WA brews, the old swanny and the EB's.
How did you like
Perth!?
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Follow Up By: Brew69(SA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:29
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 17:29
They own our brewery too mate. My trip to
Perth was not for the right reasons this time(dad was sick in hospital). I have lived in
Perth for a few years at different times and even spent a year at
Meekatharra at St barbara
mine.I used to drink the emu export. I love
Perth..esp the beaches and the
views at
the beach :p.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:18
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:18
Jeff/Nick,
Beer at 8 or 9 degrees? I reckon I've had just about every beer known to man and they all taste sheissenhausen (to me) at that temp.
Anyway, each to his own.
Sure you blokes aren't Poms? LOL.
As a mate of
mine used to say there are only two kinds of bad beer:
1. An empty one.
2. A warm one.
Cheers,
Jim.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:25
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:25
Jim, I said "5-7" and I'm not real happy about being labeled a pom! :-P
I'll agree that the majority of beer needs to be cold, but some of
my home brew (the real good stuff) can taste very nice a little warmer. Ice cold beer is good if the beer is crap to start with as it takes the edge off the crappy harsh flavours and foul aftertaste. A nice beer like a little creatures pale ale or some other no preservitave style beers still taste great cold, but you get more flavour when a little warmer. And don't get me wrong, 6c is still quite cold, don't want any beer warm!
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Follow Up By: Member - Smocky (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:46
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:46
Hey Jim, Jeff and others,
Beer with no flavour, ie. Australian beers, must be served VERY cold or it tastes terrible. That's because of the filtering and fermentation process.
German beers and most other European beers (which is where the oldest gazzetted current law comes from, the BEER LAW) are better served chilled but not cold. Cold is 4C and very cold is 2C. 0C is frozen by the way :-)
I agree with most of the sentiments that a bitter (which is pretty much an Australian beer) needs to be around the 2-3 mark, a draught a degree warmer and the lagers and Europeans (and also most of our Premium beers like Cascade) should be around the 5 mark.
Just MHO, but I've made and drunk plenty 'o' beer and enjoy quite a variety.
To get back to the topic of this
forum, that's why I'm quite happy with my $399 Repco fridge, it keeps my premium beers at about 5 which is beautiful.
Ahhhhhhhh,
cheers,
Smocky.
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Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:50
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 19:50
Jeff,
"I'm not real happy about being labelled a Pom".
What's wrong with Poms you racist?, LOL.
To my palate, -1 is cold, 3 is acceptable, 5 is tepid, 7 is warm and 9 is the temp at which most trendy cafe's serve their luke warm coffee. Still, that's just me and doesn't mean it's right. I even know a bloke who eats a pie without sauce and he happens to be my old man.
Each to their own.
Cheers,
Jim (son of a pommie mother).
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Follow Up By: Nick R - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:54
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:54
Similar experience to jim with
my home brew, an oatmeal stout is so much better warmed a little. Another mate's Doppelbock i left sitting on the table for about 30 minutes before opening it as it was nearly frozen. it's taste was so much better cold, not frozen, had a taste nearly frozen and could only taste the very dark malt (burnt toast).
NickR
ps. oops we are a bit off topic, bugger it!!!
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Reply By: Member - Chrispy (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:28
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:28
Have you tried it on 12v for an extended time yet?
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Follow Up By: Outbacktourer - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:39
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:39
No sorry...
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Follow Up By: Member Eric - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:45
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 07:45
dont bother with the 12 volt ,
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Reply By: Banjo (SA) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 09:24
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 09:24
Thanks for the research - valuable indeed - next comes the report on longevity ?
Guess at that price it only needs to run for 3-4 years to satisfay economics - after that who knows - can they be backed up with parts and service ?
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Reply By: Member - T-bone (ACT) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 11:37
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 11:37
Thanks for the report Outbacktourer. Sounds like it'll hold 4 - 6 degrees with a bit of management. At $399, it's probably worth the risk...
T-Bone.
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Reply By: Tim - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:38
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:38
Good info about the fridge, you have probably answered a lot of ppl's QTN's.
Just wondering where you little slice of paradise is near the
Barrington Tops, I was up there 2 weeks ago and was very dissapointed seeing Jim's Place is now closed.
Tim
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Follow Up By: Outbacktourer - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:44
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 15:44
Ta, we were at Riverwood downs, very dog friendly which is important to us. Horseriding, canoeing etc.
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Reply By: locallaw - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 22:00
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 22:00
Gidday, I just ran thru all the reply's etc and no one mentioned about putting a damp thick towel over the fridge.You would be supprised the difference this makes to the temp inside.
Just my bit Locallaw
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Follow Up By: Member - Smocky (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 22:36
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004 at 22:36
Should you put ANYTHING over the top where the heat is rising from?
I've had my Narva on for about 3 hours on 240v and the ice cude tray is icing up already.
I'm going to see how cold it gets THEN I'll add the 8" 12v fan and let you know. Only problem with the fan obviously, is that I have to run a 12v battery connected to it when on gas or 240v.
Given the way these things work, I also suspect they would work better with a breeze, than stuck in my garage.
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Reply By: Member - Smocky (NSW) - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 08:17
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 08:17
OK, ran the fridge overnight and this morning it is on 5.8C running on 240v. Was thinking to myself that that isn't all that cold, but the beers in their are beautiful and crispy and the ice try is solid ice.
Am going to rig up the 12v fan tonight and see if it comes down any lower. I'm happy with it's current operation though.
Cheers,
Smocky.
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