Waeco power packs

Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
ThreadID: 2362 Views:6911 Replies:6 FollowUps:8
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Hi list members I am thinking about purchasing a thumper 48amp pack for the purpose of powering my 40litre waeco fridge when we are camped for a weekend,The local dealer let me do a test on one of his 24amp packs and it ran my prechilled fridgefor 23.5 hours at average 3degrees.As I have a honda eu 10 generator I thoughtI could top the power pack up enough each nite to keep it running indefinitely.
I don't really require the jump start aspect of the pack but I guess it will be handy at some stage.My Question is whether anyone has had much experience with these units? The thumper is fairly expensivebut hopefully a good thing,particularly as I don't want a dual battery setup.Anyway your thoughts1
regards
chris
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Reply By: OziExplorer - Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
Personally I think they are *grossly* overpriced for what they are.
Why not invest in a solar panel that will last 20 years + and a cheaper deep cycle battery - around $100 max.
A 60w panel like a BP SX60 should go very close to giving you ample power for your fridge and a couple of fluoro and not have to need to run your generator at all. This URL below is the cheapest I have seen the BP SX60 panels. $576 incl GST and delivery. If you find a cheaper website, please post back as I need to buy a new one myself.
http://www.coiltek.com.au/Products/solar_panels.htm

You can find details of the BP SX60 here:
http://www.bpsolar.com/ContentDetails.cfm?page=40

I realise the price of an SX60 and a cheaper deep cycle battery is more expensive than what you are looking at purchasing. However look at the investment you are getting for 20+ years, and the saving of running your generator - not just the fuel, but the normal wear and tear and maintainence.
What you also need to check, is how long that Thumper has been at the dealers and the date of manufacture. Anything longer than six months, don't touch it. If you do intend to buy one, demand a fresh manufacture unit.

Damn fine generator those Honda EU.
AnswerID: 8488

Follow Up By: Oziexplorer - Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
WOW - decided to look up the price of that Thumper, as I thought they were around $300 - SURPRISE, surprise, they are really extortion at:
$659.00
What is more, they are only guaranteed for 12 months - 1 year.
For that price, I would want a minimum of 3 years, with a pro-rata to 5 years, and pro-rata are not worth the paper they are written on unless the pro-rata rate is stated at time of purchase.

It really makes the BP SX60 solar panel and deep cycle battery *awfully* cheap.

Check here for info on deep cycle batteries:
http://www.cyb.com.au/automotive/prod_info/deepcycle_calc.htm
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FollowupID: 4114

Follow Up By: Bruce - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
A better buy than the the bpsolar 60w panel would be the uni-sol 64w..it is a bit larger and a bit more expensive..but..it is also unbreakable..my dealer has a demo panel that has 4 .22 bullet holes in it and it still works quite well.......yes the hondas are a great geny....cheers bruce
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FollowupID: 4127

Follow Up By: Sambo - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
In regards to the thumper pack, I believe it to be overpriced and over rated. Recently while at the Tuff Truck Challenge a friend brought along his 48amp Thumper pack to run his evacool fridge. The pack ran the fridge for approx 24hrs which I feel is not very impressive when you consider its cost. You would be much better investing in a very basic dual battery system then wasting that much money on the thumper.
As such that is my opinion.

Cheers
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FollowupID: 4147

Reply By: bob - Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
Chris
I am also looking at a portable power pack for my stainless steel 80L engel. The thumper is at the top of my list also but at around $650 is quite pricey. Does any body know what is the life expectancy of the battery would be and the approximate cost of a replacement. I know a dual battery system would be the easiest answer but my fridge is shared between vehicles
Thanks
AnswerID: 8493

Follow Up By: Oziexplorer - Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
Chris, no problem being shared between vehicles. Get a battery box like the one from Bias Marine called a 'Super Battery Box' part no: 7565 $88.90
www.biasboating.com.au
and check out what size and type of deep cycle battery you can put in it here:
http://www.cyb.com.au/automotive/prod_info/deepcycle_calc.htm
You could connect this into the vehicles charging system quite easily or use another method of charging. You could of course even buy their "Heavy Duty Rapid Car Charge Kit" from the Waeco website if necessary:
http://www.fridgeshop.com.au/ppages/thumper.html

That price for a battery with only 12 months - 1 year warranty is ridiculous. A minimum 3 year warranty would be wanted for that price.
What is more, after the battery is RS, do you just dump all the good fruit on the top away like the "Full LED Display, 2 x 15 amps , 2 x7 amp outlets" What a bloody awful waste!
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FollowupID: 4115

Follow Up By: Member - Nigel - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
Battery life expectancy is entirely dependent on if the battery is always "fully" recharged.

Ignoring early death from external factors (vibration and/or heat) a standard deep cycle will outlast a sealed gel battery (as used in the waeco power packs) if both are used idetically and recharged "fully".

If they are both always undercharged, the the standard battery will die of sulphation before the gel battery.

A standard battery can last 6 years if maintained properly. Usually they last 1-3 years due to undercharging, heat and vibration.

A gel battery should last 3 years if maintained properly, maybe only 2 years if abused.

So if you aren't going to be nice to your batteries then the sealed types will be more forgiving.
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FollowupID: 4125

Reply By: Eric - Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00

Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002 at 01:00
Chris.
When you buy a thumper all you get is a battery in a fancy box and a charger. You can buy a better battery and a better charger for a lot less seperately. The best price for me was from an electric wheel chair agent.
Eric.
AnswerID: 8502

Follow Up By: Chris Nelson - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
Thanks guys I am in a bit of a quandary,particularly in regard to the price of the thumper.My local dealer tells me that replacement batteries are $45.00 each but at the purchase price of the unit,and considering that I don't want to jump start a mack truck,it is a lot of money <$659.00
I wonder if it would be smarter to buy the smaller 24amp urban unit,$359.00 which cosidering I have the generator to top it up,may still fill the bill at much less cost?
regards
chris
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FollowupID: 4138

Follow Up By: Oziexplorer - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
Chris, what have you got against a standard quality deep cycle battery at $145 and a 60w solar panel.

You seem to be possessed by these Waeco units. They are *EXTORTION* in price, and for a disgusting 1 year - 12 month warranty.

Bosch will give you an 18 month warranty on a battery priced at $150.
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FollowupID: 4149

Reply By: David - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
Hi Chris,
I have a Waeco Urban battery pack and it seems to be ok for what I want.
I use it to run a Waeco CF50 fridge overnight at camp and then recharge
it as required. It is also running bushman fluro lights at night and seems to last alright, about 20 hours run time all up.

It will depend on your needs which one would do what you want.

I recommend going for the Waeco outback, it will give you a tad more running time.

Regards,
David
AnswerID: 8534

Reply By: Eric - Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00

Thursday, Nov 14, 2002 at 01:00
Chris.
You have answered your own question, the battery cost $45 therefore the plastic box costs $300+, Why buy the box?
Eric.
AnswerID: 8539

Reply By: djr - Sunday, Nov 17, 2002 at 01:00

Sunday, Nov 17, 2002 at 01:00
If anyone is interested in these waeco power packs they can be bought as factory seconds at www.fridgeshop.com. The thumper is about $130.00 off the normal prices. They have some great deals on factory seconds fridges as well.
AnswerID: 8588

Follow Up By: Chris Nelson - Monday, Nov 18, 2002 at 01:00

Monday, Nov 18, 2002 at 01:00
Thanks everyone for your responses.I have ordered a thumper and have been impressesd with the reputation that waeco enjoys in the market place.As far as the thumper goes time will tell!
Regards
chris
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FollowupID: 4219

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