portable frig's

Acapulco Gold ! LOLOLOL

another ummm 'happy' reefer user, :-)))

Mainey,

da baddest weed :))))))

Shaker, Reefer has never, repeat never ever, been called Liemack, Reefer refrigeration systems using the same Mitsubishi rotary compressors as used in my fridge were being used in commercial fishing boats and portable cool room refrigeration systems, long before Liemack were even thought about, where on earth (or should I suggest the net) do you get such incorrect information from?

Any particular reason why you did 'forget' to mention that the Reefer Fridge will definitely cool down warm food "faster & also colder" than any fridge sold in Australia, yes I did in fact print ‘any fridge’ and if that statement is not 100% correct then you can chastise me publicly... yes it may use more battery power to do it, but that has been fully explained elsewhere, and by unbiased and happy Reefer fridge owners, so there’s no need for me to expound on the many virtues of the Mitsubishi rotary compressor – is there?

Evakool isn't it. Liemack went bust with that terrible fridge and became evakool. Yeah you're right Mainey, reefer is famous for sucking the power.

I stick to my original statement that Liemack became Reefer! Whether they are still identical is irrelevant.

Also EvaKool were never known as Liemack, I believe thay they had an early fridge known as Tropicool.

Shaker, your original statement is wrong, what you believe is not & can't be backed up by any factual evidence at all, but it's a free country and you can believe anything you desire, if you read further I'm asked my connection with Reefer, if you remember back a few years I was asked the same thing about Rotronics and also Liemack, now some people seem to believe I'm also connected with Reefer, why would that be?

This forum is about products and services connected or related to travelling and camping and it's beneficial if only factual information is posted, when someone posts a message that is incorrect about any product, then I believe anyone should have the right to correct that mistake.
I’m reasonably knowledgeable in some fields and those area’s is where I stay, I don't make rash comments on EvaKool or Engel as I have never tested either of them thoroughly enough to put the information here so that it’s beyond reproach, however that is not true of an assortment of products where I can say I have that knowledge.
Fact of the matter is Refrigeration Research, the company that manufactures the Reefer Premier fridge has been building coolrooms on commercial fishing boats and large portable coolrooms using the same Mitsubishi rotary compressor as used in the 12v portable fridge, for longer than I can remember, long before Liemack was even thought about, therefore what I’m saying is that Liemack could not ‘become’ something that had previously existed well before Liemack did.

I will however accept the notion that the Reefer Premier is a fairly close copy of the original Liemack cabinet design, however all the Reefer computerised electronics and the cooling system are vastly different, along with the method of controlling both the battery and cooling settings!!

As to EvaKool, ???
you would have to ask the mad dog about that, he bought it up and I have to believe it was only intended to be humorous, obviously it failed dismally on you, but he could not possibly believe that there is, or even was a business connection between the two companies?
The company that you mention went seriously ‘broke’, and it’s my belief, leaving many owners in the poo with faulty fridges, yes it’s now known as EvaKool and neither has any connection to Liemack.

This is an extract from an article here at Exploroz:

Page Sponsors. Refrigeration Research Refrigeration Research, have taken over the production of the Liemack range of portable fridges. ...

It also seems odd that they are both based in Mount Barker, SA.

Shaker, your a busy lad, I will post what you know to be true
but you failed print for reasons only known to yourself.

Both companies, Refrigeration Research and also Liemack Refrigeration Products are/were based in the Adelaide hills, yes, in the suburb of Mount Barker, that's true!

However what you are also very aware of and failed to print is they are in two totally different addresses, on two very different roads and yes some distance apart.

You also failed to mention that Refrigeration Research had been manufacturing commercial refrigeration products for many years, and definitely long before Liemack Refrigeration Products even started business.

As stated in your post above "Refrigeration Research, have taken over the production of the Liemack range of portable fridges" and I have said exactly the same thing here on the forum, so what is different??

The difference is you are attempting to imply that Refrigeration Research is making a fridge called Liemack... or in the very least a Liemack fridge, when in fact they started to manufacture a fridge similar to the Liemack when the Liemack business closed to fill a void in their own market, which is good business strategy when a competitor goes out of business, they did take over production of the Liemack portable fridge and yes modified them to work more efficiently, and therefore a new fridge was born, welcome the "original" Reefer fridge, which is no longer made either, due to advances in comprised electronic technology, now we presently have the Reefer "Premier"

However as I’ve previously stated the fridge made by Refrigeration Research is not a Liemack, but a fridge called the Reefer Premier, and it uses a totally different electronics package from a different supplier and also the refrigeration system is very different to the original Liemack fridge, the only thing 'similar' is the basic rudimentary shape and a very similar colour, as the carry handles and the external electronics control panel are also totally different.
The Reefer Premier has an Aux battery charger inbuilt into the computerised electronics package, something no other fridge has, not even the Liemack had that and the electronic soft start system did not even exist in 2oo3.

By selectively posting only some of the information that you’re well aware of, are you attempting to imply you’re correct and I’m wrong :-(

desert, your wrong about your 'thoughts' on the Reefer being a reworked Liemack fridge!!!

The electronics package in a Reefer is totally different to a Liemack, sourced from a different supplier and with totally different technical specifications, now there is no large amp draw, at any time, from the computerised electronics used in the Reefer fridge.
The only similar things is the exterior case colour and design.

Sure they may look the same on the outside, but how can you improve on a stainless steel interior without making it NOT look like it's stainless steel???

I had a 50Lt dual temp Liemack, sold it and now have a 70Lt Reefer dual temp fridge, and you ask "why would I buy a second similar fridge if I thought it was just like the first one" good question, and the answer is;
Simply because it works as good as the first one, actually it works even better than the Liemack, even being 20Ltrs larger, but your not going to believe that so I will not say it.

The benefits are many as to why I would buy another rotary compressor fridge, and fridge performance is right at the top of the list.
The Reefer fridge will cool down a slab in quicker time than any fridge on the market, yes quicker than any other fridge, and will retain a constant cold temperature that is a maxium of 5 degrees higher than the initial set temperature, I have set my 70Lt Reefer to stay between 1 and 6 degrees and that is where it stays, never ever getting up to 7 degrees at any time, due to the powerfull rotary compressor, or I could, if I wanted to save battery power, change it to run from 2 up to 8 or even 10 degrees, but that is not what I want, I want an average temp of about 3 degrees in the fridge section and that is what I get, permanently.

Is it power hungry, well does a 4.2Lt Nissan use more fuel than a suberoo, yes, but it does things that the suberoo won't and can't do, and if you want a toy car you buy a toy, expecting it to be not as efficient as the more powerful big boy's toys.

If you want the most efficiend fridge, you have to have the most efficient compressor, it's really that simple, if you want to keep things only cool and not really cold then anything will do that, as I said I can turn the temp up to about 4 degrees and save battery power, it's my choice to use battery power and have the fridge with an average of under 3 degrees.

Will an Engel or Waeco keep Icecream frozen and also keep the fruit and vegies at a realistic 3 degree temperature, at the same time, ask someone with either fridge if and how they do it?

Just because you had a problem keeping batteries up to your liemack does not mean all owners will have the same battery problem with a Liemack, I never did, it depends on your choice of Aux battery/ies and the method of recharging of them.

The battery system has to be selected to be able to supply the power required, not the the fridge set-up to only use what little amount of power is available, and generally from a battery system that is just too small and ineficient...

Mainey, lets clear up some points here, on the Liemack. Firstly, Reefer bought out the company making the Liemack, because they were going under for whatever reason, and they made their own changes to the specs as you pointed out, that is what I mean by a re-work of the Liemack.And I can and do believe that your bigger fridge is working more efficiently that the previous smaller one. So is mine. Yes, the Reefer will cool down very fast, but it is only measured in minutes, and not all fridges were compared in that graph. And, so what? By far a more important feature is the time the fridge cycles on and off, a reflection on the insulation qualities of the unit, will have a direct bearing on battery comsumption too. I'm not sure on current Reefer recommendations, but the previous Liemack was supposed to be connected with two batteries connected in parallel. Thats because they used to drag so much current. The other problem that this raises is what to do about ensuring you have enough battery power to start next morning. Either you falsely rely on the low-voltage cut out and a healthy battery, or you have to have a third battery wired in for starting! What other fridge on the market would you have to do that for? Many fridges will run down to 0 degree's, without the power drain of the Liemack and their ampere/hour draw is more "reserved", ie not as critical to get the solar panel out or the geny when base camped.
Your statement about having the battery system selected to supply the power required is fraunt with danger. The fridge system is secondary to being able to start the engine next day. When I am camped in the middle of the Gibson desert, I don't care if the icecream is still frozen, I care about being able to start next day and drive out without having to rely on somebody else to jump start me or come and rescue me! So I will choose a fridge, everytime, that will allow me to do this, by being economical on battery power and being completely seperate to the battery starting system.

Desert, you say “Yes, the Reefer will cool down very fast, but it is only measured in minutes" yes I agree with you, it does only take minutes to cool down, that's why it uses less power than is expected :-)

As far as cycling on/off is concerned, when my fridge returns to +1 degree it turns off, (cycles) then when it gets back up to 6 degrees it turns back on, and I can guarantee you that it stays off in excess of an hour in the back of my vehicle even on an average West Aussie 28 degree day, and it would be hotter in there, I know because I have actually checked the running time on verses time off, obviously it has good insulation.

As to your statement that the Liemack fridge was recomended to be connected to two Cranker batteries wired in parallel, yes reason being that the Liemack, and yes even most other fridges, do have a low voltage battery disconnect system built into them, and yes they do work. Most people use a 'second battery' to run the fridge, many use two Cranking batteries in parallel, and then some prefere to use an independent Deep Cycle battery system, however any fridge ‘low voltage cut-out’ will ensure the battery system, which ever you use, will not be run so low as it becomes dangerous to the health of the battery, if using two Crankers wired in parallel, it will avoid the Cranking battery from getting discharged too low to start the vehicle next morning, that was the Liemack system.

You say “either you falsely rely on the low-voltage cut out and a healthy battery, or you have to have a third battery wired in for starting” are you honestly suggesting ‘every’ fridge low voltage disconnect system used by all the fridge manufacturers are unreliable and can’t be relied upon to work, therefore you need to use a third battery just to start the vehicle? Should I take a second fuel injection pump just in case mine stops working one day, as it makes no sense to me to use products that I don’t have complete faith in when I go bush :-)
Sure I have a few spare tyres but you expect to blow a few by the very nature of where you drive on them.

I’ve stated the power of the Mitsubishi rotary compressor is far superior to any piston compressor so will not argue with you on that point as it is a total waste of electrons, however, yes as you say many fridges will go down to zero degrees and “their ampere/hour draw is more reserved” however the point you are actually missing is, yes those 'economical' fridges use less amps when they are working, however and unfortunately, because they are actually working for far longer periods of time, remember in the north where you need good refrigeration some less efficient fridges never actually turn off in the high ambient temperatures, whereby the Reefer does use more amps ONLY when running, but it runs for far LESS time due to it’s higher capacity rotary compressor, therefore often using less battery power than the ‘more reserved’ fridge that is running flat out full time.

I posted “I enjoy my ice-cream frozen and the fruit and vegies at a realistic low temperature” you didn’t question that, is it because you are fully aware it works that way with a Reefer fridge?

I choose my fridge simply for “best refrigeration performance” not on price or even battery economy, I expect to have frozen ice-cream whenever I want it, while still having the fruit and vegies remain at a constant 3 degrees!

I use Deep Cycle batteries capable of powering the fridge and all other accessories, therefore I don’t have battery problems either, saving money is not relevant, saving food is, and when the food is barramundi it’s even more important to have a fridge you can rely on to keep the fillets frozen and yes you throw out the ice-cream to make room for the frozen fish fillets :-)

As to your statement about my system being somehow dangerous (fraunt with danger) I’m sorry I can’t agree, as my system is fully independent, the Deep Cycle batteries only run the accessories and the Cranker battery is automatically disconnected from them when stopped, the Cranker battery only has to start the vehicle, and I believe every Aux battery system is … and should be, installed to meet this criteria.
Mainey...

Mainey, I'll try again, as things are becoming confused.
Liemack recommended two batteries in parallel, which would mean you either rely on the low-voltage cutout to preserve battery power for an engine start, or you have to have a third battery for starting, OK?
Next, I would not rely on any low-voltage cut out, because you are putting your faith in the battery health to be able to start the engine from a "low-voltage" condition (ie 11 volts). Aside from the cut-out mechanism working correctly, you can NEVER be sure when a battery will give up the ghost and refuse to crank. I have no experience with the Mitsubishi rotarty compressor, so I can not argue that one with you and I thought the statement about Ice-cream and fruit and veges was a joke.
It is obvious, that you have not choosen a fridge on "battery economy" or price, but rather the belief that Reefer is so superior to all others that no other consideration should be taken into account. You have pointed out that you run two deep cycle batteries independent of the cranker battery, correctly isolated from system to system, and it works for you.
Good. It's an expensive, heavy and space demanding way of doing things, but it works for you. I will stick to doing the same job with only two batteries, a fridge which draws less current than yours and can be trouble-shooted (if need be) by myself with nothing more than a test light. No electronics to "spoil my icecream on a 28 degree west ozzie day".

here here....

Leroy

Mainey,

A mate's father owns one and before that had a few other units including an engle, (I own the combo version). The reason he swapped around was he needed a freezer that would quickly freeze any fish he caught to maintain quality. The engle was the worst and I can agree there, have put fillets in my freezer to the bottom and still not fully frozen 24 hours latter. That is in northern heat though. I actually questioned an engle tech about that and he didn't seem to concerned. Maybe good for power but not for the food quality.

Short story is he decided to try the Reefer and said it's fantastic, handles heat up in the Gulf, can put in fillets and freeze them down in a matter of hours. His has a switch you can use to fast freeze, I gather just a thermostat override. He has a pretty good solar set up and back up generator so if power is an issue he'd be right. Though he said his 120 litre unit only uses a little over twice what his 60 litre engle did but that's not when he loads it constantly with hot fillets or drinks.

I'll certainly be looking at one when I next swap.

Desert, I don’t believe things are becoming confused, well not for me anyway L0L

You say, “I would not rely on any low-voltage cut out, because you are putting your faith in the battery health to be able to start the engine from a "low-voltage" condition, you can NEVER be sure when a battery will give up the ghost and refuse to crank” desert so your fridge or your Aux battery system obviously does not have a ‘low voltage cut-out’ switch that you can rely on? So do you have to carry a spare battery just in case your Cranker ‘dies’ while your in the bush?

My statement about Ice-cream and fruit and vegies contained with-in the same fridge with the Ice-cream remaining frozen and the fruit and vegies remaining at 3 or 4 degrees was not a joke, that’s what I have come to expect from a fridge, why would or indeed should I have to compromise just because I’m not home but in the bush, I had a choice and spent the money and bought what I wanted, if your prepared to put up with something less than what you have at home that’s your own choice, because I spend months at a time away I like to know I can buy whatever food I need and it will remain in the condition that it would in any home fridge or indeed home freezer.

You say “I will stick to doing the ‘same job’ with only two batteries, a fridge which draws less current than yours and can be trouble-shooted by myself with nothing more than a test light”
Desert, the problem is it’s not doing the “same job” is it ?
For example, can you have frozen ice-cream and also fruit & vegies remaining at 3 degrees in the same fridge ?
I don’t believe you can, therefore “it’s not doing the same job” and it’s a only compromise.

I can trouble shoot any problems with my Reefer fridge simply because it uses a computerised inbuilt monitoring system that shows on the digital readout controller panel that sits on my dash, among other things the Aux battery voltage and the fridge temperature, and all the adjustments for the battery and the fridge temperature settings, therefore I have no need for a test light :-)

All unconfused, and working as would be expected.

OK, whatever. Good luck with it!

Another bluddy funny read...thanks guys it really brightens up a dull time at work.

desert, just attempting to make the Reefer fridge a smallish bit more UN-confusing for you, and adding humour makes posts easier to understand because they are then written in a less technically tedious manner.

As I asked, if the Reefer Premier fridge has not got the fastest cooling capability of any 12v fridge made in Australia, then I would like to know what is faster, as every relevant test I have read has proven that way beyond any doubt at all.

OK, but I think we had already covered that. Yes, the Reefer cool-down graph reads the fastest, just like the Liemack did. When you read all the advertising crap, you would have to form the opinion that Liemack (Reefer) is the best fridge in the world. And yes, I got sucked in by it. As I said earlier too, Not all fridges were included in their comparison: and two, fast cool down is not the be all and end all of fridge suitability. Like I said, these points have already been done to death. What more can I add? So, these so called relevant tests are not all of the facts and the fact that my Liemack failed in area's not covered by their blurb, further confirms that if you believe all the hype, you can become blind to other faults with them.

desert, what "Reefer cool down graph" are you referring to?
What fridges were not included, that you believe will cool down faster than a Reefer Premier fridge?

You say, "had a 50Lt Liemack, could not keep batteries up to it, large amp draw, especially on start up. Questionable electronics that spat the dummy on me up the Canning, too much digital circuitry and electronic crap to go wrong with them"

What actually did happen to your Liemack?
Do you still have it?
What brand, size and type of Aux battery system did you use?
Maybe I can be of some assistance to get it running again :-))

The only actual similarity between the two different brands is limited to the general overall appearance and the stainless steel interior, as I have been privileged to have owned both brands and without problems from either of them!

If, as you believe, the Liemack & Reefer are the same fridge, why would I just want to swap brand names :-(
Why would I sell a good Liemack and then buy a Reefer, I mean if the Liemack was no good I would not buy a similar designed fridge again, would you?

If they were the same, or even just a similar fridge, then there's no benefit, just less $$ in my bank, unless maybe I was delighted with the performance of the Liemack and was aware of the new computerised technology built into the Reefer Premier fridge.

As an owner of both brands I assure you they are not the same :-)

Time to come clean Mainey and tell the world about your connection with Reefer.

People on this site aren't stupid.

Mainey, with your enthusiastic endeavours to harpoon my statements, you always seem to miss something that I have already addressed or have conceeded. I'll try again, pay attention now....
paragraph 1: I was referring to the Liemack graph.
I did not say there were any fridges that cool faster than the reefer,you did.
para.3 An electronic component, a capacitor I think, spat its contents.
No, I sold it.
Manual control isolating solonoid type, with Optima spiral cell batteries.
No, I sold the heap of junk.
para.4 Yes, I understand that.
para.5. I have already conceeded that they are two seperate fridges, as you keep pointing out.
Only you know why you brought a Reefer and as I said before, it works for you, so thats good.
You need not assure me any further, you have adequately supported the difference theory. Still doesn't change the original point of my post.
I would like to add that this old silver-backs testosterone level is high and would like a spell from boring fridge arguments.

desert posted this FollowUp 11 of 14 posted 18 Jan 2006 at 18:57

"Yes, the Reefer cool-down graph reads the fastest"

If your referring to the Liemack graph why would you post as you did saying the 'Reefer graph' and not just say you made a mistake and posted the wrong company name ?

As to the 'fastest cooling fridge' comment, I was asking if you knew of any fridge that pulled temperature down faster than a Reefer Premier, nothing else, giving you the chance to nominate a faster cooling fridge if you thought one existed, and prove my statement was not correct.

As to your testosterone level being high.... :-)

Correct, should have said the Liemack graph. My error.
I know of no known comparitve graph of all fridges available in Oz. And the more this continues, the more I begin to remember what I did not like about the Liemack. Perhaps I'll post the whole list of grudges when the fog clears a bit....

Desert, I'm not seeking to win arguments with you, I was just attempting to keep the facts as facts, and opinions as just that, opinions.

Take your time and post what you believe were the problems with your Liemack fridge, but remember to call it a Liemack, not a Reefer Premier, L0L

Hell I know of all of them, but will be interesting to see your ideas of what makes them a grudge for you
Keep smiling…. :-)

kesh,

"the 100yr. old 17l. Engel "

LOL next we'll be carbon dating the damn things :)

Gramps, if you were to see this 'ole Engel you would reckon 100yrs.too. (without carbon dating!)
I bought it in '78 from two ladies who were going around Au. in a Hillman car. They had a little roll over event in Bathurst, wiped the car and I paid them $60 for the Engel, not a straight panel on it but the engine still running.
Since then it has fallen out of the back of a Landrover (son took it on his trip around Au.) been covered in those horrible "Ive been to..." stickers, had the plug socket stuck back in with Araldite, a bit of extra insulation under the lid after some one sat on it, but still she goes. Its been as reliable as my Disco!

kesh

with you there Kesh,

my 'ol faithful, i believe she is one of original A series units i.e. near 30 y/o,, very knocked up on the outside, but she's a beaut, never lets me down, tough as nails. if she's not on 12V in the vehicle, she's on 240V in the shed.

Hahahaha good on ya Kesh. When you find a good 'un (applies to anything) stick to it.

Bushfix. Interesting comment you make. On the end of mine a small panel gives the s/n as AT 0560. Sounds like a similar vintage to yours.
Better let Mule now get on with buying the Trailblaza,eh!
kesh

yeah my model is an MRFT-530A. Engel website has a MRFT-530B which they say is more than 20 yrs old, so the A series would prolly be around 25 or more? Great fridge.

Shaker, so I'm a lazy typist :-)
look at the entire post and repeat it as posted, keeping it in context, not in part only, the concept put forward by someone else was the Reefer fridge and or the Liemack fridge, (see how it’s easier to just type Reefer/Liemack) was the fastest to cool the entire contents of any fridge, (from memory) and there was a dispute about the type of compressor used in the fridge, I stipulated as you rightly point out that BOTH the Liemack fridge and also the Reefer fridge use a Mitsubishi rotary compressor and not a Danfoss compressor, as used in Waeco/EvaKool, which are not the same fridge either, but it’s a method of writing that saves time and energy, so I’m a lazy typist, yes I will plead guilty to that.

The post was not about the owners or the management of either of the companies that individually manufactured each fridge but of the actual fridge itself, named as Liemack and also Reefer, remembering the Reefer Premier (it’s correct name) is manufactured by a company called Refrigeration Research, which has NEVER EVER manufactured a fridge called Liemack.

By referring to the two fridges as Reefer/Liemack it refers to BOTH fridges, it does not specify that the two fridges are one and the same, as you will notice further in your post I have said "as the Danfoss compressor was NEVER used in the Liemack fridge! And yes, as you say the Reefer is the fastest fridge to freeze anything" I said that because the Danfoss compressor IS actually used in the Reefer Traveller 12v fridge range, which very similar to a new Waeco but is less expensive and with the added benefit of thicker insulation and a better lid L0L

How often do you see the term Holden/Ford or even Toyota/Nissan, as I said it’s a method of typing that saves space and time but you keep searching for a way of proving me wrong and I will show you the truth :-)

You were the one that referred to the "Reefer/Liemack" range, they were in fact, your words.

Shaker,
If I had used the terminology "Reefer" range that would be completely deceptive, misleading and also very confusing, because the "Reefer" range uses two (2) entirely different types of compressors and two (2) very different cabinet styles, however in the Reefer/Liemack range there is only one (1) type of compressor used and only one (1) cabinet style.

In clarification, the post you have ‘reprinted’ has even confused you and by reading the post it refers to a fridge mechanic also being confused, so I'm glad I have straightened it out for you, well I sincerely hope I have!

Put even more simply:

“Reefer” fridge: can use either Danfoss or Mitsubishi compressors

Reefer/Liemack fridge: does use ONLY the Mitsubishi compressor

Reefer Premier: does use only the Mitsubishi compressor, but with new electronics technology and newly designed refrigeration components.

So to say a “Reefer” will do something ‘different’ has to be first clarified by saying which model “Reefer”, and the fridge most people’s thoughts link to is the Liemack, so the terminology “Liemack/Reefer” or “Reefer Premier” or "Reefer Traveler" fully ensures the correct model fridge is being spoken about.
In the post you have used as an example we were referring to the Reefer/Liemack model fridge.

However only recently you will see I have use the terminology Reefer “Premier” or “Premier”, as that fridge is TOTALLY different to the Reefer/Liemack, even though at first glimpse they appear similar, as I have explained further up this ‘hijacked’ (for which I do apologise) thread, the Premier & Liemack are really like ‘chalk & cheese’ with NO shared electronics technology or any identical refrigeration components.

I really don’t know how I can put it any simpler than I have, and I don't anticipate any further questions on the various Refrigeration Research fridge models, but I will be courteous and answer them for you if you think of something I have not fully elaborated on above :-)