freezer/icebox observations

Submitted: Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 21:21
ThreadID: 29727 Views:3988 Replies:5 FollowUps:8
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Just returned from a week on fraser,we took an everkool 12v/240v 47 litre fridge/freezer and a new fiberglass 50l icebox.we removed the moveable partition from the everkool thinking that on maximum setting all contents would ultimately freeze....result the food in the freezer compartment would remaim frozen, temps varied with usage but typically around minus 5 to minus 10 ,however most of the food in the larger chamber would not maintain minus temperatures but would be above freezing.We basically left the unit unopened for two days on the way and connected to 240v at motels at night on the way.
I now dont believe that these units are capable to freeze the entire contents in the same way as anyother popular make simply because of the shape and configureation of the cooling panels,they simply can not freeze food that is some distance from the cooling panels,just my observation not bagging the product.

Ice box worked great the thing that i noticed was the seal around the lid it is vastly superiour to any car fridge i have seen,when you close the lid with cold contents inside you CANNOT reopen the lid until after a period of time to allow the pressure to equalise, fantastic seal,ice lasted approx 2/3 days in 40 degree heat
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Reply By: Lone Wolf - Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 21:45

Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 21:45
As a two fridge owner, I have still brought the Esky back into service.

It served us well during the holidays up on the Murray. We clocked 47 degrees one day, and when I opened the car, it was 64.2, and the esky worked a treat.

Okay, we were putting two bags of crushed ice in each evening, but it was our drinks fridge, and there was 4 of us using it.

Something to still be said for a good quality esky in my opinion.

Whenever we go out for a day trip, it's all we bother taking.

Cheers

Wolfie
AnswerID: 148823

Reply By: jo and mark - Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 21:54

Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 21:54
Hi Brian, we too got back from Fraser the other day, the heat was rather yuck. I don't deal with the heat well at all. (What good would I be on an outback trek!!!)
Usually wen we go camping for exteneded period we use a friends fridge, we didn't bother this time and just as well because of the battery drama, we stuck with the eskys. Block ice certainly lasted longer but notice over there you can only buy crushed ice? no wonder they make their money, our stay there cost is around $35 total just in ice, and that isn't including the block ice we bought before we left home. Our next purchase is definately an ice box.
Jo
'yep...Pajero country...."
AnswerID: 148825

Follow Up By: glenno(qld) - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:28

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:28
The garage at rainbow has a freezer full of block ice . I buy crushed ice from coles at $1.30 for a 5kg bag .
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FollowupID: 402059

Follow Up By: jo and mark - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:45

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:45
hey Glenno.. looks like we went to the wrong garage!
I do the same, the ice at WW and Coles is definately cheaper!
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FollowupID: 402062

Reply By: porl - Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 23:24

Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 23:24
I can only agree. before i got into 12v fridges, i had, amongs other eskies,a 45l evacool (if i recall the L correctly). At the Woodford Folk Festival on 40C days I was going to and from brisbane and bringing up frozen 2L milk containers to put in it at evenings to chill people's water bottles. thing was, next morning the water bottles were usually frozen, really made me think abouut the physics of it all. After years of going on fishing trips with other eskies that did not do this it was quite an eye opener, and yes the re-opening was ridiculous like i almost on really hot days needed a plastic blade to break the sealm if i wanted to re-open it soon after a first opening. I regret selling it,. I downgraded to a smaller cheaper model with the same if not better insulation, but never have i come across a similar quality seal. if only my fridges had the seal. but maybe i can get them put on at the evakool factory, i don't live that far away anyhow.

AnswerID: 148837

Follow Up By: brian - Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 23:42

Sunday, Jan 15, 2006 at 23:42
sorry if i wasent clear earlier but the fridge is everkool the ice box is a different brand,if the ice boxes have this great seal wouldnt the fridges benefit also from improved sealing????????????
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FollowupID: 402008

Follow Up By: Moose - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 14:26

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 14:26
Hey porl - what are you saying? That the frozen bottles you put in were still frozen next morning or that the water bottles that were to be chilled were frozen? If the latter were your originals still frozen?
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FollowupID: 402098

Follow Up By: porl - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 15:21

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 15:21
hey moose, the frozen 2L water bottles were still solid and the warm 350ml bottles of water that were put in the night before were either fully frozen or half frozen.
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FollowupID: 402106

Follow Up By: Moose - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:05

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:05
Porl - what the hell were you on at the time? LOL. Sounds like a physical impossibility to me unless you had some magic liquid in them bottles. Might have to run this by Dr Karl!
Cheers - Moose
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FollowupID: 402127

Follow Up By: porl - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:47

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:47
I agree Moose, it defied my knowledge of thermal dynamics (not that i have much), but it kept happening.

All I can think of is that the frozen bottles were at something like -ve 20C and they lost so little of their coldness due to the quality seal and insulation of the evakool that they managed to bring the small water bottles down from lukewarm to say a -ve 5 which maybe over 10 hours was enough to freeze them. Mind you, i probably it was probably the water bottles in direct contact with the frozen 2L bottles that ended up frozen.
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FollowupID: 402137

Reply By: revhead307 - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:45

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 11:45
Just wondering have any other evakool owners had this experience, as I am seriously looking at a 60L Dual Temp...

and the winning feature for me was that i can turn the whole thing into a freezer if on a long fishing trip etc...

Regards
Rev
AnswerID: 148893

Follow Up By: Mainey (WA) - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 13:18

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 13:18
revhead, looks like you need to rethink your plans, if you believe the EvaKool will freeze the complete fridge unit, maybe you need a second or even a third opinion :-)
before you let the fish spoil due to the fridge not being able to freeze the entire contents.

(reprinted below with only relevant EvaKool information left intact)

"we took an everkool 12v/240v 47 litre fridge/freezer,we removed the moveable partition from the everkool thinking that on "MAXIUM" setting all contents would ultimately freeze....
result;
the food in the freezer compartment would remaim frozen, temps varied with usage but typically around -5 to -10
however most of the food in the larger chamber would not maintain minus temperatures but would be ABOVE freezing"

"I now don't believe that these units are capable to freeze the entire contents in the same way as another popular make, simply because of the shape and configureation of the cooling panels, they simply can NOT freeze food that is some distance from the cooling panels, just my observation not bagging the product"

You need a decent compressor and battery system to fully and completely freeze and to actually keep frozen a normal 12v fridge.
Would like to see tests from other fridge users under similar conditions.
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FollowupID: 402079

Reply By: johannagoanna - Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:23

Monday, Jan 16, 2006 at 17:23
We run an evacool icebox. That is all we use. I freeze all of our food (including milk, meat, bottles of water etc) before we go, and make block ice using a container, to fill the box with when we leave. Last trip we still had block ice in the icebox after 8 DAYS - can you believe that! To date I haven't found anywhere where I can buy block ice. Can anyone help with that? I am in NW Sydney and would love to be able to purchase block ice!
AnswerID: 148957

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