TWO ZONE FOR ENGEL FRIDGE

hi jeremy,
i haven't got one but last year we went up the cape with some friends and they had one and loved it. said it worked great, they had there coldies up top like you said and the frozen down bottom and no worries for three weeks.
peter d

Hi Jeremy:

Yes, I have one and love it. Took it on a trip through NSW to Mungindi, and more recently to Fraser Island, and it worked a treat. Setting needs to be pretty high to get it to freeze the bottom compartment, and it keeps things like salads very well in the top compartment.

I must add that on the Fraser trip I had a "dicky" thermostat which froze everything on the lower compartment, but the butter, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes etc up top was fine, as were a few beers I stored there.

I have not had a chance to give it a run with a new thermostat, but I have no worries doing so on my next run.

I would expect to run your Engel up around 5, but different times/temperatures when you are travelling ill take a day or two to work out which is the best setting for you and your trip.

Certainly cheaper than a new fridge, or even uan upgrade, plus if it is a shorter trip you can leave the "Two Zone" at home and just use the normal fridge.

Jack

Well.........heat rises and cold falls.

Make your own judgements. I assume if you are prepared to run the bottom 40L as a freezer, the top zone may work as a fridge.

If you're planning to run the bottom as a fridge it is scientifically impossible for the top to be hygenically cold enough. ie 0-4 C down the bottom will relate to at least 9C up the top, probably more.

Cheers,

Jim.

If it's the only fridge on board I not sure freezing the whole bottom is practical.

Very high to access for the girls - unless it's full of beer, then you'll have no complaints, although you've got to lift it to access the bottom section.

Used too much juice and didn't find it worked effectively and you'll hear the 40lt motor's not meant for a 60lt volume.

Sold ours and bought a 60lt evakool.

Saw a guy in Emerald last year who had 2 x 60lt engels both with twozones! - always had the genny going and triple batts. 160lts! - nearly the same as my home fridge!

Hi Jeremy
Yes i brought last year some time. i got the engel a few years back and got the local upolsterer to make me a cover bloody great job. i only have to run the fridge on 1 to 1.5 in really hot weather and it works excellent. With the twozone i only have to turn it up to 2 and it keeps the frothy's cold in the bottom and the salads cold in the top.
Regards Goff

Nearly bought one at the 4WD show in Adelaide last Oct.

Walking around with SHMBO and we come across the Black Widow stand.

Now have a set of cargo drawers in the Jack and the Two-Zone became a no-no because of the extra height it would have induced.

Jeremy,
I have a 40ltr engel anniversary and two zone and have used it a lot (15000km through SA,Vic, NSW and back to WA). The extra height may be a problem for some, but as I have a Nissan Safari, with the high roof, it is not an issue. We also purchased the Engel accessory temperature probe for $30 and clip it in the lid of the 2 zone. This has a long cable that runs back to the drivers console and gives a constant readout of the fridge temperature and ambient. The comment about covers is also relevant. If you have the standard Engel 40ltr cover you have to leave the top unzipped and fold it back which could be a problem if you don't make sure there is still sufficient clearance for the cooling fins. Overall - get one!

Hi Jeremy, we ran a much older Engel on a trip which included the CSR.
It's a 39lt old green thing, I bought and modified a later model cover for it, on the trip we would purchase meat, have it cryvacked, frozen & then pick up the following day.
The frozen stuff was placed at the bottom of the fridge and all else stacked above as you would see fit for usage, convenience and requirement for a cold or not as cold temperature.
This worked out quite well and the fridge was operating in the medium to low settings, the frozen stuff stayed that way until it was required.
There were two adults and one child on the trip and we had enough room in the fridge all the time.