"fridges in the bush"

....Don't get me wrong... this is not intended to start an argument... but as a "fridgie" who is looking at purchasing a fridge, I must say that the comparo with Waeco doesn't sit with me. After looking closely at all the fridges on the market, my opinion is that the sturdier build of the Trailblazer will outlast the others, as good as they no doubt are.... Personally I would prefer to have a fridge that DIDN'T need to have a cover!

George I will second all you said about the Engle , we have only had ours for about 6 years and it has done plenty of work , to date not missed a beat.
About the plastic bags against the cooling plates we have a basket in the fridge , we just put every thing in the basket then load it into the fridge.
Is this wrong can you give us a tip on what you mean .
Also I was told to keep our fridge as full as possible to eliminate air, it is interesting to here different opinions on the above.
All the best
Eric

Cape York Connections

Good day (Big) Eric,
Keep that Beer cold and fridge full because I will see you at the Canning.

Regards (Big) John.

Thanks for the comments,folks. First off, my home administator advised me our T/blaza is now 9yrs. old (no longer a pup) And yes, because its in the back of a tray top it cps a lot of dust so a regular blow out of the motor compartment is a necessity. the other big feature of this unit is the outer shell providing the heat sink for the condenser coils. I reckon this being alluminium helps in efficiency. However one mod I made was to screw a piece of 3ply to the underside of the lid and glue a 1" thick piece of poly foam to fit neatly in the box to provide better lid insulation. As supplied is only 2 1/2" with fully wrapped around al. cladding. I know cold air sinks, but it has reduced power consumption by around 7p/cent. Re comments on Electrolux gas consumption, by removing the rear louvre panel and making heat deflectors from foil backed sisalation we can get 24-28 days from 9kg. (which includes the odd cup tea boiled on the stove) The purpose for all of this is that at this particular location we are long term campers with the closest town for shopping 210km. distant. So we try to shop every three weeks, and put great reliance on our cold store facilities! The plus side is great isolation, being self reliant, no noisy neighbors (lucky to see 2 people a week!) and a life style second to none. Cheers, Haze

Mike,

you logic's quite amazing, My Subaru's lighter than a land Cruiser therefore it must be able to fly. The Engel may have been pulling 2.5 amps, the swing comprerssor can only push so many watts of refrigerant, what you failed to mention was the temperature. Your little Engel with its Swing compressor will run continously to maintain temperatures below -4C at 30c ambient. It would have been interesting to see what the 5 amp fridge was doing. People that get hung up on amp/hrs don't want a unit to keep food cool they want and energy saver, you can't have both.

Mike,
I wonder if you could advise where you rent your fridge from.
I live in Perth and am also of the oppinion that Engels are the dogs proverbials, but have problem justifying one for w/e or 4 day trips. will buy later for the big trip, but just want to rent for now.

Terry,

Your Subaru can fly eh? Mmmm, have you been drug tested lately?

I'm not sure what point you are making but what I observed was that one compressor (the Engel) was pulling 2.5 amps and the other fridge was pulling 5 amps. Both fridges were at the same outside temperature (=ambient) and internal temperature (about 0-2 degrees). Amp useage was measured on both via ampmeters (or whatever they are called).

Now, I understand your point about motor duty etc but surely if both fridges are the same temperature and both are running continuously (repeat continuously) then surely it would be better to have a fridge at 2.5 amps rather then one at 5 amps? Doesn't this mean the Engel is more efficient (= function of motor+insulation)?

Nuff said I think...unless of course you have any further insights to the flying Subaru!

Engeland in Balcatta. 9240 1003 and 0419 191 072. The fridges are fairly new and unmarked (although that said I had a small dent in the last one I rented so check it when you pick it up so you don't get blamed for any previous marks!)