fridge freezers

dundreamin
sorry to come in on a followup but the server won't let me in any other way! You are obviously in the tropics, have you considered that fridges in that area need all the ventilation they can get. Where have you got the fridge stored. I hope it's not in the back of a ute under closed in canvas. There was a very interesting article did the rounds a few years ago by a serviceman based in Darwin detailing all the fridges that were brought to him that wouldn't work. He found the main problem was that they were being used in sealed areas with no ventilation. Got sick and tired of charging people to test their perfectly good fridges. I'd like to think that that is your problem and with a little bit of manoeuvring the fridge will work fine. In the tropics I run mine (engel) in the back seat of the prado with the air con vents pointing straight at the motor.

tessa

dundreamin
I found that article if you want to send me an email address I can forward it to as a pdf file.

tessa

Hi Tessa
Yes, we have it in the back of the Pajero with plenty of ventilation. During the day/night when not travelling it is under the shade of the camper trailer annexe, with plenty of breeze, still won't work. The new Engel we bought sits in exactly the same spot and working a treat. We think there is a problem with the electronics/thermostat as the compressor cuts in but temp won't go down. Checked reading with multi-meter with temp probe and it reads the same temp as LED gauge on fridge.

dundreamin,
Sorry to hear you're having problems mate. If the compressor is actually running and the fridge is not cooling, then I suggest it is probably more than just electronics or a thermostat. It sounds very much like it has either sprung a gas leak or the compressor itself has ceased pumping (inefficient). If you can get warranty, it's probably worth having it at least looked at.

Cheers
Gerry

Thanks Gerry
We don't know about the gas, because some days it would get cold and other days it wouldn't. Made no difference where we put it. Had it in shade, dead level, plenty of breeze, 12v or 240v, etc etc, it just wouldn't go below 9oC. Other days it would pull down to 3oC. But in the meantime, food went off.
Guy we bought it from says he has a couple of them mounted on the drawbar of camper trailers that he hires out. Hasn't had a problem with any of them. I said YET!
Rang the Engel helpline with a couple of questions this morning.
Very helpful. He also gave us the name and address of the local repairer IF we ever had problems with it. Much more helpful than the other wanker.
So, we will take our dud fridge in there to get it checked out. If it is not fixable we will just ditch it.
Cheers,
Dianne

I 2nd that... Buy an Engel and never look back

New Engel C/van fridge is very noisy , I turn it off at night so I can get some sleep.

SO, OUTBACK TRAVEL + sleep = NOT Engel with "Swing Motor"

There have been previous posts recently on this very subject about noisy Engels .

Scrubby.

Off course people will say "Buy an Engel and Never look back" is correct however they are the dearest fridge on the market and for good reason, off course that is if you can afford it, unfortunately the cheap fridges on Ebay are a lottery of luck without service centres to support them.

A Waeco from the factory seconds shop would have been a better alternative in terms of value and after sales support.

Nowhere near the dearest fridge on the market>

Google National Luna and Autofirdge.

Cheers,

Mark

I have never heard of those brands apart from Autofridge so I don't think it matters, most people but Waeco or Engel. Engel is dearer than Waeco, if there are brands dearer than Engel I wouldn't expect their sales to be relevant in Australia.

I think you would be surprised as to how many Autofridges there are floating around in Australia. They are Australian made, for Australian conditions, use eutectic refrigeration technology and are very efficient when used appropriately.

There are numerous hire companies that hire them out.

Most are marketed through places that sell solar panel equipment due to their very efficient use of power.

You are right though about National Luna. From all reports a great fridge but fairly new in Australia and I have yet to see one in the flesh.

Cheers,

Mark

Engel is dearer than Waeco, but we had already asked around and there are more warranty claims on Waeco. Could just be the ratio of brands sold. We also liked the design and style of Engel better. Guess it's a personal choice thing in the end. We were lucky and got the special going at the time, nearly $400 of Engel products for free. Picnic set, lock & lock containers, 8L warmer/cooler, umbrella, caps etc. New fridge is sitting in exactly same spot as old one, and working a treat.
Have taken old fridge in to repairer, waiting for verdict.

Fridge is currently being repaired - at our cost! There is a problem within the electronics, not sure what/why exactly but it cuts out too soon so the fridge doesn't stay cold. The repairer is by-passing the electronics and installing a manual thermostat control. We will keep it and use it as a freezer or 2nd fridge if we need it.
He had absolutely no luck getting anywhere with the supplier,(and is still waiting for approval to fix three others just like it!!!) nor did the people that we purchased it from. So we are paying for the repairs ourselves, not much else we can do. At least we will still have it to use, rather than throwing it out. You live and learn, hey!

Good ol Engel saves the day eh!

Interesting to hear of noisy ones posted above, youd be flat out to hear if mine is actually running or not, I think its quitest fridge ever.

I have a smaller waeco too, and its slightly louder than Engel but still very quiet.

Shouldve heard fridge in a motel i stayed in recently, dam thing cut in and out every 20mins and sounded like a stockmans whip cracking when the solenoid energised!!!!!

Stick with a well known brand!