Waeco FT15 thermo electric fridge - any experiences?

Hi Chris, They are rated for temp upto 25Deg ambient any thing above 25Deg the internal temp goes up very quickly. So in reality ok in amb temp up to 25Deg. Have 2 of these units & dont use them any more as they realy arent mutch good. Daryl

G'Day Chris,
I use one of these little units in my truck and run it basically 24/7 I turned my unit on at the begginning of harvest last year (NOV/DEC) and apart from a couple of weeks it has not been off. I have no dramas with it apart from the fact that it will freeze stuff inside it if not jammed pack full. Water tends to build up inside if i go into it all the time. They do use a bit of power with mine running 4 large truck batteries flat if left on for 48hrs plus.

If i am in the truck everday i have no battery issues whatsoever.

Given the choice i woudnt buy one.As this came as a bonus with my large engel it is good value.

I have used it in my nissan on trips to shark bay with good results as well.
Handy between the seat for drinks etc without having to stop and open the large fridge etc.
Having a good power source is essential as with all these products.
I dont normally bother pre chilling things but as it runs all the time i have never had an issue.

Hi Chris. I have both a Waeco comp and Thermo. The thermo flattens my Prado battery overnight and is pretty useless above 25 deg ambient. It is really only good for day tripping or picnics etc. It's advantage is it is light and easy to manage. The comp. is far superior for all round use. Regards,Bob

Chris,
We have one just for cool drinks, mounted just behind the centre console in our troopy. I have it wired so I can have it on all the time running from the aux battery or from the main but via a relay so it only runs when the engine is on.

Fine for this purpose but not a good choice for anything else. Uses far more power than our Engel or Bushman.

hi chris@ forum
i have a model ct-8ltr 12v
it draws 32watts and can heat or cool
i run it through a battery guard unitso i can still start the car if forgoten

but the car battery does'nt last long in hot weather it is a very handy unit to keep sandwiches and 600 ml ice coffee cold enroute while in the car travelling

but not that good due to power draw in hot conditions when stationery but ok during cooler months winter spring
hope this is of some help
cheers

Its correct that they can reach 20 below ambient after a long while - but in the back of car or inside the CT the temp is likely to be above ambient by 10 degrees so typically on a 30 degree day its only likely to get the milk down to 20 or so , hence milk won't last long.

thanks so much to all of you, great feedback, and I probably leave that
thing aside. I am building a camper van, will get a quality esky for it then

I agree with all other comments and add that ours failed just after 1 year warranty expired. Cost $170 for repair.