Powered cooler

M

Molly Brown

Member
Alright Brat world....looking for your comments and recommendations for a 12VDC -110VAC cooler. During our recent 3 month cruise it has become apparent that i need to make this happen. Since gutting the marine head system and replacing the grey water tank with an additional water tank I can easily go 7-10 days without the need to go to shore, EXCEPT for ice. Being in Florida it is a necessary requirement. Been looking online and have lots of choices but not all are suitable for the marine environment. Ours will replace the current Igloo that stays out in the cockpit. I'm looking for one that can stand up to the outside saltwater environment, and will auto switch from 12 vdc to 110 vac and vise versa like my current fridge does. The exact model I buy will depend on the outside dimensions so I'm really asking what brand I should focus on. Ya'll have never been shy with your opinions so I'd love to hear what you think.
My thanks for taking the time to reply and sharing your experiences.....

James
 
Engle is the most popular. Some of the Norcolds are exactly like the Engle--and the "Webasco Black Forrest" also appears to be similar to the Engle. We are most happy with our ARB. We had terrible luck with the Dometic brands. We had several where the thermistor which is built into the case, going out. They will still run with a thermistor in the inside of the cooler, instead of been impeded in the bottom of the unit. Two of them went out within a year.

I believe that Jody had one of the top end ones made in S. Africa or Australia, that he likes.

We have been running the Webasco "Black Forrest 35l we picked up for $200 from Defender on sale, and it continued to work very well our our trip across the USA. We left the car parked in the afternoon, with ambient temp of over 103* and the next morning the content was at 14 degrees, as it was supposed to be. We kept it on Max cool. It used about 50 amps in 18 hours in this high temp. We had a 100 amp hour Li battery and it was ample. For more "normal" temperature such as in the 70's the use was about 50 amp hours for 24 hours running. If we wanted temps in the 38's and ambient temp was in the 70's to 80's I would figure on 35 amp hours a day.

All of the ones we owned 110 V took precedent over the 12 volts. So when 110 V mains power came back on, the unit switched to 110 V.
 
Hi James,
We've been pleasantly surprised with our Engle. It seems to do a good job, and can be used as either a cooler or freezer, but not both at the same time. Doesn't seem to take a lot of battery juice, as with my two group 29 house batteries I can easily go 12 hours. And that's with also running the boats refrigerator, a cpap with out humidifier, anchor light, a small cafrano fan, and my Webasto heater. (All lights are LED). Rosanne did make an insulated jacket for it, as the commercial ones always seemed to be on back order. Colby
 
I have an Engel and a National Luna both work very well. The Engel uses a swing compressor only one moving part. They have a good reputation in the overland community. The National Luna is made in south Africa and is used for carrying Pharmaceuticals across the country. It has two separate compartments either can be used as a freezer or a fridge. You might want to check some of the overland forums and their comparisons. Here is a link to my tests of the National Luna http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=24846&highlight=
 
I have an engle and couldn't be happier with it. Carried it on the c dory and a couple sailboats and now on an arima and it has been flawless. Amazing how little power they require.
 
Many thanks for the replies and a few pm's. Though the Dometic is highly rated I'm stuck deciding between an Engel or ARB. I'll be buying soon and it all may boil down to availability.

James
 
One feature of the ARB is that it uses a "Cigarette lighter" type of plug, which comes apart and has a locking two prong connection, for permeant installation in the boat. The plug screws back together for use in other vehicles. It is positive, and will not come apart--a defect of the use of cigarette lighter plugs.
 
Thanks for that tip Bob, I wasn't aware of that. My concern with the ARB is it appears to be made of plain steel whereas the Engel is galvanized. We stand on ours getting in and out of the boat so durability is important. I ended up with the ARB and Engel mainly because of the power consumption issue. I'm hoping not to have to upgrade my battery system and those two had the very best usage profiles. They appear to be very similar in all respects, as was Dometic, but the Dometic appears to use considerable more battery power. Lastly, the Engel has the swing compressor going for it.....I'll be checking on availability tomorrow and see what the supply chain can provide. As usual I'm under the gun since I have another trip planned to the Steinhatchee area starting mid July.

Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to give me their thoughts,

James
 
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