Cool box needed.

[W+T]

Hi all,i am looking for a 12v cool box and i have been looking at a fair few but i was wondering what other folk use and can vouch for. The space i have will fit a 25l or thereabouts.

So  any suggestions please folks.

Thanks

 

Wayne:(

Edited February 9, 2018 by W+T

[Chewbacka]

Assuming you mean a thermoelectric cool box (12v) - I used to have one, but the big problem is that they only cool by about 20C below ambient, so outside and in the shade they are not too bad, but if inside a hot boat/tent at say 40C the contents could be as warm as 20c.  Which is no good foe some foods, but good enough for coolish beer.

[Humblespud]

Hi Wayne, we have a Dometic top loading coolbox, used once in a camper van happy to sell. Will find out model no if you want. Gas and 12volt options.

[Rob-M]

When we used to go camping I think we used a Campingaz 12v/240v box so we could run it in the car and in the tent with mains hook-up. Always seemed fine even in the height of summer.

[W+T]

12 minutes ago, Chewbacka said:

Assuming you mean a thermoelectric cool box (12v) - I used to have one, but the big problem is that they only cool by about 20C below ambient, so outside and in the shade they are not too bad, but if inside a hot boat/tent at say 40C the contents could be as warm as 20c.  Which is no good foe some foods, but good enough for coolish beer.

I am not sure yet but the cool box will be in a cupboard so that may help to keep the temp don and little and also the cupboard could be ventilated. I know what you mean though,  

 

 

3 minutes ago, Humblespud said:

Hi Wayne, we have a Dometic top loading coolbox, used once in a camper van happy to sell. Will find out model no if you want. Gas and 12volt options.

Please do, at the minute its the size of it, thanks

[Humblespud]

7 minutes ago, W+T said:

It is a Dometic RC 1100, measures 50cm W 50cm H and 44cm deep. Too big I guess?

 

 

 

 

 

[W+T]

2 minutes ago, Humblespud said:

 

Yes very much, i have max 41x41x32. 

Thanks anyway. 

I have been considering this one for awhile now.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waeco-Mobicool-U26-12v-12-volt-Portable-Electric-26L-Cool-Box-Caravan-Truck-Boat-/253320407535?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10

[alan_fincher]

38 minutes ago, W+T said:

Yes very much, i have max 41x41x32. 

Thanks anyway. 

I have been considering this one for awhile now.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waeco-Mobicool-U26-12v-12-volt-Portable-Electric-26L-Cool-Box-Caravan-Truck-Boat-/253320407535?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10

That will draw 4 amps from your battery/batteries - probably continually, all the time it is on.

If you use it all day do you have the capability to return 96 amp hours to them on top of anything else you are running?

[W+T]

11 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

That will draw 4 amps from your battery/batteries - probably continually, all the time it is on.

If you use it all day do you have the capability to return 96 amp hours to them on top of anything else you are running?

I will have two 110amp batteries and a genny with a solar ( around 350w )  when i decide to fit one/two. Not sue yet what i will be consuming yet until the boat is in use. 

[MtB]

On 09/02/2018 at 19:38, W+T said:

I will have two 110amp batteries and a genny with a solar ( around 350w )  when i decide to fit one/two. Not sue yet what i will be consuming yet until the boat is in use. 

 

That should be just about enough to keep a coolbox powered up 24/7 for the summer months.

Lets say your 350w solar produces 15A for eight hours of the day on average. That's 120AH stuffed back into your batts per day. The coolbox drawing 5A 24/7 will be using 5x24=120AH per day. What a coincidence!

I have one lying around unused in a garage if you'd like it to experiment with. A gift but you'd need to pick it up from me. . 

 

[rusty69]

Or just get a decent box like an Icey-tek and chuck a bag of supermarket ice cubes in,save your batteries..

 

ETA.Come to think of it, a man of your skills could build a well insulated box incorporating max cooling affect from the water. Our sailing boat has a built in box close to the hull side ,stays cold for ages (never use the 12v cooling thingy),although canal water is probably warmer than sea water.

Edited February 9, 2018 by rusty69

[W+T]

13 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

That should be just about enough to keep a coolbox powered up 24/7 for the summer months.

Lets say your 350w solar produces 15A for eight hours of the day on average. That's 120AH stuffed back into your batts per day. The coolbox drawing 5A 24/7 will be using 5x24=120AH per day. What a coincidence!

I have one lying around unused in a garage if you'd like it to experiment with. A gift but you'd need to pick it up from me. . 

 

Hi Mike, 

Is that for the two weeks of sunny days each year lol. 

Thanks for Mike the offer of your cool box, but how big is it, only as i have got a space for it to go in. 41hx41wx32d cm.

Oh yes where are you though?

 

 

12 hours ago, rusty69 said:

Or just get a decent box like an Icey-tek and chuck a bag of supermarket ice cubes in,save your batteries..

 

ETA.Come to think of it, a man of your skills could build a well insulated box incorporating max cooling affect from the water. Our sailing boat has a built in box close to the hull side ,stays cold for ages (never use the 12v cooling thingy),although canal water is probably warmer than sea water.

I always do use freezer packs, they are great, i use them everyday for work in a cool bag as i need to keep my insulin cool in my butty bag.

I have plans here for one i designed ages ago when i started to fit the boat out and plan it all. I wanted a fridge but not liking the price i thought i would make my own fridge/box. Then though i decided to just get a cool box and now i am that busy to make one.  

The bottom of the cool box cupboard is not insulated and gets cool air from the bilge so that will help keep the cupboard cool along with a vent to outside to draw cooler air in. And the cupboard will be lined out with insulation to keep the warm air/ambient from the cabin air out. 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

A thermoelectric cool box is very inefficient compared with a conventional compressor fridge. A cool box might draw 5A continuously. A much larger fridge may draw 5A for perhaps 50% of the time. In both cases your mileage will vary, but not by enough to make a thermoelectric cooling more efficient for a like for like situation. Both need good ventilation as the heat being drawn from the inside and the excess heat to make it happen have to be got rid of.

Jen

[Mike on the Wey]

6 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Both need good ventilation as the heat being drawn from the inside and the excess heat to make it happen have to be got rid of.

So siting a coolbox in a cupboard is far from ideal. It will need ventilation.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

59 minutes ago, Mike on the Wey said:

So siting a coolbox in a cupboard is far from ideal. It will need ventilation.

Yes. My old cool box had big aluminium radiator fins on it to help dissipate the heat. The electric current across the thermoelectric module is moving heat from the cool side to the hot side. The better the hot side can give up the heat to the surrounding air the cooler the cool side and the inside of the box gets, so the hot side needs plenty of cool air.

[MtB]

On 10/02/2018 at 09:20, W+T said:

Hi Mike, 

Is that for the two weeks of sunny days each year lol. 

Thanks for Mike the offer of your cool box, but how big is it, only as i have got a space for it to go in. 41hx41wx32d cm.

Oh yes where are you though?

 

Reading, Rugby, Devizes, Cropredy.

Any of those any good?!

[W+T]

10 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Yes. My old cool box had big aluminium radiator fins on it to help dissipate the heat. The electric current across the thermoelectric module is moving heat from the cool side to the hot side. The better the hot side can give up the heat to the surrounding air the cooler the cool side and the inside of the box gets, so the hot side needs plenty of cool air.

The cupboard that it is going in will have ventilation from the outside by means of a 9" x 6" louver type vent and also from the below from where one side is below the seating so it is connected for cooler air flow from the bilge.

 

Can always try and see how it goes, i have a few thermometers her to see the difference.  

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Reading, Rugby, Devizes, Cropredy.

Any of those any good?!

You do get about a bit Mike, All to far,the closest is Rugy but still 300 mile or so and 5hr drive. The Waeco U62 are only around £45 

 

Thanks for the offer anyway Mike

[Naughty Cal]

We have one of these on NC. 

http://www.mps-trading.co.uk/engel-sb47f-12v-upright-fridge%2Ffreezer---web-sales-only~72

It might be expensive but it has so far given 15 years of trouble free use. It uses bugger all power, certainly not enough to worry out 2 110ah domestic batteries.

It is very efficient unit and the compressor  runs for around 15 minutes each hour depending on the temperature outside.

Our fridge is mounted in the cockpit which is great in the winter as the compressor hardly runs at all but in the summer it runs more especially if it is sat in direct sunlight.

[W+T]

The space i have made will fit a fridge just to that spec in nicely. I know i have spent a lot on this boat but that much on a fridge is a bit much for now. So thats why i decided to go with a cool box for now to see if we need a fridge how much i can justify spending so much on a fridge. 

 

[jocave]

Wayne I have an Outwell Ecocool 24ltr one that we are no longer using ,its a 240v/12v one 

[W+T]

7 hours ago, jocave said:

Wayne I have an Outwell Ecocool 24ltr one that we are no longer using ,its a 240v/12v one 

That would of been fine but a little to wide to go in.  

 

Thanks anyway

[dor]

On 2/10/2018 at 09:20, W+T said:

The bottom of the cool box cupboard is not insulated and gets cool air from the bilge so that will help keep the cupboard cool along with a vent to outside to draw cooler air in. And the cupboard will be lined out with insulation to keep the warm air/ambient from the cabin air out. 

 

Bear in mind that when you need it most, the canal will be qwite warm, especially the top foot or two.  On a sunny day the water can easily get to 20 degrees plus.

I know of a boat where the owner cut out the bottom of the fridge and put it more or less directly on the base plate, thinking it would help keep it cool in warm weather.  In fact the compressor ran virtually continuously in warm weather and i think the kitchen cupboard next to it was cooler!

[W+T]

Could this be used to make a cooling unit for me making my own cool/fridge box ?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Fan-LED-CPU-Cooler-Freezer-Liquid-Water-Cooling-For-LGA-775-115X-1366-2011/173059261154?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649