Portable fridge/freezer temps

[vapesob]

Hi Roscoe... I couldn't find an Evakool 95 on their website so I am assuming it is an 85? Anyhow I'll treat it like the Waeco 85 I had as I am sure the setup will be similar.

(Edit - just realised your's is a Fridgemate, I was looking at the FF series)

1. Really important... Buy a temp gauge... I use a little round sucker that stays in the fridge was about $ 5 at the Reject Shop but you can get remote reading ones if you want from Engel etc. I now use 2 X 40 litre Engels (one as frig one as freezer) and that temp gauge is worth its weight in gold

2. I used to set my Waeco at approx -13 in the Freezer and that meant the fridge compartment was about +2 normally and + 4 (hottest). Use the temp gauge to keep an eye on temps and you will soon get an idea of where to have your settings in various modes.

3. Now, here is the biggest drawback to the dual zone frig's. Because the temp sensor is in the "Freezer side" and also that is the only spot where the cooler plates are as well it means the Freezer side is easily controlled but the Frig side temps can wander around significantly as you open and close the lid to get gear and also as you put new stuff in portable fridge(say some more drinks etc). What happens is that you can put "warm" stuff in the frig side but the Freezer just sits there fat dumb and happy AND also you can put "new" stuff in the Freezer and if the existing stuff is surrounding the temp sensor then again the thing thinks all is OK.

4. To get around the issues what I did was as follows...
Adding to Freezer - always put the non-frozen stuff on the bottom. Adding to fridge - always pull the top 1/2 of the divider out (or whole divider if it is one piece). Crank the Temp down a couple of degrees for an hour or so to get things happening and return to normal setting and replace divider.

5. If you are in and out of the frig a lot around mealtimes or with the Grandkids etc I found that removing the top 1/2 divider and placing a thin material cover of pretty much anything insulated such as heavy plastic, thin teflon board or that silver reflective stuff over the Freezer section worked wonders in keeping the Frig temp down, Freezer temp stable and power useage down. Obviously when the Frig is only under minimal use thats not an issue

6. I found the following made a big difference as well... as you knock over a tinnie or grab some drinks for everyone, replace them immediately to begin cooling rather than waiting and adding say 6 or 8 warm ones all at once. Again, the highest useage for me used to be around sundowners/tea time so I would take out the top divider at that time and pop it back at "last drinks".

Bottom line - You never want your Frezer sitting warmer than about -12 degrees for any extended time (I like to see -15 or so). Every frig type and indeed every user will have different patterns so the Temp Gauge in point 1 is the greatest tool while you get used to how your frig reacts to daily useage. You may need to be lower than that to get the Frig section temps down tho. Juggling the divider is up to you.

Any recommendations for a 12 Volt, portable fridge/freezer besides Engel, Dometic or ARB?

[Cuppa]

Any recommendations for a 12 Volt, portable fridge/freezer besides Engel, Dometic or ARB?

Some thoughts as opposed to recommendations.

- Most fridges when they fail, do so as a result of the electronics rather than the compressor. There are limited ways in which manufacturers can reduce build costs, & often the cheapies have lower quality electronics - more about how they are put together, than what they are. All are pretty similar. I recently had to replace the Thermistor in our ARB fridge. An easy 'plug & play swap'. I used a Dometic thermistor as they were easily available.

- Most fridge/freezers will be quite adequate for a one off trip, but long term is another matter. Depends what you need/can afford.

-More insulation = less power used.

If you have room & the budget required - a separate fridge & freezer will work better than trying to use the same unit for both - regardless of the advertising. But you will need a better power supply.

We've run separate fridge & freezer in our vehicle for the past 13 years, the last 6 almost fulltime, mainly in the tropics. Both are ARB units. (Now called ARB 'Classic'. We have Dc to Dc & Solar charging. When driving we have the freezer set to it's coldest. When we set up camp we change it to minus 14. ARB have 'average' insulation - comparable to most if you exclude Trailblaza & National Luna, but we like the design, particularly the lid closure. When they die we think we'll replace them with the same again.

Because we often go 'off grid for up to a couple of months at a time we usually get meat cryovaced & pre-frozen for added peace of mind before putting it in the freezer,& have eaten meat up to 4 months old this way & never had any gone off. This is probably overkill for shorter trips though.

Our preference is for units which use the Secop (Danfoss) compressors, not because they are any better than others (most commonly Engel's Sawafuji, or LG in some), but because diagnostic fault finding info is more easily found if required.