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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:57 am
by macca81
for work i use a engel on a daily basis as a freezer in a van, during the tassie summer(average of about 28-32 deg days) it REALLY struggles to keep below -5 anytime after about 10am. its run off a 5kva generator so its certainly not lacking in the power supply area.
the ambient temp around the engel is around 65 deg, which is considerably less than in get in the back of my patrol on a summers day.
so during the day the engel doesnt keep up with the demands we require. then of an arvo after turning it off, it takes less than 10 mins to have reached around half the outside temp, without even being opened.
i know that when i get around to buying my own fridge/freezer, i WONT be buying an engel! i just dont feel they can stand up to a tassie summer, let alone QLD/NT traveling...
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:59 am
by bazzle
I purchased the ARB Fridge Freezer Engel equivalent.
So.. you could try any ARB store?
Bazzle
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:45 pm
by RUFF
macca81 wrote:for work i use a engel on a daily basis as a freezer in a van, during the tassie summer(average of about 28-32 deg days) it REALLY struggles to keep below -5 anytime after about 10am. its run off a 5kva generator so its certainly not lacking in the power supply area.
the ambient temp around the engel is around 65 deg, which is considerably less than in get in the back of my patrol on a summers day.
so during the day the engel doesnt keep up with the demands we require. then of an arvo after turning it off, it takes less than 10 mins to have reached around half the outside temp, without even being opened.
i know that when i get around to buying my own fridge/freezer, i WONT be buying an engel! i just dont feel they can stand up to a tassie summer, let alone QLD/NT traveling...
Im in QLD and have used an Engel with the Engel cover in similar situations and never had an issue. You may need to get someone to look at that unit. It doesnt sound right. I would never buy a cheap plastic rip off over the genuine article made primarily of steel.
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:42 pm
by Nelso
RUFF wrote:macca81 wrote:for work i use a engel on a daily basis as a freezer in a van, during the tassie summer(average of about 28-32 deg days) it REALLY struggles to keep below -5 anytime after about 10am. its run off a 5kva generator so its certainly not lacking in the power supply area.
the ambient temp around the engel is around 65 deg, which is considerably less than in get in the back of my patrol on a summers day.
so during the day the engel doesnt keep up with the demands we require. then of an arvo after turning it off, it takes less than 10 mins to have reached around half the outside temp, without even being opened.
i know that when i get around to buying my own fridge/freezer, i WONT be buying an engel! i just dont feel they can stand up to a tassie summer, let alone QLD/NT traveling...
Im in QLD and have used an Engel with the Engel cover in similar situations and never had an issue. You may need to get someone to look at that unit. It doesnt sound right. I would never buy a cheap plastic rip off over the genuine article made primarily of steel.
The covers make a world of difference. I bought a Bushman and it works fine and there aftermarket service has been great, but I would buy an Engel if I was to do it again because they are by far the toughest fridges made and the only ones I know of that can handle the repeated abuse that gets thrown at a fridge in the back of a 4B.
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:07 pm
by spazbot
ive got a series A engel damn thing is older than i am, and its in awsome condition, yes the compressor is a little noisy , but it never misses a beat and keeps everything cold on even the hottest days.
There is no way id ever buy anything other than an engel
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:22 am
by grimbo
having used both and currently owning a Waeco I would stay with the Waeco purely on an economic stand point. Both do the job required pretty much the same. I have never had any dramas with the lid on the Waeco but have had problems with a bent lid on an Engel not sealing properly. The Waeco is lighter and seems to take knocks better as the Engel dented and when scratched rust forms.
I use the Waeco with an insulated bag and I have used the windscreen reflectors cut down to size on my side windows in the rear. The back windows are also tinted to reduce the heat in the rear. This means the fridge is hardly working to maintain a nice cool temp
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:58 am
by j-top paj
waecos are for tightarses
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:50 pm
by RUFF
j-top paj wrote:waecos are for tightarses
But True. Poor people cant afford cheap things
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:03 pm
by rodrocket
this thread wasnt a Engel Vs Waeco debut
i have a Waeco 40L fridge & its not suitable for my needs so now i wanted an Engel end of story
thanks to the guys for there helpfull information but i have now purchased what i needed & yes its an Engel
regards
rod
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:31 pm
by DaveS3
rodrocket wrote:this thread wasnt a Engel Vs Waeco debut
i have a Waeco 40L fridge & its not suitable for my needs so now i wanted an Engel end of story
thanks to the guys for there helpfull information but i have now purchased what i needed & yes its an Engel
regards
rod
If you buy a cover make sure it is an engel one.
There are many varying types from different suppliers but all the ones I have seen have been lacking compared to the original.
Most cheepies where only about $40 - 70 cheaper than the Engel....
All depends how long you want the fridge, if a long time buy the engel cover.
Cheers
Dave.
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:31 pm
by rezpkt
who did you end up buying from rodrocket?
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:25 pm
by j-top paj
rezpkt wrote:who did you end up buying from rodrocket?
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:50 pm
by rodrocket
rezpkt wrote:who did you end up buying from rodrocket?
i dont mean to sound rude but i would rather wait untill it gets delivered before i sprout my mouth off
i will say that its nobody that was mentioned in this thread as none of these companies had stock, i spoke to Annaconda in Geelong & was initially told by the sales guy there that they would beat Ray's price by 10% so i told him to order it
5 minutes later the guy who the original sales guy was consulting with rang me back to say that they couldnt order it in & still give me the discount so they were back at the full retail price as its "not a stock line" for them & sugested to buy it from Rays
i didnt know "CASH" money was so hard to spend
regards
rod
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:18 am
by Deleted User
trains wrote:I rekon Engel need to improve their insulation.
Mate's 39ltr works a treat, but its sides are very cool to touch, even on hot days, so to me, that indicates that there is not enough insulation, and it could be improved.
All reports ive read on engels running in heat over 35, is that they pretty much cycle 90 to 100%.
With mates 39ltr, we are going to wrap it in 1" foam and see if it can reduce the cycle time of the compressor, specially in hotter weather.
If it gives us a good result, we will let you know.
I still think the ultimate fridge would be an evakool type esky insulation with the engel running gear that........."could be repaired, not replaced as an entire unit".
OR the ABR units that have a danfos type, that has very low current draw when it first starts, instead of the usual high requirements of the danfos to start cycling.
Trains
Yea, I agree --- if you want a good fridge, you cant go past this one ----
www.norcoast.com.au
.
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:05 am
by 4be
TheGatta wrote:trains wrote:I rekon Engel need to improve their insulation.
Mate's 39ltr works a treat, but its sides are very cool to touch, even on hot days, so to me, that indicates that there is not enough insulation, and it could be improved.
All reports ive read on engels running in heat over 35, is that they pretty much cycle 90 to 100%.
With mates 39ltr, we are going to wrap it in 1" foam and see if it can reduce the cycle time of the compressor, specially in hotter weather.
If it gives us a good result, we will let you know.
I still think the ultimate fridge would be an evakool type esky insulation with the engel running gear that........."could be repaired, not replaced as an entire unit".
OR the ABR units that have a danfos type, that has very low current draw when it first starts, instead of the usual high requirements of the danfos to start cycling.
Trains
Yea, I agree --- if you want a good fridge, you cant go past this one ----
www.norcoast.com.au
.
Finally someone mentioned a decent fridge. Thankyou TheGatta.
I used to work for norcoast and I did some of the gasing and testing for the fridges.
My 60ltr has been through a storm where a 16ft van landed on it and the got a foot of water through it. (Rectifier played up then. Replaced under warranty 3yr) Is only tied down by the handles when i go out 4wd. (Check Glass House thread) and runs for about 10 mins on fridge and then stays off for about 2 hrs in 28c ambient temp.
They build the ones that get strapped to the back of the army tanks in Darwin as well as the personel carriers, which the driver stands on.
Ultimatly its hard to find one tougher these days.