Mobicool/Waeco A40 3-way Fridge?

[jasondavidmann]

Sorry to revive an old thread...

Did you end up getting this unit? I'm planning a 4 week trip along the East coast and I think this would fit the bill.

I looked at it yesterday in store, you'll have to get an adapter to connect the bulk tank instead of the disposable ones.

This seems to be the best option for the price, and I'm ready to buy it but any feedback would be great.

Thanks
Jason

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I haven't yet, but I sure would like to try it. I wanted to take one home and give it a shot, but I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time returning it since it's a cooler. If you do get it, please report back.

 

[jasondavidmann]

Well I bought this cooler the other day! So far I am impressed with it. I have not really used it; I've only tried the ac and propane power. I'll be going for a 5000 km road trip (all highways) at the end of April so I'm sure I can give a better report after that. Here are a few initial observations:

This unit is very heavy, I think it would be best to load it in the trailer in a place where I can just open the lid and not have to take it out.

I was not impressed with the cooling until I left it powered up for 24 hrs. After that it was easily able to maintain around 0*C inside my house (20*C). So I would probably get it cooled down before I leave for trip.

The propane is set up to run off of disposable cylinders. I got an adapter to run from a POL fitting. Do not buy this adapter from Canadian Tire as you can find it cheaper elsewhere.

When running on propane it set off my CO detector in less than an hour. I know I shouldn't have run it inside... So placement should be considered if it is going to vent into your tent/sleeping area.

If you want any specific details ask and I'll do my best to answer them. So far I think that this is the best deal for a 3-way fridge as I cannot find anything near this price. I do not have any other experience with powered coolers/fridges.

Jason

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Well that's interesting. Though I guess all you've done is confirm their claims of a 20C drop. Would love to know if it could actually do more. Can you crank up the temp in your house a bit? Do you know if the temperature control dial, is that a thermostat, or a is it just an energy output (ie: it just controls gas-flow). I guess the unit has a lot of thermal inertia, which is why it takes so long to get down to temp. Not really surprising, as I've heard the same thing about the 3-way fridges in camping trailers. You have to plug them in at home, give them some time to cool down.

The reason I ask about the temperature control, is I wonder if given the temperature goes down at night, if you had the thing set at max, would it end up freezing at night?

For me the issue is that say it's 30C outside. The fridge temp could be 10C, not really cold enough. But at night if it drops to 20C, the fridge could get down to 0C. Given the thermal inertia, do you think that in the summer, with temps ranging 30C-20C, might it achieve an averaged temp of 5C? See where I'm going with this?

The venting is a considerable issue. Not just for CO, but also for potential propane buildup if there's a leak. Given what we've just talked about recently with explosions.

I really like the idea of the propane fridge, but now I have to rethink it because of these issues.

Edit:

Wonder if this is the simple solution?

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp...v-carbon-monoxide-detector/160361/160361.aspx

 

[R_Lefebvre]

More reading, I guess you get 2 dials. 1 is a thermostat when running electric, the other is a gas flow valve for propane, so that answers that questions.

Any idea if this thing has insulation inside, or is it hollow plastic? I noticed on the Mobicool website, most of the thermoelectric coolers list insulation in the specs, but this one does not. If not, I wonder if performance could be improved by injecting some foam?

This thing would be so nice because it fits perfect with the way I've been building the trailer.

 

[gasman]

When running on propane it set off my CO detector in less than an hour. I know I shouldn't have run it inside... So placement should be considered if it is going to vent into your tent/sleeping area.



Jason

jason , i have been thinking about trying out this unit as well i love the idea that i could use propane when i have a readily available supply of it.. and not have to worry bout running down the jeep battery or carrying a spare ..

my question is about your c.o detector .. what is the level at which it alarms at . it should be labeled on the back of the detector .. thanx bryan

 

[jasondavidmann]

More reading, I guess you get 2 dials. 1 is a thermostat when running electric, the other is a gas flow valve for propane, so that answers that questions.

Yes one is a thermostat (without temperature values) for running on AC, the other dial is for the propane, it lights it and controls flow.

When running on DC power it is just 'on' and there is no control.

Any idea if this thing has insulation inside, or is it hollow plastic? I noticed on the Mobicool website, most of the thermoelectric coolers list insulation in the specs, but this one does not. If not, I wonder if performance could be improved by injecting some foam?

Well the walls are about 3" thick, and when I tap them I get a solid thud. So I would imagine there is some kind of insulation. Not saying that you couldn't replace it or add to if for more insulation.

I unplugged it last night and it took a long time for it to warm up back to room temperature. I did not open the lid and it had two washer fluid jugs inside (I had to put something in) After three hours inside my 20*C house it had gone from 0*C to 4*C.

I'm not planning to turn up the heat in the house but I will put it in the sun in the next couple of days. That should give a higher ambient temperature.

Wonder if this is the simple solution?

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2...61/160361.aspx

This might be a good idea to have regardless of this cooler. If I remember you have a RTT on your trailer, and your kitchen is below the tent? There is not really a concern for propane leaks because you should check your connections with soapy water and the cooler has a flame out valve.

what is the level at which it alarms at . it should be labeled on the back of the detector .. thanx bryan

I was working outside and didn't hear the alarm right away, but when I came in to get a different wrench (less than one hour) the peak level was 112ppm of CO. I had the cooler in my smallish kitchen so there was not much area and the furnace was not running so there was not any air exchange.

I was thinking about the CO issue. I'm sure that if you plan to permanently mount the cooler somewhere where it could be an issue you could fab some ducting. There is a grate on the back of the cooler that brings fresh air in and the warm exhaust goes out the top. The two aren't completely separated but I'm sure you could work out some kind of chimney just like a full-size propane fridge in a house or a pellet stove.

If you have any other questions or want a specific picture just ask.
Jason

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yes, I have an RTT, but my kids will be sleeping in the body of the tent, like a Teardrop. I would want to be able to slide the fridge back into the trailer and close the door so that my food would be critterproof. The kids area is 100% seperated from the rest of the trailer by plywood walls, but I don't know if I'd call it airtight. I don't know if just venting the rest of the trailer would work.

The plan is for my stove/oven and the cooler to be on a pull-out slide on a side door. I wonder if I built a box all around the cooler, and had it set up so that the box would interface with a vent on the side door. If that would work? It's hard to explain in words, but basically, when the trailer is closed up, the cooler would be in a vented box.

Another option would probably be to leave the slide extended overnight, but "harden" it somehow. Build a box on my slide into which the cooler would sit. But that would probably result in a bear breaking off the entire slide.

Sounds like this is getting more complicated. Eyeyeye...

 

[gasman]

Yes, I have an RTT, but my kids will be sleeping in the body of the tent, like a Teardrop. I would want to be able to slide the fridge back into the trailer and close the door so that my food would be critterproof. The kids area is 100% seperated from the rest of the trailer by plywood walls, but I don't know if I'd call it airtight. I don't know if just venting the rest of the trailer would work.

The plan is for my stove/oven and the cooler to be on a pull-out slide on a side door. I wonder if I built a box all around the cooler, and had it set up so that the box would interface with a vent on the side door. If that would work? It's hard to explain in words, but basically, when the trailer is closed up, the cooler would be in a vented box.

Another option would probably be to leave the slide extended overnight, but "harden" it somehow. Build a box on my slide into which the cooler would sit. But that would probably result in a bear breaking off the entire slide.

Sounds like this is getting more complicated. Eyeyeye...

rob, if that cooler was putting out 112 ppm in a kitchen in less than an hour i imagine that in a trailer it would be crazy high.. remembering that this thing needs fresh air for combustion.. as the fresh air in the compartment is used up the more c.o its gonna produce.. and fairly quickly.. you would need to competely seal the kids compartment.. and that aint good , you would need to seal the fridge compartment with seperate ducts for combustion and ventilation air, and then if anything ever happened you are screwed because you have altered the manufacturers specs i havnt looked at your trailer in a while.. is there not room on the tounge.. if you could lock it down there put some ratchet straps on it over night .. i ratchet strap my coolers when we are not camped near the vehicle and have not been broken into yet and i know the coons have tried a couple of times..

another option . maybe run it on propane during the day and battery power at night..

there was one these at cdn tire by my house . if i get a chance this weekend i will go open one up and take a good look .. i wanna see the fine print in manufactures specs...

 

[jasondavidmann]

I agree that there will need to be more consideration about the CO emissions. I am considering building a lockable tongue box that has ports to let the cooler breath.

Well I did some testing yesterday.

Inside in the sun running on AC at max setting. Ambient temperature: 25*C inside cooler: 3*C

Outside in the sun out of the wind on propane max gas flow. Ambient temperature: 30*C (I had the thermometer in the sun too so this probably isn't exactly accurate) inside cooler: 0*C

Outside at mid-night running on propane max gas flow. Ambient temperature: 13*C inside cooler: -1*C

Conclusion is that I will need to keep monitoring the temperature and adjusting the controls as necessary but I am confident that the cooler will be able to keep up with the cooling. I'll check the 12V operation on my road trip at the end of this month.

gassman if you want any particular fine print I can look it up in the owner's manual.

 

[Red90]

Based on my experience with propane fridges, they should never be used in a closed space. When you get to camp, put them outside.

It sounds like it is a thermostat which is good and a must , IMO. It would be good if you could do some more testing to make sure it is controlling to a set temperature.

 

[gasman]

good job Jason.. keep on testing.. it sounds like this unit will do the job.. so if you were to run it on propane during the day.. the propane should get it cold enough. flip it to 12 v for the night and it should in theroy maintain the temps overnight,, and not produce any c.o while you are sleeping..

i just want to be able to pull some ice cream outta my cooler after 4 or 5 days of camping.. thanks jason,

 

[Red90]

I assume they don't work well on 12V and use a lot of amperage, so that plan is probably not a good one...

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Wow, the performance sounds pretty good! I wonder if the fridge could "coast" through the night completely shut off? If it's down to 0-1°C, just shut if off, put it in the trailer and leave it till morning. Might not work in the desert, but in Canada... Also, I could add extra insulation around it on my slide. I wanted to make a nice veneered plywood box around the fridge anyway, I might have some room for 1/2" of foam or something. That would help too.

There just isn't room on the tongue for me to put it. That space is reserved for bikes.

I was looking at the trailer again on the weekend, and the space where the cooler would be is sealed off from the rest. A bit of caulking and... no problem. I'm sure I could vent that space and it would work out but... I'd still be nervous. The kids area won't be totally sealed off from fresh air of course, they will have a permanent vent, 3" dia, on the left side, plus a window they can open and close. The kitchen side is on the right side. I'd have Smoke detector, CO, and Propane just in case. But, trust me, I'm concidering this idea VERY cautiously!

6.1A on the DC operation, that's a little high. But if you figure you might only need to run DC for 8 hours a day... it averages only 2A over 24 hours which is comparable to one of the fridges.

I'd like to be able to leave the kitchen slide extended overnight and run on the propane, but I'm just worried about a bear attacking it, could probably do a lot of damage. Though I guess I need special consideration for bear country in any case. A determined bear could still do a lot of damage to the side door of the trailer trying to get in anyway.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Something else I just realized... how well does this thing deal (or not) with angles? I guess absorbtion fridges have to be quite level to operate.