Mobicool/Waeco A40 3-way Fridge?
- Thread starter R_Lefebvre
- Start date
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
I agree. It doesn't have a lot of overhead on the cooling, so it's hard for it to drag down the temps if you put stuff in there warm. It would be imperitive for you to turn the fridge on a day or two before the trip, and put all your stuff in pre-chilled. For the way we operate, that's a complete non-issue. That's how we'd operate anyway. That being said, after about 36 hours, it had dropped the temp of all that water, I'd say about 30L of water, down to a pretty cool temperature. That was with it stored in our house, about 24C.
So, we went on our first weekend trip with it. We are pleased and will be keeping it. It was so nice being able to load the fridge before the trip, then just pop it in the trailer the day-of. No need to pack it last-minute as you do with a cooler. We were easily able to get enough food in there with for the family for the weekend, and that included some blended baby food that was not packaged very efficiently. (I only noticed afterwards that my wife had put individual meals for our daughter into little square containers that were only 1/3rd full.) Once we're out of the baby food stage, the unit should be fine for 4 days at a time, if not more, used carefully. We had 2 litres of milk, 1L of juice, 4 beers, 4 cans of pop, 5 italian sausages, 3 hotdogs, 7 strips of bacon, a block of cheese, some margarine, and all the baby food.
We did put left over cooked pasta into the cooler on Saturday night. I put it in a container, let it cool down to just a little more than ambient, and put it in. Sunday morning, it was cold, and nothing in the cooler seemed to have suffered. In fact, by Sunday at lunch, running on gas all weekend, everything was VERY well chilled. We had pop on Sunday at noon, and it was really cold. And this was during... pretty much the warmest temps we see. About 29C. 31C would be possible around here, anything after that is record setting.
The only issue we had was that on Sunday, we packed up camp and stopped at a beach for the afternoon. I don't have the cooler area in the trailer wired for 12V yet, so I had to put the cooler in the van while we were travelling on this trip. I plugged it into rear socket in the van. When we stopped, I don't know if that socket was live or not. The van also got very hot inside. The cooler warmed up noticably over about 3 hours. It's a temporary situation that I just have to find a work-around.
The key, really, is just to be careful about what you're doing. You can't load it up with a case of beer. And you can't keep icecream. But, if you're just looking to keep your dairy and meats cold, it's fine. If you are planning on beer, just put in your beer as-needed. Take one out, put another one in to chill for the next 24hrs. If you're the type that consumes a 12 pack per day.... well... it's not going to work for you. We typically only have 1 beer per night.
So, it's not going to give you the luxury of doing whatever you want, as you could with... an Engel 60L Combi. But it's also 1/4 of the price. And I don't believe the cost comes at the expense of quality/durability. If feels very well made, and it has NO moving parts. And you'll never have to worry about running down your battery.
So, we went on our first weekend trip with it. We are pleased and will be keeping it. It was so nice being able to load the fridge before the trip, then just pop it in the trailer the day-of. No need to pack it last-minute as you do with a cooler. We were easily able to get enough food in there with for the family for the weekend, and that included some blended baby food that was not packaged very efficiently. (I only noticed afterwards that my wife had put individual meals for our daughter into little square containers that were only 1/3rd full.) Once we're out of the baby food stage, the unit should be fine for 4 days at a time, if not more, used carefully. We had 2 litres of milk, 1L of juice, 4 beers, 4 cans of pop, 5 italian sausages, 3 hotdogs, 7 strips of bacon, a block of cheese, some margarine, and all the baby food.
We did put left over cooked pasta into the cooler on Saturday night. I put it in a container, let it cool down to just a little more than ambient, and put it in. Sunday morning, it was cold, and nothing in the cooler seemed to have suffered. In fact, by Sunday at lunch, running on gas all weekend, everything was VERY well chilled. We had pop on Sunday at noon, and it was really cold. And this was during... pretty much the warmest temps we see. About 29C. 31C would be possible around here, anything after that is record setting.
The only issue we had was that on Sunday, we packed up camp and stopped at a beach for the afternoon. I don't have the cooler area in the trailer wired for 12V yet, so I had to put the cooler in the van while we were travelling on this trip. I plugged it into rear socket in the van. When we stopped, I don't know if that socket was live or not. The van also got very hot inside. The cooler warmed up noticably over about 3 hours. It's a temporary situation that I just have to find a work-around.
The key, really, is just to be careful about what you're doing. You can't load it up with a case of beer. And you can't keep icecream. But, if you're just looking to keep your dairy and meats cold, it's fine. If you are planning on beer, just put in your beer as-needed. Take one out, put another one in to chill for the next 24hrs. If you're the type that consumes a 12 pack per day.... well... it's not going to work for you. We typically only have 1 beer per night.
So, it's not going to give you the luxury of doing whatever you want, as you could with... an Engel 60L Combi. But it's also 1/4 of the price. And I don't believe the cost comes at the expense of quality/durability. If feels very well made, and it has NO moving parts. And you'll never have to worry about running down your battery.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Well, I guess it just depends on what you want. I'd prefer to not freeze my stuff. I don't know why you'd want frozen stuff on a camping trip? Other than ice cream... I guess some meats don't keep well for a week. Steak, fresh fish, chicken, etc... but just eat those first. Take sausage and pre-cooked meats for later in the trip.
I dunno. I think it's fine, meets my requirements, and for the price... <shrug>
I dunno. I think it's fine, meets my requirements, and for the price... <shrug>
The Adam Blaster
Expedition Leader
It sounds like it's a pretty decent fridge for casual/shorter trips, but with the ability to run on propane it's also quite versatile and doesn't need to be attached to a vehicle or power source all the time.
It seems like the performance is a bit of a compromise that needs a bit more care when packing it up, but at a substantially lower price, it's a good trade off.
Rob, it sounds like it meets your family needs pretty well, and that is pretty much what matters at the end of the day.
It seems like the performance is a bit of a compromise that needs a bit more care when packing it up, but at a substantially lower price, it's a good trade off.
Rob, it sounds like it meets your family needs pretty well, and that is pretty much what matters at the end of the day.
Red90
Adventurer
You do not want to freeze stuff.... But it needs to be able to cools everything including warm things you put into it in a reasonable time to around 5C. If you must pre-cool everything and get the fridge going well in advance and be careful not to open it much, it is just not very useful.
In Australia, you could setup a basecamp and run the fridge on a 5 kg propane bottle for a week and expect cold food and beer everyday with solid temperature control. The fridges lasted forever and you could get a used one for $300 any time. On electric, they could just hold things, but on propane, you never ran out of cooling power. I suppose you could not work that way here, regardless, due to the bear problem.
In Australia, you could setup a basecamp and run the fridge on a 5 kg propane bottle for a week and expect cold food and beer everyday with solid temperature control. The fridges lasted forever and you could get a used one for $300 any time. On electric, they could just hold things, but on propane, you never ran out of cooling power. I suppose you could not work that way here, regardless, due to the bear problem.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Well, once it's got a load of cool things in it, putting a few warm things in it, I don't think it would be a huge problem. I don't really know, we haven't tested it that far. And I wasn't careful about opening it at all. I mean, I wasn't stupid about it, but I had to hunt around a bit for baby food.
The ones you had in Australia, were they thermostatically controlled?
The performance, once it's down to operating temp, I think is fine. I only wish it was bigger. 60L would be nice.
I dunno. For $289, compared to about $1500 CDN for an Engel 60 Combi... I can live with the compromises.
The ones you had in Australia, were they thermostatically controlled?
The performance, once it's down to operating temp, I think is fine. I only wish it was bigger. 60L would be nice.
I dunno. For $289, compared to about $1500 CDN for an Engel 60 Combi... I can live with the compromises.
Red90
Adventurer
Yes, they are thermostatically controlled. They are also expensive new, but used ones are easy to find and they seem to last forever.
It was a Chescold F40 (40 liter). I was hoping these ones might be made at the same place, but they seem to not have the same level of performance.
Comparing a 60 liter Engel to this 40 liter is not really the proper comparison... Say $900 for an Engel 40?? About the same price as a new Chescold F40.
It was a Chescold F40 (40 liter). I was hoping these ones might be made at the same place, but they seem to not have the same level of performance.
Comparing a 60 liter Engel to this 40 liter is not really the proper comparison... Say $900 for an Engel 40?? About the same price as a new Chescold F40.
gasman
Adventurer
yeah for the price i think it is a good comprimise, and with the 10 lb tank i can leave it for a week no problem.. i did not put any beerz in mine. just the litre of milk the rest was food,, i carried a second cooler a 6 day colman extreeme .. for the beers . unfortunatley i put the beer in warm and the ice was gone in 5 days.
I own one
I purchased the Mobicool three way cooler and have to tell you if you do buy it, bring the instructions with you when you go camping. I changed the propane hose connection right away to fit a 25lb bottle. I did read the instructions at first to get it started and they suggested plugging it in for 24 hours to get it cold. It even made ice!
So we bought some expensive meats and even pre-made our Thai food meals to live on the beach for three days. Everything was cold and so when I transfered it to my SUV, I plugged the DC jack in and because it was a scorcher of a day, I thought it was "smrt" to cover the cooler with one of my tarps. (not smrt). By the time I got to the lake, the thing was roasting and I realized that the heat vent was covered and was nearly cooking the tarp and the top of the cooler and thus the cooler was defrosted! (word to the wise, don't cover it!)
So we transfered all our gear into my boat and made our way out to the beach to set up camp and hooked up the cooler to my propane tank and tried about ten times to get the pilot light to ignite and nearly gave up when it finally lit. I thought, "fantastic, now I can rest, get up in the morning and should have everything cool". WRONG!
If I had read the instructions properly, I would have noted that it says to turn the thermostat completely off as there is no setting control when it is hooked up to propane. So needless to say, the entire batch of Thai food and almost everything else was spoiled within two days as it was actually getting hot inside the cooler!
I thought, "What a piece of @#$%!". Came back to the city, hooked it back up to 120v and bam it works again? Read the instructions and now know that it was my own ignorance that spoiled the food and had us drinking warm beer and champagne.
---------------------------------------
Things I will address as being real problems with this design:
1. The back grill is open to everything crawling into the outer interior of the fridge. Mosquitoes magnets use propane to kill them and this thing is no exception. You will find a few inches of dead mosquitoes in the interior base of your unit. This design needs to have a metal screen mesh like one might find on a outer screen door of a home. This might prevent a few thousand dead mosquitoes plugging up your pilot light area. But, manufactures in China have limited camping experience in the Canadian summer months.
2. The lid is shallow and Mobicool should use the Coleman 5 Day Cooler lid as an example of what works. This lid looses heat fast and in fact gets hot even inside a tent when its not hooked up to propane or electricity. (go figure) I am not sure if it is the materials used, or the light gray colour that causes it to get hot, but regardless, it does.
3. Side handles are next to useless. Keep in mind this cooler is not light and when packed with food and liquids, it will be heavy. The handles are so shallow that your fingers start to slip out and you end up carrying it from the bottom with one hand and the front with the other, pressing it against your chest. Not an easy cooler to move around.
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All things being said, this cooler is a great first generation model for Mobicool. They need to address certain functional issues, but if your a novice product modifier, you could easily address these on your own. For $280, this product is a no brainer, as long as you use your brain and your instructions when on a camping trip. Word to the wise and the SMRT.
I purchased the Mobicool three way cooler and have to tell you if you do buy it, bring the instructions with you when you go camping. I changed the propane hose connection right away to fit a 25lb bottle. I did read the instructions at first to get it started and they suggested plugging it in for 24 hours to get it cold. It even made ice!
So we bought some expensive meats and even pre-made our Thai food meals to live on the beach for three days. Everything was cold and so when I transfered it to my SUV, I plugged the DC jack in and because it was a scorcher of a day, I thought it was "smrt" to cover the cooler with one of my tarps. (not smrt). By the time I got to the lake, the thing was roasting and I realized that the heat vent was covered and was nearly cooking the tarp and the top of the cooler and thus the cooler was defrosted! (word to the wise, don't cover it!)
So we transfered all our gear into my boat and made our way out to the beach to set up camp and hooked up the cooler to my propane tank and tried about ten times to get the pilot light to ignite and nearly gave up when it finally lit. I thought, "fantastic, now I can rest, get up in the morning and should have everything cool". WRONG!
If I had read the instructions properly, I would have noted that it says to turn the thermostat completely off as there is no setting control when it is hooked up to propane. So needless to say, the entire batch of Thai food and almost everything else was spoiled within two days as it was actually getting hot inside the cooler!
I thought, "What a piece of @#$%!". Came back to the city, hooked it back up to 120v and bam it works again? Read the instructions and now know that it was my own ignorance that spoiled the food and had us drinking warm beer and champagne.
---------------------------------------
Things I will address as being real problems with this design:
1. The back grill is open to everything crawling into the outer interior of the fridge. Mosquitoes magnets use propane to kill them and this thing is no exception. You will find a few inches of dead mosquitoes in the interior base of your unit. This design needs to have a metal screen mesh like one might find on a outer screen door of a home. This might prevent a few thousand dead mosquitoes plugging up your pilot light area. But, manufactures in China have limited camping experience in the Canadian summer months.
2. The lid is shallow and Mobicool should use the Coleman 5 Day Cooler lid as an example of what works. This lid looses heat fast and in fact gets hot even inside a tent when its not hooked up to propane or electricity. (go figure) I am not sure if it is the materials used, or the light gray colour that causes it to get hot, but regardless, it does.
3. Side handles are next to useless. Keep in mind this cooler is not light and when packed with food and liquids, it will be heavy. The handles are so shallow that your fingers start to slip out and you end up carrying it from the bottom with one hand and the front with the other, pressing it against your chest. Not an easy cooler to move around.
--------------------------------------------------
All things being said, this cooler is a great first generation model for Mobicool. They need to address certain functional issues, but if your a novice product modifier, you could easily address these on your own. For $280, this product is a no brainer, as long as you use your brain and your instructions when on a camping trip. Word to the wise and the SMRT.
The Adam Blaster
Expedition Leader
That's sig-worthy right there! lol
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Did the Chescold's have a little aluminum heat sink inside, or did they have more area than these? I'm wondering if the difference is the heat sink, or the insulation.
One thing I was thinking of doing is to make an insulated box around the cooler where it will live in my trailer (leaving air openings for the back, of course). That will improve the performance.
Yeah, I know that comparing it to a 60 isn't "fair". But what I meant was, that would be my ideal setup, and it's just too much. I looked at an ARB fridge yesterday, and it was also smaller than ideal.
It is too bad that you can't get better absorbtion coolers anymore, as they do make a LOT of sense for us. I don't have to worry about running down a battery. I have a single large deep cycle on the trailer, and all it has to run is a couple of small lights. I don't have to worry about solar panels, generators, or anything like that. And no moving parts.
However, this cooler ONLY makes sense if you've got a trailer, or setting up basecamp. This one doesn't really make sense for use in a truck that is driving around all day.
That's not a horrible idea. Put things like beers in a cooler. Doesn't matter if they are floating in ice-water. I had been thinking of getting the 30qt. Coleman Extreme cooler to compliment this one. Use it for drinks. If I really cared that much. In the future I might get a smaller freezer-fridge to keep in the truck, could use it to freeze stuff.
Realistically... people go camping for a week with NO refridgeration. You just have to temper your expectations. If you've got $1000 to spend on a fridge, more power to you. For $289, this seems like a reasonable compromise, while not giving anything up to durability.
Darb, yeah, RTFM.
Luckily I read mine before going on the trip. It still took me quite a while to get it going on propane, however.
Red90
Adventurer
Have a search for Chescold F400. Or "Dometic" or "Waeco" as they seemed to be made by them now. You can decide if the cooling fins are larger.
http://www.waeco.com.au/products4.asp?id=414&catId=57&subCatId=59&subCatId2=67
http://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas/USA/RV-Products/climate/ac-display-page/?productdataid=67783
Manual: http://www.dometic.com/FileOrganize...erators and Freezers - Portables/F400-ENG.pdf
http://www.waeco.com.au/products4.asp?id=414&catId=57&subCatId=59&subCatId2=67
http://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas/USA/RV-Products/climate/ac-display-page/?productdataid=67783
Manual: http://www.dometic.com/FileOrganize...erators and Freezers - Portables/F400-ENG.pdf
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
I can't see the head exchanger, but this part from the owner's manual sounds an aweful lot like ours:
Ok, so that didn't work. Anyway, it says to run it on mains power for 24h before loading it up, then put things into it pre-cooled.
Ok, so that didn't work. Anyway, it says to run it on mains power for 24h before loading it up, then put things into it pre-cooled.
gasman
Adventurer
good idea about the screen but i wouldnt do it.. in the heating business 3 of the most common problems i have are, air flow, air flow , and air flow, in that order, the unit is designed to have proper combustion and ventilation air supply. a window screen will effectively reduce that .. i see it everyday in furnace and water htr applications .. customers will put screens over the exhaust and intake vents, to keep the bugs out. so a little bit of lint, or cobwebs, or leaves, or whatever, gets caught in the screens and next thing you know the furnace dont work cuz the pressure switch dont make. it may not make a big difference on this cooler but .. i will just clean the bugs out once in while..
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