New Waeco Self-Powered Fridge/Freezer

[hoser]

Date: Wednesday, 17 October 2007

NEW WAECO UnPlugged a first for the Industry
First it was the telephone and then the computer, now mobile refrigeration has become the latest technology to become truly "Unplugged". WAECO - the world's leading mobile refrigeration manufacturer - has released the next generation CF-32UP CoolFreeze Unplugged fridge/freezer. Gone is the hassle of leads and all the bits and pieces associated with portable fridge/freezers. The new WAECO CF-32UP CoolFreeze Unplugged fridge/freezer puts fresh food and ice cold drinks within easy reach of anyone enjoying the great outdoors. Designed specifically for Australian requirements, the CF-32UP can provide up to seventeen hours of refrigeration from a single charge. The secret is the newly developed, energy efficient built-in battery and cooling system. "With the release of the CF-32UP, we will usher in a new era of portable refrigeration", said Andreas Bischof, Managing Director, WAECO Pacific. "You will be able to enjoy fresh food and cold drinks anywhere you want, without the hassle of power cords and outlets." The release of the CF-32UP has been met with a chorus of approval from outdoor enthusiasts and retailers alike. "The new WAECO CF-32UP is a major innovation for the outdoors industry", said Toby Darvall, CEO, Anaconda Australia. "We deal with all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts such as campers, fishermen and trail bike riders, and I can tell you right now they are going be thrilled with this product. With its super tough polypropylene shell protecting the touch button controls, you will be able to take this product anywhere." The new UnPlugged will be available from WAECO Retailers in November, 2007.

For more info:
http://www.waeco.com.au/documents/N181_UnPlug_C_70904_Lwr.pdf

 

[Bella PSD]

I love the last page of the ad....Tag line reads "Disconnect with nature" and then a picture of the CF-32UP CoolFreeze Unplugged fridge/freezer and a man sitting with his lap top talking on a cell phone. May be it should read "disconnected from nature"

I like the idea of it as a back up battery. In case your main battery dies.

Maybe the non "Unplugged" (older models) will come down in price now that this one is coming out???

Louie

 

[spressomon]

Wow...who would've thunk! Looks good except for the extra battery weight...that's one heavy cooler to lug!

 

[VikingVince]

Interesting...but I'm having difficulty seeing why there would be much demand for this product...with a 17 hour charge, it's basically a day trip fridge...and it's $1200!!!...I have a Waeco 50 liter AD/DC and love it, but seems to me that an ice chest works just as well in situations where you would use this...and the ice would last longer! (although this has a 6 hour freezer...but how often do you need a freezer for just 6 hours? And then there's recharging time...which they didn't say how long that takes)
I guess it's convenient if you need a fridge for a day and there's no ice available!

 

[TeriAnn]

Wow...who would've thunk! Looks good except for the extra battery weight...that's one heavy cooler to lug!

I guess the question is to make one load with 2 people carrying the fridge with built in battery or one person making 2 trips from the car. One with the fridge minus battery and one for the battery.

It seems to me that the fridge has more space for food if it does not have a battery inside. Personally I prefer having the battery outside the fridge enclosure to having the battery inside the fridge enclosure. Besides it gives me choices for battery size, battery storage options and makes replacing a worn out battery easier.

If you like the idea of taking the fridge down on the beach or picnic table for the day, maybe a motorcycle battery could make a good portable power source?

 

[Martyn]

The regular WAECO portable fridges have a "Three-stage battery monitor with low voltage shut-off to protect against a dead battery", that should solve the problem. Now all you need is the $$$$

You can read the specs at; http://www.adventuretrailers.com/fridges.html

 

[DaveInDenver]

The regular WAECO portable fridges have a "Three-stage battery monitor with low voltage shut-off to protect against a dead battery", that should solve the problem. Now all you need is the $$$$

You can read the specs at; http://www.adventuretrailers.com/fridges.html

Yeah, I've seen that and it does solve half the problem of not killing my starting battery. But with a little 10 or 12 A-hr backup then even if the fridge kicked off, it would still continue to run for a few hours and so my Fat Tires and Eskimo Pies would be safe for breakfast.

 

[hoser]

Interesting...but I'm having difficulty seeing why there would be much demand for this product...with a 17 hour charge, it's basically a day trip fridge...and it's $1200!!!.

It's AUS$1200 retail. It's weighs 52lbs compared to the standard Engel 35 at 46 lbs. Surely not for everyone but for those who like to remove their fridges from the truck and say drive closer to a fishing spot while others stay at camp, it could be useful. Having a separate, small battery accomplishes the same thing but being integrated into the fridge makes it cake to recharge that small battery.

 

[Martyn]

Yeah, I've seen that and it does solve half the problem of not killing my starting battery. But with a little 10 or 12 A-hr backup then even if the fridge kicked off, it would still continue to run for a few hours and so my Fat Tires and Eskimo Pies would be safe for breakfast.

Fat Tires and Eskimo Pies !! Breakfast of Champions

 

[ckkone]

Aren't we still waiting for the new CF series in the US with the built in temp gage? I think it will be a long time before we see this model in the US, if we ever do. This makes me want to run a test and see how long my Waeco will run off my Optima without needing a recharge; I'd be willing to bet it will run longer than 17hrs...

 

[VikingVince]

It's AUS$1200 retail.

not a lot of difference with the declining US dollar

$1 AUS = $.925943 USA

$1200 AUS = $1111.13 US

 

[TheRoadie]

This makes me want to run a test and see how long my Waeco will run off my Optima without needing a recharge; I'd be willing to bet it will run longer than 17hrs...

I use a deep discharge RV battery (100Amp hours) and get about 4 days between recharges on an Engel 45, with day temps in the 80's and nighttime in the 50's. WITH constant additions of room-temp beer and wine as the cold stuff disappears. Funny thing, those invisible fridge-emptying gremlins.

An Optima has 55 Amp hours, so 48 hours would be my expectation. For $50 or so, you can buy a sealed lead-acid electric scooter battery with 15 amp hours, or a couple of 7 Amp hour UPS replacement batteries on Ebay, and get your 12-16 hour run-time