Evakool Fridges

[TBAPunker]

I am looking for a new fridge and these look bloody good. Just wondering if anyone has one/had one and if the fit on a normal fridge slide??

[Bazza_rips]

get an explorer. oops time for me to go and pick mine up :D :D :D

[Bundy]

I have an Evakool 50L jobby and it works a treat. I would probably go the Icekool one if i had my time again as the box is a fair bit more robust than the fibreglassyet still uses the same compressor etc. My parents just bought a 70 Icekool and it works a treat also...Cant help you with the fridge slide part of it but i couldnt see why they wouldnt

[dirtygq]

i have a 60 fibreglass eva kool fridge and they are far superior in insulating than the icekool as i have an icekool esky too and it is no where near as good as my fibreglass esky.

[kenny]

im about to buy a fridemate 70L fridge in next few weeks

[dirtygq]

mate you won't go wrong with eva-kools great reputation and service and even better it is made here in australia (sunny coast actually) the factory shop sells direct off the floor at a discounted rate.

[Grimsey]

i have a 50L and it runs 24/7 in the back of my car and hasnt missed a beat in the last 2 years. IMO there one of the better firdges out there. if you get one the only thing i suggest you do is piss off the cigarett lighter plug and install a more heavey duty item.

[dirtygq]

the plug you want is called a "merit" plug and it is more secure in its fitting than a cig lighter plug.

[TBAPunker]

does that 50L fridge just fit on a normal fridge slide?

[mbaas]

I am looking for a new fridge and these look bloody good. Just wondering if anyone has one/had one and if the fit on a normal fridge slide??

I have had a Eva Cool fridge for five years plus, it hasn't let me down and Im have been on most bof the tracks. In hot weather and cold, it fits on my fridge slide to probs. It doesn't use much power either, with it running from about 5 pm to 8 am I still have 12v in my aux.battery left.

Michael

[Pratty]

We have a Evakool RF60, very happy with. It fits on a fridge slide in the back of the patrol, but only just.

Agree, get rid of the plug (lighter socket) that it comes with, ours broke first time that we used it. Replaced with a two pin marine plug that works well.

[Big Woody]

I have had the 70 litre Evakool Fridgemate (yellow) for about a year now and they work great.
Went camping at Christmas time for 10 days with my best mate who has the Evakool fibreglass 60 litre fridge/freezer. We ran them side by side with ampmetres and discovered that the yellow fridgemate version was slightly more economical in power consumption and also the fridge edn of the unit maintained a lower temperature. He has now installed a small computer fan in the divider that only works when the compressor starts up to push more cold air from the freezer into the fridge. Works well now.

Yell out if there is anything else you want to know. I've got accurate figures on power consumption and temperatures too if you are interested.

Brett

[trains]

Big Woody,

Post up those specs please.

Trains

[Big Woody]

Big Woody,

Post up those specs please.

Trains

Specs as requested for an Evakool 70 litre Fridgemate:

The below figures are for a 10 day period over Christmas with an average of 32 degrees during the day. The fridge was kept in the back of the Landcruiser the entire time with sunshields on the windows to keep out the sunlight.


Fridge settings - Position #6 (out of 10) running in "economy" mode.

Average power consumption when compressor is running - 2.3 amps

Fridge cycles at a little over 50% so it consumes an average of 1.25 amps/hr which converts to approximately - 30amps/24hrs.

At these settings it will maintain a freezer temp of -10 degrees and a fridge temp of about +5 degrees.

Since then I have spaced the centre divider between the freezer and the fridge up off the bottom by about 2mm and it will hold a freezer temp of -10 degrees and a fridge temp of +2 degrees.

I've only got a 38 watt solar panel and can replace about 15amps/day back into the battery (if sunny). I can get about 4-5 days out of my auxillary battery before the low voltage cut-out kicks in.

My best mates Evakool 60 litre fibreglass consumes about 5% more power when running and has had some trouble getting the fridge temps low enough and has installed a computer fan in the divider to push the cold air through from the freezer.

I hope this helps,

Brett

[slug]

QUOTE
Since then I have spaced the centre divider between the freezer and the fridge up off the bottom by about 2mm and it will hold a freezer temp of -10 degrees and a fridge temp of +2 degrees.

My best mates Evakool 60 litre fibreglass consumes about 5% more power when running and has had some trouble getting the fridge temps low enough and has installed a computer fan in the divider to push the cold air through from the freezer.

Thanks for the tip about lifting the divider, seems so simple!

Any ideas as to why? I bought the fibreglass one thinking it would work better with better insulation properties. So your mate has put a hole in the divider and inserted the fan in there? Its then just wired in?

[kenny]

big woody ive also got the 70l fridgemate and love it , just a question for you though have you got yours on a fridge slide? im looking at making my own soon for my patrol

[Big Woody]

Hi Slug,
I also thought the fibreglass one would have better insulation properties but they seem to be fairly equal in this area.

Yes my mate cut a hole in the divider and fitted the computer fam fairly high. He wired it up to the compressor so it doesn't run all the time but just when the compressor is running. His fridge on the same settings as mine was holding about 6-7 degrees while mine was at about 4 degrees. We both have the same Evakool dual temp thermometers with the sensor fitted half way up the wall at the far end of the fridge.

That is when I thought about spacing my divider up from the bottom to allow a small amount of cold air to spill under and into the fridge. At first I spaced it up about 4mm and the fridge started to freeze too often but after experimenting for a while I have found that at about 1-2mm, there seems to be just the right amount of cold getting through to hold the temperature at 2-3 degrees without having to crank the thermostat any higher which would use more battery power.

Kenny,
No I haven't got mine on a fridge slide. My opinion is that the slides just use up more valuable room that I can use for other things when packing. I am making a rear storage compartment that will allow just the right amount of airspace around the fridge so the motor can "breathe" through ventilated holes. It has a plywood base that the fridge easily slides on and I just pull it out onto the tailgate enough for the lid to open and the motor remains under the false floor. I have a free 2 metres of cable to the Anderson plug so I can leave the fridge plugged in but quickly pull it our and sit under the covered section in front of the tent for easy access. I also have another 6 metre extion cord with Anderson plugs each end if I want to locate the fridge somewhere else depending on how we set up the camp.

Cheers,
Brett

[BEU77Y]

A mate has had a 50L Evakool for about 5 years now and it's fantastic. Very rarely has to be set off it's warmest setting.

He's very happy with it. I've borrowed it a few times, but we won a Waeco from 4WD Monthly, so we've got our own.

[slug]

Big Woody,
ive seen the EvaKool digital thermometer on ebay i think, does it work well? thought about getting one. Do you just attach it when you go away or is it permanently stuck on? Does it run on AAs?

[Big Woody]

Big Woody,
ive seen the EvaKool digital thermometer on ebay i think, does it work well? thought about getting one. Do you just attach it when you go away or is it permanently stuck on? Does it run on AAs?

Hi Slug,
Yes the digital thermometer is great and it does run on AA's. I am still on the original batteries after about 15 months. When I am not travelling it is sitting in front of me with the main unit on top of my computer monitor measuring the temp in my office, and the probe is hanging out of the window measuring the temp outside (currently 10.9 degrees)
When I travel I just put the probe in the fridge end as it is the temp I want to monitor most closely. The unit records max and min temps for both inside and out so you can go back and see how warm your fridge got during the heat of the day without having to read it all the time. With the main unit sometimes I just stick it in the freezer and other times I run the cord through to the centre console so I can monitor the fridge temp while I am driving.

Interesting thing to play with when you watch how quickly your car heats up inside when closed up on a summer day. Last Christmas on a 35 degree day I closed my car and the inside temperature measured in the shade on the headrest of the drivers seat climbed to 65 degrees in just over 10 minutes. (car is charcoal coloured) Scary stuff.

One thing to note is I brought the Evakool thermometer for $26 and later I brought my mate an $8 one I found at a cheap hardware store and not only do they do exactly the same thing but I think they come out of the same factory. Also I have some very good quality equipment for accurately measuring temperature and I have found these digital units to be surprisingly accurate.

Brett

[andyjim243]

Interseting to hear lads,I purchased (a little off topic) An Evakool icemate esky in 80 litres. It was great for the first half of the trip,but then the front and rear sides began to spread, which not only caused the wire trays to fall from their rails down into the icey water,but also (and more importantly) rendered the lid seal useless,and now the lid (still sqaure) when closed,will not seal with the 'ballooned' main body.
I sort WARRANTY advice from the salesman,only to be fobbed off to their, so called' Warranty Clerk. Who flattley denided my claim (remember it's been used once) on the grounds that because I purchased it, at a sale price, at a 4wd show, I was not eligable for warranty because it was a Factory second.None of which was explained to me,DISPITE! my questions (of which there were many) to this nature.
So my WARNING is this......... Don't trust the pricks or expect any help should you need to claim warranty ! they won't back the product they sell,nor be any help should you have any questions.The first time I mentioned the word WARRANTY they never returned my calls.After being F@%$ed around they suggested I use two sash clamps and leave it in the sun to squeeze/deform back into place.STUNNED!! I actually tried it three times in the middle of summer.AND BUGGER ME IF IT DIDN'T BLOODY WELL WORK.So as I work on more legal options,Be aware that Evakool are a pack of theives and B.S. artists. Don't trust the salesman (you know who you are Peter) and hope like HELL you don't need a claim!!
Nuff said
:mad:
Andy

[Palm]

I purchased a 60lt Evakool fridge many years ago when they first started turning their eskys into fridges for $1200. It worked great the first day I used it. Then it stopped working. I paid $50 freight for it to be sent back to QLD for warranty. I had to pay another $50 to get the fridge back. They said the compressor was faulty. I tested the fridge and after 3 hours it failed again. Another $100 later I had the fridge back. They said the compressor had failed again. I tested the fridge again and after 2 hours it stopped working again. I send it back up for warranty again. Another $50 for freight. I get a phone call saying that the compressors they were using were all faulty and that they are now changing to a different brand compressor. If I wanted the new danfoss compressor it would cost me $1000. I argued that I had paid so much for a faulty fridge and it should be replaced under warranty. But NO. They informed me that they only have to supply you with what was in the item when they sold it. If I dont want to pay for a new compressor I will have to keep paying $100 freight and they will just use left over parts untill I get sick of paying freight costs. After a phone call to Dep of Fair Trading they told me the same thing. It makes no difference if they were selling faulty equipment to start with. So they bodgeyed up the compressor and sent it back. I paid my $50 for freight again. The fridge died again after another 2 hours. Out come the hammer and the sikaflex.
So after $1200 for the fridge and $300 for freight I now am the unhappy owner of a $1500 esky.

[Disco98]

I just bought one of these on ebay

55LITRES CAR PROTABLE FRIDGE/FREEZER 12V/24VDC/ 240V AC - eBay, Caravaning Accessories, Camping, Hiking Outdoors, Sporting Goods. (end time 15-Aug-07 20:06:15 AEST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/55LITRES-CAR-PROTABLE-FRIDGE-FREEZER-12V-24VDC-240V-AC_W0QQitemZ110158094080QQihZ001QQcategoryZ111850Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

thought i would give it a crack, i got mine for $500 on my doorstep, have tested it, works great takes about 10mins to be cold inside if that, is a decent size has two compartments one for freezer and one for fridge and is half the price of some of the brand name ones. I am yet to take it off road yet but will soon. Matt

[mbaas]

I have just recently updated my Supa Kool 47 Litre ( older version of Eva Kool )after 8 years of great service. I have bought a Fridge Mate 55 litre job and am very impreesed with it.

[TonyH]

Fella's, I'm a refrigeration technician, and I can tell you that most of the top brand fridges are all awesoem. I chose the Eva-kool 70 ltr (I think), over the others based purely on their reoutation with ice boxes. Apart fromt eh engel, the rest use a Danfoss BD compressor, so are pretty much identical in power consumption depending on the chosen compressor speed.

I've had my evakool for 2years and am yet to drink a hot beer or rotten snag out of it.

And the big winner is that it is an Aussie company, which is of huge importance to me.]

Cheers

Tony

[trains]

I just bought one of these on ebay

55LITRES CAR PROTABLE FRIDGE/FREEZER 12V/24VDC/ 240V AC - eBay, Caravaning Accessories, Camping, Hiking Outdoors, Sporting Goods. (end time 15-Aug-07 20:06:15 AEST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/55LITRES-CAR-PROTABLE-FRIDGE-FREEZER-12V-24VDC-240V-AC_W0QQitemZ110158094080QQihZ001QQcategoryZ111850Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

thought i would give it a crack, i got mine for $500 on my doorstep, have tested it, works great takes about 10mins to be cold inside if that, is a decent size has two compartments one for freezer and one for fridge and is half the price of some of the brand name ones. I am yet to take it off road yet but will soon. Matt

So Matt,

how has it gone so far?
What is its current draw in amp hrs?
how long does it cycle on, off etc at what ambient temp?

Trains

[dirtygq]

had my eva kool 5 years and can't fault it.

[warfer69]

Ive had mine for awhile now RF60 bought it at the caravan show last year,but when i got it home and unpacked it the corner had been knocked at the factory or the show and of course i did not check it before taking,well i had a real quick look but did not take out of the box they were so busy at the time.Well the race was on to get back to the show in 40 minutes because it closed then and i lived that far away at least..After just getting their on time (no speeding of course) they accepted responsibility and freighted me one out in 2 weeks no probs at all..I havnt an issue with the lighter connection yet..

Ive had a canvas bloke make up a cover (he has made a few for these models) met a bloke that had the original cover and he suggested i get this bloke to do a canvas one..If anyone wants the details about the cover bloke just email me..Havnt picked mine up yet , been away but i have seen one and they are spot on..

Cheers :thumb:

warfer2002 at hotmail dot com

[Slunnie]

Had my EvaKool for a few years now also and it has been excellent - once you get ride of the cig lighter plug! Apart from that it has been fault free and chills or freezes like a charm. I bought the fridge/freezer because the EvaKool esky I have is soooo good. Cant recommend these highly enough.

I do have the ED50 unit, and it fits onto a Pirhana slide with a timber base under the fridge. I'm not sure if you can still get this model, though its the same as my 60l esky but with a Danfross compressor etc in it.

[4be]

Hey to all,
If you want a true australian built fridge have a look at trailblazer. I work there, has been a one owner company for 24 yrs now, and has the best reputation buy far. In the past, i have spoken to many people who go to the cape, through the simpson etc and have said how remarkable it is that the fridges work so well. they are made from 2mm marine grade aluminium not fibreglass, hence more robust. my own personal 60 ltr has had a 16 ft millard caravan roll over the top of it. Put a 2ft hole in the caravan, but hardley a scratch on it.

Look right into a fridge before you buy one mate. what you are going to be doing and also how long you plan on keeping it for. we get fridges back that are 20+yrs old for a retro fit (new compressor etc as it finally died) and cabnets are still in great condition.

Sorry to sound like a salesman, but i know what i do with my 4wd and how hard i am on all my gear and there is only one fridge i would tie down by its handles with telstra rope and trust to keep working after spending a weekend at cruiser park.

The compressor draws 5.6 amp hr, but so does most bd35 danfoss compressors.
Every single fridge is tested @ 43 degress ambient tempreture. normally takes a full day if not 2 to get the fridges working right. (gas charge right and thermostat tuned) and averagle cycle on and off of a 60 ltr is around 22 min on 22 min off @ 43 degrees.

NORCOAST REFRIGERATION COMPANY PTY LTD - WWW.NORCOAST.COM.AU (http://www.norcoast.com.au/)

Also Black Widow make fridge slides to fit our fridges.
If you do want any info let me know.
Greg

[Bazza_rips]

mate of mine just came back from a simmo crossing. 2 trailbalzers 1 exporer and a evaKool frigde.

explorer and trailblazer worked perfectly. EvaKool, nothing but problems teh whole trip.

[trains]

So what were the problems the Evakool had??

Were they related to poor wiring, connection, switch failure, compressor failure, casing failure, or handles/hinges breaking.

Handy to know it had issues, but we would like to know what.

4be, has trailblazer thought of offering a forum "Deal" of some sort??

Trains

[Bazza_rips]

sorry didn't really get into the specifics.

[Rocky4.4]

Have had an Evakool fridge mate 70 ltr for over a year now, its great been bounced around in the back of the fourby heaps and really good on the power use when camping. get value for the price.:thumb:

[revin]

This is a great thread I was looking at the 95L .

Now Im unsure what to get.Due to the fact that everyone seems to have had problems and yet my dad has a very early model (the grey casing model)thats like 10 years or so old and all its done is 1 attachment where the wire plugs in ,he pushed it in too far and had to get a new board.Other than that its still bouncing around in his mates truck.

[jonamaphone]

bought a factory second esky from evacool caloundra and both the clips that hold the lid down broke. i took em in and asked to buy some new ones, they said when did u buy the esky, i said 3 months ago, they said dont pull ya wallet out its still under warranty...

a pair of clips is a little different to a 1200 dollar fridge tho...

[MTpockets]

We have had our 60 litre EvaKool fridge / freezer for 3 years and it has worked faultlessly. When I did my driver awareness for our 4wd club, I did a very steep downhill and the evakool did 2 complete rolls and ended up at the front seats (had back seats down). They were the days before we realised to secure the fridge. Needless to say that the fridge still runs perfect despite the swan dive. I would recommend EvaKool to anyone.

[TonyH]

Nice sales pitch Greg. LOL!

In the refrigeration industry, unfortunatley, youse are equal with most of the Danfoss brigade. Don't get me wrong, they're great units, and among the toughest in the game. Remember the one from that Greeney ripped to pieces after his mega roll up the cape? The fridge was almost the only recognisable thing from the towball back! VERY TOUGH.

The explorers are tough too. But mate, after having a home-made 12volt fridge that would survive the apocalypse, I love the light weight of my Evakool. It's also a handsome unit.

Many units including the Evakool use a complete danfoss refrig circuit (ie compressor condensor evaporator plate, control electronics etc. They are engineered to work together by Danfoss, and I've removed probly 10-15 Engel set-ups from boats yachts and cruisers, and retrofitted them with Danfoss units. This is mainly cause the Engel units had done mega mega hours (and have well proved there reliability) and finally shit the bed and the owners have heard the good reports of the Danfoss stuff on the newer vessels.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the TrailBlazer uses a Danfoss compressor condensor and electronics, and your own capillary/evaporator unit, yeah? Which as you said is fine tuned to work in Australia, for each and every unit. This is a massive commitment to quality, which is awesoem.

BUT, My Evakool has bounced around the back of my ute held down by tie down straps. The handles haven't suffered, and I don't know if you've seen my ute and what I do, but it's pretty wild!

I just wanted to paint a total picture. They're mostly good units except for the ones from Repco etc. They probly even work well too, but visually the quality isn't there and I suspect the mechanics may not be super efficient...

Bazza, it would be interesting to hear what the problems were, because as far as I know, the heart of all those units (except the evaps and capillaries) is essentially the same, the only difference is the case they come in which effects insulation etc.

[stampy4x4]

Fella's, I'm a refrigeration technician, and I can tell you that most of the top brand fridges are all awesoem. I chose the Eva-kool 70 ltr (I think), over the others based purely on their reoutation with ice boxes. Apart fromt eh engel, the rest use a Danfoss BD compressor, so are pretty much identical in power consumption depending on the chosen compressor speed.

I've had my evakool for 2years and am yet to drink a hot beer or rotten snag out of it.

And the big winner is that it is an Aussie company, which is of huge importance to me.]

Cheers

Tony


Hey Tony can you explain how the Engel 'swing motor' works compared to a Danfoss compressor - I don't know a whole lot about them.
Cheers.

[4be]

Nice sales pitch Greg. LOL!

In the refrigeration industry, unfortunatley, youse are equal with most of the Danfoss brigade. Don't get me wrong, they're great units, and among the toughest in the game. Remember the one from that Greeney ripped to pieces after his mega roll up the cape? The fridge was almost the only recognisable thing from the towball back! VERY TOUGH.

The explorers are tough too. But mate, after having a home-made 12volt fridge that would survive the apocalypse, I love the light weight of my Evakool. It's also a handsome unit.

Many units including the Evakool use a complete danfoss refrig circuit (ie compressor condensor evaporator plate, control electronics etc. They are engineered to work together by Danfoss, and I've removed probly 10-15 Engel set-ups from boats yachts and cruisers, and retrofitted them with Danfoss units. This is mainly cause the Engel units had done mega mega hours (and have well proved there reliability) and finally shit the bed and the owners have heard the good reports of the Danfoss stuff on the newer vessels.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the TrailBlazer uses a Danfoss compressor condensor and electronics, and your own capillary/evaporator unit, yeah? Which as you said is fine tuned to work in Australia, for each and every unit. This is a massive commitment to quality, which is awesoem.

BUT, My Evakool has bounced around the back of my ute held down by tie down straps. The handles haven't suffered, and I don't know if you've seen my ute and what I do, but it's pretty wild!

I just wanted to paint a total picture. They're mostly good units except for the ones from Repco etc. They probly even work well too, but visually the quality isn't there and I suspect the mechanics may not be super efficient...

Bazza, it would be interesting to hear what the problems were, because as far as I know, the heart of all those units (except the evaps and capillaries) is essentially the same, the only difference is the case they come in which effects insulation etc.


Yeah sorry bout the sales pitch! rofl

We do use a danfoss compressor and electronic unit, but as far as the rest goes, its all hand made.
Our evaporator and condensor pipe are both rolled by hand onto the unit, so it sits inside the the foamed area. Well out of the way of any possible damage.

But like you said before, the are not as light as an evakool. That is the only downside to them i suppose.
But saying that, when a 75 series cruiser ute can roll over one 4 times and then still work, thats tough!

I think the term horses for courses comes to play here.:D

[dirtygq]

best thing about the eva kool is the insulation....just like a fibreglass esky but with a fridge unit attached.

[fixa]

Bought a 85 litre evakool today.. $1345.
Pretty happy with that...

[Snowy_07]

Bought a 85 litre evakool today.. $1345.
Pretty happy with that...

95L EvaKool FridgeMate portable car fridge freezer 12v - $989 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/95L-EvaKool-FridgeMate-portable-car-fridge-freezer-12v_W0QQitemZ330204268581QQihZ014QQcategoryZ87134Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)


ouch :o

[fixa]

That's the fridge mate, the cheaper version. Mines like this one
EvaKool Fibreglass Ice Boxes & Portable Fridge Freezers - Nexberg Pty Ltd (http://www.evakool.com/DualTemp/index.shtml)

:)

[dirtygq]

yes the fibreglass one is the better fridge for insulation and as far as robustness i cannot complain as i have had mine for 5 years and had it bounce around a fair bit.

[Snowy_07]

That's the fridge mate, the cheaper version. Mines like this one
EvaKool Fibreglass Ice Boxes & Portable Fridge Freezers - Nexberg Pty Ltd (http://www.evakool.com/DualTemp/index.shtml)

:)

ah ok. I thought there might have been a differance, the prices certainly reflect it :)

[addy2]

Bought a 85 litre evakool today.. $1345.
Pretty happy with that...


Can i ask if you bought it from a dealer or from evakool as i rang evakool and they would not discount the price of fridges only accessories.

[fixa]

Can i ask if you bought it from a dealer or from evakool as i rang evakool and they would not discount the price of fridges only accessories.

From BCF mate...

[addy2]

BCF in Gladdy only have fridge mate which i don't like. Too late ordered 60l yesterday but did ok on extra's so i am happy plus no cost to deliver.