Fridges for Vehicles
Discussion
Not sure if this is in the right place, but couldn't think where else to ask.
Thing is, my other half is a week out at a time truck driver, and he's getting somewhat sick of Pot Noodles and tinned food, so he's looking into getting some kind of fridge for the truck, not one that will be provided by the company, nor will it be fitted. (wants to be able to remove it when he's on weekend rest)
The ones he has been looking at seem to say they hold the temperature at 20C below the ambient temperature, which is all very well at the moment (ish), but the temp in the cab can get rather warm, which means that there are times when the fridge will be above 5c (and we all know that between 2 and 5 is the best for chilled stuff).
He also wants one that can 'cool down' quickly when it's plugged in, and of course doesn't want to spend stupid amounts of money.
So, was just wondering if anyone on here knows about these things and can advise, or if any of the resident truckies have anything they can recommend, he doesn't want it too big, just for some milk and bits and pieces (so he can have cereal for breakfast instead of noodles)
Thanks in advance, and apologies to the mods if this is in the wrong place.
Thing is, my other half is a week out at a time truck driver, and he's getting somewhat sick of Pot Noodles and tinned food, so he's looking into getting some kind of fridge for the truck, not one that will be provided by the company, nor will it be fitted. (wants to be able to remove it when he's on weekend rest)
The ones he has been looking at seem to say they hold the temperature at 20C below the ambient temperature, which is all very well at the moment (ish), but the temp in the cab can get rather warm, which means that there are times when the fridge will be above 5c (and we all know that between 2 and 5 is the best for chilled stuff).
He also wants one that can 'cool down' quickly when it's plugged in, and of course doesn't want to spend stupid amounts of money.
So, was just wondering if anyone on here knows about these things and can advise, or if any of the resident truckies have anything they can recommend, he doesn't want it too big, just for some milk and bits and pieces (so he can have cereal for breakfast instead of noodles)
Thanks in advance, and apologies to the mods if this is in the wrong place.
I bought one from Maplin about 7 years ago. Works on 12v/24v or Mains and eats or cools (it's a Peltier heat pump inside like many of these devices). It's still going strong and although it doesn't cool down that fast it'll keep drinks plenty cold enough even in a 30 degree heat.
IIRC it was half price at the time - I paid 35 quid.
IIRC it was half price at the time - I paid 35 quid.
Our LandRover has a fridge in the centre console which is good for chilling 4 cans of beer and thats about it.
We also have a 12v Coolbox and a mains to 12v inverter for it.
Have a look at Millets or Outdoor World or other camping / outdoor suppliers.
They are good for chilling drinks and short term stuff but wouldn't want to have chicken breasts in there for a week.
We also have a 12v Coolbox and a mains to 12v inverter for it.
Have a look at Millets or Outdoor World or other camping / outdoor suppliers.
They are good for chilling drinks and short term stuff but wouldn't want to have chicken breasts in there for a week.
I may be out of date but I'd expect a truck to be 24V. Our fridge is 12V and the 60w figure in the product quoted above may be a tad optimistic. Ours flattened the sizable and in good condition and fully charged battery of our diesel people carrier overnight.
Note to self - don't believe manufacturer's claims about sockets that cut out when voltage drops, to prevent flat battery.
Note to self - don't believe manufacturer's claims about sockets that cut out when voltage drops, to prevent flat battery.
The budget solution is to look for a 2 or 3 way camping fridge. These work on 12v or gas, the 3rd 'way' being 240v. Some appear also to run off 24v. 'Caravan fridges' are the same thing and can often be had very cheaply secondhand. I have a 'Sibir' 3 way for camping and it works superbly well even if it's a tad bulky, being a cube of roughly 18" on each side; you sometimes see the same fridge branded Electrolux.
All of these 'multi-way' fridges have no moving parts and are therefore rather reliable. They work by heating a liquid in a closed system of pipes, causing a gas to come out of solution which produces a cooling effect when it dissolves back in - or something. They might as well be using magic as far as I'm concerned, but they're very effective. The main disadvantage is that they are power hungry and therefore really need a leisure battery to run off when parked up - you wouldn't want to leave one connected to your starting battery overnight because it would flatten it.
Compressor fridges use much less power, but tend to be very expensive indeed. Look at the 'Engel' fridges on Ebay - I doubt you'd buy one of those unless you needed to rely on it for weeks at a time, but they are rather excellent.
The last option is electic coolboxes that use a Peltier heat pump. These are fine for keeping cans of pop cold, but I wasn't overly impressed with mine and wouldn't trust it with anything perishable.
All of these 'multi-way' fridges have no moving parts and are therefore rather reliable. They work by heating a liquid in a closed system of pipes, causing a gas to come out of solution which produces a cooling effect when it dissolves back in - or something. They might as well be using magic as far as I'm concerned, but they're very effective. The main disadvantage is that they are power hungry and therefore really need a leisure battery to run off when parked up - you wouldn't want to leave one connected to your starting battery overnight because it would flatten it.
Compressor fridges use much less power, but tend to be very expensive indeed. Look at the 'Engel' fridges on Ebay - I doubt you'd buy one of those unless you needed to rely on it for weeks at a time, but they are rather excellent.
The last option is electic coolboxes that use a Peltier heat pump. These are fine for keeping cans of pop cold, but I wasn't overly impressed with mine and wouldn't trust it with anything perishable.
Chrisw666 said:
I borrowed a mate's Waeco fridge to take to one Le Mans and it was excellent. Not cheap, mind.speedchick said:
How do those igloo boxes work? Have been looking on the site, and I can't find anything that says how it works 
I had a look as I just found them and they looked useful, it seems they just work like a big flask keeping the cold stuff in them cold, so I would imagine filling it with ice or freezer packs would do the job for a week at a time. With the bonus that you won't need to worry about plugging it in and overheating. This site has them too http://www.socal.co.uk/Cooling/Igloo_Coolers/352
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