Making a 12V Cooler

[StandUpGuy]

I would not be without my electric cooler. But as I have always said we do not travel in the summer, only spring and fall. It is cooler out then and if you don't watch the temp inside you can freeze things. We have parked for up to 5 hours at an attraction and left the cooler plugged in with no starting problem. If we would camp without 110v we can just put ice in the cooler, the same as any other ice chest. If you understand how they work then you will not have a problem with one. I also wish that people who say they are bad would explain what went wrong and what they were trying to do. Just saying they are bad and my bologna went bad, my battery went dead, my beer was warm is not helpfull to anyone.
Brwbier

I plugged my cooler in on my way to work this morning and was encouraged by how cold it was when I got to work 20 minutes later. I think what is necessary is a more scientific approach to assessing the function of such a cooler. Just my saying it was cold this morning is also not so helpful. I need to get a good thermometer and write down the conditions in which I use the cooler.

Nice to hear that you can keep your cooler plugged in your parked car for a bit without killing the battery. The one thing I really like about such a cooler if I used it in my trailer is that it is pretty quiet. Just a low constant small fan hum. No kicking in and off compressor. That is kind of nice in a small space.

[BrwBier]

I'm not a big fan of white noise and that is what you will hear in a small space. We keep the outdoor part of a remote thermometer in our cooler and the house part on the floor of our van. That way we can monitor the temp and unplug it if it gets too cold.
Brwbier

[mezmo]

Hi StandUpGuy,

Would something like this work for you?

http://www.truckingcomfort.com/product_ ... z0jaRLHb5Y

Just ran across it on a link, from a link, from a link, type thing.
Seems somewhat reasonable in cost.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[StandUpGuy]

Hi StandUpGuy,

Would something like this work for you?

http://www.truckingcomfort.com/product_ ... z0jaRLHb5Y

Just ran across it on a link, from a link, from a link, type thing.
Seems somewhat reasonable in cost.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Yes that unit is of a perfect size. I am figuring out if the limitations of a 12v cooler mesh with my needs. I ran my dc cooler in my van yesterday morning when it was cool outside and it cooled down very nicely. When it was 90 degrees out in the afternoon on my way home it did not cool down very nicely. Soon I will do some guaged experiments with this type of cooler and figure out what the real deal is.

Thanks.

[StandUpGuy]

OK this morning I put a thermometer in the cooler. It was 76 degrees to start. I drove to work 24 minutes. when I arrived the cooler was down to 61 degrees. given time it will go down more but how much and with what outside temperature? On my way home it will be very hot in the 90s. The cabin of the van will be super heated. so it will be checking it in the worst case scenario. Later on the weekend I will go on a long drie and will see how low it really will go under optimal conditions.

[StandUpGuy]

I just returned from a long car trip, where I used the electric cooler there and on the way back. Each leg of the trip was 6 hours. On the way there I put cold beverages in the cooler and put a digital thermometer in with them. The cooler got colder as the trip went on to reach the coldest point of 44 degrees. It stayed there for the duration. It took about an hour to reach that temp. We left on the drive early in the morning and had the AC on so it was cool in the cabin.

On the return trip, I placed warm beverages in the cooler and we started out mid day in Florida so it was hot outside and and the cooler was hot to begin. It took 1.5 hours to reach 64 degrees inside the cooler and it did not change much on the way home, only reaching61 degrees for the final temp.

[Pyrofish]

I was thinking about your project the other day. I live in Florida, so I know the woes of ice and coolers here. I was thinking though, would that cooling device make my ice last longer? THAT would be worth rigging up.

If that could work, I wouldn't have to go get ice every day or two. THAT could be a worthwhile project

[StandUpGuy]

I was thinking about your project the other day. I live in Florida, so I know the woes of ice and coolers here. I was thinking though, would that cooling device make my ice last longer? THAT would be worth rigging up.

If that could work, I wouldn't have to go get ice every day or two. THAT could be a worthwhile project

That is an interesting idea you have there. I am guessing it would. I am also guessing just making a super insulated ice chest would also do that trick. I am thinking makingg it super insulated and have the thermal-electric chiller would be doubly good at maintaining the ice.

Maybe a good idea (for me) is a super insulated cooler built into the cabinet, with a built in drain pet cock WITH the thermal chiller. This would give me lots of options. Maybe the unit could come out and hook up to my car 12V on the ride home too.

[StandUpGuy]

So my test says to me that if the temperature outside the DC cooler is very AC cooled and you put in already chilled items, that the unit works OK down to the low 40s. Do anything to mess with those conditions and it does not work very well. If the performance was a little better I would consider making a more efficient box for the unit. As its performance is limitted to a very narrow band of use I will retain the automobile console unit as it is and simply use it to transport refrigerated items when in transit to a camp site and then after transfer the items to the AC powered refrigerator in the trailer. I think the unit is a handy thing to have.

Now I will look for a used dorm sized fridge to butcher up and see if I can make one that is shallower than standard; say 16"-17" deep.

[mikeschn]

Dorm sized fridge!



Mike...

[StandUpGuy]

Dorm sized fridge!



Mike...

A dorm fridge would be a perfect size for my food requirements but not for the space inside my TTT. My max cabinet depth should be about 17". I am considering now buying an old dorm fridge and reworking it to fit my depth requirements. I am thinking I can remove the door inner plastic panel that holds stuff and replace it with a flat plastic panel and then I am thinking I can take a sawz-all and remove about 3.5" off the front, then rework and re-attach the door. Sounds crazy doesn't it?

[StandUpGuy]

Dorm sized fridge!



Mike...

I went on Craigslist today and looked into getting a super cheap dorm fridge to disect. I bought one that is quite old but works fine. Nice and cold. Asking $25 and bought for $20. After getting it home I see that it is only 18.25" deep. Not bad. Shallower than most. A full 20" wide. I guess in the old days they were a little less "cube". So I think I will try to use it without making it "Frankenstein". I will build the cabinet 17" deep and let the door thickness stick out. If I do not like the narrow passageway this creates at least the cabinet will be an acceptable size and I can consider operating on the fridge if needed.

PS I also went out to look at a used little microwave for the trailer. When I got to this guys apartment the micro would not work. I felt the top and it was blazing hot. He told me it was working just a minute ago when he was cleaning it. I asked him how he cleaned and it was with a sponge and soapy water. He said sorry that I drove to see it and that it was broken. I said maybe it would reset and work later. He said I could take it if I wanted it. I said "tell you what; I will give you 5 for it and if it works later it is a good deal for me and if it does not then it is a good deal for you. So we did the $5 deal and when I got home the unit worked fine. I think he got water in the transponder and it tripped a breaker. After drying out I think it is fine.

So for $25 I have a fridge and a microwave.