progladyte Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 Well the missus and I are looking to buy some refrigeration for the 4WD to improve our camping woes when the ice melts. We have looked at a few options: Either a Waeco CF-80AC-DZ - This can be had for $1319.00 (normally $1599.00) including a free thermal cover worth $199.00 2 x Engel MR40F Eclipse - $649.00 (normally $799.00) including a free thermal cover worth $129.00. One of the Engels could be run as a separate fridge while the other operates as a freezer and will give us a combined capacity of 78 litres. The Engels have a tried and tested one moving part swing motor / compressor and are generally bullet proof while the Waeco operates with the German Danfoss compressor. Both receive good reviews. The advantage of the Engels is that if one ever fails, we always have the other to fall back on plus they are lighter and could be moved easily in and out of the car or camper trailer when we buy one. They also have excellent resale value. We have been loaned a 110 litre Waeco fridge slide which will fit the Waeco unit perfectly length ways however if we used the 2 Engels, we would need to add an extra mounting board to allow them to sit sideways across the slide with the fridge at the front and the freezer at the rear of the Prado. They will also encroach slightly on the space to either side of the slide as they are marginally wider. This will reduce the space available to install some double height drawers / shelving to the right of the fridge. The same sized 80 litre model in an Engel runs at $1829 (normally $1999) so is too dear to really consider. Does anyone have some experience with either brand as a solution for camping as we tend to get out and about quite a lot with friends and family so would appreciate anyone's advice if they have something to suggest? Thanks Greg
progladyte Posted June 20, 2013 Author Posted June 20, 2013 Had never heard of them Zip but a Google search revealed a good 8 minute Youtube video. I was definitely interested until I saw the price............ way out of kilter with what I was budgeting for. Thanks for the heads up though!
Super Mustud Posted June 20, 2013 Posted June 20, 2013 Get the Engel before prices increase. Put it in your will to give to your kids. We will become less of a throwaway society as the Aussie falls. Buy quality.
comfortablynumb Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 You need to allow some room in your budget for extra batteries in your 4WD to run the fridge/s. You may already have a second battery for a winch perhaps. This battery is no good for running fridges. You need a deep cycle battery designed to deliver low current for extended periods. As opposed to high current for short periods for a winch. A proper multi battery system is not cheap but is a must if you don't want to find the starting battery completely dead one morning in camp. Trust me.....you need to push a diesel really fast to roll start it. Been there, got the T-shirt. While you are at it, chuck in a few extra cigarette lighter plugs in the back to run lights etc. Most handy. Also a roll-up type solar panel for extended stays in the one place is very useful.
Jake Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 You need to allow some room in your budget for extra batteries in your 4WD to run the fridge/s. You may already have a second battery for a winch perhaps. This battery is no good for running fridges. You need a deep cycle battery designed to deliver low current for extended periods. As opposed to high current for short periods for a winch. A proper multi battery system is not cheap but is a must if you don't want to find the starting battery completely dead one morning in camp. Trust me.....you need to push a diesel really fast to roll start it. Been there, got the T-shirt. While you are at it, chuck in a few extra cigarette lighter plugs in the back to run lights etc. Most handy. Also a roll-up type solar panel for extended stays in the one place is very useful. All good advice.You may also need a higher output alternator. Just had one fitted to my Landcruiser this arvo actually. The old one was struggling and fried my 12 month old cranking battery.
Freedom Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 +1 for the advise above. Also keep in mind if you're going to be camped for extended stays in one place. We fell into the trap and run our battery flat! If you're on the move frequently, then your batteries will stay 'charged', BUT it's when you stop for a duration that things get a bit more critical to have a good (electrical) set-up!
progladyte Posted June 21, 2013 Author Posted June 21, 2013 Thanks for all the great advice guys. We're actually heading down tomorrow to see ARB who will be adjusting a quote for a Redarc battery management system. This includes an isolator so it will take care of the 2nd battery which the car dealer very kindly threw in to sweeten the deal. The battery is a Century Heavy duty Marine pro N70ZM which apparently takes 100ah deep cycle charge, has heavier duty plates and comes with a 24 months warranty so I'm led to believe this will get us out of trouble. This will also attach to a solar panel. As for solar panels, I'm hoping to buy something between 120 - 180 watts and may opt for the fold up type which we saw recently from a company that really pushes its quality. Can't recall the brand however. Cheers,
Jake Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 Thanks for all the great advice guys. We're actually heading down tomorrow to see ARB who will be adjusting a quote for a Redarc battery management system. This includes an isolator so it will take care of the 2nd battery which the car dealer very kindly threw in to sweeten the deal. The battery is a Century Heavy duty Marine pro N70ZM which apparently takes 100ah deep cycle charge, has heavier duty plates and comes with a 24 months warranty so I'm led to believe this will get us out of trouble. This will also attach to a solar panel. As for solar panels, I'm hoping to buy something between 120 - 180 watts and may opt for the fold up type which we saw recently from a company that really pushes its quality. Can't recall the brand however. Cheers, Sounds like you have it sorted Prog. I have the same setup, marine battery through Redarcs.
comfortablynumb Posted June 21, 2013 Posted June 21, 2013 Thanks for all the great advice guys. We're actually heading down tomorrow to see ARB who will be adjusting a quote for a Redarc battery management system. This includes an isolator so it will take care of the 2nd battery which the car dealer very kindly threw in to sweeten the deal. The battery is a Century Heavy duty Marine pro N70ZM which apparently takes 100ah deep cycle charge, has heavier duty plates and comes with a 24 months warranty so I'm led to believe this will get us out of trouble. This will also attach to a solar panel. As for solar panels, I'm hoping to buy something between 120 - 180 watts and may opt for the fold up type which we saw recently from a company that really pushes its quality. Can't recall the brand however. Cheers, I have used a roll up solar panel with plenty of success. Rolls up to the size of a small blanket.
progladyte Posted June 21, 2013 Author Posted June 21, 2013 I have used a roll up solar panel with plenty of success. Rolls up to the size of a small blanket. What sort of power output does yours generate? I need at least 160W
comfortablynumb Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 That is a massive amount of power. Planning on some arc welding ? A qucik Google reveals only 24 volt systems can produce this sort of power and cost arounf $1000
Jake Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 That is a massive amount of power. Planning on some arc welding ? A qucik Google reveals only 24 volt systems can produce this sort of power and cost arounf $1000 Sounds more like inverter output requirements?
progladyte Posted June 22, 2013 Author Posted June 22, 2013 That is a massive amount of power. Planning on some arc welding ? :) Just a few things while we're on the road, 2 x Engels / LED's / Col Light / Vibrator / Laptop / maybe a TV when we get a caravan or trailer. If we get a van, it will probably need it's own deep cycle set of batteries to run A/C / fridges / cooking stuff etc but this is for our immediate use before we splash out on the big item. We still have a 7 x 4 gal trailer which we use to dump all our camping gear and while it's a PITA to spend 2 hours erecting it all and setting up, we tend to try and stay in the one spot for more than just a weekend. We basically want to be self sufficient with water and power which is why I added 2 water tanks to the U/S of the trailer.
comfortablynumb Posted June 22, 2013 Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) Just a few things while we're on the road, 2 x Engels / LED's / Col Light / Vibrator / Laptop / maybe a TV when we get a caravan or trailer. If we get a van, it will probably need it's own deep cycle set of batteries to run A/C / fridges / cooking stuff etc but this is for our immediate use before we splash out on the big item. We still have a 7 x 4 gal trailer which we use to dump all our camping gear and while it's a PITA to spend 2 hours erecting it all and setting up, we tend to try and stay in the one spot for more than just a weekend. We basically want to be self sufficient with water and power which is why I added 2 water tanks to the U/S of the trailer. So it is likely you won't be using all those things at once ? Obviously you won't be running lights during the day when the panel is charging a battery. You only need enough amperage to charge the batteries you have as you (for the most part) don't run the appliances directly from the panel. In regards to the TV....try to avoid the use of an inverter. An inverter drains the battery PDQ in upscaling to 240 (and the missus will want her hairdryer....and the PVR.....and an electric frying pan ). There are 12 volt TV's available. Edited June 22, 2013 by comfortablynumb
progladyte Posted June 22, 2013 Author Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) So it is likely you won't be using all those things at once ? Obviously you won't be running lights during the day when the panel is charging a battery. No You only need enough amperage to charge the batteries you have as you (for the most part) don't run the appliances directly from the panel. This is all correct but we hope to replace all the power that we have consumed while stationary in camp so getting a bigger panel can overcome those days when it's too cloudy. In regards to the TV....try to avoid the use of an inverter. An inverter drains the battery PDQ in upscaling to 240 (and the missus will want her hairdryer....and the PVR.....and an electric frying pan ). There are 12 volt TV's available. I think we'll try and eliminate any other 240 volt items so a Baby Q Weber might overcome the cooking issues as it runs for ages on gas. As for a hair dryer, thankfully the wife doesn't use one. She's not bald...... yet..... As for the TV, we will probably opt for one of those 12V ones or add a TV capture card to the laptop and go from there. It might be cheaper to look for an inverter that operates off the cigarette lighter in the car. That will power up the laptop for a few hours giving us time to check e-mails, make bookings if needed and check up on you guys on SNA Edited June 22, 2013 by progladyte
progladyte Posted June 24, 2013 Author Posted June 24, 2013 Well we eventually settled on 2 of these bad boys - 40 Litres for da fridge and 40 Litres for da freezer. We'll have to go camping soon to check them out. 2
Jake Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 Well we eventually settled on 2 of these bad boys - 40 Litres for da fridge and 40 Litres for da freezer. We'll have to go camping soon to check them out. I have the same one. Been great for the past 4 or 5 years so far.
Super Mustud Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 I have the same one. Been great for the past 4 or 5 years so far. Same here, and mine's been going for 9 years now.
Jake Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 I should add that mine resides in the back of the Sahara, and is used for shopping trips, so gets a workout every few days, rather than the infrequent camping trip.
Super Mustud Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 I should add that in between camping trips, mine is used most weekends to chill the French champagne down at the beach house. That is more intense service than some Kraft cheddar packets in the back of a scruffy Sahara.
Jake Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 Goats cheese in ash. I should add that in between camping trips, mine is used most weekends to chill the French champagne down at the beach house. That is more intense service than some Kraft cheddar packets in the back of a scruffy Sahara.
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