Engel Fridge / Freezer Combi

[hodges4]

I had a Engel 39L a few years back.
It started rusting within 6 months and had the outer case replaced under warranty.
Second case then started rusting also and it was replaced after much arguing.
As I don't do any beach work and I sprayed it down with a wd40 type spray after every use I thought I'd better get rid of it and I bought a Waeco 80L. I see the new Engels are plastic cased but I was concerned about quality/finish of metals used.

Havn't looked back with the Waeco.

[Wahoo]

Thanks Noboat ..... I kept my mouth shut ... but 1 issue that was mentioned Waeco ....... was the polypopylene lid
Without the travel cover the Waecos suffered !!!!

Chris

Nagg, what noboat said you might want to take note on that, Innisfail Marine used to stock the Waeco, there was way to many come backs on these, he dont deal with them no more, they might be ok on the blacktop, but they cannot handle 6-8hrs offroad a day, as for the post above.......well....................

[FNQCairns]

My engel was bought in near new condition but cheap s/h because it is 110V, I went to the bloke up here who does this stuff and warranty etc, saw the wacos on the floor to be repaired (grey nomad season at the time) asked him if it really was worth refiting to the 240v board in mine and I brought up a s/h waco as an option he said the wacos can have better insulation and that if I didn't want to see him again within 5 years to keep the engle.

cheers fnq

[Alchemy]

Never had an engel, so can't comment on them, though they do have an excellent repuatation. I have a 90 litre Evakool in Alchemy, and it has been going strong for four years. It cops a tough time in that it lives in the boat and is exposed to the salt regularly. Touch wood it hasn't missed a beat, though I am expecting some wiring issues at some point given the salt environment it spends so much time in.

I also have a 50 litre Waeco that lives in the back of the Patrol. I do have the travel bag as I feel the insulation leaves a bit to be desired. I have used it in the boat a couple of times too, but mostly in the car and mostly on the black top. The reason I bought the Waeco was price, and that I am not that worried about the power supply (battery charged) in the car as opposed to on the boat. Both the Evakool and the Waeco run Danfoss compressors. I have found the Danfoss brand to be extremely reliable from a commercial refrigeration perspective, so that helped sway my decision too.

A mate has a 50 litre Trailblazer (also Danfoss compressor) with the 75mm insulation. He has had this for about four years and does a lot of offroading, and it too has never missed a beat.

Regards,
Dave.

[breamexplorer]

For the last couple of annual Fraser trips we have used 2 waeco's 1 50l and 1 110l.. The 50 in the 4by for drinks and bbq lunch supplies and the 110 at camp for everything else, running of the generator. 110 was big enough to hold enough for five guys for a week. Problem with the 110 when running of batteries is starting it,, sometimes the error light flashes, which means the compressor wont start or it is to far of level, but to start the fridge we had to start the car.. When running full and trying to keep stuff cold both the waeco and the engel would draw a heap out of your batteries. My experience is that with some extra power input like solar panels you could run the bigger fridges from the car.. One problem with the 50l waeco is the lid hinge set up, mine have broken on both sides, but a bit of reinforcement fixed this and once the travel bag is closed its not much of a problem anyway..

[Rod Fishing]

Here is my suggestion and it is what i do.

I have a 40L engel and a grey box ( I cant think of what it is called and the stickers have come off) that sits on top of it you can get then in BCF TJM etc. I know have a fridge on top freezer on the bottom. My missus and son and I have been away for 8 days camping in the bush with no resupply and have not run out of food, and it works a treat you just have to play with your temp till you get it right.

The lid of the 40L goes on top of the grey box and seals in the cold. you then have a 40L freezer and I think from memory its a 35L fridge. You can also buy travel bag extenders that just zip on.

The box costs about an extra $350. Its worth every cent IMO.

Cheers Rod....

[davo]

I have the 50 litre Waeco. I've used my fathers Engel but much prefer mine. I was very sceptical about Waeco but I've asked heaps of blokes and they all love them. Mine is only old 2years old but it's been excellent.

[NAGG]

Hey Everyone

Thanks heaps for your input on this topic -

Just letting you know that after spending a few days up at Port Stephens - I had the chance to have a chat to quite a few people who I spotted had a fridge (probably 15). Once again most were happy with their units regardless of brand - Though 2 Waeco owners had issues & said the after sales service was not that flash ( outside of the major cities). One guy who was running a 100Lt ??? Waeco (square shaped) & 75lt Engle side by side..... helped make my mind up - The plastic casing on the Waeco was showing stress whitening marks (This is where it will crack) - Aside from that he felt that the Engle offered better temp control.

So ...... I picked up a Engle 80lt combi (separate 33L freezer) with a travel cover ( most said it was a necessity) - - - - So hopefully I made the right choice

cheers all

Chris

[GBC]

Nice one nagg -

One suggestion - be very particular with the cleanliness of the combi's. Blood etc will run under the separator plate and is nigh on impossible to remove - stinks when they are turned off also.
That is my only gripe apart from agreeing with timmiboy about the temp guage battery - do it at home in a very sober state.

For the record I went the evacool 60l because a) the shape is right for the ute and b) I'm a grub

For those considering running two units (1 fridge 1 freeze) - My old man has two waeco 35l truckies models - (No electronics - slide thermostat). They are robust enough, however will manage to synchronise their cycling at some time during the night and trick the volt sensor into thinking there isn't enough power in the batteries because they are both trying to kick simultaneously. Bloody good system otherwise.

[NAGG]

Nice one nagg -

One suggestion - be very particular with the cleanliness of the combi's. Blood etc will run under the separator plate and is nigh on impossible to remove - stinks when they are turned off also.
That is my only gripe apart from agreeing with timmiboy about the temp guage battery - do it at home in a very sober state.

For the record I went the evacool 60l because a) the shape is right for the ute and b) I'm a grub

For those considering running two units (1 fridge 1 freeze) - My old man has two waeco 35l truckies models - (No electronics - slide thermostat). They are robust enough, however will manage to synchronise their cycling at some time during the night and trick the volt sensor into thinking there isn't enough power in the batteries because they are both trying to kick simultaneously. Bloody good system otherwise.

Thanks for the heads up on cleaning GBC ..........
We'll see how it goes in March when we do a couple of weeks away at Monduran & Awoonga.
Did you get one of the fibreglass evakools ???

Chris

[GBC]

Yes, the fibreglass 60.

I had a 60 superkool before that which is now an esky. They are very robust. My new one even has a forklift tyne hole in the outer skin it courtesy of Humes - he didn't look .A smear of white sikaflex and nothing's different. The fridge runs 24/7 in the back of the ute - about 2 y.o now without incident. It's nice to switch it off, rip the lid off, hose the thing out and throw it back into action - Did it last night due to a burst stubbie.

You won't have any issues with the combi - just treat it nice - the outer metal is thin and buckles easily. The one I used had the travel cover which afforded some extra protection but didn't survive too well itself.

C.J.

[NAGG]

Yes, the fibreglass 60.

I had a 60 superkool before that which is now an esky. They are very robust. My new one even has a forklift tyne hole in the outer skin it courtesy of Humes - he didn't look .A smear of white sikaflex and nothing's different. The fridge runs 24/7 in the back of the ute - about 2 y.o now without incident. It's nice to switch it off, rip the lid off, hose the thing out and throw it back into action - Did it last night due to a burst stubbie.

You won't have any issues with the combi - just treat it nice - the outer metal is thin and buckles easily. The one I used had the travel cover which afforded some extra protection but didn't survive too well itself.

C.J.

I always wondered how effective the fibreglass ones were ....... I've spoken to people about the poly ones ....... both reckon they were a waste of money not happy at all
Yeh I got the travel cover for mine ......... just to offer that bit of protection & improved insulation.
I guess in the end ..... It wont cop a floggin (hopefully) ...... but it will get used a fair bit - time will tell

Chris

[freddofrog]

wrt to thermometers, our older models doesn't have such luxuries (spell?). I use a digital thermometer with a temperature probe that is left inside the fridge and the readout unit is velcro to the outside. Battery change is via sliding the battery compartment case back. Sometimes old is still better

[NAGG]

Well ... With several days of high 30s ...... i've run the Engel & am quite impressed (240vts) ......... At 1/3rd the setting I could freeze 1 lt of water in 10hours ..... no dramas & still manage to keep a glass of water chilled (not frozen) - in the fridge section - - - - This is one feature that puts the Engel a step ahead of the others ....... Love it

Chris

[deefa66]

Hi Nagg, can do the same with my evacool 60lt, once I get the temp control set right. I've had this unit for 5years and a 60lt trialblazer for 8years before that. Both good, trailblazer strong, good for throwing in back of ute, changed to evacool as we got a slide-on made, evacool a bit more streamlined.
Cheers Deefa