How long will a battery run a cool box?

[welland99]

We used to do this when camping at race events and there is a couple of tricks to eek the most out of it. Before I answer in full will you have access to mains power where you will be staying I'm thinking electric hook up for camping etc or is there no mains acesss at all?

I'm not sure if we will have electric hook up. We didn't book it, but are travelling with friends who will have it. So we might share their hookup if two coolboxes doesn't trip it off.

 

[flango]

I'm not sure if we will have electric hook up. We didn't book it, but are travelling with friends who will have it. So we might share their hookup if two coolboxes doesn't trip it off.

What we do with electric hook up is because our cool box is only 12v we plug a Power pack / engine starter (the stand alone type) into the mains and then plug the cool box into the power pack then the cool box is on all the time. we also supplement the cool box with a few ice packs to get the internal temp down as if you are somewhere hot these boxes only cool to 20 - 25 degrees below ambient. So not really a lot of good once the ambient temp gets above 30 degrees. We should really invest in a better one with mains supply as well I suppose

 

[BTB 500]

An ordinary cool box with ice blocks will easily keep pre-chilled stuff cold for a weekend, even in mid-summer. The problem comes if you want to cool down new supplies!

 

[BTB 500]

So we might share their hookup if two coolboxes doesn't trip it off.

They won't - should be no problem at all.

 

[BTB 500]

When I go into the hidden menu in my CLK, the battery voltage is always shown as less than 12v until the engine is started.

Yup, that'll be the voltage at the instrument cluster I guess. Probably a yard or two of thin wiring between that and the battery terminals ... hence the voltage drop.

A 12V socket capable of supplying 8A or so would be hooked up with thicker cabling, so there'd be less drop. I still think an 11.6V cutoff would be VERY low though.

 

[welland99]

A -Ha. I just bumped into this old thread and coincidentally have a little update to give you.

We did buy a cool box box in 2009 and have only ever used it off the accessory socket while the engine was running or for short periods while taking a break from driving. Until our last camping trip at half term....

After we got to the camp site, I inadvertently left the fridge running from the accessory socket for most of the afternoon and part of the evening. Probably about 6 - 8 hours in total. I thought nothing of it until I came to start the car the following day, but the battery didn't have enough power to turn the engine. Luckily I had jump leads to get the car going.

So there's the answer. I might look out for one of those adapters somebody mentioned above which cut out the circuit when the voltage drops to a certain level.

 

[swannymere]

Also fill up any space in the coolbox with bubblewrap as it will help keep things cool for longer

 

[hotrodjon]

you could of course wire in a split charger and use a small car battery purely to run the fridge. usefull for weekends.

 

[Dave Richardson]

A -Ha. I just bumped into this old thread and coincidentally have a little update to give you.

We did buy a cool box box in 2009 and have only ever used it off the accessory socket while the engine was running or for short periods while taking a break from driving. Until our last camping trip at half term....

After we got to the camp site, I inadvertently left the fridge running from the accessory socket for most of the afternoon and part of the evening. Probably about 6 - 8 hours in total. I thought nothing of it until I came to start the car the following day, but the battery didn't have enough power to turn the engine. Luckily I had jump leads to get the car going.

So there's the answer. I might look out for one of those adapters somebody mentioned above which cut out the circuit when the voltage drops to a certain level.

I bought a coolbox & voltage monitor for use whilst the car was on a cross channel ferry, worked well after a 6 hour crossing the monitor had kicked in at the reduced power of 11.6 v & the car started easily

Look at my message sent to you,

I bought a Waeco coolbox on e bay then purchased a new voltage monitor, & you've guessed it when the coolbox arrived the previous owner had included a monitor so I have a new volatge monitor for sale.

Dave

 

[Xenon]

What a good question Welland99, and thanks for all the replies. It's all very useful info........

 

[Benzmanc]

I've had one of these for about 6 years now. It is used constantly in my truck and I take it away on holiday. You get ice forming inside which a lot will not and keeps everything extremely cold and has the auto shut off feature too. There are cheaper places, I just found this in a quick search

Black & Decker Travel Freezer Cooler Warmer BDV212F | Tools and Parts Direct

Daz

 

[Xenon]

This thread has inspired me to update my old coolbox. I am now looking at buying a Waeco Tropic cool TC21FL. Anyone have advice or experience of this make/model? Thanks

 

[rf065]

This thread has inspired me to update my old coolbox. I am now looking at buying a Waeco Tropic cool TC21FL. Anyone have advice or experience of this make/model? Thanks

I've had one for almost 10 years now, well built and lasted well.
I used it every day at work for a while, leaving it connected with a 11.6v cut off lead and eventually the battery performance got worse and ended up having to be replaced. Still using it, but not on a daily basis anymore and the battery is holding up.

Russ

 

[Dave Richardson]

This thread has inspired me to update my old coolbox. I am now looking at buying a Waeco Tropic cool TC21FL. Anyone have advice or experience of this make/model? Thanks

I have the Waeco TF14 12 coolbag and found it to work well, the items in the bag stayed cold during a 6 hr ferry crossing, even though the voltage monitor kicked in to reserve power. Later during the holidays the things in the coolbag were cold even though the outside temp was 33 degrees.

In conclusion the product is well made & works well

Dave

 

[Xenon]

Sold! Just put in an order for a Waeco TC21Fl. Thanks for your advice.