Electric Cool Box/Fridge for a Beach

[Sunshine&Snow]

We're looking for a cooler for our new beach and I was hoping for advice please.

We're thinking that we're mostly going to be using it for 3 or 4 days at a time, and I've been thinking that we can just use a cool box packed with the food we want to take frozen. Thinking it will keep the milk cool, but defrost for eating in the next couple of days.

We're on the continent, so looking at hot summers though. So I'm not sure if we'll need some kind of electric cooling.

I'm not keen on laying out for a proper fridge and was wondering about electricric cool box recommendations are they noisy? Are they actually cold?

Thanks!

P. S. I did try to search the threads, but couldn't find anything recent among chats about problems with broken ocean fringes.

 

[2haw]

We use a Halfords electric cooler with a couple of Ice blocks. It really does keep food and drink cold for a couple of days.

I appreciate it’s nowhere as good as a compressor fridge but for the money it’s good value.

 

[OGII]

I'm not keen on laying out for a proper fridge and was wondering about electricric cool box recommendations are they noisy? Are they actually cold?

Hi.
The 12v electric coolboxes are ok, you get what you pay for and they do pull temperatures down. They tend to use a lot of current as they are either on or off, no thermostat to regulate temperature.

A decent fridge type "coolbox" is worth the investment.

We tried a Indel B TB18 at first. Biggest size that fits between the front seats and cheaper than some. Sent it straight back as in Beach and Golf it had voltage protection overload issues and would cut out. (And yes we tried all the settings)

Settled on the Dometic CDF 11. More expensive and smaller but occasionally discounted heavily. It is better made and has cup holders which are handy between seats.

Not that noisy, doesn't use too much current and goes down to minus 18 if needed.

For longer trips we use a standard coolbox too, using the electric one as a freezer set to zero degress and freeze ice packs to rotate every day into the other cool box. Saves having only a large cooling box all the time

Works really well, even in middle of southern European summers.

Have fun.

 

[2haw]

Can you get much in the CDF11 or mainly use it just to freeze the Iceblocks?

 

[Karlos]

We have an Ocean and take a Waeco Mobicool with us 12 & 240V, it supplements the built in fridge to extra capacity. We replaced our first one of 20yrs last year and think they are brilliant.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

I'm also in Switzerland, have a Beach, and own the Dometic CoolFreeze CDF 36 with the extra 240v converter if needing to run it at home or off EHU.
Ordered from Conrad, and it came within a couple days. It replaced a smaller fridge that was electrically cooled instead of compressor which stopped working. It was a total god-send last summer in south France where it hit 38C...

I went for this model because it is 31L and can fit a good amount of stuff, it sits behind the driver (LHD) seat close to the 12v socket, and it can go to, and keep, low temps and even be a freezer apparently (not tried it). I've not placed it in the boot yet as we have the multiflex board and you'd need to drag it out a bit before you can open the lid unless it's on a pull out tray.

Also, since you already know we get temps above 30C pretty often, an electric cooler will not keep anything really cold for a long time like a few days. Also I think they are louder. They also use more power, so will drain your battery quicker than a compressor fridge.

So I would say get something like that rather than an electric cool-box, you will not regret it.

Last, try searching on ricardo for "camping kühlschrank" - there are a couple on there that might be of interest.

 

[Amarillo]

If you are touring or staying on a site for more than a couple of days a compressor fridge is worth the money. Thermo-electric will drain your battery overnight, so needs to be switched off if not on hookup or the van engine is not running. They will also only cool to a certain level below ambient temperature. If it cools to 15 below ambient, and the temperature in the van is 35C, it will cool to 20C.

 

[Sunshine&Snow]

Thanks for all your feedback! I'm swayed by a fridge that will let us eat from the van for a couple of days. It doesn't need to save many times eating out before it's paid for itself.

What's the maximum size between the front seats for fitting one in? For sizing I was wondering about this one fitting there, but suspect it's too big:

Mobicool Kompressor-Kühlbox »MCF32«

Die MCF32 Kühlbox von Mobicool bietet mit 31 Liter Fassungsvermögen Platz für bis zu 52 Dosen oder 6 1,5-l-Flaschen. Die hervorragende Isolierung wird durch eine hochwertige Polyurethan-Verschäumung erzielt, das Gehäuse ist aussen sowie...

www.compass24.ch

Ricardo is a good pont! I'll look there.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Yes that one is too big, it is not far off the same size as the Dometic model I have (in the link).
I think folks have fitted the Dometic CDF 11 between the front seats, and that's 23.4cm wide, but it only holds 10.5L, which I consider tiny unless you do what @OGII does which is a neat idea.

Try a search for 'dometic' on here, and you'll find lots of fridge talk.

 

[BeagleMum]

I'm also in Switzerland, have a Beach, and own the Dometic CoolFreeze CDF 36 with the extra 240v converter if needing to run it at home or off EHU.
Ordered from Conrad, and it came within a couple days. It replaced a smaller fridge that was electrically cooled instead of compressor which stopped working. It was a total god-send last summer in south France where it hit 38C...

I went for this model because it is 31L and can fit a good amount of stuff, it sits behind the driver (LHD) seat close to the 12v socket, and it can go to, and keep, low temps and even be a freezer apparently (not tried it). I've not placed it in the boot yet as we have the multiflex board and you'd need to drag it out a bit before you can open the lid unless it's on a pull out tray.

Also, since you already know we get temps above 30C pretty often, an electric cooler will not keep anything really cold for a long time like a few days. Also I think they are louder. They also use more power, so will drain your battery quicker than a compressor fridge.

So I would say get something like that rather than an electric cool-box, you will not regret it.

Last, try searching on ricardo for "camping kühlschrank" - there are a couple on there that might be of interest.

We have same fridge, expensive but well worth it.
During lockdown we’ve been using it in the house as an extra freezer, works brilliantly.

 

[bloomers100]

Our mobicool coolbox has been going 14 years at least, its always on, quietly though. When it dies I'll get a fridge to be more frugal with the battery juice.

 

[OGII]

Can you get much in the CDF11 or mainly use it just to freeze the Iceblocks?

Well don't strange things happen. Went to the fridge to take a pic as a guide and found forgotten Corona and Kronenbourg....

That doesn't really give an idea of size, the bottles are odd sizes.

The second image has a 1l tetrapak, 3 x 330ml beer bottles, 4 pints (2.72l) milk . Still room for soft sided stuff.

The space to the front is big enough for 2 330ml cans.

As a fridge it's plenty big enough for milk, margarine, salad, beer, etc and usually 3 or 4 freezer blocks.

Width wise it just fits between front seats.

Hope that helps.

 

[bloomers100]

I'm also in Switzerland, have a Beach, and own the Dometic CoolFreeze CDF 36 with the extra 240v converter if needing to run it at home or off EHU.
Ordered from Conrad, and it came within a couple days. It replaced a smaller fridge that was electrically cooled instead of compressor which stopped working. It was a total god-send last summer in south France where it hit 38C...

I went for this model because it is 31L and can fit a good amount of stuff, it sits behind the driver (LHD) seat close to the 12v socket, and it can go to, and keep, low temps and even be a freezer apparently (not tried it). I've not placed it in the boot yet as we have the multiflex board and you'd need to drag it out a bit before you can open the lid unless it's on a pull out tray.

Also, since you already know we get temps above 30C pretty often, an electric cooler will not keep anything really cold for a long time like a few days. Also I think they are louder. They also use more power, so will drain your battery quicker than a compressor fridge.

So I would say get something like that rather than an electric cool-box, you will not regret it.

Last, try searching on ricardo for "camping kühlschrank" - there are a couple on there that might be of interest.

What capacity inverter do you need for one of these?

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Dometic sells a 240v - 12v (and 24v) converter thingy. I used it with a CB radio as well.
No idea what the spec's are, I'm useless with electronics!
It plugs into the 240v and then you plug the fridge's cigarette lighter into it. I thought it would be useful to run the fridge from the Beach's proper socket when on hook up.

 

[mabell1980]

All, just purchased the cdf 36 for £405 on Amazon. They also have the 26 at a good price for £399.

Dometic CoolFreeze CDF 26, 21 Litre Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer, 12 V/24 V Link

 

[mabell1980]

Dometic CDF-36 31 Litre Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer, 12 V/24 V Link to CDF 36 . Still available.

 

[BeagleMum]

All, just purchased the cdf 36 for £405 on Amazon. They also have the 26 at a good price for £399.

Dometic CoolFreeze CDF 26, 21 Litre Portable Compressor Fridge Freezer, 12 V/24 V Link

We’ve had the 36 for over 12 months it’s a great fridge