Engel Fridges

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Hi,

I have a couple of 40L engel units and i was wondering if anyone has done any measurements on draw for these units as a fridge (say 2 degrees) and as a freezer (max turndown) in the back of a car in darwin - so high ambient temp.

my COVID project is to install a solar panel and new battery and dcdc charger and i was hoping to be able to run an engel 40L as a fridge and another as a freezer off a 160w panel and a 120ah battery controlled through a 25A projecta dcdc unit

anyone got any inputs or comments?

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

also on engel fridges - has anyone done the test to see if the insulation bag has any real benefit? I have them but they are a bit painful as they get in the way of closing and hte kids often leave the bag jammed in hte door and so the fridge doesnt seal properly.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

With the insulation bag, you could place a thermometer on the lid of the fridge while the cover is on & place another thermometer near the fridge & check both temps in different conditions to find out. In direct sun, in the shade, in the boot of the car. I think you’ll
find due to the two gaping holes in the side of the cover, the inside will equalise in temp with the ambient temperature. I’d imagine the only benefit would be in direct sunlight, but a towel over the lid & side can then serve the same purpose.

[starbuck76 Member Find all posts View Profile Close starbuck76]

I'm running my Engel as an overflow freezer in my shed at the moment.

At 12.00v it has a current draw of approx 2.7A (fluctuates a bit) when running.

How long it runs for is dependent on many things eg, ambient temp, initial temp of items in the Engel, continual opening/closing, temp setting, any external insulation, Engel location, etc

Just short of the freezer/always on setting the Engel runs at approx -19 deg and is running maybe 80% of the time. Today it is cooler and that has dropped to 70%.
At a setting of 3 deg it runs approx 20% of the time.
This is all without opening the Engel.
I have done some tests in the past with dataloggers and was horrified at how long it takes to get back to temp when continually opened and closed. Don't believe what the temp gauge tells you.
Any additional insulation is a benefit. Having a towel or blanket draped over the Engel helps. Don't cover the air vents though. Even with the cover bag you can feel the underside of the blanket is quite cool when you take it off to access the Engel.

I would be doing my calculations on running 100% of the time at 2.7 Amps.

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Thanks - super helpful,

my next Engel question - the LCD display has come up with a small "B" and is constantly reading 7.6 degrees regardless of whether the cabinet is at ambient or a beeringly refreshing 1 degree. I assumed this was a battery issue so replaced that but no change - any ideas?