[tngw1500se]

Yesterday I bought a Coleman 12 volt 40 quart cooler on Facebook for 25 bucks. Figured for 25 bucks it's worth a try. I tested it in my garage with a indoor temp of 57F. The cooler got down to 36F inside. I was worried about power draw so I tested it with fuses. A 3 amp didn't blow but a 2 amp did. One of the fans makes noise so I bought a new fan on Amazon for 9 bucks I'll install. It's dirty so today it's going to get a good pressure wash and maybe a paint job on the black parts.

Has anyone used one before? What can I expect?

https://www.coleman.com/coolers-dri...ill-thermoelectric-cooler/SAP_3000001497.html.

 

[Michael Ophus]

I had the first thermo-electric cooler on the market, Something called a Koolatron in 1980. It used technology from the space program, Or at least that was one of their main advertising points.
Inside it was big enough for a sixpack, It would both cool and heat things by reversing 12 volt polarity.
The softdrinks were cold and the soup was hot.

It looks like they are still in business so it must have been a good cooler.

Koolatron | Global Leader in Thermoelectric Products

Dedicated to innovation in manufacturing since 1983, Koolatron is a global leader in thermoelectric and refrigeration with a product line that includes wine cellars, compact fridges and freezers, recycled plastic rain barrels, small kitchen appliances and our flagship line of made-in-Canada 12...

www.koolatron.com

 

[Bargeman]

The problem with thermoelectric units is that they will only drop temperatures in the enclosure "X" degrees below ambient. If it's 100 degrees out, good luck getting that soda very cold. Here's the relevant part from the info you linked. "On your next road trip, chill drinks and food up to 40 degrees cooler than the surrounding temperature without the need for ice" But, hey, for $25, why not give it a shot.

 

[harryn]

There are some medical grade thermoelectric coolers that really will keep the contents at the desired temperature, but they are priced similar to compressor refrigerators or more.

All of the ones that I have seen are like @Bargeman indicates - they take the edge off.

So if it is 90 F in the van, expect the contents to be at 50 - 60 F if they start out warm.

When it is 90 F, a bottle of water at 50 F is still pretty refreshing and some hot dogs will stay good longer in there than sitting in a 90 F van.

 

[surly Bill]

I've had smaller thermoelectric coolers in the past, and they were fine for keeping things cool, but not cold.
Personally, I don't find them "worth it", but at $25 and if you can also put ice in it, that's not a bad deal.
My top load 12v compressor fridge was somewhere around $125-150 at the time, and has been great. I should check it's draw.

 

[Moot]

Something called a Koolatron in 1980. It used technology from the space program, Or at least that was one of their main advertising points.

Did it come with a jar of Tang?

 

[Michael Ophus]

Did it come with a jar of Tang?

No Tang but I had to mailorder it from popular mechanics.

 

[njvagabond]

I've been using that exact cooler in out minivan trips for over 20 years. Mostly motel road trips. Always use ice pack/frozen stuff with it. As already stated it just pulls the temp down a bit ... not a fridge. Also we only run it when the van is on. Usually bring it into the motel and run it with the AC-DC adaptor and re-freeze the ice packs in motel fridge. Also put perishables in fridge. Advantage is no need to unpack and repack entire cooler. If nights are cool we can also leave the cooler in the car off and just bring the ice packs and perishables into the motel. We have a small foldable luggage cart for it. When used for camping it's just another decent cooler. How useful depends on scenario.

 

[greenvan]

i used the coleman cooler i think your describing for years, it worked decent, i would fill up a tupperware with ice, pre chil the food and unit, and it would be good for about 5 days.

 

[Timetogo]

We gave ours away. Wouldn't keep perishables safely cooled in the summer without ice. Went back to a better regular cooler that keeps ice frozen for longer.

Also, I plugged it in backwards once and heated our perishables overnight...

 

[njvagabond]

Also, I plugged it in backwards once and heated our perishables overnight...

Have not done that in 20 years, but could definitely see that happening. I am super careful. Irony is that I only ever use cool, so no need to unplug connector, other than it is quicker to just chuck the cord inside the cooler instead of having to shove the whole thing into the slot for it. Don't even know if there is enough room. Maybe I should check and change my storage practices. My mind is not getting any sharper.

 

[tngw1500se]

I'm still testing it. I have it in my garage and it's about 65 inside there. The cooler got down to 29 but that was after 4 hours. One thing I noticed is the A/C power supply is only putting out a little over 10 volts DC. I may get a better result when it's in the van getting 12.

 

[tngw1500se]

I was worried about this thing getting to cold and freezing everything when the temp outside is colder. It never shuts off. It got down to 26 in my garage and it was around 60 in there so I added a thermostat to it. Works great. Gets down to 33 in my living room that is 73. It shuts off a 33 and comes back on at 35. Takes hours to get there (about 4) but this might be all we need, Just have to run it long enough and pre-cool the food. I think before a trip, I'll fill it with frozen stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W2BYG2L?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[Michael Ophus]

I used the one I had for about three years but it was so small. There was room for a couple of drinks, a jar of mayonnaise, a package of coldcuts and some cheese. One of the first dorm fridges on the market replaced it, I had campground power most of the time. Back in the days when you did not need a reservation.