Waeco vs Evakool

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Neil_Ranger
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Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 6:36 am

Waeco vs Evakool

Post by Neil_Ranger » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:03 am

Hi Guys
Looking at either a Waeco CFX95 or Evakool RF85 for the camper trailer.

Currently have a Waeco CFX65dz for the 4wd and haven't had a problem.

But just wondering what the Evakool are like compared to the Waeco, in way of power consumption, keeping food frozen/cold etc

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robcaz
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Location: Stockton NSW
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Re: Waeco vs Evakool

Post by robcaz » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:58 pm

Food for thought. A large fridge has a large power usage compared to a smaller fridge especially if it is kept near full. You also need enough battery capacity up your sleeve for a couple of days if the sun does not shine if relying on solar while keeping the battery discharge above 50% capacity. No doubt a generator would be needed for a large fridge draw, however not all camping locations allow the use of generators.

There is no simple equation in working out the power consumption of a 12volt compressor fridge as there are so many variables. The 12volt compressor fridge cycles or turns on & off to keep the set internal temperature & is effected by the ambient temperature, the location of the fridge ie in the back of a car or say under the camper trailer awning in the shade, how many items are put in the fridge at ambient temperature, how many times the fridge is open etc etc.

I have used a Watts Up Meter on our 40 litre Engel to see what the power consumption is in different ambient temperatures. As you can see the cooler the conditions the lower the average power consumption http://www.campertrailers.org/fridge_draw.htm

The Waeco 95 litre dual compartment fridge/freezer has a large 9.2amp draw on 12volt with a stated average of 3.6 amp hours running at a 5 °C interior in 32 °C ambient temperature, that is 3.6 amp hours x 24 hours = 86.4 amp hours per day.

To recover this in summer with say a window of around 6 hours of direct sun, if camping in the bush with shadows from trees etc, 86 amp hours divided by 6 hours = 14 amps per hour input to charge the battery or 14 amps x 18 volts max solar panel voltage = 140 watt solar panel. The prices of quality solar panels have dropped over the last cople of years making them more affordable to the average camper trailer owner.

Looking at the battery size & allowing your battery only to discharge to 50% capacity or 12.2 volts, you will need two 100 amp hour batteries, not including backup for a rainy day or two.

You will find Richards Solar Spreadsheet a great tool in working out a battery system to suit your needs http://www.campertrailers.org/solar_spreadsheet.htm

Is there any reason you require a large fridge? The two of us just get by size wise running our 40 litre Engel as a fridge & cryovacing meat etc. If we take a couple of cold drinks out, we replace them. We generally camp in the bush for up to five days before continuing on & topping up our supplies at a nearby town. Some butchers will even cyrovac meat for you at no charge if asked.

The two 65 watt solar panels see the two 120 amp hour batteries fully charged by around lunch thanks to the Redarc BCDC1225 charger. With an average daily power consumption of around 30 amp hours & only discharging the batteries to 50% capacity, we have about four days in the bush with no solar input http://www.campertrailers.org/bcdc1225_feedback.htm

I keep an eye on the batteries with an Enerdrive battery monitor http://www.campertrailers.org/enerdrive_elite.htm

Hope this info does not confuse you too much.
happy camping
Rob & Carol
Australian CamperTrailers Group co-owner


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Neil_Ranger
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Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 6:36 am

Re: Waeco vs Evakool

Post by Neil_Ranger » Sat Feb 25, 2017 3:17 pm

Thanks for that

More for when we're away for extended trips :)

Ern_Reeders
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Location: Melbourne

Re: Waeco vs Evakool

Post by Ern_Reeders » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:36 am

Old thread but FWIW ...

I went from a Waeco CF40 (ie single compartment, either fridge or freezer) to the EvaKool RF60 (either or both). It's turned out to be disappointing in some ways.

The current draw is much higher than advertised, starting at 2.5 Ah and running up to more than 5. This is just the difference between lab and field conditions of course, and EvaKool's support has been great as they paid for the thing to be shipped back for testing.

The other thing is that in fridge mode there is a big difference between indicated temperature (as set on the control panel) and actual temperature down the other end from the cooling plate. (The system relies on the freezer section with the cooling plate spilling cold air to the adjacent fridge section).

However, recent testing shows that the indicated temp is 3-4 degrees lower than actual in the freezer section, so if you set the temp accordingly (say to -3) the it will run at around +4 to +5 (fridge section) and +1 (freezer section) which is about what you want.

I got to this point after messing about fitting a computer fan to improve cold air distribution. The improvement was modest and a lot depends on fan location and how the fridge is packed.

Long story short, I wouldn't buy a unit again that only had a partial internal wrap of cooling plate.

In terms of other user experiences with these brands, take a look at http://www.productreview.com.au

There's no shortage of problems reported with the Waeco CFX50 for example but what proportion of users this represents we don't know.
Cheers, Ern

Pioneer Argyle SE and Isuzu MU-X

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