Is a thermo electric cooler suitable for fruit and veg?

[Blue Horizons]

We have a fridge freezer but it is generally too full and too cold for fresh fruit and veg. We are considering a thermo electric cooler. Does anyone have any experience with using one for this purpose and does it work? If so any suggestions as to which brand would be best? Thanks for any input.

[JLK]

Pretty useless as a fridge, but better than a cooler box as it keeps things cool that was cool.

https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...lectric-cooler

[duncang]

Good for a foot stool , nothing else. Do not waste your money !!!
Good cooler box with frozen 2L cooldrink bottles.

[mplester]

If you get it for free it's worth it. They are big power drains. Insulation is also usless

[Subok]

The real reason it is useless us that it cools to ambient minus 10 or something.
So useless in a warm place.

[Walnut]

Not worth it. If it's 35 deg it's going to be 25 deg in the cooler.

A 5 day cooler with ice is better.

[bigboy529]

Those things are useless, super power hungry and anyway don't last that long before something packs up.
Rather get a good cooler box like a Romer and then use frozen bottles of water as ice bricks.

[Daniek]

I agree with everything that is said above. But then I must add that I have done some trips to Namibië and Botswana with a thermo cooler under the canopy and it worked to some degree. If you have space in your freezer to make ice, that is a good option to use that with a cooler box, if you get the ratio between ice and packing space right. Some did mention the ration once but I cannot remember. But I don't think that less than 1 third of the cooler box should be ice.

But VERY important watch your battery if the thermo cooler is connected to a permanent power supply especially when stationary.

[Landy90fan]

Certainly my worst buy...bought one for trips down to the beach because my Engel was packed with other items whilst not in the vehicle....those things are a terrible power drain and pulled my NL power pack down in no time...

As mentioned - with minus 15 degrees or so cooling below ambient capability, at 30 plus degrees it is merely a storage box.

[hbannink]

I bought one a loong time ago, it works reasonably on 220v it is a power hungry devil at 12v and will finish your battery in no time. As mentioned they cool to ambient minus 15deg, that's according to theory, in practice work on 10 below ambient.

I would think twice before I paid good money for that thing, rather save a bit longer and get yourself a real fridge/ freezer. Snomaster is not that expensive and works much better

[ekkekan]

I would think twice before I paid good money for that thing, rather save a bit longer and get yourself a real fridge/ freezer. Snomaster is not that expensive and works much better

My advice would be to buy some 40mm ISO BOARD. They cut easily with a sharp knive. Glue together with ceiling silicon glue. Add the 2L frozen coke bottle. No need for another cooler. You can shape it to suit.

[Tony Weaver]

Thermo electric cooler is useless for most things, but even worse for fruit and veg because of the constant temperature fluctuations (depending on ambient) inside it. For a long trip, best is to buy fruit and veg that last a long time (potatoes, onions, squash, green tomatoes, carrots, cabbage - peel, don't cut - and for fruit, stuff like apples, pears, citrus - but NOT if there are elephants around - and green pineapples etc).
Hard veg like potatoes and onions can simply be kept in a carboard box, the rest in a cooler box, and then at night, open the box and leave it in a breezy spot with damp dish cloths laid on top. We go for weeks, sometimes months, like that, with no fridge. Check the contents daily and get rid of anything that is going vrot.