Engel 40l is this normal

[Johan Barnard]

Hi All

Just come back from Kgalagadi and temps running between 38 and 43 degrees.

Could not get my Engel lower than 10 degrees in the car.

Is this normal ?

Can it be that the factory fitted cables is not of good quality ?


jumbo

[Dirk]

Does'nt sound normal, but it also depends on a lot of external factors.

• Did you open the fridge often.
• Did you add warm (ie cooldrinks) to the cold.

[TopHilux Hilton]

Jumbo, stupid question, but was the fridge level enough, and was there enough ventillation around the fridge ?

(P.S.-[useless info] - Beer's perfect temp should be between 2 and 3 degC, so at 10degc is not lekker at all.... )

[Johan Barnard]

Hi Amadisco

No , not too much at all, only add new stuff in the mornings

the fridge was level enough no problem there
the ventalation around the fridge might be a problem(but can it make such a big difference?

What about the cabling used to do the wiring for the plug.
how big difference can that be

jumbo

[TopHilux Hilton]

Hi Amadisco

No , not too much at all, only add new stuff in the mornings

the fridge was level enough no problem there
the ventalation around the fridge might be a problem(but can it make such a big difference?

What about the cabling used to do the wiring for the plug.
how big difference can that be

jumbo

Jumbo, I would say it plays a role, but only if you're using VERY thin wiring though, or maybe even too thick. OK , now I'm confusing myself here.....

Resistance to flow ? C'mon electrical boffs, help me out....

[Johan Barnard]

u guys c
my real problem is that the oak sitting next to me in a landy with a natiol luna keep on complaning about his beers thats frozen and then have to put it in the sun(40deg) to be able do drink it

[TiaanS]

With the 40l Engle you should easily get to – temp
It could be the wiring but normally these freezers are fitted with 4-6 mm cables and should not be a problem (just check to make sure the cables fitter to the vehicle, running to the battery is the same diameter as the freezers flylead).
Ventilation could be a big problem, to be able to cool the inside of the freezer the compressor needs to exchange heat to the outside – if the ventilation is not sufficient the compressor will not be able to exchange the heat and cool the inside of the freezer.

[TopHilux Hilton]

Jumbo.

* How old is the fridge ?

* Have you tried leaving it upside down for a while (Switched off) and then turning it back again and restarting the fridge ?

* When you're not using the fridge, do you store it (Switched off) or keep in running in the garage or something like that ?

[Johan Barnard]

Hi Its about 18 months old

if i put it on normal power(house power) it works fine

but then its in the cape in the garage with nice temp outside...

so i think its starting to point to the fact 1: Maybe wiring 2: good ventilation

jumbo

[Dale]

Leaving it upside down as far as I know is for amonia based coolers.

My Engel has suffered a similar fate by not wanting to cool to very low temps and running flat out all the time. It turned out to be ventilation so my guess would be that you have the same problem. I had the engel packed fairly tightly in the back of my Disco right up against the rear seat with stuff in the corners blocking airflow. I found that removing the stuff to get air flowing helped dramatically! While running the temps behind the seat would get fairly high.

The Engel would also kill a normal 80(ish)amp/hr battery overnight but that was probably also because of a poor battery condition.

[Johan Barnard]

Hi Dale

Thks for the reply, it sounds like this was my problem then, also had to pack it close to the back seat due to lack of space.

wil remember next time i go


jumbo

[SimonB]

Jumbo.

Our Engel 40l in the Richtersveld and Kgalagadi never had a problem... we had it set to stay around -2 degrees so as to maximize battery life when used as a freezer. Put the beers in in the morning and are borderline beer-lollies by about lunch time...

A couple of points

1) Compressor based fridges are not as reliant on levelling as the others for maximum efficiency. In fact engel claim up to 30 degree incline will not affect it at all
2) As others have said, ventilation is key...

I did some tests on my engle when I got it: I wrapped a duvet around the fridge and it still managed to get to below freezing. It took much longer though... I also tested it at an angle of around 20 degrees without any problems.

[bosbeer]

Since Engel work at all kinds of angles, and the cable they supply being more than adequate, it seems that your problem may be the ventilation one.

Also, the outside temperature is very important since the compressor "pumps" heat from inside to outside. If outside is hot, it's difficult to get rid of heat outside, so if its hot and you want to save battery power, its best to switch off during the day and switch on overnight, because the available energy will be used more effectively.

Use an old duvet to cover during a hot day and do not open during heat, but rather early in the mornings.

[Knersus]

Jumbo I am sure there is nothing wrong with the fridge. Look at the ventilation and where you plug it into. The power leads from the cigarette lighter in your vehicle might be a bit small to carry the load but if you use a duel battery I am sure the problem was only ventilation. One thing that I have noted on my engel was that the temperature meter is not always correct. I have tested it and found sometimes the difference between 2 and 3 degrees colder on the actual temperature indicating inside the box. I have also tested the current draw and mine tested 2.3 A when running. This should not kill your aux battery in one night. Well on the lighter side it is difficult to keep cool in 43 degrees8)