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FridgeFreeze

islandhop - 4-8-2007 at 02:18 PM

Does anyone use a FridgeFreeze. I'm thinking of buying one for use on my 23' Striper for those 4 to 10 day boat trips in the sea of Cortez. As many of you know ,after about 4 days the ice gone .I was wondering if they work well. thanks

Capt. George - 4-8-2007 at 02:24 PM

welcome aboard newbie! sorry, no knowledge on that.

someone will know, it's Easter, give it a day or two.

BajaNomad - 4-8-2007 at 02:39 PM

Can't vouch for the actual units themselves. I haven't used them personally.

But thought I'd chime in regarding the company itself. They are one of my clients (hosting the fridgefreeze.com web site), and have been very professional (and on the "up and up" throughout) in my dealings with them.

Just as an fyi - in case it's helpful to know.

--
Doug

Neal Johns - 4-8-2007 at 05:00 PM

Nomad Desert Bull has one and says it is the best.

Their claim to fame is the fan-less dissipation of heat taken from the cold chamber, thus less power required versus the fan cooled fridges. Should work.

Capt. George - 4-8-2007 at 08:46 PM

well chilly my willy

bring on all them fat little baseball players!

check your U2U, you know who...

ursidae69 - 4-9-2007 at 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by islandhop
Does anyone use a FridgeFreeze. I'm thinking of buying one for use on my 23' Striper for those 4 to 10 day boat trips in the sea of Cortez. As many of you know ,after about 4 days the ice gone .I was wondering if they work well. thanks

I have a 50qt WAECO fridge/freeze in my Tacoma and it rocks. Best mod ever for any sort of expedition style travel with many days in the field.

meme - 4-9-2007 at 06:43 AM

I have several friends that have them They think they are spendy but do a great job! Even the Banditos like them, as one friend had thiers stolen out of back of thier truck while in Wal Mart ,So BEWARE! :mad:

Pappy Jon - 4-9-2007 at 11:24 AM

I have an Engel 35. Love it. No going back to ice. I run it at 28*F or less during the day, and 40*F at night. My only concern was the battery. Better be in good shape. Before my Baja trip it ran three days in the garage and the truck started up. Of course, it wasn't that warm in the garage. Next weekend the truck gets a second battery.

bajaday - 4-9-2007 at 02:16 PM

FridgeFreeze is an EXCELLENT product. We've had ours more than 7 years. We bought the demo model one year at the Sand Show. They are built tough, NO problems and the folks at FridgFreeze couldn't be nicer. We've had it all over Baja, road trips to Montana, we even used it to store our salmon catch at home. When you compare the housing, the reliability, it's worth a few more bucks. You get your money's worth with this product.

Hook - 4-9-2007 at 02:24 PM

They're great but I dont think you have to spend that much on a decent unit.

I bought an ARB/Engle/Norcold type unit. Mine was cosmetically blemmed but they can be had for around 6-700 for a 45 qt model. I love it. The WAECOs are even better, IMO.

With my two 6v house batteries in series, I figure it will go almost three days running continuously. Believe it draws 3.1amps @ 12v. But it doesnt run that often, of course, and on a multi day trip, you are going to be fishing/cruising and charging your house bank. I think you can easily make 10 days with conventional cruising around. They also draw less than a conventional 85 watt solar panel; something to think about for camping use.

But you better be isolated from your starter, just in case.

ursidae69 - 4-9-2007 at 02:36 PM

Battery upgrades should be considered if you get a FridgeFreeze. In Baja I had a 100 amp hour CGM marine battery secured behind the seat that I ran the fridge on when the truck was off. When the truck was running, I had rigged a charging cable for the aux battery. At one point in the trip the fridge ran for almost 3 days off that battery and my voltmeter still showed 12.4 volts in the CGM battery. I plan to get a more permanent solution later this summer. My Tecates were just above freezing for the whole trip. :cool:

David K - 4-9-2007 at 04:27 PM

What about their running on propane disposable bottles and 110 VAC as well?

4baja has one that works on all three... While in camp (not driving) he runs his off propane... runs for days on a small amount.

How about some model numbers and web sites for recommended units... ?Ice boxes and getting ice is old style... I may be ready to move up!

Hook - 4-9-2007 at 04:55 PM

Propane is not advised in a marine application, which is what the original inquiry was about. It theoretically can become trapped below deck and be a real explosion hazard. I know alot of guys who have changed out their old alcohol stoves with propane, though.

I think all of the ones we've talked about here run on 110v, too. My manufacturer is quick to point out to NOT use an externally inverted AC signal. Just use DC or their own AC plug.

David, here is a link to the WAECO site and their electric units. They have links to their dealers.

They also make some that run on propane/12/24/110, for land use.

http://www.waeco.com.au/products.asp?catId=6&subCatId=10...

Get a unit that can double as a freezer, if need be. Some even have small separate compartments.

[Edited on 4-9-2007 by Hook]

islandhop - 4-9-2007 at 05:22 PM

Thanks everyone, Yea ,the price makes my eyes cross and my back pocket less heavy. I've been fiddling with ice boxes for many years now on boats in baja for multyday trips and now i'm older with a few more pesos in the bank. I would need to secure it to the deck so it doesn't slam up during the windy days. But normally we would be hunkered down at that time on the hook. Also we are starting the engine at least every day so the current draw is not an issue. Watching a baseball game in Abreojos with Capt. George is also fun........

ursidae69 - 4-9-2007 at 07:07 PM

There is a great write-up on ExpeditionPortal that answers a lot of questions. Link to fridge write-up.

David K - 4-9-2007 at 07:41 PM

Thanks Hook... I was following up on Neal Johns mentioning Desert Bull's... no boat owner there.

I guess I will start a new thread for camping units that run on propane as well as electric.

ursidae69 - 4-9-2007 at 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
I guess I will start a new thread for camping units that run on propane as well as electric.

You don't want a propane unit in your truck. The vibrations and angles will kill it. If you want one for your truck, the Engel, Waeco, or Norcold are the only real options. They cost a pretty penny, but you get what you pay for.

David K - 4-9-2007 at 09:47 PM

Propane is used IN CAMP... 12 VDC is used driving... 110VAC is used at home to precool or where-ever you got it.

Roberto - 4-9-2007 at 10:41 PM

The FridgeFreeze is awesome. The Norcold/ARB units are good, but the FridgeFreeze is a step up, at least. It's indestructible, it'll freeze fish solid in the Cortez in summer in 8-12 hours. It also uses very little power.

Quote:

You don't want a propane unit in your truck. The vibrations and angles will kill it.

This is exactly right. A propane CAPABLE unit, whether it can run on 12/120 or not, is an ammonia-absorption refrigerator. It heats ammonia to generate the cold, regardless of the "power" source. So, even if you DO use 12V while driving you are going to have issues in an off-road environment.

Hook - 4-10-2007 at 12:10 AM

Hey Roberto, you gotta jump in on that BFG discussion. I remember you having some issues with a set of Michelins you had. Would like to hear what happened? It's all about increasing the knowledge base.

BTW, I have purchased a new Class V hitch as I may be pulling an even bigger thing down to SC. Would you like yours back? Should I offer it to another Ford owner, gratis?

Or, I could try and sell it at one of our upcoming garage sales and send you a check?

Lemme know...........

Roberto - 4-10-2007 at 01:18 AM

Hook, you must have me mistaken for someone else - I'm the one that doesn't contribute anything, remember?

The hitch is yours to do as you like - passing it on would be nice, I don't want anything from it, but I appreciate the offer and am happy you got some good use out of it.

FYI, I recently learned something new about these hitches - you can get a class V with a 2.5" receiver for significantly enhanced load carrying capacity, especially in the case of extensions, and large ball loads.

Jumping in on the BFG thread? Frankly, why add anything? The DK clan seems happy to follow, so they must be right, right? :lol:

There seems to be no understanding of the difference between a stock long-trail T/A, All-Terrain or Mud-Terrain (let's not even go to the Baja T/A) - after all, if it's part of the Toyota off-road package, it's "Baja Ready". It's all about preening and showing off to the cluck-cluckers, not "increasing the knowledge base", compa. Life on the Internet, I guess.

You have my email, right?

Saludos, and sorry I don't have any pictures of you to post.

Bob and Susan - 4-10-2007 at 05:57 AM

now this is just me thinkin... :light:

but...

doesn't $1200 seem like a bit much for a "fancy" cooler :no:

http://www.ecovantagemarine.com/subcat63.htm

fridgefreeze.jpg - 8kB

Bob and Susan - 4-10-2007 at 06:03 AM

if ALL you need is ice and have an inverter...
it uses 3 amps

this thing is GREAT!!!
it makes a tray of ice every 14 minutes

Costco has it for $159 all day
Ebay is a little higher

susan makes "BAGS" of ice daily
oh yea...and ice for drinks :light:

Hook - 4-10-2007 at 11:08 AM

Yeah, I have seen the Superhitches and the likes.......I just have so much invested in the 2" world of towing, especially my solid steel, adjustable ball mount that does get it past the end of my Lance (barely).

Besides, this class V is rated up to 16k with a WDH.

Thanks for the use of the hitch all these years.

Hook - 4-10-2007 at 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob and Susan
now this is just me thinkin... :light:

but...

doesn't $1200 seem like a bit much for a "fancy" cooler :no:

http://www.ecovantagemarine.com/subcat63.htm

It does seem pretty silly, doesnt it. I guess we buy them....because we can. How many bags of ice does 1200.00 buy?

My primary reason for buying my unit was to freeze a few fillets for the ride home. That's something that an ice maker cant do. I still typically run an ammonia unit in the Lance for the everyday needs. It's certainly more temperamental.

Really, if someone knows that they will have access to ice within 5-6 days (and doesnt need freezing), 1-2 of these new generation ice chests are alot cheaper. They are amazing. Just designate a smaller one for beverages and fill the other with good blocks and the food.

Roberto - 4-10-2007 at 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hook
Yeah, I have seen the Superhitches and the likes.......I just have so much invested in the 2" world of towing, especially my solid steel, adjustable ball mount that does get it past the end of my Lance (barely).

Besides, this class V is rated up to 16k with a WDH.

Thanks for the use of the hitch all these years.

Here's why I perked up:

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Roberto - 4-10-2007 at 05:23 PM

Mas:

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Roberto - 4-10-2007 at 05:25 PM

One More:

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