electric igloo coolers??

[centerline]

I dont need a discussion about a fridge being better, cuz I already know that it is, and I am NOT considering an electric cooler at this time either...

but a conversation with my wife got me to wondering....

has anyone actually measure the amp draw on the portable electric coolers?

there are several different manufactures and models, but about 15 years years ago I was using a 40qt igloo in my toyota pickup while working out of town, and in a 7 hour period it would run the battery dead (G24) to the point it would not crank the engine....

so I am assuming they must draw 4-5 amps, and due to the type of cooling that it is without a thermostat, it is a continuous draw and never shuts off til the battery dies...

my wife was asking if we could use one of these on the boat temporarily while connected to shore power and it prompted me to wonder if the technology has gotten any better on these units.

there are several reasons why I can think an ice cooler is better for us at this time than an electric cooling device would be, and two of the big ones are because the marina we are at offers free ice to its slipholders... and we dont have solar power on the boat yet.

so even though im curious about the electric cooler, I am sticking with the ice chest...

 

[ALNims]

I am unsure if you are planning on hooking up to your 115 VAC or you DC circuit. I think anytime that you can avoid draining the batteries is a good idea. Either way if you have your own multimeter you should be able to get a clamp on ammeter attachment for it and test the amperage draw while operating the cooler. The variable will be the amount of items you intend to store in the cooler. This will also affect how much amperage you would draw.

 

[chp]

I had one until it died. It drew 4.5 amps. I would shut it off at night and cover the cooler with an insulated cover. It took a lot to maintain the batteries especially if we had no sun for the charger. They are not well insulated so without power and no blanket they lost the cold quickly. It was a PIA. I went to using 2 coleman 5 day coolers and use sealed containers to keep food dry. The coolers were a better choice.

 

[seadaddler]

Much better

The newer Ref/Freezers are very good using very low power
and can set temp and auto switch from 110 and 12 volts .
I have 1 on my boat for cruising but really good ones are $$$$$$$.
Nick

 

[Prime Time]

Yes. 4-5 Amps. And it won't cool sufficiently on a really hot day in the summer. Something like 40 degrees below ambient temp. I have an Engel that is superb.

 

[Benny17441]

Yes they used to draw around 5 amps but I understand the newer ones are more efficient and some come with a thermostat. The problem is they still will only cool to 40-45 degrees below ambient temperature and in 90 degree weather that is not enough. Amps cost money and I refuse to pay just to have lukewarm beer.

 

[Bill1565]

Yes they used to draw around 5 amps but I understand the newer ones are more efficient and some come with a thermostat. The problem is they still will only cool to 40-45 degrees below ambient temperature and in 90 degree weather that is not enough. Amps cost money and I refuse to pay just to have lukewarm beer.

We use an Engel 40qt as a freezer keep it at + 5 F. Draws about 2.5 A runs less than half the time.

 

[Benny17441]

We use an Engel 40qt as a freezer keep it at + 5 F. Draws about 2.5 A runs less than half the time.

That is not a thermoelectric cooler, that is a compressor driven refrigerator/freezer. I could very well do with one of those.

 

[srhummer]

I have an older 40QT IGLOO Thermoelectric (big one - as big as my fridge) that can run off AC or DC (it has two plugs but only one can be plugged in at a time cause it blocks the other. It does very well ~2 amps on the DC plug IF I cool everything down before it goes in I even had it freeze some water in the bottom from where I had placed a bottle in that had lots of water on the sides from where it had been in a cooler with ice. I plug it in AC while at the pier and switch the plug to DC when I get underway. PS it uses less amps on the DC plug than if I use the AC plug on an inverter which is what you would expect. I think it cools better on the AC power.