Thermo-electric fridge - worth it?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มิ.ย. 2021
- Fridge has been discontinued but the information should apply to any and all small thermoelectric "refrigerators"
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Do read the details before buying the compressor frig: Yes, it's more efficient and cools more. But many say something like "Can't refrigerate while driving. *After parking, wait 6 hours before turning it on." * I'm rarely parking that long.
Great channel Tim your a awesome dude it seems you can put your hand to anything. What a gift.
Thank you for the kind words Mike.
My only "formal" education is in business management, but I truly enjoy engineering and testing.
Used a Colman one in a truck for about 2 year's....
They only cool a set number of degrees below ambient...
So during the winter, it was ok...but summer, if the AC was off, like when parked overnight, it would warm up quite a bit.
When I would go home for the weekend, I would usually toss half gallon water jug, frozen in the corner, and a few frozen meals, like in aluminum trays I would reheat in my 12v "lunchbox cooker"...
Anything you toss into it better be COLD before you put it in....
It served a need...but if I could have spent the extra $$$ on a compressor fridge, it would have served me much better....now that 12v compressor fridges are MUCH cheaper than a decade ago, it's a no brainer to get a compressor fridge.
So a agree with your conclusions....
Definitely feels like a glorified cooler to me.
It's a cool technology in the right application, but just not practical or efficient here.
Cheers!
-Tim
@@VanwithTim always noticed that the physical 12v plug would actually get HOT/VERY WARM when used.... actually melted one in the two years of use, and had to splice in a new one....and it was a Colman branded unit.
These things have been around for decades....and haven't improved...heck have had hotel rooms lately that use the same technology for the in room fridge.... interesting choice... cheap out on the fridge/microwave combo, then pay extra electric indefinitely too keep it running. Heck reminds me about 15 years ago a couple companies tried to sell similar units as "dorm" fridges....think after one "back to school" season, never saw them again.
@@timothyp3378 I remember staying at a few hotels with the Peltier fridges. Imagine an entire 200 room hotel running 200 ridiculously inefficient refrigerators 24/7 whether the rooms are occupied or not.
Should fire whoever was in charge of that purchasing decision.
This was a great review. This is what I expected. The cooling feature would definitely work better in the winter and/or a cold place. I did not know that it is not made for permanent use. Why is it not made for permanent use?
I think the actual Peltier module can operate continuously / permanently. Only thing I could think of was the continuous 50 watt power draw. Maybe the manufacturer worries the customers will see the increased electricity cost on their monthly bill and leave negative feedback?
Strange as they show many pictures of what looks to be permanent use scenarios in their marketing!
perfect size to put some meat in.. like lunch meat, cheese and stuf... compressors will always win..would Be nice to have a really really small one but with a Compressor
Yeah I just couldn’t honestly give it a recommendation for any camper conversions. Couldn’t believe the constant power draw.
Props to the manufacturer for being somewhat straightforward about its inability to cool more than 36F below ambient, but that almost makes the unit useless.
Great review! There are so many of these peltier coolers out there. I've heard these are not the most efficient units in terms of power usage. Any thoughts on what the most efficient refrigerator/cooler configuration would be?
Thanks for checking it out Zeke, you’re right on the market flood of Peltier coolers. Really the most efficient cooling still seems to be compressor based systems.
Surprising as not much has changed in them in the last 150 years.
If it's a computer fan, does that mean you'll be cracking it open to replace it with a RGB led fan?
I've had a fantasy project of mounting Peltier generators to a exhaust system or radiator system to scavenge current for charging batteries. Probably not efficient, but it wouldn't add load to the alternator and there's probably a few amps to be collected from a radiator system while it cools after driving.
Haha I think this unit is getting tossed in the closet for the foreseeable future.
Peltier modules are such a cool concept, and you’re spot on in recognizing the immense energy loss inside an internal combustion engine through heat.
I think Peltiers have a ways to come in terms of conversion efficiency for realistic energy harvesting.
However it would be really interesting to see what kind of wattage you could pull by placing them in extremes like directly on the exhaust manifolds or catalytic converters!
How hot does it get? Can it get hotter than the rated temperature if it is in a hot environment? Does the heating feature stay on permanently or does it cycle on and off like the cooling feature?
I never tested the temperatures of the heating function, but being that it uses the same module, just with current reversed, I would think the same 14C-20C (25F-36F) temperature delta would apply.
So in a 24C (76F) environment, it might reach 44C (111F).
I would hope there would be a temperature cut-off switch built in, but with how cheaply they're manufactured, I doubt that one is incorporated.
you should mod it with a heat pipe cooler for a cpu and see if it works any better
I'm betting it would help! Might make the unit more practicable.
Not sure if I want to keep the cooler or gut it and use the Peltier module in a "cool" DIY project...
Is that the same as an absorption refrigerator?
Not at all. Save your money.
Wow that fridge is a total waste of $$
Absolutely!
Basically.
I thought maybe the thermo-electric cooling had advanced since I last experimented with it 13 years ago but nope…
I don’t find a use for something that small...damn I sound like my ex 😟
It's always good for a big laugh.
I need my drinks under 10c so they are not good
Is that the same as an absorption refrigerator?
Not at all. Save your money.
I was just curious if it was the same system. Absorption’s only for so far below ambient temperatures too. I wouldn’t buy the fridge. But was considering an absorption. I think I need a compressor fridge though
@@d-arts7139 Rick beat me to it!
Those absorption fridges are real finicky and inefficient (much like this thermo-electric unit, just on a different cooling principle)
Definitely stick with the “tried and true” compressor fridge 👍👍
This thing has no place inside a camper build.
@@VanwithTim yea I live at 9,000’ and it’s always cool in the shade, but I would worry about only having 25 degrees below ambient to keep food safe! I need to be able to stock up with a couple weeks worth of food. Just ain’t gonna work 😁