Purchasing a used freezer/fridge

Richietherocket

Adventurer
I have found a 4 year old CF35 from Waeco for sale in town. The seller has not really used it in the time he has had it. Is there anything that I should look for before purchasing this? He only has the 12v plug for it. I will need to source a regular 3 prong plug since I have a 400w inverter in the back of my FJ.

I am also wondering at $400 that it is priced to high? I can get a new Edgestar 40qt from Compact Appliance for around $425 with a warranty. These Edgestars look like the older Engel fridges.

Any advice would be great. Hoping to take a look at this on Sat or Sunday

Thanks
rich
 

98roamer

Explorer
A couple of years ago, i drove 2 hrs to buy a used MFT60 knowing that he didn't have the 120v cord so I brought a standard computer cord. Well he modified the 12v cord to fit in his camper so I couldn't turn it on to confirm that it worked and I forgot my inverter. Well, you guessed it, it didn't work when I got it home- I gambled and lost. Make sure it works and cools fast enough, seems pretty standard really.
 

SoCal Tom

Explorer
I just bought a used older Waeco cf35 myself. Some of the older waecos are DC only. Make sure he has the basket, it cost 33$ plus 25 shipping for a replacement. To test the 12v pit the battery protector switch in low. When we went to tat mine it would only work with the engine running because the wiring wasn't thick enough, but in low it was ok,
Tom
I've seen used waecos go between 350 and 450. If it's ac/dc and has the basket, and looks good then I would go on the high side. If it's dc only then try for 350.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

PIC4GOD

Adventurer
You should think twice about using the AC outlet in the back of the FJ to power the fridge. It isn't very efficient and you won't be able to use it for long that way. You are better off wiring a 12v outlet near where you will be using it. Just a suggestion from personal experience in my FJ. There are plenty of threads over at the Blue Room on how to wire it up.

$400 isn't a bad price. I got my ARB for $600 on sale new from Toyota of Dallas. It will be one of the best investments you can make for camping/overlanding. Good luck with the purchase!
 

soul

Observer
Agree with PIC4GOD, inverter basically adds around 20% additional loss in conversion (depending on make/model). So better to run a 10 gauge wire from the main battery.Running a wire is not that difficult as it looks, either from inside or below the vehicle. Just ensure a good quality fuse is in line at the battery end.
 

nuclearlemon

Adventurer
i picked up and older waeco cf35 made by mobicool and it worked great for about a year....now it's just a freezer. i've heard the same from a couple of other folks who have the older models also. we've been replacing things left and right and still no fix and waecos customer service is horrible. that said, i only spent $200 for it and i used it a lot. not enough to get my money's worth, but enough that it wasnt' a complete loss. it takes a while for stuff to freeze and everything appears to be fine....so just plugging it in to make sure it works wouldn't be enough for me on another waeco..i'd need to test it for 24 hours or so.
 

madmax718

Explorer
I wouldn't get the adapter- its like supper loss factor- DC to AC back to DC. There's no reason for it. the unit should cool down really fast, at least to the touch. Grab an IR thermometer to make sure.

A lot of people complain about the waeco', but the reason they complain (from my research) is that the DC cigarette outlet kinda sucks, and loosens up quickly. Also, reading all the waeco documentation, they want the fridge plugged in really close to the battery to prevent voltage drop.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,540
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top