my five dollar 12 volt fridge

[jeep-N-montero]

A month or so back I was at the local thrift store and grabbed this old 12 volt cooler that didn't have the cord for $5. It had no issues with the hinges or latches and the casing itself was like new, it also had the original inspectors name card inside it dating back to March 26, 1980. Everything seemed good so I thought what the heck. Fast forward to yesterday and I start googling this thing to find little info on it, other than that it was made by Koolatron. So I took a closer look at the control label and saw that it is one of their early portable fridges with an adjustable thermostat, but is still a thermoelectric model and draws 4 amps. A few hours ago I made a cord for it and plugged it in to our 12 volt cooler wall adapter when I ran out to run a few errands, when I returned I found that the fins on the heat sink had ice forming on them and the temp on the far side away from the cooling unit is 42 degrees when it is about 85 in our garage, this was after opening it up to take measurements and pictures. I am going to leave it plugged in and see if the temp drops even more inside it overnight, if it gets below 35 on the far side I will be happy. Internal measurements are 15inx12inx11.5in, which is 36 quarts or 9 gallons, more than enough for some frozen meat and cold drinks for a few days. Here is the link to the newer version of the cooler at $388.80 http://www.roadtrucker.com/temperature-controll-coolers/koolatron-temp-controll-12-volt-coolers.htm I think that if I throw a frozen liter bottle of water on each side on the bottom this thing will easily keep meat cold for 4 to 5 days where we go camping and fishing, days are 70-75 and nights are 40-45. I'm looking at either the battery saver by Koolatron or 2 other low voltage disconnect setups, but will have a second yellow top on hand if needed. For $5 it could turn out to be the best bang for the buck I ever spent on equipment, we will see very soon!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

And before anyone turns this into a "thermoelectriccoolersarejunkcomparedtoareal12voltfridge" debate, I am fully aware of the weak points on them, which is why I am monitoring the temp and looking at a disconnect setup to save the battery.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I just went downstairs to put a frozen ocean spray bottle in the cooler to see how it holds up overnight and the thermometer read just above 40, also made sure the thermostat was working and it turned the cooler off and then on again when it started to warm up a few degrees, so it does work. Off to bed and will update in the morning.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Good score!

I have a friend that uses a thermoelectric cooler with great sucess. Stocks it like a regular cooler along with frozen gallon water jugs. Uses the vehicle to power it durring travel and on the trail then the water jugs take over when the rigs not running. Makes frozen water bottles last a week.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Just went to check on it and the thermometer read 34 degrees with the bottle 100% frozen, this was after I put a load of towels in the dryer as I went to bed with the duct currently feeding into the garage making it at least 90 while it was running for about 2-3 hours. I can say that I'm very happy with the result, now I just need to throw a battery saver in the Jeep before we take it out camping.

 

[Utah KJ]

A Blue Box would work wonders and actually save your battery.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

A Blue Box would work wonders and actually save your battery.

Are you referring to the Sure Power low voltage switch?

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Nice find!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

So I called Koolatron's engineering department and spoke with Dave, he corrected me on the model number because I was reading it as FIA-M when it is F1A-M, just brought up a ton of info and this thing sold for $140-160 back in 1979. Also states that max amperage is 4 but was drawing 2 amps with a 70 degree ambient temp, this thing just keeps getting cooler....pun intended

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I'm thinking about adding a small fan to the inside to circulate air, time to search for one that draws minimal amps.

 

[jim65wagon]

you can't beat the price for a working 33 year old refrigerator even if it is junkcomparedtoareal12voltfridge. you just saved yourself several hundred dollars, and your drinks are still cold. good find!

 

[Crom]

Awesome find!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I think once I install a small circulation fan I will hook it up to our spare yellow top in the garage and see how long it lasts before it drops to 11 volts. But at night in 40-50 temps the cooler may not run very much at all with the lid closed. I was playing with the thermostat today and with it set at 2.5 on the dial it shuts off at 38 degrees, I put it at 4 about an hour ago and will go check on it in a few to see what the temp is at. But even at 38 it will keep things nice and cold, if frozen steaks or chops are wrapped together in newspaper I can see them lasting awhile. Shoot, I may not even need to run this at night, I'm going to unplug the cooler in a bit and see how long the frozen 32 ounce bottle lasts before completely thawing. Frozen items packed together would last a lot longer but this will give me some idea anyway.

 

[762X39]

I just scrapped one of these this week (saved the electronics for re-use in a project) but I have one that is about 20 years old (it too was free) and still works well. Funnily enough, I don't typically use it to keep stuff cold but often use it to keep stuff warm. A few years back, we transported a hot cooked turkey in it to our inlaws about 700km from home.It works great if you plug it in the night before, and precool or preheat whatever you are putting in it. I also have a small lunchbox size that is set up to heat/cook things in it that is the size of a, well a lunchbox. Works great to heat stuff up when I am on the road and want a hot meal on the go.Have fun with it.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I just scrapped one of these this week (saved the electronics for re-use in a project) but I have one that is about 20 years old (it too was free) and still works well. Funnily enough, I don't typically use it to keep stuff cold but often use it to keep stuff warm. A few years back, we transported a hot cooked turkey in it to our inlaws about 700km from home.It works great if you plug it in the night before, and precool or preheat whatever you are putting in it. I also have a small lunchbox size that is set up to heat/cook things in it that is the size of a, well a lunchbox. Works great to heat stuff up when I am on the road and want a hot meal on the.Have fun with it.

The funny thing is that the same week I found this I also grabbed a brand new Vector console/lunchbox size heater/cooler for $7 and it included the wall A/C plug, this is what I have the fridge plugged into right now and works great. We plan to use the Vector to heat up burritos and stuff on the trail.