Refrigerator water heater combo - please comment

[Matthew Lee Bowman]

Hello! I am working with a group to develop a new camping product and we need feedback from potential customers. If as many people as possible could read the brief explanation of the product and please answer the short survey it would be very much appreciated.

The product is a small, battery powered, portable refrigerator which also has a built-in container which heats water. This would mean that in the same place you keep your food you can heat up water for hot drinks, washing, and cooking. It works by using the wasted energy from the heat pump of the refrigerator.

1 What is attractive about this product?
2 What is unattractive about this product?
3 Would you use it for anything other than camping?
4 How would you change it to make it more desirable for you?

If you were going to buy this product...

5 How much would you pay for it?
6 Where would you expect to find it or learn about it?
7 How would you want the company to help you with problems with it? (online, phone, store)

About your own typical camping...

8 What luxury items do you take camping?
9 How often do you go camping?
10 What do you use hot/warm water for when camping?

Please add any other questions or comments you have. Thanks!

 

[Pest]

You have a very interesting and innovative idea.

I can't answer all the questions, but my initial thought, I would guess that the very power efficient DC fridges don't give off enough waste heat to get water much above ambient. I don't really know, since I don't own one, but since they consume little power, I would immagine that very little is wasted as heat (or at least I would hope so).

However, if it was running on propane, I could actually see that working out.

 

[dwh]

If it's battery powered and small, then it sounds like something that might only be useful for day trips. That wouldn't work for me, as I use my truck for a week, or more often, weeks, at a time.

 

[sixbennetts]

1. It's attractive because it possibly combines two important devices,fridge and water heater. In a small camper, this could save crucial space.
2. What's unattractive about it is if one part fails, you *might* have to replace the whole unit. (Maybe make them modular?)
3. Many uses besides camping, beach going, picnics, tailgating, any time fo od will be served to clean hands, utensils, kids.
4. I would make the fridge top-opening with super efficient insulation, steel housing, water tank on the bottom and the fridge can slide off the tank so the tank stays mounted but the fridge slides out. Simple system. The less electronics to fail, the better. Fridge/tank footprint would be the same for all sizes, height would vary with capacity. Fridge and water tank capacities could then be mixed and matched.
5. Under $1000
6. I'd learn about it first by Googling for camping refrigerators and hot water heaters, which would eventually lead me here, of course!
7. I prefer email help, maybe live chat. Mostly because I'm sick and tired of 20 minutes of computer voices telling me to press this or say that. If you can promise me a heartbeat will answer the phone, you got a customer.
8. We camp all summer sometimes, so we bring a TV for when the weather is bad. (If you can make a decent, small, light, microwave/toaster combo, I'd buy one of those, too!)
9. See above.
10. Washing up real quick, some Ramen, preheating water for cooking, coffee, tea,, showers, heck if you have a hot water heater, you could preheat the water that goes through it saving fuel.

I'll gladly test one for you.

 

[toymaster]

Hello! I am working with a group to develop a new camping product and we need feedback from potential customers. If as many people as possible could read the brief explanation of the product and please answer the short survey it would be very much appreciated.

The product is a small, battery powered, portable refrigerator which also has a built-in container which heats water. This would mean that in the same place you keep your food you can heat up water for hot drinks, washing, and cooking. It works by using the wasted energy from the heat pump of the refrigerator.

1 What is attractive about this product? It is Intriguing
2 What is unattractive about this product? More on this later
3 Would you use it for anything other than camping? nope, unless the power was out.
4 How would you change it to make it more desirable for you? Can't say, have not seen it yet

If you were going to buy this product...

5 How much would you pay for it? ~$1000
6 Where would you expect to find it or learn about it? ???? Internet, of course
7 How would you want the company to help you with problems with it? (online, phone, store) Customer service is very important

About your own typical camping...

8 What luxury items do you take camping? Shower...
9 How often do you go camping? As often as possbile
10 What do you use hot/warm water for when camping? Heat exchanger with engine coolant makes the hot water for showers and dishes

Please add any other questions or comments you have. Thanks!

You say battery powered and portable, I assume this means 12VDC. My best guess would be using propane and ammonia style fridge that is unless you have changed the laws of physics. To have enough power to heat an amount of water would quickly drain any car battery. Details would have to be given and test results shown for performance before I will believe it to work.

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

If you really want a big score just develop a fridge that can also keep your food from freezing in the winter. Unless I've missed one, none of them do that.

As far as using the heat generated I'd think that with the efficiency of what we would look at buying there wouldn't be enough left over energy to heat water. The good fridges all average under one amp an hour, and that low draw is what makes them great.

By having the water heated and kept close to the cooler part you would be losing some efficiency. Especially if we're talking dish water hot say 105 degrees. I think efficiency is what everyone is going to look for. If its not efficient enough to leave it in the vehicle for a couple of days without killing the battery or spoiling your food then it'll wind up in the shed or on Craigslist.

Well sorry to sound like a downer for the idea. I just don't personally think it would make sense. However, here's a few things I would like to see in a fridge.

1) Ability to maintain set temperature regardless of conditions. For example keep food 33degrees when it's 120 or -10 outside.
2) Small built in battery backup that could run if for say an hour or two. With an audible alarm if voltage shutoff activates.
3) Lower current draw say .5amp/hr maintaining a temp. Better Efficiency
4) Solar panel built into lid. Ideally this would give you the ability to take it out and set it down for a picnic in the sun without draining the previously mentioned battery. It could also reduce the load during the day if left in the vehicle.

Not new but nice features to have.
1)Dual separate climate zones would be nice.
2)All digital accurate controls
3)Incorporated organization/Basket
4) Lightweight heavy duty construction. No worrying about it getting rained on, dust etc
5) Easily removable lid for where you don't have the clearance to open it all the way.
6) Easy to access drain plug for cleaning