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Coleman stirling powered cooler


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#1 Skeeter

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Posted 10 May 2010 - 07:53 PM

Hey, I found this on Ebay and thought I would post it. If someone wants to upgrade the fridge/freezer I would recommend this. ebay listing The compressor works on thermodynamics and is extremely efficient. It uses a little bit more energy than the Engel, but is about half the cost. I have two of them and so far, I am very happy. They are hard to find since Coleman stopped making them a few years ago. -Skeeter
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#2 Mark W. Ingalls

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Posted 10 May 2010 - 09:20 PM

Holy crap...

Also on Amazon
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#3 craig333

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Posted 10 May 2010 - 11:31 PM

Wow, didn't know coleman ever made a version. Good thing I chopped up my credit cards or I'd be ordering one now.
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#4 SLOJET

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 05:15 AM

Ive been debating between buying a used three way fridge or buying the Coleman and turning the fridge area into storage. I measured out the area in the forward area between the couch and cabinet and the coleman will fit in there just, but just barely. I just picked up my Hawk so I'm not sure whats the better option. I like the idea of having a propane powered fridge in the stock location, but for the money maybe one of these 12v coolers is the way to go... I won't be running any solar just charging the battery while driving so I'm not sure how long I can run fridge before I wipe out the house battery. I know it draws 4amps but I have no idea what my total amp load is going to be at this point. I'm still new to the game. Anyone had both that can comment on what they would do if they had the choice again?
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#5 Skeeter

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 05:00 PM

Hey Slojet,
I had the three way fridge when I bought my FWC. After going through all the threads about which fridge option would be the best, I decided to go completely electrical. I just didnt like the idea of sleeping above a tank, and living out where the sun shines almost everyday was a no brainer. The Engel is a great product and has been around for a while. During my search, I came accross the Coleman, which is about half the price and works on the same technology. Coleman does not produce this product but I assume and hope they will support it. Both products work on the same principle of thermodynamics and are extremely efficent. The also use very few moving parts. Some people love the three way fridge and they are very happy with them. I wanted an Engel and just happen to find the Coleman during my search. I am very happy and would never look back. Another important consideration is the size of the cooler. It is only 27 quarts and is perfect for a three/four day trip. If your needs are greater than I would consider a larger Engel model which will cost you twice as much.

As far as numbers go here is what I came up with. The Coleman has 5 settings versus the Engel which I believe is varible. The power consuption of the Coleman is .66 Amps for the lowest setting to 4 Amps on the freezer. The temps for the 5 settings are;
1. Cool one- 50 degrees 8 watts/.66 Amps
2. Cool two- 43 degrees 16 watts/1.33 Amps
3. Cool three- 37 degrees 27 watts/2.25 Amps
4. Freeze one- 19 degrees 42 watts/3.5 Amps
5 Freeze two- -.4 degrees 55 watts/4.1 Amps

So if you had a 100 amp battery you could run on Cool 3 for 44 hours till your battery would die (not recommended). I use a 65 watt solar panel and a 100 amp battery and during the summer months I am good to go. The money I saved from buying the Coleman over the Englel I used to buy a 45 quart Yeti cooler. If I am on the road for more than a week and I dont feel like driving to town to buy Ice, I just make some with my cooler overnight and throw it in my Yeti which can hold cubes for over a week. I would have given my old fridge to you, but I traded it in for a Fantastic fan at the local RV salvage yard. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any questions. -joel
p.s. Here is a link for a company that sells the stirling cooler.
My link

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#6 Mark W. Ingalls

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 07:07 PM

Wow... great link...
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#7 SLOJET

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Posted 28 May 2010 - 08:50 PM

Hey Slojet,
I had the three way fridge when I bought my FWC. After going through all the threads about which fridge option would be the best, I decided to go completely electrical. I just didnt like the idea of sleeping above a tank, and living out where the sun shines almost everyday was a no brainer. The Engel is a great product and has been around for a while. During my search, I came accross the Coleman, which is about half the price and works on the same technology. Coleman does not produce this product but I assume and hope they will support it. Both products work on the same principle of thermodynamics and are extremely efficent. The also use very few moving parts. Some people love the three way fridge and they are very happy with them. I wanted an Engel and just happen to find the Coleman during my search. I am very happy and would never look back. Another important consideration is the size of the cooler. It is only 27 quarts and is perfect for a three/four day trip. If your needs are greater than I would consider a larger Engel model which will cost you twice as much.

As far as numbers go here is what I came up with. The Coleman has 5 settings versus the Engel which I believe is varible. The power consuption of the Coleman is .66 Amps for the lowest setting to 4 Amps on the freezer. The temps for the 5 settings are;
1. Cool one- 50 degrees 8 watts/.66 Amps
2. Cool two- 43 degrees 16 watts/1.33 Amps
3. Cool three- 37 degrees 27 watts/2.25 Amps
4. Freeze one- 19 degrees 42 watts/3.5 Amps
5 Freeze two- -.4 degrees 55 watts/4.1 Amps

So if you had a 100 amp battery you could run on Cool 3 for 44 hours till your battery would die (not recommended). I use a 65 watt solar panel and a 100 amp battery and during the summer months I am good to go. The money I saved from buying the Coleman over the Englel I used to buy a 45 quart Yeti cooler. If I am on the road for more than a week and I dont feel like driving to town to buy Ice, I just make some with my cooler overnight and throw it in my Yeti which can hold cubes for over a week. I would have given my old fridge to you, but I traded it in for a Fantastic fan at the local RV salvage yard. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any questions. -joel
p.s. Here is a link for a company that sells the stirling cooler.
My link


Skeeter,

Thanks so much for writing that up. I think the cooler is looking like great alternative for the 3way fridge. I appreciate you taking the time to do that!

Dave
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#8 simimike

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Posted 29 May 2010 - 04:15 AM

Hi SOLJET, I have the 3way refer and I like it. My learning curve isn't what it used to be but once I figured out which settings to use and when it has worked well for me. As a long time tent camper being able make my own ice has not lost it's sense of wonderment.
Which ever type you get should depend on your camping style. If you are going to use your camper as a base camp perhaps a 3way would be best. You can run the refer for weeks on propane, rain or shine, sun or shade. But if you like to move to a new camp every day or two the 12V may be a better choice.

I like to move to a new camp each night so the 12V would be the way I would go if I was going have a new camper built from scratch.

On a side note. My good friend Ike likes to drive around with the refer on propane. Recently he was told this was dangerous. Pulling into a gas station with a open flame is not the best idea. Let alone careening down the highway with a small propane fire in your camper. But so far so good. Hope this helps.

Mike
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#9 SLOJET

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Posted 31 May 2010 - 04:09 AM

Hi SOLJET, I have the 3way refer and I like it. My learning curve isn't what it used to be but once I figured out which settings to use and when it has worked well for me. As a long time tent camper being able make my own ice has not lost it's sense of wonderment.
Which ever type you get should depend on your camping style. If you are going to use your camper as a base camp perhaps a 3way would be best. You can run the refer for weeks on propane, rain or shine, sun or shade. But if you like to move to a new camp every day or two the 12V may be a better choice.

I like to move to a new camp each night so the 12V would be the way I would go if I was going have a new camper built from scratch.

On a side note. My good friend Ike likes to drive around with the refer on propane. Recently he was told this was dangerous. Pulling into a gas station with a open flame is not the best idea. Let alone careening down the highway with a small propane fire in your camper. But so far so good. Hope this helps.

Mike


Hey Mike,
Thanks for the rundown. I will mainly be moving every day or at the very least every other. My main worry is the leveling issue with the propane. I've been told around 3 degrees out of level is it's tolerance? How bad is the leveling issue in day to day use. I will hopefully be out of established campgrounds most of the time so that's why I was leaning towards the 12v. I found a good deal on a three way and other than having to cut the siding and install the thing, it's a much cheaper option than going 12v. I'm having a hard time balancing the pros and cons of both having never used either...

What about just running on the 12v when you're parked a little sideways? Anyone know how many amps the Dometic 3 way's draw?

And yeah driving around with a fire burning might make me a bit uncomfortable!

Thanks,
Dave
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#10 Skeeter

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Posted 31 May 2010 - 06:32 AM

The Dometic fridge consumes 115 watts at 9.5 amps per hour. More than twice as much as the Coleman. Here is a link for the manual; Dometic manual
It states that "the engine should be left running while in the 12v mode". Page 6, section 14,b. You need to run on propane when your in camp, the 12v is for enroute. -joel
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