We have bought a cool box from Aldi, but we have never used one before and can't understand the instructions. Do they need to be plugged in constantly or just charged up? If using the car charger, does your car engine have to be running?
I know I sound a bit thick but the instructions are all about saftey and storage etc. not the basics.
Hi Mrs Denny, Our pal has a electric cool box, and, he freezes all his meats and milk before setting off, plugs it in the car lighter during transport, then plugs it in EHU whilst away. It does need to be kept plugged in, and the stuff needs to be as cold as possible before putting in it. Thats how his works, I am not sure your will be the same, but well at least I got rid of the sad blue face.
As Shirley has said your cool box needs to be plugged in to either a 12 volt supply (car socket) or to mains electric (using an adapter which you'll probably have to buy separately). It doesn't get charged up as such it just needs power to run.
You don't need the car engine running for it to work but your battery won't last very long if you run the box off it without the engine running. Make sure you know whether your car shuts off the car socket when the engine is turned off or not - mine does but not all do - if your socket stays live when the engine is off you need to remember to unplug the box if you're stopping for more than a couple of hours.
OK, that's what we thought. We will probably try and use the EHU then. Only bought it because last time we used our stanadad cool box, everything had gone to mush by the time we arrived and I have a feeling this weekend is gonna be a hot one too.
You'll find that most of these boxes cool to 20 or 25 degrees below ambient temperature so if it's 30 degrees outside you'll get either 5 or 10 degrees in your box, as above think about taking frozen food with you to keep the temperature down in the box. Try and keep it shaded where possible - reflective windscreen sheets are quite good for this!
Hi MrsDenny. I b ought a couple of these when they were on special offer. As you'll have found I'm sure you do not need a special adapter to run them off the mains as the mains unit is built in. with a standard 13-amp plug. In case you haven't noticed, this can be removed which will give you a continental-style 2 pin plug. It also has a 12-volt car plug built in - all in the little box on the back of the lid. If possible, I'd run it off the mains as much as possible saving the 12-volt side for when you're travelling, remembering what was said above about draining the car battery. Incidentally, I have been using one of mine in our bedroom during the hot spell to keep our milk cool for our early morning cuppas and it has worked a treat. Just watch out for a build-up of water in the bottom. This is not a fault but condensation which develops and the water is clean. It's probably good enough to use in your car battery or instead of distilled water in your iron but I wouldn't guarantee it.
I tend to start mine cooling 24hrs before travelling, as I read they take twice as long a fridge to get upto optimal temperature. If you cant wait 24hrs, I alway keep some frozen packs in the freezer and add them to my coolbox for a few hours before travelling to accelerate the chilling process if I have enough space I leave them in as well as running from the electric.
I find it good to try and use both ice packs and the electric to keep the coolbox ice cold on very hot days.
We have the very same Aldi one. Its great as it has both 12v & 240v leads built in. You do get a bit of water, but like a previous poster said, its because of condensation. Ours worked perfectly during the week we had in Dorset, even in the very hot weather. I normally plug ours in the night before we go away to pre-cool it, and then plug it into the car while travelling. Ours kept some well wrapped chicken breasts we bought fresh for 5 days, before we bbq'd them. But dont leave it plugged into the car without the engine running. A family camped by us did, for only 2 hours, and it flattened their battery....!!!
Not many people know that even the Combicool 3 way can only cool to 20C below the ambient temperature. In this weather were it is 35+C the box will only cool to 15C. I know this because ive just spent half hour talking to a Waeco technical man. I was asking why my combicool is not dropping down below 12C at the moment, he spent a lot of time explaining how they work and why mine is working perfect even though its at 12C. This is not any good to us for camping we need around a constant 5C. He told me to buy the WAECO CoolFreeze CF type. This type run a compressor inside them and can go down to -18 even in this weather.. Only drawback is they cost 4x asmuch as my combicool 3way.. the WAECO CoolFreeze CF-25 will cost about £430 its only 25ltr too the next one up is a 35ltr at about £500 thats the one i am looking at. Once down to the temperture it will only draw about 1/2 an amp at 12v dc. My 3 way draws about 6Ah(lots more). This type of fridge/freezer are the best on the planet..
P.S a normal coolbox in this weather is useless, even the 12v fan type.
for more info
WAECO UK Limited Unit G1 Roman Hill Business Park Broadmayne Dorchester Dorset DT2 8LY
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Cool Boxes :O/
