Technical Issues with Electric Coolers: Seeking Solutions

[Colliewood]

Hey everyone,

I recently purchased an electric cooler for my camping trips, and while it has been convenient, I've encountered a few technical issues that I hope someone can shed some light on. Firstly, I've noticed that the cooler tends to consume a significant amount of power, draining the battery faster than expected. Has anyone experienced this issue and found a solution to optimize power usage?

Additionally, I've noticed that the cooling performance is not as efficient as I had hoped, especially in hotter climates. Are there any tips or tricks to enhance the cooling efficiency of electric coolers? I'd appreciate any insights or advice you may have regarding these technical challenges.

I'm really sorry if it's off topic and not relevant to the forum.

 

[Colliewood]

Hey everyone,

I recently purchased an electric cooler for my camping trips, and while it has been convenient, I've encountered a few technical issues that I hope someone can shed some light on. Firstly, I've noticed that the cooler tends to consume a significant amount of power, draining the battery faster than expected. Has anyone experienced this issue and found a solution to optimize power usage?

Additionally, I've noticed that the electric coolers cooling performance is not as efficient as I had hoped, especially in hotter climates. Are there any tips or tricks to enhance the cooling efficiency of electric coolers? I'd appreciate any insights or advice you may have regarding these technical challenges.

I'm really sorry if it's off topic and not relevant to the forum.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[petersonra]

I think you have discovered the biggest problem with thermoelectric coolers. They just aren't very efficient and don't remove as much heat as might be convenient. I don't think you're going to find a fix for this problem.

 

[PaulMmn]

As I understand them, thermoelectric coolers are thermocouples 'running in reverse--' instead of heat generating power, power is fed into the thermocouple. One side of the junction gets cold, the other gets hot.
Perhaps a fan on the 'hot' side would improve things.... but then you're juggling more power for the van vs improved efficiency for the cooling side...

 

[Sberry]

Keeping it out of the sun would help a lot. Sit it in a cooler,,, with a big bag of ice????

 

[tom baker]

It’s not necessarily off-topic, but you are dealing with a large DC load on a battery. A marine battery,, AGM, battery, or automotive battery are only able to be discharged to 50% of capacity a little misleading if you look at the battery capacity. Below 12.2 V which is 50% you significantly shorten battery life. It’s important that you let you use a large conductor between the cooler and the battery to minimize voltage drop. Also, I would recommend if this is important to you for the cooler to use a lithium ion battery which can be discharged to essentially 0%. You might consider an alternative power source such as a Jackery, and perhaps a few portable solar panels

 

[tom baker]

The simple solution is dry ice
With the electric cooler, install a battery voltage monitor, around $30, do not let battery voltage drop below 12.2

 

[Joethemechanic]

Ammonia gas on propane. About as efficient as you're going to get off grid. No idea where you'd find one though. At least not a small one like a cooler

 

[tom baker]

Ammonia gas on propane. About as efficient as you're going to get off grid. No idea where you'd find one though. At least not a small one like a cooler

Agreed, that is the most common type

 

[Little Bill]

If it's camping, just get a cooler and fill with ice! No electricity needed!

 

[gadfly56]

Thanks in advance for any help!

You should ping Fulthrotl (Randy). He's got it right and tight for his off-roading adventure kit, including a refrigerator, but I don't recall which species.

 

[roger]

If it's camping, just get a cooler and fill with ice! No electricity needed!

Yep, I even keep my food, soft drinks, and beer in the same cooler as the fish I'm catching.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Salt the ice and you can freeze stuff. Sometimes by accident. I was the hero for making our beverages really cold when we sat around the fire. Next morning I was an A whole for making everything freeze and burst overnight

 

[gadfly56]

Salt the ice and you can freeze stuff. Sometimes by accident. I was the hero for making our beverages really cold when we sat around the fire. Next morning I was an A whole for making everything freeze and burst overnight

"A little more, a little more, whoa, whoa, whoa, way too much!!!"

 

[Jraef]

I think you have discovered the biggest problem with thermoelectric coolers. They just aren't very efficient and don't remove as much heat as might be convenient. I don't think you're going to find a fix for this problem.

Yep, I looked into them for keeping electrical equipment cool without needing to have a compressor, it's just not that feasible (although that doesn't stop people from making and selling them). I think I found that you can't go more than a 40deg. F delta, so if it is 100deg F outside, you are not going to get colder than 60F in the cooler. That's not beer cool (unless you are in England...)

 

[Joethemechanic]

I think I found that you can't go more than a 40deg. F delta,

Yeah but you can beat that by making a heat sink that protrudes into a container full of ice

 

[Jraef]

Yeah but you can beat that by making a heat sink that protrudes into a container full of ice

Then why not just use the ice?

Or am I maybe missing the sarcasm?

 

[Joethemechanic]

Then why not just use the ice?

Or am I maybe missing the sarcasm?

On a more serious note, could they work as "two stage"? Hot side of the first one dumping it's heat into the cold side of the second?

 

[gadfly56]

On a more serious note, could they work as "two stage"? Hot side of the first one dumping it's heat into the cold side of the second?

A multi-stage thermoelectric cooler? Who are we, NASA? I shudder to contemplate the overall efficiency.

 

[winnie]

Thermoelectric coolers have a really huge problem: You want wide short conductors for good electrical conductivity in the junctions, but you want long skinny conductors for good thermal insulation. The system ends up optimized to operate continuously at a single heat pumping rate at a single temperature differential, and is a huge thermal bridge when it isn't pumping.

Multi-stage TECs are possible, and might be more optimal for high temperature differentials, but even less efficient for most uses.

IMHO if you want to optimize for better efficiency and temperature differential capacity, you want to use a cooler with a DC powered compressor based cooling system.

-Jon