Le Mans shortly, this year going to take a powered cool box to keep the sausages cool for the BBQ, I have a RAV Diesel 18 months old so battery should be fine. I do not know how much power these things use. My question is how often should I start the engine and for how long to run it to prevent the battery completely draining. Many thanks.
Richard Price
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They use a bit more than you'd think. DO NOT leave it running all night, it can flatten an HGV's batteries if they're not in good nick never mind a single 12v car battery.
I stick a couple of those blue "cool-pak" jobs in mine when I'm away for the week in the lorry, they stay cold and keep the temperature down when the box is off overnight. Only works for the first night of course but I can usually find a freezer to stick them in when I get back to my yard. Must confess though that my coolbox is fairly old and a bit basic, more modern ones may be more efficient. Having said that it's lasted three years which isn't bad.
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The one I saw in Woolworths last year was rated at something like 60 watts, which equates to 5 amps of power being drawn (60watts divided by 12 volts). A main beam headlight bulb is generally 60 watts. Question is, how long can you leave your headlights on before the battery runs flat? The headlights will be drawing twice as much power, so multiply the answer by two to give an approximate answer.
Upon googling the following site says:- On average, most Thermoelectric products can run 2 hours without the battery being drained of power.
www.mobilegas.co.uk/mobilecoolbox/electriccoolbox/...m
On the same site, there is a device (bottom of the page) to protect the battery from running flat:-
www.mobilegas.co.uk/mobilecoolbox/electriccoolbox/...m
The website mentioned is only an example. Googling brought up more with some results saying anything that 12 volt coolboxes can draw anything from 3 to 5 amps.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 07/05/2008 at 22:47
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I had this prob a few years ago (Camping) they use more than you may think & will run a battery flat in about 4 to 6 hours
Trying to run the engine to try and charge up the battery is like taking 2 steps foward and 3 back! You may as well keep it running all the time to get anywhere
My advice would be to buy a power pack thingy from Halfords or Argos which will charge off the ciggie lighter, But when its battery is dead forget about it and eat the sausage!!
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I have one in the boot, and it flattens my large battery in about 6-8 hours, the coolbox is 45W. You could add frozen sausages and ice packs before you set off, also, keep as little air in their as possible by packing with canned drinks etc... it's quite well insulated and will stay cold for hours if not opened. Might be worth putting a fridge thermometer in there too for safety reasons.
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Not more sensible to buy French sausages on demand then? Would have thought there would be innumerable outlets nearby (at the track even..) selling much nicer charcuterie than any old rubbishy sauaages you get in the UK. I know my sausages by the way.
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I bought one and intended to use it in my office at work for the milk... and take it on long journeys in the car
it is virtually useless if you don't have it packed full of cold things right from the start and keep it like it
now sat in garage where it will stay until it's old enough looking to throw away
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We bought one of the Woolworths ones last year and can confirm that after about 5 hours, the CMax wouldn't start. Had to get a bump start - fortunately we were not the last to leave the beach that day!
Other makes may be better, but in general, I'd say don't bother. I think a well insulated cool box packed with very cold items will last just as well.
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Just as useful as the "cool-paks" are plastic milk-bottles filled with water and then frozen.
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I wouldn't bother with a 12v only cool box. Get loads of the blue ice packs, and freeze your supplies if possible. When needed, take out the items and defrost in the open air. I've kept stuff cool for >48 hrs this way.
The alternative is a two-way 12v (when en-route) and gas-powered cool box. About £140 from camping shops. Much bigger, and far too big for your trip, I'd guess.
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I noticed a powered cool box on offer whilst in Lidl the other day - however, as it was of no interest I know nothing of its capacity or price and there's no mention on the Lidl website about the product.
A bit of a negative posting, but if you are passing a Lidl in the next day or so.....:-)
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there's no mention on the Lidl website about the product.
You *might* find out some info in the link below if it's one of LIDL's regular suppliers of their twice weekly specials.
www.kompernass.com/pages/index.php?page=1,0&lang=en
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Thanks for the link. I've looked through all the marques but no luck.
I'll nip into Lidl later today and see if they are still on display.
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We have a 12v coolbox and find it quite useful on long trips and our journey's across the continent.
It generally keeps stuff cool for a good while after the engine stops running. If we're camping then it stays in the boot and only gets run for an hour or so a day if we're out and about but keeps cool in between.
If you don't run it for more than a day or so the buy some ice to chuck around your bangers.
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Been to Lidl - still got at least a couple of what is termed the "Electric Cool Box" in stock.
It's 29.5l capacity, 12v and 240v and costs £29.99.
Since going I've found this link:
tinyurl.com/42v3vy
Seems to have been on sale from late April.
Edited by Stuartli on 08/05/2008 at 14:08
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..and since then (!):
tinyurl.com/4vqytd
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Doesn't have a chance of winning and you would have to be very small to fit in it.
Were you thinking of petrol or diesel?
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Very good ;-)
Just wondering if a camping fridge may be a better idea, one that runs from the gas cylinders you get in campings shops and possibly garden centres.
Used those types for a number of years when helping to lead camps for 70+ school kids and they worked very well.
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If you do not know the load I presume you haven't bought one yet. If not, and as OLDNOTBOLD suggests, go for something like mine a Camping Gaz camping fridge, mains, 12V and gas. Run from the cigarette lighter on the move and switch to gas at night; but not in an enclosed/unventilated space. It will cost more but worth it in the long run.
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Maplin do a "Car Battery Protector" For £4.99 which switches off whatever is pluged into it when the battery voltage drops to a preset level (11.2 volts). Its part number is L45AT. This will protect your battery but may allow your beer (or sausages) to warm up.
Edited by Old Navy on 08/05/2008 at 13:41
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I got a battery protector fitted in line with my cool box. Only runs for a few minutes before it cuts out. So definitely protects the battery but useless if you want to cool something on a camp site. I flattened my car battery over a few hours trying to chill a bottle of rose. Fortunately the camp site owner at Orleans was a proficient jump starter.
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snipped following a number of complaints !
Edited by Pugugly on 08/05/2008 at 17:58
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I got a battery protector fitted in line with my cool box. Only runs for a few minutes before it cuts out. So definitely protects the battery but useless if you want to cool something on a camp site.
Get a refund! mine works perfectly
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If you're serious about coolboxes then you have to get the compressor type, much more expensive at around GBP 350 but they draw less power and will last for years. I have a Waeco Coolmatic that is rated as a three star freezer on full setting!! Most Waeco boxes come standard with a battery saver (a must have). In my Caravelle, which has a second 85aH battery I have run the Waeco for 3 days and the battery is still good. The coolboxes have a wide range of cooling settings and generally just on minimum will do the job.
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Having run my usual fag packet cost /benefit analysis on this, I would have to conclude that not buying the fridge and substituting tins of beans with sausages already in would get my vote. In addition to a healthy battery the resultant additional drinking vouchers swung it in the end. ;-)
This could be blown out of the water, theoretically speaking, if you......
a) don't like beans
b) plan to share a small tent.
In this event suggest purchase of local sausages.
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Last time i went to Le Mans with a group of mates we took fridge from one of our partys kitchen + a petrol generator, had to run the generator 20 hours a day but kept the beers lovely and cold, we kept a small space near the top for food as well. Havent been for 6 years now , must go next year , brilliant experience
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>keep as little air in their as possible by packing with canned drinks etc... it's quite well insulated and will stay cold for hours if not opened.
I've got one of these: snipurl.com/27yia except mine is bigger and has a polar bear on the front.
We took it camping, and it had milk, sausages, bacon and cheese in it. We also put some ice blocks in there to help it along, and it was pretty packed. The meat went in frozen, so it was fine for about the first 24 hours. We decided not to leave it in the hot tent and instead took it in the car and left it plugged into the socket in the Passat while we went off walking in the afternoon.
The poor little fridge wasn't up to the job, and we came back to a hot car with a mini-fridge that had turned into a mini oven! We had to throw everything out.
I think it would be ok if plugged in permanently in the office or something, and all it had to do was keep milk cool, but as a camping fridge it's useless.
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I think it would be ok if plugged in permanently in the office or something and all it had
to do was keep milk cool.
they won't even do that. I even tried filling it with cold cans of drink, just to be in there and help keep the milk cold, because with the milk on its' own it didn't work well enough. After two days off and coming back to longlife milk (which lasts months at home), the milk was off. Gave up in the end. Waste of money.
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While my assisted coolbox is adequate for my use of keeping already chilled drinks and sandwiches cool, (24 hours max) and the battery protecter works for the short periods my car is "off". If you are going to live rough for a weekend I would suggest you get a real fridge and power supply.
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they won't even do that. I even tried filling it with cold cans of drink just to be in there and help keep the milk cold because with the milk on its' own it didn't work well enough.
I've got a 4 litre mini fridge in my office which is similar to the one in PG's link (but I got mine last year from Woolworths for £12.50). Works fine. Keeps my small bottle of milk cold as well as the couple of cans of diet coke.
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This sounds like very expensive/hard work sausages.
1. Switch to lamb chops or steaks - meat keeps better than sausages; pork is the worst of the lot - ask the Jews, they knew what they were doing in a pre-refrigeration era, in a hot climate. Meat will keep perfectly well out of a fridge for a couple of days without killing you.
2. Find a local butcher.
3. Use an ordinary cool box and buy ice cubes to cool it (more effective than you may imagine). Or ice cream, or an imported leg of lamb.
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"buy ice cubes"
These are readily available in French supermarkets (as are a wide variety of sausages, not to mention all sorts of "barbecue packs") Also, though I haven't camped at Le Mans, it is very rare to find a French campsite which does not have a freezer in which you can refreeze the ice things for a coolbox - take four, two in your coolbox and two refreezing.
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