Summer is coming soon and it will become problematic to transport perishable products in the car, so springtime; a great time to buy a refrigerator in the car. This item will definitely not be superfluous in your trunk. From the first minutes of its appearance, you will appreciate all the advantages of this unit, unless, of course, you made the right choice when buying. So, how to choose a quality car refrigerator?
Types of Car Refrigerators:
- Insulated containers are ordinary containers that can store chilled or hot food. Such devices are autonomous, that is, they do not require electricity to operate. Keeping the temperature is carried out through the use of special thermal insulation materials. In order to keep the cold in the container for a longer period, we recommend using cold accumulators . It makes sense to buy such a thermos bag if you do not need to store food for a long time. Such isothermal devices are the simplest and relatively inexpensive.
- Thermoelectric auto-refrigerators can have the smallest volume, which is usually 7 liters or more. Such mini-refrigerators work from a car cigarette lighter. When connected through a special network adapter, they can be powered from a 220V household outlet. The devices do not have freon, and cooling is carried out by a cooling thermoelement with a fan that blows warm air out. The advantages of a thermoelectric auto-refrigerator are in a small mass and low energy consumption. Among the shortcomings can be noted the impossibility of freezing food and a slow set temperature. It is recommended to put food inside cold and use cold accumulators .
- Absorption auto-refrigerators: are able to operate on gas, from a cigarette lighter and from a 220 V network. The devices cool products using a liquid refrigerant (water-ammonia solution), which circulates through the device. The main advantages of these auto-refrigerators include the absence of moving parts (compressor), rapid cooling, energy savings and relatively small size.gas bottle for 5 liters, is able to feed the absorption auto-refrigerator continuously for 230 hours. The disadvantages of such refrigerators include sensitivity to vehicle tilts. If the machine tilts at an angle of about 30 degrees, then the circulation of the liquid in the device will be disturbed and the auto-refrigerator will turn off.
- Compressor auto–
Refrigerators are essentially ordinary household refrigerators, only smaller. The main advantages of such devices are fast cooling of products and large volume. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the high price, large dimensions and heavy weight. Compressor auto-refrigerators work from the cigarette lighter or from a regular 220 V network. The devices use a safe refrigerant type of freon.
DETERMINING MOMENTS OF CHOICE
The baggage of acquired knowledge about modern cooling devices will greatly simplify the process of selecting the necessary auto-refrigerator. It remains to determine the main selection criteria.
The volume of the device is determined by the number of passengers who are next to the driver on the journey. It is better to proceed from a simple rule that recommends that 1 person have a useful refrigerator volume of 5 liters. For a family of 4, models with a capacity of 20 liters are quite suitable.
- You should also take into account the range of distances that you have to overcome in the car. If a family or a group of friends likes to relax in nature within 50 km from their place of residence, then you can limit yourself to buying an isothermal bag. And when a vacation far from civilization stretches for a week, then you can’t do without a car refrigerator powered by the on-board network of a car or a gas cylinder.
- Air temperature is also of great importance. In the summer heat, an ordinary isothermal container will fit to visit the beach. For a long vacation in the wild, you will need a freezer or compressor cooler that can provide a low temperature.
- An important criterion when choosing a cooling device will be the quality of the roads on which long journeys take place. If the motorway can be compared to the famous autobahn, then there are no restrictions. But when driving off-road or mountainous terrain, the best option would be to buy a thermoelectric device.
SOME USEFUL TIPS
Before you go to the nearest store for the desired purchase, you should consider a few useful recommendations. They will allow you to purchase the best model at an affordable cost.
You can save money when buying an auto-refrigerator if you pay attention to the temperature difference between the environment and the internal cavity of the device, which is declared by the manufacturer. The larger the difference, the more expensive the model.
- Before buying a refrigerator, it is not superfluous to make sure that the purchase will fit in the car. It is better to take a tape measure and take a couple of measurements. At the same stage, you should think about how the new device will be fixed in the cabin or trunk.
- A very useful option in the auto-refrigerator will be the ability to turn off the device on its own when the minimum battery charge is reached. If there is no such function, the car may not start after a long rest.
- You should also pay attention to fixing the cover. It will not be very pleasant when driving over bumps when the refrigerator opens and food falls out. The best option would be to place the cover on top, not on the side.
