Everkool IB 70 fridge review
Paul Kelley
EVERKOOL IB 70 PRODUCT REVIEW
When I first purchased my IB 70 around Christmas time Australian Direct asked me to review this new model, and although it looked good wanted to give it a test run first.
Six months on, I now feel more qualified to give a more honest and accurate appraisal.
In essence it is a loose copy of a "National Luna 75 litre two door fridge/freezer, and while it doesn't have all the whistles and bells, it has most of them and at little more than one third the price. $969.00 versus $2690.00 plus delivery for the N/L.
I wanted a fridge freezer with independent temperature controls, so that I can freeze freshly caught fish quickly without the risk of freezing my lettuce at the same time. The more direct opposition (Waeco at one and a half times the price and the Engel around twice the price), don't have separate controls and thus can't do this as effectively.
The BD 35 compressor seems to be very efficient when operating in the rear of my Troopy, running starter size cables from my 100 a/h AGM auxiliary battery. I improved the unit's efficiency further by eliminating the cigarette lighter socket and shortening the lead. I then mounted the external 240 volt power supply inside the fridge unit, next to the compressor where there is more than enough space and incorporated a change over relay and shortened up all of the wiring to minimize voltage drop. This changed the voltage at the fridge from 11.5 volts to 11.9 volts whilst running on 240 volts. The heat omitted from the power pack is minimal and not an issue anyway when running on mains power.
I am a firm believer in heavy wiring for efficient operation and keeping the wire run as short as possible. I can't stress this enough!
As well as the power pack, the fridge comes with a protective cover, and while I don't consider black to be the best choice in colours from an efficiency point of view, it is sliver on the inside and when it's 40 degrees C on the outside it's only 38 C on the inside of the cover, so it is of some benefit.
The controls are easy to use, if not a little hard to read for an old fart like me without my spectacles.
All the controls are digital and the temperatures on the display seem to err on the side of optimism when checked against my digital thermometer, but once one gets each side of the fridge adjusted to one's individual temperature requirements it really doesn't matter what they are displaying. It has a turbo mode for extra fast cooling and another feature is the low voltage cut out to eliminate flattening one's battery. Be aware however, when you turn the fridge off it returns to the default setting of 10.5 volts which is far too low as there would be inadequate power to start a vehicle and will kill your battery in no time!
The freezer will freeze food and keep it frozen at 50 degrees C ambient in all but the top 3 centimetres of the freezer, but the compressor is running almost continuously to achieve this, but drawing so little power it's certainly not an issue. I realise that one of the purposes of the included baskets is to separate the contents of the fridge from the inside lining to allow the cool air to circulate, but I have permenantly removed the basket from the freezer section because it freezes the contents far quicker (better transfer) this way. Just make sure you move any wet items before they completely freeze to aviod sticking to the freezer walls.
The Evakool IB 70 comes with a 5 year warranty on EVERYTHING, not any other fridge on the market offers that, not even the ridiculously over priced N/L. I am extremely happy with the standard of finish, functions and the amazing efficiency of this unit, it will run indefinitely with 2 x 100 watt solar panels on my Troopy roof coupled to my 100 a/h AGM battery via a Ctek DC to DC smart charger. Whether it be in the heat of summer or overcast winter rainy days, after 3 days without even starting the engine, the voltage will read over 14 volts in the evening and never less than 12.1 volts in the morning before the sun comes up. Summing up, I couldn't be happier with my Everkool IB 70.
Paul Kelley
Paul Baxter
Great write up PK been looking at fridge freezers
Sent from my iPhone
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