3Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series

Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series

3Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series
3.6

36 reviews

PositivevsNegative
61%17%22%

Build Quality
4.1 (8)
Value for Money
4.0 (8)
Ease of Use
4.6 (8)
Cleaning & Maintenance
4.5 (8)
Small, compact
Affordable
Designed for both warm and cool food or drinks
Maintains food temperature, rather than altering it
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Reviews

36 reviews
The D.
The D.2 posts
  TC-14FL

SOME FACTS about these things

Good reviews, bad reviews, depend wholly on the folliwing factors -'
1. Ambient temp. If in an a/c vehicle of say 20°, they obviously work better than in a tent or ute tray of 30°.
2. Initially pre-cool EMPTY, and then put home- or shop-cooled food into them, rather than expecting them to cool 5kg of warm stuff down at 60watts of battery power.
3. When sitting in a turned off vehicle, cover with insulating blanket. Better still, sew up a thermal jacket.
4. Once cold, keep as close to full as possible (thermal mass is better than empty air). Show details
Tom P.
Tom P.Metropolitan Adelaide, SA
  TC-14FL

Great little unit TC 32 model

Bought this unit from brand new, buyers should understand what you are buying first, do your home work, this unit has been trouble free, it does what I want keeps things cool, it’s not a Engle fridge, very happy with the fridge as it is a few years old, more than happy to recommend to anyone, but again, do your home work on what you want, I run this fridge mainly on 240v but in summertime when wife goes shopping, we put it in back of car, keeping ice cream etc cold, just love it. Show details
buddbill
buddbill2 posts
  TC-14FL
Komang P.
Komang P.9 posts
  TC-21FL

Cooling food

Its ok if you put it inside the car with aircon on on your way to destenation.
It work depend on temperature inside your car (thermal cooling system) the cooler your cabin the beter this cooler will be.
Remeber to unplug it unless you have auxiliry battery Show details
Build Quality
Value for Money
Ease of Use
Cleaning & Maintenance
steve.lindz
steve.lindzmacksville6 posts
  TC-14FL

Uses heaps of power, barely cools anything

When I have used this for trips, I have put ice in it the night before leaving, then packed the fridge with a fresh ice brick and the food / drinks in the morning, this is the only way it will keep things cool. Better of with a good techni ice eski really. Don't leave running whilst car is off, 100% chance of getting a flat battery. Happened twice now, there won't be a third! But maby if you are doing long trips in the car and not to worried about things not been cold just cool, and happy for things to be warm after the car has been off for a little while then you'll probably love it. Show details
Build Quality
Value for Money
Ease of Use
Cleaning & Maintenance
Charles C.
Charles C.
  TC-14FL

Works quite well 2%

Power usage is fair gets cold works well I would suggest that if you have one and its not working properly that you may have an issue with your plug - I changed mine for some thing more heavy duty Show details
Alex D
Alex DBarkly, NT2 posts
  TC-14FL

Seems reliable

Good value, I've been using non stop for 2 months now and works well. Doesn't cool as good as a fridge but you get what you pay for. Recommended product. Show details
Ease of Use
Hardball
HardballSydney, NSW944 posts
  TC-14FL
Jens B.
Jens B.Greater Melbourne (Inner), VIC
  TC-35FL
JohnK56
JohnK56
  TC-14FL

What a lemon

Bought some time ago and it was kept in the box unopened until we needed it. Worked OK on 240V on trial and packed away. Used once on a road trip Brisbane-cairns where it lived on the back seat and used 12v DC. I would say it "cooled" things and never chilled. It never achieved the claims spruiked by Waeco/Dometic on the box. Went to use it on second trip and now does now cool or heat on either voltage. And of course out of warranty and try getting assistant from Waeco. I have been on hold for the service centre twice for a half hour. A very expensive single use esky! I will check Engell i think

 Show details

Don
DonAdelaide17 posts
  TC-35FL

Useful and durable car cooler/warmer

These units live up to their specifications: they cool down to 20C-25C below ambient and heat to about 65C. It is best to set the unit running on AC to precool or preheat and fill with cooled or heated food or drinks, however, this is not really necessary.

Replacement of an AC socket was the only repair in over 10 years of regular use. The unit can be used as a supplementary fridge but the fan is somewhat noisy in quiet situations such as a motel room.

 Show details

jesse
jesse
  TC-14FL
Ramjet59
Ramjet59Canberra28 posts
  TC-14FL

Power hungry, poor performance

I already have a car fridge and thought this might be a useful midpoint unit for when I dont have an esky at hand.

However as a short term, short transit device it is useless. It takes many hours to get any useful temperature reduction and in that time draws a huge amount of power. If your vehicle is running no problem, but leave this on an haux battery and it will eat all the amps for breakfast and still nothing will be cold.

If you want useful cold that doesn't chew your battery, get a proper fridge unit.

This thing is just a wildly overpriced esky with a noisy fan that doesn't stop.

 Show details

pete
pete89 posts
  TC-35FL

its only a cooler! definitely not a fridge

I bought one of these hoping it would provide the functionality of a Waeco fridge. I WAS WRONG. the unit couldnt keep things cool enough - the unit was power hungry and the fan noisy - and it just didnt cool very well.

these units use a device called a Peltier device - which is an amazing bit of technology, but it just doesnt provide sufficienct cooling compared to a real fridge that uses a compressor. Take it from me - if you need a Waeco fridge - buy a proper Waeco fridge - this unit will not do the job of a fridge.

 Show details

WOMBAT
WOMBAT3 posts
  TC-35FL

Chapter 4

The 12 volt fault was traced to a poor fuse connection through the plug. A new 240 volt circuit board was supplied under warranty by Waeco. It is now working on both voltages like it should, running on 4 out of 7 lights with cabinet temperatures ranging from 1.8c to 4.0c in room temperatures in the range of 16c to 24c.

 Show details

Questions & Answers

Ailsa L.
Ailsa L. · Waeco CoolPro TC-14FL (14L)

Whats the price of the14lt

Patrick R.
Patrick R. · Waeco CoolPro TC-14FL (14L)

When I have my CoolPro on maximum cool, it doesn’t get very cold. It makes all the right noises but I have left it on overnight and the beers are only just cool in the morning. What is the likely cause?

Colleen
Colleen · TropiCool Series

Is there any way I can get a USB cable for this unit to enable me to use my power packs to charge this unit when I am off grid.

Details

The Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series is a line of small, affordable portable fridges. Each comes with heating and cooling capabilities, able to cool below 25 degrees below or heat 65 degrees above external temperatures. They can run on 12V or 240V power, with a "7-stage" digital temperature control.

Reviewers liked the smallness of the fridge, often saying it fit well in the passenger footwell of a van or truck. Though not as high-performing or energy efficient as other portable fridges, reviewers generally agree that it's worth what it costs. People also noted the fridge is unable to change the temperature of food or drinks quickly, and should instead be seen as a tool to maintain the temperature of an item you put into it. It will struggle in extreme temperatures, and is best used to keep cold stuff cool, or hot stuff warm.

Compare all Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series listings
CategoryPortable Fridges / FreezersPortable Fridges / FreezersPortable Fridges / Freezers
Price (RRP) $399$299$249
Type Fridge OnlyFridge OnlyFridge Only
Capacity33L20L14L
Power SourceWall OutletCar (Cigarette Lighter) and Wall OutletCar (Cigarette Lighter) and Wall Outlet
FeaturesInterior LightDigital Display Panel and Interior Light
Cooling Capacity1 °C to 25 °C
Weight10.3 kg7 kg5.5 kg
Dimensions 460 x 376 x 550 mm420 x 303 x 450 mm328 x 303 x 450 mm
Manufacturer Warranty3 year(s)3 year(s)3 year(s)
Construction MaterialPlasticPlastic

Extra Information

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