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Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series
TC-14FL (14L), TC-35FL (33L), TC-21FL (20L)Pros
Small, compact
Affordable
Designed for both warm and cool food or drinks
Cons
Maintains food temperature, rather than altering it
Reviews
- 9 reviews
- 93 likes
Had the 14 tfl for about 10 years now. Running on 12v only, daily use in a delivery van.
Perfect fit in passenger's side footwell of a forward control vehicle. Fits perfect on floor of Camry & Corolla too! Position behind driver's seat for quick access to beers on a long trip. Just be wary of using lighter plug to power the unit when switching between vehicles if not using ice bricks to assist cooling. Increasing popularity of rear mounted lighter sockets in SUV's could be an issue. Refer to comments on this issue further down regarding alterna...
Purchased in August 2009 at Supercheap Auto for $150.00.
Dont buy it if you want a fridge, this is effectively an iceless esky. If you try to cool something down it will suck, it just doesnt produce a low enough temperature to get a differential and it will be going flat out for very little return...hence i suspect, the negative reviews.... the cooler is just there to evacuate the heat that makes its way past the insulation or comes in with warm air when you reach in for a drink.
if you use it to keep cold stuff cool, it's awesome. we load it full of cold items, and have it plugged in to only run ...
Read morewhen the car is on, cold drinks when we want them, refrigerated meat for weekend camping, no fear of flat batteries. for longer trips back it up with a larger fridge or esky and keep that one shut to keep the heat out.
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
I bought this cooler for my ute as I do a lot of travelling & love having a cold drink (& not paying $5 for a bottle of water on the Nullabor).
I have it running off my second battery & has been on since Sept 16. It keeps my drinks & food cooler than I expected even on 40 degree days it keeps everything chilly.
The only issue I've had with mine was the internal fan was making a clicking noise & it was due to a bit of ice (lowered the temp & it thawed) so note, don't have it on the highest setting for 7 months straight.
Find out how Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series compares to other Portable Fridges / Freezers
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Keeps drinks nice and cool. Sits in the truck with me and cant complain. Kept my drinks cold today (was 39 degrees)
Fites 6 water bottles and ny sangas nice and cool. Will recomend to all our friends. The boss is even buying some for the other trucks in the fleet.
Works great icey cold drinks when you need them couldn't do without it now sits on truck seat beside me forever ready cool suggested to friends and family to buy one nice and easy to handle and light too which helps in the truck even my sandwiches stay nice and cool on a hot day bonus.
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- 9 reviews
- 5 likes
Temperature sits near 3 Celcius and large enough for a few drinks and containers of food. Light enough to lift easily into back of my 4x4. Can't fault this little TC-14FL, price was very good from BCF. Great on 240V excellent on 12V, big enough to hold a couple of longer bottles if needed.
- 20 reviews
- 25 likes
I purchased this unit as a cooler for a 4wd. It performs admirably it is light enough to be lifted easily and will hold 4 bottles of water and 2 sandwiches and 2 apples easily. The temperature is down to about 3 degrees on a 34 degree day. It is quiet and I cant fault it in any way.
- 12 reviews
- 26 likes
I have had the Waeco 35 litre model cooler for one year now and it has proven to be excellent. I purchased the fridge from Super Cheap Auto, Acacia Ridge, Brisbane. Summers in Queensland get very hot but the Waeco has not failed to keep drinks as cold as the household fridge. In fact, beer bottles stored closer to the inside fan unit get colder, faster in the Waeco. The fridge runs off 12 volt, 24 volt, or 240 volt without the need of any external transformer, just plug in the cable, and turn it on.
The 35-litre space is adequate for storin...
Read moreg drinks right up to the largest size bottle as well as food and fruit but it is not a freezer. A removable lattice-style plastic divider acts as a separator in the fridge. An external fan acts to draw away heat from the fridge while an internal fan blows the cold air around the contents inside. It is important NOT to block either of these fans. Allowing plenty of ventilation around the fridge is important and the internal fan needs space to spread the cold around evenly. When the set temperature is reached, a thermostat turns the motor off to save electricity and prevent the contents from getting too cold. A fridge thermometer placed inside stayed at the lower end of the blue “safe” reading mark on the dial when the room temperature was 32 degrees centigrade in Brisbane. The fridge temperature was set to 5 lights out of the maximum of 7. I tried the 7 setting but it was too cold however, it is nice to have the extra available. I found butter, milk, cheese, meat, and drinks stored in the fridge have been the same as if stored in the household fridge as the fridge thermometer showed the temperature in the safe range. There are photographs of this but there does not seem to be any way to upload them into this review. The TC-35L does not require being on a totally level surface, so as long as the fan vents are not blocked, they can be strapped onto the back seat of the car. An advantage of the thermo-electric fridges is weight. The TC-35L weighs in at 10 kg empty which is comparable to an icebox. The larger compressor fridges, or those with metal cabinets, are too heavy for me to lift, particularly when filled. I like the design and solid build of the Waeco. The lid and handles seem quite strong and the outside casing cleans with a damp cloth. The plastic construction has the advantage of preventing rust problems. I bought a battery-powered, Coleman automatic fridge light attached to the inside of the cabinet below the door hinge. An infrared sensor turns five LED lights on automatically when opening the door. It is a great accessory for extra convenience and the light makes it look like house fridge lighting inside.
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
I own two waeco's a tc-35fl and a 12lt. all I can say are they are great and have never let me down. I bought them second hand on ebay. I do alot of camping mainly on moreton island. I use the 35 as a drinks fridge and the 12 as a day tripper when out and about. I also have a 90lt fridge/freezer in another brand to look after the food side of things. for what they are and the price new, they do a great job and are well worth it. I have never noticed any great draw or load on my batteries from the waeco's
Find out how Dometic Waeco TropiCool Series compares to other Portable Fridges / Freezers
Know better, choose better.
- 2 reviews
We have had ours for two years and would not be without it. We plug this in the 240 power point the night before we want to use it, and it is always ready to use in the morning. It keeps our drinks cold for us the next day. When we put the thermometer in it we always get it to 0-5 degrees, have also kept butter, milk and meat in it and they have kept cold enough.
I really wasn't sure to buy one because there's a lot of negative reviews on the net. I end up buying one of waeco seconds site for $120, best choice I made. It sits in my truck to keep drinks and lunch cold. I run it for about 14hrs a day. I put a thermometer inside and always reads between 0-5 degres cold. Recommend it to any one in a truck or tractor
Very cheap $120
Could of have a digital temperature.
Questions & Answers
My waeco fridge has suddenly stopped cooling , runs constantly without cooling. Has performed flawlessly for over 2 months on the road but suddenly stopped cooling. Is it a simple fix or terminal
Can I run on 240v continually for a month while travelling
Yes it will. I will maby test it before committing to using it for a month I think you will be disappointed if you are using it for that long.
Thanks
Waeco CoolPro will work on 240 but not on the 12/24-dc cord. Would it be the cord itself, fuse or maybe the compressor?
Thanks
Get an answer from our members
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.
| Category | Portable Fridges / Freezers | Portable Fridges / Freezers | Portable Fridges / Freezers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (RRP) | $249.00 | $299.00 | $399.00 |
| Type | Fridge Only | Fridge Only | Fridge Only |
| Capacity | 14L | 20L | 33L |
| Power Source | Car (Cigarette Lighter) and Wall Outlet | Car (Cigarette Lighter) and Wall Outlet | Wall Outlet |
| Features | Digital Display Panel and Interior Light | Interior Light | |
| Cooling Capacity | 1 °C to 25 °C | ||
| Weight | 5.5 kg | 7 kg | 10.3 kg |
| Dimensions | 328 x 303 x 450 mm | 420 x 303 x 450 mm | 460 x 376 x 550 mm |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 3 year(s) | 3 year(s) | 3 year(s) |
| Construction Material | Plastic | Plastic |
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Update: purchased a cigarette lighter socket type digital voltmeter/temp gauge and mounted it on an auxiliary power board under the dash near the Waeco external fan. It's permanently on and lets me kn...
Read moreow what condition the battery is in, even when walking past! Temp gauge is handy too. If the Waeco is working hard, which it can when the vehicle is parked in the sun for any length of time, the temp gauge/voltmeter combo will give you an indication of impending battery failure. A low voltage combined with a high temp tell me that the car is in a death spiral of escalating temp which causes the Waeco to go into overdrive with the current draw (which is causing the low bat voltage as the cooler switches from standby or low to high) and drain your battery as it tries to compensate for the elevated cabin temperature that it is creating. So, until such time as Dometic start fitting these coolers with a digital ammeter, voltmeter and temp gauge (digital temp is available on the Waeco fridge) get yourself the cigarette lighter plug-in voltmeter. It's only $6 online incl. delivery and good insurance against a flat battery.