Alpicool T36 Dual Temperature Control 12 Volt Refrigerator 38 Quart Portable Car Fridge Freezer (-4°F~68°F) for Truck, RV, Boat, Camping and Travel
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This is for anyone experiencing F1 codes when using the 12volt power cord that came with the Alpicool unit. br>Be patient with me; electrical work can be tricky. br>Voltage is a term that is used to describe how much electricity is present in a Replace the Alpicool's original power cord and cigarette-lighter adapter. The problem could be caused by a lighter male connector. br>The printed information on the 12 volt power cord's outer insulation appears to say the cord is 16 gauge, which is small for a 12 volt application. br>In addition. If the voltage supplied to the cigarette drops significantly- Your vehicle's lighter-style power outlet is also contributing to the problem. br>In a 12 volt system, voltage-dependent devices are used to control the flow of electricity. Drop is an issue, which is why heavy-duty vehicles have been developed. Wires of a certain gauge must be used. You may still be able to get an F1 code even if your batteries are fully charged. br>I'm using my T36, which is plugged into a cigarette lighter. In my van, when I use a lighter type of outlet, the voltage reading on the T36's display panel is usually around 0. My van's 220 amp-hour battery terminals are 8 volts lower than what is available at the battery terminals. battery bank with an hour capacity Remember that the voltage available right where the power cord plugs into the refrigerator is most likely used by the unit to determine whether or not to trigger an F1 code. br>When the Alpicool first starts a cooling cycle, the increased current draw causes an even greater voltage drop for a brief period of time.br>During that brief period, an F1 code is most likely to appear. Using a good voltmeter, I discovered that much of the voltage drop occurs in the 16 connector cord that comes with the Alpicool T36, as well as the cigarette-lighter adapter. The long length of this cord is probably part of the voltage drop. lighter male connector on the end of that cord br>The remaining voltage drop is approximately 0. Other parts of my electrical system, which consists of four large AGM batteries charged by a grid-connected solar panel, are experiencing 2v. Charger with electrical power br>The Alpicool's connector cord has a significant voltage drop, as does the cigarette-lighter cord. Even if your battery bank's voltage isn't low enough, a lighter type of connection could cause an F1 code to appear. This is especially true in the first few seconds after the Alpicool begins to operate. Using the "L" setting on the Alpicool for the low-temperature setting. battery- Many people who use the original 12 volt cord that plugs into a cigarette lighter may consider voltage cutoff to be a "must have." socket for a lighter br>In order to address the voltage-related issue, Because there was a drop problem with the Alpicool's 12v power cord, I cut it about 6" from the refrigerator end, firmly attached a 12 cord to that short end, and wired the other end of the 12 cord to the closest 12volt source I could find. that is connected to the battery bank in a secure manner br>I tried to keep the new 12 cord as short as possible while doing this. br>Be aware that cutting the original Alpicool cord may result in a customer service issue if the Alpicool fails in any way and needs to be returned. br>However, I believe that the original Alpicool cord should have been made of 12 or 10 gauge wire rather than the lighter gauge wire that it is now. br>This is especially true because the unit draws approximately 9 amps for a short period of time after startup. br>This is for a T36; a T50 or T60 may draw more than 9 amps when first turned on. br>As well as smoking a cigarette- There will always be a small voltage drop when using a lighter type of power point. This serves as a reminder to those of us who power the Alpicool with a 12 volt system. The cord connections must be secure, and the wires must be of HEAVY GAUGE. br>I know this is a lot of information, but it might help you avoid a few issues with a refrigerator that otherwise looks great. br>so far, it's been a fantastic refrigerator,br>best wishes
Mine only lasted a month before it stopped working. Alpicool has never been able to assist me with a warranty or anything else. When I bought the cooler, I also bought the insurance from Amazon. They demanded that I send it to them and then refunded my money. I went out and bought an Engel.
Low, Medium, and High are the three battery protection settings. I haven't been able to find a way to completely disable any protection, but I believe it is possible. You might be able to get away with just setting it to low (9). 6V off; 9V on). You can ask the seller if there's a way to turn it off to allow for lower voltages from a lithium power source, which can deplete much faster than a standard AGM or conventional lead acid battery without causing damage.
Turn off the device - F1 will appear if you hold down the "set" button. Then you can choose between F and C.
Selected User Reviews For Alpicool T36 Dual Temperature Control 12 Volt Refrigerator 38 Quart Portable Car Fridge Freezer (-4°F~68°F) for Truck, RV, Boat, Camping and Travel
My two main concerns were the quality of the product and the efficiency with which it could be powered by solar energy. When I first turned on the unit, it worked for about a minute before failing. I reset the fault and set it aside for a while, suspecting that it had been shipped on its side. Since then, I haven't had a single problem. I've had this unit for a little over two weeks and have completed numerous tests. I opened the cooler door three times a day for about 20 seconds on each of these tests. br>br>I ran the cooler in single zone mode from room temperature to a set point of 33 degrees F and let it run for a day, then turned it off for a day to allow the cooler to warm back up to room temperature, then repeated the process three times. It performed admirably, and the cooler's actual inside temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, despite the set point of 33 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooler took about 2 hours to reach temperature, and it draws about 11 watts per hour. Keep in mind that this wattage average was calculated over a 24-hour period, and you had the initial pump run (60 watts) for the cooler's initial cool down. br>br>After that, I ran the cooler in dual zone mode from room temperature to a set point of 40/10F (if using the dual zone mode as a cooler/freezer, make sure the L shaped zone is the colder zone) and let it run for a day, then shut it down for a day to let the cooler warm back up to room temperature, then repeated the process three times. It worked perfectly again, and with a set point of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the cooler zones' actual inside temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a set point of 10 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezer zones' actual inside temperature was 8 degrees Fahrenheit, and it successfully froze a glass of water. It took about 2 hours for the cooler zone to reach temperature, and 3 hours for the freezer zone. In dual zone as a cooler/freezer setup, the cooler draws about 20 watts every hour; keep in mind that this wattage average was over a 24-hour period, and you had the initial pump run (60 watts) for its initial cool down. br>br>I wanted to see how long this unit would last on my Yeti Goal Zero 1400, which should be around 175 hours or 7 days based on math (1400Wh/8W/1h). As a side note, in order to use any of these compressor type coolers that have a low voltage shutoff feature on a 12VDC lithium type battery you must have a regulator or Despite this, he sells a regulator specifically for this purpose. My yeti was at 99% when I began and it is at 40% right now and has been running the cooler for 89 hours (3. 7 days) with 40% battery left to go.
Today is the first time I've ever seen it. This fridge will live in my VW Westfalia Syncro camper van and has been tested on both 110V and 12V. I set the freezer to 0 degrees Fahrenheit and the fridge to 34 degrees Fahrenheit, and it only took 15 minutes. It took 20 minutes to reach the desired temperature, despite the fact that it was not a particularly hot day in Colorado. This fridge has a lot of great features for a low price, especially when compared to high-end fridges from ARB, Dometic, and other brands. I'll be overjoyed if this continues! I'll do a video review and update this review with additional thoughts after I've had it for a while. br>br>UPDATE: br>br> Before the 30 day "no reason" return window closed on 12/27/19, I let the fridge run for about 35 days straight in my van to make sure it was working properly. I set the fridge to around 38 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer to about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the fact that the fridge was not put to a rigorous test because it is winter in Colorado and temperatures are already low, it worked flawlessly the entire time, and I am still very pleased with my purchase! br>br>UPDATE: br>br> 09/27/2020 I am pleased to report that this unit is still in excellent condition. I used it inside my van during the summer in hot conditions while working in remote locations. I used it in dual mode and it was able to keep up even when the temperature rose unreasonably in my van, which was parked in the sun with the windows rolled up for security. I've been putting a couple of fleece blankets folded up on top of the fridge to add some insulation, as the lid can get quite cold. I wish they'd make a unit with a built-in insulation cover like some of the others. br>br>UPDATE: br>br> My first issue with this unit was on February 15, 2021! The temperature gauge on the fridge side stopped working a few days ago. Except for the temperature readout, the fridge is still operational. The single readout works fine when used as a fridge or freezer on both sides, but the top temperature indicator is no longer functional when used in dual mode. It's not a big deal because I've included thermometers inside the baskets that are very accurate (see additional image). These go well with the baskets because they can be hung from the top, bottom, or middle. It's surprising how much the temperature varies from top to bottom, but I suppose that's to be expected. If anyone's interested, here's a link to those thermometers: 10th of July in the year 2021 The fridge, alas, has passed away! The compressor, I believe, has broken down. I needed a new refrigerator with a one-year warranty. This time, I went with the best and got the ARB Zero 73 quart dual zone, which should last me for the rest of my life. I'm old, so if I can squeeze another ten years out of it, I'll be fine. I thought the Alpicool was a fantastic purchase, but how good of a value are they if they only last less than two years? Perhaps the newer model with LG brand compressors is more reliable, but I wasn't willing to take a chance.
After about 45 days, I decided to stop working. I have yet to speak with anyone from the manufacturer after two weeks of trying to contact them by phone and email. I strongly advise you to look into other options.
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