Update May 2022. Running continuously, in a truck, left outside, year round, in S. Texas, for over 4 years. Has started to occasionally make fan noise like the bearings are starting to wear out. I've only heard it 2 or 3 times in last 4 months and turning it off and on again makes the noise stop. Otherwise, still working fine.
Update Sept 2021. Running continuously for 3 1/2 years and still going strong.
First, although the manufacturers box clearly shows that it must be transported "right side up", amazon placed it upside-down in an amazon box. In order to read the shipping label, the manufacturers box had to be upside down. While this was a serious fail on the part of amazon fulfillment, it had nothing to do with the manufacturer or the quality of the compressor cooler.
I contacted the manufacturer and they said that it should be alright as long as I let it sit, Right-Side-Up for two days before using it. I did so, plugged it in and it is getting cold.
The manufacturer was quick to respond and provided very helpful information.
Second,
I also contacted the manufacturer about the specific cut off voltages for the three levels of the battery saver feature. They are as follows:
Stage 12V input 24V input
H1 9.6V off;10.9V on 21.3V off;22.7V on
H2 10.1V off;11.4V on 22.3V off;23.7V on
H3 11.1V off;12.4V on 24.3V off;25.7V on
The documentation they sent also included instruction for making adjustments that I have not seen documented anywhere else. These special features are accessed by first turning off the cooler with the "soft off" button. The pressing and holding "Set" until "E1" appears. Press "Set" to move to each setting in turn, and press the up/down buttons to make adjustments. The special settings are:
"E1" Lowest temperature setting
"E2" Highest Temperature setting (I think there is a maximum 40 C spread between E1 and E2)
"E3" Temperature Return Setting
"E4" Soft start Setting and
"E5" Changing from Celsius to Fahrenheit (My favorite)
Programming temperature compensation (in case the internal thermometer is not accurate) appears to also be possible.
Third, innitial impressions:
The owners manual says that the top can be opened either to the side or front to back. That is not true. It will only open to the side.
The top is easily removed by lifting off when the hinge pins are at the correct angle.
It is reasonably quiet.
10 minutes after first plugging it in and setting to the default minimum temperature of -4 F (-20 C) it got to that temperature and stopped. It was empty at the time and started at 78F. So, assuming the internal thermometer is accurate, it dropped the temp 82F in 10 minutes.\
The plastic around where the power cord plugs in seems a little cheap and flimsy. It bowed noticeably with the force required to insert to power cord.
I have given this 4 stars for now, because of the poor documentation and cheap feel of plastic where the power cord plugs in. After a little use, if it works as expected, I'll probably increase this to 5 stars.
To the manufacturer:
Draining a battery to 11.1 volts (the highest battery protection setting) on a regular basis will quickly kill most batteries. Draining it to 9.6 volts (lowest battery protection setting) would damage any lead acid battery.
Please add a battery saver setting with a relatively high voltage, like 12.5 volts. This would allow it to be plugged into a car and only run when the car was on. When hooked up to a solar system, it would allow it to run as a "dump load" only running when your battery is fully charged and you have nothing else to do with the power. Then the excess power could be used to make ice.
Final note:
There are several reviews here which report erratic operation or it staying on all the time. I suspect that some of those problems are related to the hidden settings getting accidentally set to random settings after piling stuff on top of the cooler.
I upped my rating to 5 stars. After several weeks of use I'm very surprised by just how little power it uses. I have it on a 35AH battery that is charged by solar panels and the lowest voltage I have seen so far in the morning is 12.4.
It does collect a little condensation and after a month it started to grow a little mold inside. It cleaned up easily with a paper towel.
It does what it is supposed to do, it us very efficient and it was less than 1/2 the price of the competition. So 5 stars.
Update: After 16 months is has 2 times (that I know of) gone into a "run away" cooling condition. When in that condition it would run the compressor, non-stop, until it was turned off or the battery was dead. The compressor gets VERY hot when this happens as it is not designed for a 100% duty cycle. Everything inside freezes solid. Some other reviews mention something like this. I suspect that it is a firmware issue, causing the internal computer to lock up. Unplugging it for a moment has always returned it to normal operation. Other than these two instances, it has worked flawlessly, non-stop, 24/7, for almost a year and a half. Because of the low price and fact that it has only done this twice (that I'm aware of), I am keeping my 5 star rating.
I have also noticed that a few paper towels in the bottom to absorb the condensation helps to keep the mold down. Just change them once a month, when operated continuously.
One other note: A 35 AH AGM battery, with a solar panel, will not keep it running for more than 2 cloudy days. 1 day if parked in a garage.
| Brand Name | Alpicool |
|---|---|
| Model Info | C15 |
| Item Weight | 18.92 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 12.6 x 10.2 x 22.4 inches |
| Item model number | C15 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Capacity | 15 Liters |
| Installation Type | Outdoor |
| Part Number | C15 |
| Form Factor | Chest |
| Special Features | Portable |
| Color | C15 |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Wattage | 45 watts |
| Door Material Type | Plastic |
| Shelf Type | Plastic |
| Shelves | 1 |
| Included Components | Handles |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Battery Cell Type | Alkaline |
| Item Weight | 8.6 Kilograms |
| Number Of Doors | 1 |
