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From: Jeff Barfett (no email)
Date: Thu Sep 13 2001 - 20:04:25 EDT
I recently purchase the Engel 45 and am happy with the unit. Norm
brought up some interesting questions, so I forwarded his questions to
the company rep I bought my unit from. His comments follow:
attached mail follows:
Jeff
Thanks for the e-mail. Here is my response below. I also called Normal on the phone. He seems intent on finding fault. Such a person/customer, and his reaction, is certainly the exception. It is our first!
He is now planning on adding 2-3 inches of insulation to his Engel 45 to make some point!!! Wants to publish the results.
I asked if he was happy with the unit in general and he said yes. He was not interested in returning it.
This tells a story!
Regards
Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Kabalin
To:
Cc:
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 11:03 AM
Subject: Engel AC/DC portable freezers
Norman
Firstly, congratulations for purchasing your Engel 45 - one of the world's
best portable freezes.
It has the lowest amperage draw, and gets colder than any other model it its
class. It is also one of the most efficient units available.
Our manufacturers in Japan make over 100,000 Engel models per year and
they are regarded by most of our customers as the 'Rolls Royce' of freezers. They are sold world wide from Engel's distribution facilities in the following countries:
Japan, USA, England, Holland, Australia, Dubai, South Africa
As you pointed out is very well built. Many earlier models made over 15
years ago still run perfectly. In fact I found one last week that is over
18 years old and has never been turned off and works very well.
The instruction manual I believe is adequate to cover basic information.
In addition, we have more detailed technical information on our
website www.engel-usa.com/engel .
Lastly, we also have a toll free number (1-888-272-9838) in the USA that you can use for
questions, comments or concerns.
I noted that you choose to use both the public Live Aboard List
and our e-mail to assist you.
VOLTAGES
Our Engel AC/DC models all work off either 12 or 24 volts or any voltage in
between. In the USA, we only supply one DC cord - for 12 Volts, as 24 volt
power is rarely found. You may use this cord for 24 volts if you have 24 volts available.
In contrast, 24 volts is quite common in Europe where it is the standard on
large trucks - a big market for us. Similarly, we do not supply US customers
with a 220Volt cord, but rather 110 volts which is the USA standard.
The true minimum and maximum voltages for DC operation are 10.5 to 31 Volts.
If you exceed these voltages the unit will not be "destroyed". Normally the
fuse will open the circuit and protect the electronics and compressor - as
is common with most electrical appliances.
You may run the unit while your batteries are being charged, so long as the
voltage does not exceed this max voltage. If you can monitor this, then
great - if not, then rather turn off the freezer while charging batteries.
FUSES
A fuse is the part of the electrical circuit that melts and breaks the
connection when the current becomes dangerously strong. Each Engel has two
fuses - one for each power supply - AC and DC.
The AC fuse is a 'blade' fuse common in the modern vehicle industry and can
be easily replaced from outside the unit. Replacements are available at
most auto, RV and marine retail stores.
The DC fuse we supply is a 'special' thermal fuse. Unlike normal fuses if it gets too hot, it electronically opens the
circuit stopping power. The reason we offer this superior fuse is more
to do with the USA standard of cigarette lighter sockets. They are not
ideal, and if the male end (plug) is not pushed firmly up against the
contact there may be a bad connection resulting in heating of the socket and
plug. Instead of overheating and possibly burning the fuse holder, the fuse will opens the circuit if it too hot - even though the current may be low. This is your indication to check the connection.
We feel is a great idea, and works well. The fuse can be replaced with a
normal US style 10 Amp fuse, or you can get a replacement from us - which we recommend.
INSULATION
All Engel units have adequate insulation - this is based on our
manufacturers vast experience of designing and manufacturing well over 3,5
million units since the 1960's. You may feel some cool feeling but this is
not an indication of lack of insulation or efficiency in your unit.
Thicker insulation is only really needed for built in-units. Sun heating the side of a boat can cause the temperature on the inside of the hull and surrounding cavities to reach very high temperatures. Certainly thicker insulation here will help in these cases.
You did not indicate that the unit you bought under performed - so I will
assume that it is operation perfectly and efficiently. Remember efficiency
is a multiple of power consumption, temperature and insulation (bulkiness).
Our Engel 45 offers an excellent combination of the above factors.
PRICE
Our Engel 45 was sold to you at a great price - only $606. Our competitors
ask a lot more for a similar unit - with prices starting at around $800 and
up.
Should you or any of your fellow Live Aboard subscribers have any further questions, comments or concerns please contact me.
Paul Kabalin
Innovative Marketing & Distribution Inc.
22780 Marbella Circle
Boca Raton, FL 33433
www.engel-usa.com/engel
Tel: 561 361 7408
Fax: 561 361 7488
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