Coolers

With a cooler food stays cool and fresh longer

On sunny days, there is nothing better than to enjoy a cool drink and, ideally, to barbecue with friends in a convivial round.

Now there are different approaches to fulfill this wish. On the one hand, you should think about what you want to cool, for how long and at what temperature, and what options you have for energy supply on site. The last question is of course the budget, but more about that later.

The different types of coolers at a glance

Softcooler

Softcoolers are simply insulated cooler bags which keep the goods to be cooled cool for a maximum of three hours by means of PU foam insulation, but do not actively cool them. This means that e.g. your well cooled coke bottle does not get colder in the softcooler, but is only kept at the temperature or gets warmer (depending on the outside temperature, think of the hot summer days with 32° Celsius outside temperature).

Refrigerated container

In contrast to the soft coolers, the refrigerated containers do not have a textile but a hard plastic cover, which means that the refrigerated container is dimensionally stable and protected against deformation due to pressure from the outside. If you pack your softcooler under a filled 11kg gas bottle, it can happen to you that the well cooled banana in it is not so nice to look at afterwards. This can't happen to you with a cooling container or a cooling box. The insulation is also solved here, as with the soft coolers, about PU foam.

Refrigerated containers are usually more voluminous in their dimensions and more wide than high, which means that e.g. a crate of beer can be stored here particularly well. Partially, the refrigerated containers are equipped with wheels and telescopic handle for easier and convenient transport. Conveniently, many lids usually have integrated can holders, which protects them against falling over due to impacts.

The refrigerated containers are characterized by their sturdy construction and their cooling duration lasting up to five days. Furthermore, they usually have a drain tap at the bottom to drain off water that has formed. Another advantage is that you do not need an external energy source. To extend the cooling time, the use of cold packs is recommended.

Passive coolers

These differ from refrigerated containers in that they are smaller and more compact. Nevertheless, they can also accommodate large bottles.

Some coolers are equipped with an antibacterial plastic, which slows down the formation of germs and bacteria.

Thermoelectric coolers - also called Peltier coolers

These also have the same insulation method (PU insulation) as passive coolers. In addition, there is active cooling by means of a cooling unit. For this purpose, there is a heat sink in the lid of the box from the inside for heat absorption and a larger heat sink above it on the top of the lid for heat dissipation. This is usually supported by a fan.

The equipment of the coolers varies depending on the type. Thus, some can be operated only on 12V others only on 230V and others again on both types of electricity. Other differences can be temperature sensors or battery voltage detection.

In terms of cooling capacity, thermoelectric coolers are capable of cooling down to 18° Celsius below ambient temperature.

Absorber coolers

The medium here is a water-ammonia mixture. By means of energy (electricity / gas) it is heated in a stove, whereby water and gaseous amonia separate. The amonia is then sent to the condenser, where it condenses and liquefies. Then it goes to the evaporator (usually in the icebox) where it evaporates in combination with hydrogen.

In other words, cooling takes place in the evaporator and heat is released to the outside via the condenser.

The efficiency is comparable to the compressor coolers except when using electricity. With the current is rather worse.

Low cooling temperatures can be achieved here as well.

Compressor coolers

The operation is identical to home refrigerators. The gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the compressor and heats up. The heat is released via the cooling coils on the back of the units. Then the now liquid refrigerant flows through the evaporator inside the cooler, extracts the heat of evaporation and flows in gaseous form on to the compressor outside the cooler.

With compressor coolers, freezing temperatures are no problem even in high heat.