coleman 12v cooler

[AtoZ]

We bought a Coleman 12v cooler. It quit working 1/2 way through our first trip. Has anyone had better luck with these type of coolers? I'm trying to decide to replace it, or maybe a small fridge. Any ideas??

[wavery]

We bought a Coleman 12v cooler. It quit working 1/2 way through our first trip. Has anyone had better luck with these type of coolers? I'm trying to decide to replace it, or maybe a small fridge. Any ideas??

It probably just blown a fuse. There's nothing much that can go wrong with them. The fuse is located in the plastic part that plugs into the cigarette lighter. There are 2 types of plugs, one has a little plastic ring that unscrews and comes off. The fuse is spring loaded with the plunger that touches the center connector in the lighter socket. The other type has a screw in the side of the plug and the plug comes apart in halves. You will find a glass fuse inside and it will probably need to be replaced with the same type and size fuse.

Did you try it with the 110V adapter?

All there is, is a little fan that blows air over the thin convection cooling fins. There is no compressor or any other moving parts.

We've had ours for years. We only need to bring it on long camp-outs and we put soft drinks in it. It needs to be chilled 24 hours in advance. Don't expect it to act like a refrigerator because it isn't one. The best that you can hope for is for it to cool ~35-40 degrees below ambient temp. If it's 100* outside, you can only expect ~60-65* in the cooler. If you leave it in the car with the windows up and it gets 130* inside the car....... guess what....... do the math. 

[austinado16]

We've got a couple of them and like them.  They work great.

[Oz and Us]

We bought a Coleman 12v cooler. It quit working 1/2 way through our first trip. Has anyone had better luck with these type of coolers? I'm trying to decide to replace it, or maybe a small fridge. Any ideas??

If this cooler quit working the first time you used it then it should be under warranty so return it and get another.  We bought our's 12 years ago and it still works just fine, although I did replace the fan motor a few years ago because we had used the cooler so much.  These thermoelectric coolers are really handy but they're were never intended to take the place of a fridge so if that's what you need then get a small dorm style compressor fridge ... just keep in mind it can only be powered when you have 120 vac available.

[beacher]

I purchased ours at Camping World on clearance six years ago.  CW was clearing out the hot/cold version that included the 120v AC adapter and was selling it for far less than the cold-only version without the AC adapter?!!?  Weird, but I jumped on it.

I only use it on long trips, when I can leave it in the air conditioned TV while I drive.

What's really nice about it, (I have the black/white model), is that it can also heat.  I used it a couple of years ago on Thanksgiving in heat mode to transport a fully cooked dinner complete with turkey and side dishes to my mother's house two hours away.  Everything was piping hot!

I'd check the fuse first, as Wayne mentioned.  Also. after an eight hour drive in an air conditioned SUV, I have actually had the unit freeze up.  The fan freezes up, but works fine once it defrosts for a few minutes while being unplugged from power.

[austinado16]

We have a small one slightly larger than a 6-pack that we always use in heat mod.  Provides us with a hot inflight breakfast when we go skiing.  The other one is one of the big models, and we use it as an in-car fridge on road trips.

[wavery]

 I used it a couple of years ago on Thanksgiving in heat mode to transport a fully cooked dinner complete with turkey and side dishes to my mother's house two hours away.  Everything was piping hot!

That's funny...... we did exactly the same thing with ours 2 years ago on T/G....... 

[RetAF]

Ours works just fine.  I did replace the original 12-volt male plug with a good heavy duty one from Radio Shack.  The original would get also too hot to touch and would blow the fuse in it.  The new 12-volt plug barely gets warm now.

[austinado16]

Ours works just fine.  I did replace the original 12-volt male plug with a good heavy duty one from Radio Shack.  The original would get also too hot to touch and would blow the fuse in it.  The new 12-volt plug barely gets warm now.

Thanks for tip!  Our big one (36qts or something) does the same thing.  I'll pop a better 12v plug on it.

[yooperguy]

We've had ours for 6 years.  It works great and have no problems.  I like it.

[Coley]

Interested in this thread. Amazon reviews seem to favor the Igloo 40 qt over the Coleman. Can anyone compare?

[xkuzme1]

I cannot speak for the Igloo, but I love  my Coleman Powerchill.  I use ours in the back of the vehicle while on the road, then I bring it inside the camper to supplement our campers fridge.  I primarily use ours for drinks, and I keep food in the camper fridge. 

I have no complaints about our Powerchill.  It works well and is fairly quiet.  It helps dramatically to pre-cool it.  If you dont precool, dont expect much for the first day, especially if you put room temperature drinks in it.

I have heard reports of the bearings in the fan failing because they are plastic.

X

[wavery]

I have heard reports of the bearings in the fan failing because they are plastic.

X

Now that you mention it..... our fan started squealing a few years ago. With nothing to lose, I put a drop of 3&1 oil on the fan shaft. It hasn't squealed since. 

[eclass]

I got a coleman cooler from a friend for free that did not work.  After taking it apart I found that the electrical connections had come loose and fell off. I also found another connection that had a melted terminal.  After fixing the wiring we have only used it a couple of times and only on cooler weekends due to it not working that well in the heat. It is fine for keeping caned drinks cool but will not keep the milk cold enough for my taste.  The only other issue with it is the lid/handle does not latch. But... the price was right.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

I have one of Igloo ones, and except for replacing the fuse once, no complaints at all. Pre-chilling helps, as does keeping it out of the sun. Like the RV refrigerator, it helps if the stuff being put in it is already cold. Last year I did some solo tent camping at an unserviced campground. I had a couple of freezer packs in the Igloo cooler and hooked it up to my Xantrex power pack, which was in turn hooked up to my RV batteries. This gave me plenty of power for the weekend, and my food stayed nice and cool.