Wagan 12v cooler/warmer

[Offroadnutz]

I was gifted a 12v Wagan cooler/warmer for 10 years of service on the job. It has pretty good amazon reviews and is supposed to cool up to 40 degrees below ambient temp and warm to 140.
Has anyone had experience, good or bad, with this manufacturer?

 

[Corrie]

We use Wagan products and know their team quite well. While I don't have experience with this specific product, I do know they stand behind their gear 100%! Alex (the owner) is a big overlanding enthusiast, and is always open to feedback on his product, too.

Hope this helps a bit?

 

[Offroadnutz]

Thank you Corrie...!
I guess once I have used it for awhile Ill write a review on it.

 

[Corrie]

Thank you Corrie...!
I guess once I have used it for awhile Ill write a review on it.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts/experiences. Keep me/us posted!

 

[Offroadnutz]

So I finally got around to installing this cooler. I decided to put it in between the front seats and replace the factory center console.
The factory console is not so much a console and is really just a cover for the rear heater. Since I have a sleeping platform and no rear seats I decided it had to go.

The Wagan cooler weighs 4.6lbs and the console/heater came in at over 8. So quite a bit lighter.
One issue I had to tackle was relocating the rear window and wiper switches which attach to the factory console. One thing I disliked about my sleeping platform was not beng able to operate or even reach the window switches. What I did was bypassed the control relay so that I can operate it without the key. I then cut the window switch mold out of the factory console and attached it to the rear of the Wagan cooler. This makes it easy to reach from the sleeping platform.

I then extended the factory switch harness and installed the cooler.

Now on to testing the cooler itself.
I will give a detailed product review after I have used it for some time...

 

[Corrie]

This just became a next level project. Nice work.

 

[Liana Lehua]

I was gifted a 12v Wagan cooler/warmer for 10 years of service on the job. It has pretty good amazon reviews and is supposed to cool up to 40 degrees below ambient temp and warm to 140.
Has anyone had experience, good or bad, with this manufacturer?

Thanks for posting this. I’ve wondered about their products as well and interested in your future review. It’s nice to know they’re a company that stands behind its products. Thanks for that input @Corrie

 

[Offroadnutz]

So after being hung up with winter truck maintenance, I finally got around to performing my first test on the Wagan.
I decided to test the cooling function first.
I used a wireless temp gauge so that I could monitor remotely and would not have to open the cooler during the test. I placed the sensor on a piece of wood in the middle of the cooler. This kept it from making direct contact with the walls and possibly getting incorrect readings.

Ambient temp was 49* and the inside temp of the cooler was 51* when starting.
After one hour the temp reached 38*
After about two hours it reached its lowest temp of 33*
After turning off it took 35 min for the inside to reach ambient temp.

-This particuler unit is small so dont expect it to replace your ARB fridge. That said, it would be perfect for someone on a road trip that just needs to keep their drinks cold. They do make larger units but I cannot speak for them.

-It is advertised to have a minimum cooling temp of 32*. My gauge showed 33* which could simply be sensor inaccuracy.

-I am concerned with how well it is insulated though, being it only took 35 min to climb back to ambient temp.

-When I installed this unit I was concerned about the cooling fan creating to much heat in the cabin. This turned out to be unfounded. After running for 2hours the air from the fan was just a few degrees above ambient. Of course at higher ambient tems this could change.

I still have to test the heating aspect of this unit so I will post again once done...

 

[Corrie]

So after being hung up with winter truck maintenance, I finally got around to performing my first test on the Wagan.
I decided to test the cooling function first.
I used a wireless temp gauge so that I could monitor remotely and would not have to open the cooler during the test. I placed the sensor on a piece of wood in the middle of the cooler. This kept it from making direct contact with the walls and possibly getting incorrect readings.

Ambient temp was 49* and the inside temp of the cooler was 51* when starting.
After one hour the temp reached 38*
After about two hours it reached its lowest temp of 33*
After turning off it took 35 min for the inside to reach ambient temp.

-This particuler unit is small so dont expect it to replace your ARB fridge. That said, it would be perfect for someone on a road trip that just needs to keep their drinks cold. They do make larger units but I cannot speak for them.

-It is advertised to have a minimum cooling temp of 32*. My gauge showed 33* which could simply be sensor inaccuracy.

-I am concerned with how well it is insulated though, being it only took 35 min to climb back to ambient temp.

-When I installed this unit I was concerned about the cooling fan creating to much heat in the cabin. This turned out to be unfounded. After running for 2hours the air from the fan was just a few degrees above ambient. Of course at higher ambient tems this could change.

I still have to test the heating aspect of this unit so I will post again once done...

Absolutely appreciate this level of detail, especially the speed of cooling down/returning to ambient temp. I wonder if there's something that can be done internally to help delay this...?

Otherwise sounds just about right for longer hauls.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Absolutely appreciate this level of detail, especially the speed of cooling down/returning to ambient temp. I wonder if there's something that can be done internally to help delay this...?

Otherwise sounds just about right for longer hauls.

Good report, I too am concerned with how fast it returned to ambient temp. What if the ambient temp had been 80 degrees ? Personally I wouldn't buy a unit this small anyway but I'm not everyone.

 

[AlexAtWagan]

So I finally got around to installing this cooler. I decided to put it in between the front seats and replace the factory center console.
The factory console is not so much a console and is really just a cover for the rear heater. Since I have a sleeping platform and no rear seats I decided it had to go. View attachment 131857
View attachment 131858
The Wagan cooler weighs 4.6lbs and the console/heater came in at over 8. So quite a bit lighter.
One issue I had to tackle was relocating the rear window and wiper switches which attach to the factory console. One thing I disliked about my sleeping platform was not beng able to operate or even reach the window switches. What I did was bypassed the control relay so that I can operate it without the key. I then cut the window switch mold out of the factory console and attached it to the rear of the Wagan cooler. This makes it easy to reach from the sleeping platform.
View attachment 131859View attachment 131860View attachment 131861View attachment 131862
I then extended the factory switch harness and installed the cooler.
View attachment 131863
Now on to testing the cooler itself.
I will give a detailed product review after I have used it for some time...

I LOVE what you did with this install! And of course, the feedback is well received. Thank you for this.

 

[Offroadnutz]

So I finally got some real world usage out of this cooler and I must say I am disappointed.
I was on the road for about 7 hours today doing part of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail. I placed 3 drinks in the cooler this morning that had been in my fridge all night. So they were good and cold. I got my first drink out after about 4 hours and noticed it was not cold at all and only cool. Once home I removed the other drinks and noticed they were even warmer than the one I pulled out earlier.
I am glad I didn't actually spend my own money on this. All is not a loss though as I can still use it as a center console as I didnt have a real one to begin with.

 

[AlexAtWagan]

So I finally got some real world usage out of this cooler and I must say I am disappointed.
I was on the road for about 7 hours today doing part of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail. I placed 3 drinks in the cooler this morning that had been in my fridge all night. So they were good and cold. I got my first drink out after about 4 hours and noticed it was not cold at all and only cool. Once home I removed the other drinks and noticed they were even warmer than the one I pulled out earlier.
I am glad I didn't actually spend my own money on this. All is not a loss though as I can still use it as a center console as I didnt have a real one to begin with.

That's a bummer to hear you had a bad experience with the cooler. Please DM me as I'd love to know more about what happened and try to make it right for you.