The efficiency of Peltiers in regards to heat moved per watts spent is actually kind of crap. And the hotter their hot side gets, the worse that efficiency becomes. Overclockers attempting (often in vain) to use them for sub-ambient-temperature cooling for computer components have known this for a long time.
Even a dinky compressor based refrigerant system is more efficient at moving heat than a Peltier of equivalent-ish total wattage.
That’s before getting into the details specific to the crappy tiny Peltier cooler in the video, which runs at 100% of its duty cycle all the time and has functionally zero insulation, unlike an actual refrigerator.
I have a Peltier based car cooler, and that’s basically the only use case for these things that makes sense: Short term storage of things where the actual temperature achieved isn’t that critical, and which needs to remain light enough that you can easily carry it. Basically, just treat it as a regular cooler that if you play your cards right you won’t have to add any ice to.
Overclockers attempting (often in vain) to use them for sub-ambient-temperature cooling for computer components have known this for a long time.
aren’t you still limited by ambient air temp because the hot side of the Peltier needs to be cooled by air anyway?
I have a Peltier based car cooler, and that’s basically the only use case for these things that makes sense:
I don’t really even see the point of that to be honest. if we’re talking short periods anyway, a nicely insulated cooler with ice packs (cooled by a heat-pump freezers) is way better imo.
Planing a cooler presentation when I get my Redneck Business channel going. I’m stunned by how ignorant people are on the subject. My $100 Lifetime cooler keeps cold exactly as long as a $500 RTIC or Yeti. And those are only for if you need multiple days of cool. I have a dozen coolers for various needs, and most are Igloos I got from the thrift.
These devices always remind me of these guys trying to make Solid State Refrigerant:
I suspect they fall into the same category of “neat concept but commercially useless”
I love this guy
But he said the reason for one right up front. They are for office workers to have a few cans on hand. Your office won’t go after the power usage and they are not massive heavy boxes. So they are perfect for office workers.
what kind of office doesn’t already have a refrigerator to keep stuff in?
One that has thieves.
Many small and temporary/rented setups.
Thermoelectric cooling where you have a water loop and second stage heat sink is actually very effective. The problem with that however is you can generate temperatures below freezing, which can cause condensation in your device under cooling and lead to internal short circuits. Ideally you’d feed back the temperature of the device under cooling to your second stage heat sink so it can ramp up or down heat transfer
Stop trying to make regular people guilty about having cold drinks while billionaires burn entire forests
You’re being rightfully downvoted into oblivion for bringing up this argument when it doesn’t apply, but I’ll elaborate:
- This video is a counter to the greenwashing peddled by these cheapo “desk fridge” makers parading around their products as environmentally friendly. For those of us who do want to reduce our personal impact on the environment, this is a fantastic exposé on what’s actually going on here. This video actively helps the environment, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
- This video will likely also save a number of consumers money and effort by allowing them to get a better product in the form of a mini-fridge where they would’ve otherwise been suckered into an inferior product for their needs. For many viewers, especially those who would have otherwise purchased it because of the greenwashing, this video will save them from unnecessarily sacrificing money and convenience by getting this cheap piece of crap instead of an actual mini-fridge.
I don’t know if you even clicked on the video or not, but this isn’t “making regular people feel guilty about having cold drinks”; it’s informing them that manufacturers are lying to them to make them feel guilty about having cold drinks and telling them to buy their garbage trinkets instead. This video is doing the literal exact opposite of what you’re accusing, even discounting the fact that your argument is often brought up speciously to stifle calls for personal change when you feel like it even marginally encroaches on a convenience that you obtain by mortgaging the Earth’s climate.
that’s not the point at all. the point is if you want cold drinks there are better options that will even save you money in the long run.
You can have cold drinks, just don’t buy these products to cool them.
I’ve got a cooler and an ice pack, cost $5 from a thrift store and keeps my shit cold for a whole day
Why do you want cold shit?
It’s for when someone walks in thinking they’re all hot shit. You give them the cold shit to bring them to room-temperature shit.
Just because you want it to be hot back there doesn’t mean we all do.
You put it in a tube sock cold. You can whip it through a window, and then it will slowly warm up throughout the day and smell fucking awful. Do this to people you hate while they’re at work.
