Quite a while might not be such a bad thing depending on the cooler design. Typical chest-style coolers are far more efficient than your standing refrigerator u

Quite a while might not be such a bad thing depending on the cooler design. Typical chest-style coolers are far more efficient than your standing refrigerator units, because cool air doesn't escape nearly as much when you open the lid since cool air tends to sink. If it needs time to recharge its cooling cycle, in such a cooler design, this may not be a concern because the cooler holds a lower temperature for longer.