Refrigerator replacement.

[man7sell]

My old Norcold is exactly that Neither warm Nor cold. As with my other boats having the luxury of a descent size freezer compartment and refrigerator, this one has neither. So my next project is a replacement Isotherm drawer system. It is slightly bigger than the Norcold, but that's just a little cabinetry work.

 

[Comodave]

We put in an Isotherm refer about 1.5 years ago and have been extremely satisfied with it so far. It is amazing how well it cools. We use a temp setting of 3.5 out of 8. It is the first marine refer that we have not run at full blast to keep things cool. And it freezes ice cream…

 

[man7sell]

We put in an Isotherm refer about 1.5 years ago and have been extremely satisfied with it so far. It is amazing how well it cools. We use a temp setting of 3.5 out of 8. It is the first marine refer that we have not run at full blast to keep things cool. And it freezes ice cream…

Freezing ice cream (and keeping my vodka and ice cold) is always a priority


In previous boats I have built my own systems with Isotherm and have been very pleased.

 

[Comodave]

Ours is about 10 cubic feet. It replaced a 7 cubic one so we have much more room and it cools wonderfully. Had to do some cabinet work to fit it in though.

 

[DBG8492]

After a lot of.thought, and reading about sailboat owners who have done it and been quite happy with the results, I have decided to build my own front-open fridge where the Norcold 7 cu foot unit is installed now and a separate top-opening.freezer in the cabinet/counter where the ice/fish box is now.

Vitrifrigo (and others) sell pre-charged 12v conversion kits for old school iceboxes and two of those with plates (and line extensions if necessary) will come out cheaper, and I won't have to fight to make it fit.

Naturally the insulation, vapor barrier, and fiberglass will add to the costs, along with all.the elbow grease. And.when the dust clears, I may spend close to what the decent low-end factory units cost. However, I will know the whole system inside and out, and I will know it's done correctly. Also, because I can control where the components go, I can guarantee that maintenance/repairs are easy to do.

 

[Delta Riverat]

I'm going to replace mine and re-do the whole galley. Now have a 6 cu-ft Dometic absorption 120V/LPG unit with microwave on top. And a Princess electric stove/oven.

Get 12 volt 10 cu-ft fridge, remove microwave and remove Princess. Get 2 burner induction cooktop and combo microwave / convection oven below.

Have to cut a bigger hole and fit, but running the new fridge at 12 volt 13 amps is way less than the old one 2.7 amps @120V which translates to 31 amps on the battery through the inverter.

 

[Comodave]

Whatever refer you go with put a vent in low and high to let cool air in and hot air out. I also use a 50 mAmp fan to help move the hot air out of the compartment. Well worth the current draw to have the refer run easier. This is the one I use from Amazon.

Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown), compatible with Desktop

 

[SIBERNUT]

Is that a 12v or 120v fan? If 12, what are you using for on/off ?

 

[catalinajack]

Is that a 12v or 120v fan? If 12, what are you using for on/off ?

If the compressor is a Danfoss, which is highly likely, the 50 mAmp fan is run from an extra pin on the control module.

 

[SIBERNUT]

I can buy a 110v fan & wire it to come on with any compressor. But 12V fans are cheaper and require a temp switch to turn them on. Anybody got a satisfactory switch ?

 

[DBG8492]

I can buy a 110v fan & wire it to come on with any compressor. But 12V fans are cheaper and require a temp switch to turn them on. Anybody got a satisfactory switch ?

A Danfoss compressor control module already has a 12v output for a fan. All you have to do is hook it up, and it will come on when the compressor kicks in.

So I don't understand.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Ok. Don't know if a Danfoss, it's on a mini fridge. I'll plug it in & probe a little, tks

 

[Portage_Bay]

I wired mine to be on full time the refer circuit is hot. Prior I had it wired to come on with the compressor. The enclosure the refer is in is too tight, hot air remains after the compressor shuts down. With the fan on full time the compressor runs far less because it has cool air from startup. I've not measured total current draw but think the combined full time fan plus less compressor run time is less than the other way around.

A Danfoss compressor control module already has a 12v output for a fan. All you have to do is hook it up, and it will come on when the compressor kicks in.

So I don't understand.

 

[Comodave]

On our last boat the Vitrifugo refer didn’t cool well. I added a low vent and a high vent. I added on of the fans in my post above. The Vitrifugo refer had a 12 volt connection on the circuit board that would support a .5 amp fan. The fan I used drew .05 amp so it was well within the limit. The refer immediately started working much better. On our current refer I couldn’t find a connection for the fan so I just wired it directly into the 12 volt power to the refer with a fuse. So it comes on whenever we have the refer turned on. At .05 amps the draw is pretty much insignificant.

 

[DBG8492]

On our last boat the Vitrifugo refer didn’t cool well. I added a low vent and a high vent. I added on of the fans in my post above. The Vitrifugo refer had a 12 volt connection on the circuit board that would support a .5 amp fan. The fan I used drew .05 amp so it was well within the limit. The refer immediately started working much better. On our current refer I couldn’t find a connection for the fan so I just wired it directly into the 12 volt power to the refer with a fuse. So it comes on whenever we have the refer turned on. At .05 amps the draw is pretty much insignificant.

Yes - a cooler condenser improves things dramatically. In fact, Vitifrigo makes new units with fans already on them.

However, you would need to install them in a way that allows for airflow... and if possible, isolate and insulate the condenser from the rest of the unit.

They also make a keel-cooled version - which I have considered. I don't plan on being on the hard that much, but nature has a way of ruining man's plans. And seeing as how I live on my boat, I'd hate to go all-in on that only to end up back on the hard for six months due to something outside my sphere of control - and have to do so with no refrigeration...

 

[DBG8492]

Ok. Don't know if a Danfoss, it's on a mini fridge. I'll plug it in & probe a little, tks

Ah! Didn't realize you were specifically talking about a mini. I thought we were talking about the 12-volt stuff.

In that case, I don't know. Maybe a relay if you want it to come on when the compressor is on. But the fan would have to get power from someplace other than the fridge.

The former owner of my boat wanted a fan on the Xantrex Inverter/Charger so he ran a whole other circuit to a small plastic 12-volt room fan and mounted it to a board that he glued to the deck next to the device. The breaker is labeled "CHGR FAN" and in fact, that's how we ended up finding the device itself. We switched it off and on and tracked down where the sound was coming from each time it powered on.

 

[rslifkin]

Upgrading (and reversing the direction of) the condenser fan on my Novakool, plus adding a second fan (along with good installation for airflow and some added insulation) and a thermostatic evaporator fan in the fridge compartment made a massive difference in performance. The only thing I note is that the freezer temp swings are still a little wide and the freezer isn't quite as cold as I'd like. But without switching to a dual compressor unit for separate fridge and freezer temp control, there's not much to do about that.

 

[Comodave]

Yup, keeping the compartment that houses the refer cooler makes a huge difference in refer performance. For 50 mAmps per hour is a small price to pay. Oh and a couple of S/S grills for the vent holes.

 

[man7sell]

My plan based on all your great inputs

Reversible airflow summer/winter

 

[jgtrucking]

Yes - a cooler condenser improves things dramatically. In fact, Vitifrigo makes new units with fans already on them.

However, you would need to install them in a way that allows for airflow... and if possible, isolate and insulate the condenser from the rest of the unit.

They also make a keel-cooled version - which I have considered. I don't plan on being on the hard that much, but nature has a way of ruining man's plans. And seeing as how I live on my boat, I'd hate to go all-in on that only to end up back on the hard for six months due to something outside my sphere of control - and have to do so with no refrigeration...

Mine isn't keel cooled, but seawater cooled all the same. I got by last year on the hard for a month with my Fly bridge fridge (60qt) and 45qt overflow freezer.



Sitting in a marina... my hold plate system is only ok (monthly defrosts)... but when we travel we love it.

 

[DBG8492]

Mine isn't keel cooled, but seawater cooled all the same. I got by last year on the hard for a month with my Fly bridge fridge (60qt) and 45qt overflow freezer.

Sitting in a marina... my hold plate system is only ok (monthly defrosts)... but when we travel we love it.

That's about the same rate of defrost we had on the sailboat, so I don't mind it. I just have to find a place to install the condensers close enough to not have to use absurdly long lines.

Refrigeration and freezer is on the list of things to be done before we splash, but it's a bit farther down the list compared to the through-hulls, black water system, and DC power.