Joe wrote:
Even a 12 V electric compressor can be noisy.

Depends on what you call "noisy." We just put in a new 12V fridge. You
can hear it running if you stand next to it... you can hear the
thermostat click... and that's about it.


... With just a few feet of
plumbing you can have a more proffessional set up and better access to
your compressor in the engine room.


If you're talking about engine driven, it's too cumbersome and only
works when underway. And the compressor will run at all kinds of RPM
depending on everything except what the refrigeration system needs.
Really inefficient, plus you have refrigerant lines draped all over the
engine room. I'm not seriously considering engine driven refrigeration.

It would make more sense to have a 120VAC 3-phase diesel genset driving
a compressor, that would be smaller, quieter, more efficient, more
flexible with regard to layout, and you could tie in more efficient
3-phase appliances. Hard to find off-the-shelf stuff though, and it'd be
a lot more expensive (unless you could scrounge most of the parts).



Id go with the stainless steel. Make it a double walled 6" thick min.
and inject expandable foam in it. Will last forever.

We don't have the cubic for that thick insulation, especially not with a
double walled SS box. And pour-in foam has a poor R value, about 3 or 4
IIRC. A poor match economically. If I was going to spend that kind of
money I'd get the whole thing put under a vacuum, maybe put in a little
dedicated vacuum maintainer pump. It'd be one big Thermos!



Front or top access?


Top. It's going under the dinette settee. With 4" insulation we can get
a smidge over 4 cu ft, although it has to be irregularly shaped.

DSK