A lot depends on the size of your fridge and how you use it. If you
can go into a bit of detail, such as the size of the box(es), freezer
requirements, and the nature of your cruising, you might get better
advice. For example, if you cruise in cold water, a water cooled
system would be more efficient. But if you power each day (or run a
genset for A/C) then the power issues might not be important to you.

I have larger Crosby (actually part of A/B) holding plate system for a
separate fridge and freezer system that I've had a love/hate
relationship with. When I pull a steak out of the freezer that's
frozen down to zero degrees, I'm happy. But when I don't need the
freezer, its a real annoyance to use 70 to 100 Amp-hours a day on the
system. And of course, one small leak and the whole system is down.
(This happened twice in 7 seasons, and both times was detected in home
port, not while traveling.)

If I were building my system now, I might consider having two systems
based on the new Danfoss compressors. While perhaps not the most
efficient in total, having two systems for the two boxes would give
more flexibility in case one is lost.

Danfoss is the "hermetic" sealed compressor your A/B is based on, and
is used in most of the smaller systems today. Of course, the units
have changed in the last 20 years, and each company has some "special
technology" that makes theirs the best. You might look over
www.rparts.com to get a free education about the components in use
today. They carry the latest Danfoss units and this will give you a
baseline to see if you're getting your money's worth from whichever
system you decide on.





Dick Behan wrote:
The 20-year-old Adler/Barbour unit on our Victory Tug has expired. Can't
complain about the service, but what do you cruisers out there think
about replacing it? Go with Adler/Barbour again, or is there a more
up-to-date technology (and product) you'd recommend as superior?
TIA.

Dick Behan
M/V ANNIE