DSK wrote:
Jeff wrote:

Again, this may be true, but it might not be appropriate for all
systems. Adding a thru-hull and more components probably isn't worth
a few Amp-hours savings.


It's more than that... water cooling may save a lot o' bucks by using a
smaller unit. And it's more desirable in the tropics, where the ambient
air temp is higher. As air temp gets above the 80s, trying to air cool a
refrig'n condenser gets to be a losing proposition.

So you chose air cooled. How come?

One of the little ironies is that in cold water, the air in the bilge
may be much cooler than on deck or in the engine room. I never
bothered to measure, but I wonder if that's also true in the tropics.

As for savings - the cost difference between the BD50 and BD35 is
pretty small - certainly much less than a through hull, pump, and
condenser. However, once you get larger its clear that water cooling
has advantages.

BTW, my father-in-law, an HVAC engineer and inventor, rigged up his
home A/C to heat the swimming pool water with the waste heat. It
worked great for a number of years, but now that he's 84 and his war
injuries have caught up to him, he has trouble maintaining it. With
the extra plumbing, its possible to loose the pool water, and then be
without both pool and A/C.


Another alternative is the keel cooler. At least two companies now are
making thru-hulls chambered & fitted for refrigeration keel cooling, so
you don't have to drill any more holes in your hull.

Some may be interested in my current project, 98% complete at this
point: installing a freezer built into our dinette seat. After a LOT of
research and spreadsheeting all the numbers, I decided on a Waeco
(Adler-Barbour) CU-84 (based on the Danfoss BD-35) air cooled
refrigeration unit, with an exhaust to the outside. The box is insulated
on 5 sides with R-28 vacuum panels. I am currently finishing the lids, a
relatively demanding bit of fiberglassing that I don't recommend.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...89712634CcPfiT
(next 7 pics)

I like this setup. As I've mentioned before, using one compressor for
both fridge and freezer can be a problem. The BD35 gives a lot of
bang for the buck.



Fresh Breezes- Doug King