marine refrigerator
 

I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam

"Adam" wrote in message ...
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is
about
$800
What makes different almost $700?
Adam

Stainless steel coils? Sealed contacts on the door switch to prevent sparks
? Not sure but a $700 saving sounds tempting.

Adam wrote:
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

At least one of the reasons is, marine versions are "dual voltage."
Household refrigerators can only use 115vAC power, requiring a
connection to shore power, generator or external inverters in the boat's
electrical system. Marine/rv versions have the necessary circuitry,
inverters etc built in to use either 115v or 12v/DC power. Whether
that's enough to account for all of the price difference may be
debatable. Whether the ability to run a refrigerator off your boat's
house battery while away from the dock is worth that much extra money is
up to you.


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1

Thanks Peggie;
To adopt this for dual voltage is not a problem and it cost less than $100
Still looking for $600
Adam
"Peggie Hall" wrote in message
...
Adam wrote:
I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is
about
$800

What makes different almost $700?

At least one of the reasons is, marine versions are "dual voltage."
Household refrigerators can only use 115vAC power, requiring a
connection to shore power, generator or external inverters in the boat's
electrical system. Marine/rv versions have the necessary circuitry,
inverters etc built in to use either 115v or 12v/DC power. Whether
that's enough to account for all of the price difference may be
debatable. Whether the ability to run a refrigerator off your boat's
house battery while away from the dock is worth that much extra money is
up to you.


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1

"Adam" wrote in :

I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is
about $800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam




Do not look for these type items at marine suppliers. Go instead to RV
suppliers and outlets. Used RV outfits are good places as they usually
have a few 'wreckers' they sell the pieces and parts from. You'll find
the RV refidgerators generally adequate for marine use.

--
MonteP
"Against stupidity, the very gods themselves contend in vain." -
Friedrich von Schiller
"Ignorant voracity -- a wingless vulture -- can soar only into the depths
of ignominy." Patrick O'Brian
-=The answer is simple...send pretzels to the Whitehouse!=-

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:16:54 -0400, "Adam" wrote:

Thanks Peggie;
To adopt this for dual voltage is not a problem and it cost less than $100
Still looking for $600

Well, Koolatron and Coleman and a few others make front-opening
Peltier coolers that run on 12 V or 115 V AC via an included adapter
for well under $200. I got a 32 quart model I stash under the V-berth
that holds about 40 cans of "beverage" for $99. I clean it out when
(as occasionally happens) frost forms, but generally I leave it on
unless I'm sailing, at which point I wrap a Mylar blanket and a
sleeping bag around it. Keeps the beer cold until the next shore power
outlet OR I can always run it off the 12 VDC at 3-4 amps.

The bonus is that most of them can be used as food/drink warmers by
reversing the plugs...nothing like hot sake when working under the
tarp here in Toronto in February...brrrrr!

Top-loading is better...how badly do you need the single tray of ice
cubes a tiny fridge can produce?

RV units are often have three power options, 12v/120v/propane. The propane
side is an open flame so don't atempt to use it or spend extra because it
there. Look for the dual power only units.


MonteP wrote in message
.. .
"Adam" wrote in :

I'm planning to install small refrigerator on my boat - ~4cu.ft.

This kind of household appliance is about $100, marine refrigerator is
about $800

What makes different almost $700?

Adam




Do not look for these type items at marine suppliers. Go instead to RV
suppliers and outlets. Used RV outfits are good places as they usually
have a few 'wreckers' they sell the pieces and parts from. You'll find
the RV refidgerators generally adequate for marine use.

--
MonteP
"Against stupidity, the very gods themselves contend in vain." -
Friedrich von Schiller
"Ignorant voracity -- a wingless vulture -- can soar only into the depths
of ignominy." Patrick O'Brian
-=The answer is simple...send pretzels to the Whitehouse!=-

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:16:54 -0400, "Adam" wrote:

Thanks Peggie;
To adopt this for dual voltage is not a problem and it cost less than $100
Still looking for $600
Adam


Whatever is your point? Are you saying the marine materials are
overpriced? Ah, now there's a man with an keen eye for insight.

You are comparing a domestic 'fridge which exists in a highly
competitive, highly efficient marketplace to a marine 'fridge which
has neither. Oh, and the construction is different.

But hey, put the unit from your local discount appliance dealer on
your boat. Good luck to you.

Oh, and I suppose you can buy parts for your boat at the auto parts
store for 1/10 the price. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've
heard these lines.

Adam,

Despite snide assertions to the contrary, garden variety Home Depot /
Target type fridges work fine, and hold up well in a boat - depending on
your specific needs. We used one for 12 years in a SJ26, and it was
going strong when we sold it. Some surface rust, but what the heck. We
did use it only on 110vac, however, and you can pretty much count on the
inexpensive units being quite inefficient. Not the route you want to
take if you plan to run on DC for extended periods. Evaluate your
usage, then look at the relative power consumptions and determine which
will meet *your* needs. You may have to spend the bucks to get the best
solution to your needs, and you may not. If you need the DC option, RV
supply houses are a good place for mid-priced units, as previously
suggested. Good luck.

Keith Hughes

P.C. Ford wrote:
On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:16:54 -0400, "Adam" wrote:


Thanks Peggie;
To adopt this for dual voltage is not a problem and it cost less than $100
Still looking for $600
Adam



Whatever is your point? Are you saying the marine materials are
overpriced? Ah, now there's a man with an keen eye for insight.

You are comparing a domestic 'fridge which exists in a highly
competitive, highly efficient marketplace to a marine 'fridge which
has neither. Oh, and the construction is different.

But hey, put the unit from your local discount appliance dealer on
your boat. Good luck to you.

Oh, and I suppose you can buy parts for your boat at the auto parts
store for 1/10 the price. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've
heard these lines.

Hi,

An 'A' rated counter top fridge costs £100 in the UK and uses
100kWh/yr. With a bit of extra insulation it should be possible to
reduce this further

If you already have batteries and a means to charge them it might be
cheaper to invest part of the money saved in a better setup.

cheers,
Pete.

"John Cassara" wrote in message .net...

RV units are often have three power options, 12v/120v/propane. The propane
side is an open flame so don't atempt to use it or spend extra because it
there. Look for the dual power only units.

Maybe it would be more accurate to view refer selection as
usage-driven, but I personally have never seen the ultimate sense in a
12vdc refer, whether RV, marine, cheap, very costly, or otherwise.
This is after living with one of the RV variety.

ISTM that low-volt DC operation is more suited to casual gunkholing or
limited coastal cruising, also where corrosion-proof marine
construction is relatively unimportant - and the ease of running any
small shoreside AC unit from an inverter & its far lower cost
outweighs the large price difference for RV or marine 12v units.

ISTM that for blue-water, and where ship's engine is routinely run
daily to charge batteries & such, an engine-mounted compressor (even a
salvaged & adapted auto airconditioning unit if one is on the cheap &
is handy) with a suitable evap is a much better deal all the way
around when used to recool a well-insulated icebox & make ice. It is
also one less separate machine to fail & fool with, versus an
easily-accessible compressor. It is unfortunate that "kits" of these
simple parts sold for yachts are quite costly, but there is a lot of
room for doing the same without them at low cost (given some hands-on
knowledge of refrigeration).

I have 2 of the Peltier coolers, one a large famous Kool-whatever &
the other a small $20 closeout special whatever. I find them next to
useless versus the space they occupy where refrigeration is really
needed (YMMV), as they will only cool to around 40F below ambient (and
that on a good day, with a lot of time, pre-cooled contents, almost
never-opened, optimal ventilation and a little luck thrown in). When
I first started casual coastal dubbing around I used the big one for
the first trip, then went back to block ice. They are good for using
in the back of your 4WD on summer off-road jaunts to make the soda &
beer warm up more slowlyg, and the small one lives in my little Geo
Tracker where it hold exactly 9 cans that you may need a tool to pry
out of it unless you turn it upside down. This is good because it
keeps the riff-raff from snitching your cold ones. They cool very
unevenly. A constant 4 amp drain can be a serious matter, and also is
remarkably energy-inefficient in terms of refrigeration compared to a
compressor.

And if one is cruising & catching or foraging seafood/etc. for real
when opportunities arise, yes, one wants ice. Besides, ice (or its
equivalent) is what keeps food safely refrigerated when any unit is
not being powered - which happens all the time at sea without notice
for one reason or another. IMHO anything which cannot make ice (i.e.,
remove heat to below freezing to provide latent storage capacity)
isn't practical as refrigeration for the power & space it usurps, no
matter how low-budget one may be (as I am). Again YMMV.

If one is set upon having 12vdc refrigeration, there is a 3rd
alternative: highly efficient new chest fridges & freezers in the 5
ft/cu variety marketed by the solar pwr industry. They are bigger
than marine or RV units (due to much more insulation), and comparable
in price but far more efficient. I am certain one would not fit
through the companionway of S/V Free Three II, but may be perfect for
motorcraft. These draw little enough to run directly from panels, and
with certain usage patterns no battery may be needed.

Adam wrote:

Thanks Peggie;
To adopt this for dual voltage is not a problem and it cost less than $100
Still looking for $600
Adam
"Peggie Hall" wrote in message
...

Adam wrote:

The Norcold dual voltage frig and also small Norcold chest freezer that
I have use a 40 volt AC compressor to better accomodate power convesion
Each has a special inverter that transforms the 112 vac to 40 vac and
converts 12 vdc to 40 vac to operate this super efficient little compressor.

For such a small frig or freezer compartment these unit still have a
larger (than domestic) evaperator which does a quicker and more
efficient cooling/freeze cycle.

If you go ahead and use a domestic frig, be sure to disable the
automatic defrost system and any stip heaters in the door seal. Very
wasteful of boat battery power. Do a manual deforst at the dock.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions