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Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 6:36 am
by Trowerpower
Well our 28 year old Norcold on our 32 ft SFB is reaching the end of its life. Reviews on the newer Norcold models are not good from what I have seen. What about (Isotherm)?

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:31 am
by bcassedy
We've owned Sunset Seeker since June 2010. The following summer (2011) the Norcold frdge died. Rather than spending a ton of $$$ (that otherwise goes to ???) on a dual AC/DC fridge, we opted to get a Fridgidare 4.3 cu ft AC unit from Best Buy. It offered the largest freezer area and draws 74watts of power. We installed an inverter connected to a separate battery. The inverter's got a auto transfer switch which goes from AC In/AC out to DC in / AC out in very short order. With only 74 watts draw when the fridge kicks on, there's plenty of run time should you do an extended time on the hook without powering up the engines (which will supply DC power to the inverter. This then charges/supplies power to the inverter's battery).

The only "wrinkle" was the fact that you don't want to get 2 forms of power going to the inverter. Ie. If you run the genny, it gets AC power in (as it would with shore power) PLUS it could get DC power in from the engines (if you have a battery selector switch and that switch is on "All"). To remedy that possibility (short of ALWAYS remembering to switch the battery selector switch from All to just the house battery <removing the inverter battery from the engine charging circuit>), I put in a 12v relay connected to the starboard engine's ignition switch. The AC feed to the inverter is wired into this. When the engine ignition switch is OFF, the relay's contacts are normally closed (NC) and AC power can flow from either the genny or shore power to the inverter (which supplies AC power to the fridge AND thru the charging circuit in the inverter, auto charges the battery). Flip the ignition switch on and the contacts, which as I mentioned are NC, are energized by the 12v now going to the relay and the contacts open. This breaks the AC power flow and the fridge now gets its power from the inverter battery thru the inverter. Even if you run the genny(with the engine running), there's no way for the AC power to get to the inverter (and cause a dual power feed to the charging current which can destroy the inverter's circuitry! <don't ask how I know.....>).

Bill

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:06 am
by Roger2
Good job Bill.

Roger

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:05 am
by barkleydave
Have same fridge on its 6th season works great fit perfect.

Dave

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:01 am
by Rockxx
One day I hope to be able to afford one of those fancy electric models. Mine's the original "ice box" that you put a chunk of ice in every few days. After watching the comments on the forum these past few months I've figured out that my boat was the "economy" model in 1972. You read fuel levels through a hole in the deck. That being said, having owned everything from a 12'
Dingy to a 68' houseboat, this is my favorite boat of them all. :D

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:00 pm
by Trowerpower
:) Something to be said for keeping it simple stupid! My Norcold is still keeping our food/beer cold so until it quits, she is staying aboard.

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:07 am
by Fastjeff
After our original 'fridge dies, we replaced it with an 'apartment sized' 'fridge (under 180 bucks at Home Depot) that fit in the same place. It lasted 4 or 5 years. Bought another that's still going strong.

Jeff

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:25 pm
by ronmar
I have a 1990 32 Sedan FB. Previous owner replaced the refrigerator with a 110V AC unit. Quite certain trying to save money and rarely left dock so shore power sufficed for their needs. I thought of adding an inverter but it appears really only good for short time use and requires more batteries. I want to replace back to 2 way AC/DC unit so I can continue using refer when away from dock. Does anyone know what size and dimensions original 2 way AC/DC refrigerators were? I do not have a genset so looks like changing back to AC/DC overall best option. Found some decent buys on some RV 2 way refers (not the absorbent type) but need the dimensions to make sure will fit.

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:30 pm
by bpboater
I just went through this issue on our 1988 41 Marinette. It had an 8 cu ft Norcold DE828 that had a separate compressor for the cold section and one for the freezer section. It used a lot of energy. The compressor for the cold section locked up. The twin power supplies are ok. In the end, I opted for a $350 GE 5.6 cu ft model that runs on 120 only. I have an inverter nearby and just move the plug for the fridge from the 120 vac outlet to the inverter when we leave the dock. It is so quiet and keeps food really cold. The refrigerator is 18 inches shorter than the one that was there. I built a shelf to elevate the fridge and put doors below it for storage. No more stooping to the floor to use the vegetable crisper section.

Re: Refrigerator Replacement

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:38 pm
by ronmar
How many watt inverter did you use and does it stress batteries for a long run? I saw a video by West Marine stating refers need additional batteries and can stress them.