Modifications to icebox/refrigeration box General Forum Forums

I'm still in the process of figuring out my refrigeration on Bodhran.  I installed a little nordcold unit back in 2003 when I was living on the dock and in the chilly Pacific Northwest.  It drew close to 100 amps a day with the standard insulation.  For my first 4 years out cruising, I only ran the nordcold unit when the engine was running and my batteries were topped off, so I pretty much did without refrigeration.  When I got down to New Zealand, added another solar panel and saw how much power I was generating, I decided to beef up the insulation and see if I could run my fridge again.  I added 2" insulation inside the original box and then finished it off with panels I found meant for shower stalls.  The whole thing looked pretty nice and got my power consumption down to 60 amps a day. 

That was still too much for my solar to keep up with, so last year I ripped the whole icebox out and and dropped in an engels 48 stand alone unit.  I still need to figure out how to trim it out better, but it only draws 10-15 amps a day and I am very happy with it.  This year engels came out with a top loading unit designed to do what I did with there stand alone unit.  If I had it to do again that's where I'd go.

So to answer your question, I saw about 40% improvement adding 2" insulation inside the box but I'm personally sold on these Engels low consumption swing motor units.

Jason

DE32 Bodhran

On our previous boat (a Peterson 44) I installed an Isotherm SP unit  in the freezer and abandoned the too large fridge. We'd never had refridgeration before (in the tropics for 7 years or so!!) so anything was good. These cool thru a coil in the line, in a supplied seacock (for the sink outlet) - like a keel cooler. So no pumps or fans etc. I did put extra foam insulation in the bottom and glassed it in. It was anyway too deep to reach easily! We didn't expect freezing so were suprised to find we could freeze small things in the 'U' shaped condenser. We rarely had to run the engine to keep it going with only about 150 w of solar panel, in the tropics mainly. We did have leds for all lighting including nav lights and have done the same on Pelli. However, not getting the same performance, which I'm assuming is due to less insulation. It is difficult to use the extreme portside and bottom of the compartment anyway - so I'm going to build-in foam there to reduce the size. We have a dark green hull, so that's not good for a fridge reaching out to the side of the boat. I use an easily removeable double sheet of reflective bubble wrap in the top, which I think helps? The nice thing about the Isotherm SP, is no noise - you really cannot tell whether its running. We so far haven't had to run the engine for refridgeration and this has been the hottest summer on record here. We spent a month sailing down to the Bahamas - about 10 days at sea and two and a half weeks there, with lower temps than here in NC!! I should mention that we don't need very much refrigeration and often have put a block of ice, when available, in the bottom, to fill it up some.

Tim Balfour   'Pelli'   DE32

We never had a problem during the 5 years we used it, on the Peterson. The coils in the seacock appear to be copper and one uses a provided, flattened donut shaped zinc on the thu hull.

I should add that we have (had) the smallest version of the SP. There are bigger models. Being British we aren't used to cold drinks ( we even drink 'warm' beer !! - actually at cellar temp) and having lived in the tropics without refrig, we found out a lot of things don't need it. Eggs last up to 2 months as long as they haven't been washed or refrigerated. Mayonaise doesn't need it as long as you don't contaminate it with an utensil that has been used for something else. etc. etc. We have also always bottled (canned) surplas fish that we catch - chunks in mason jars in a pressure cooker for 1/4 hr (no liquid). In many countries where refrigeration is not so essential or widespread as here - many things last a lot better. We've had wax covered cheeses (from Holland and other places) that keep without.

When I get round to it, I'll let you know how the fridge changes go.

A question - does everyone's cockpit drains go to a single seacock?. At the cockpit, mine are 2" but have been reduced down to 1 1/2" hose and a single 1 1/2" seacock. This seems counter intuitive. I'm planning to instal another when I haul-out this winter.

Tim    'Pelli'   DE32

timbalfour said:

 
A question - does everyone's cockpit drains go to a single seacock?. At the cockpit, mine are 2" but have been reduced down to 1 1/2" hose and a single 1 1/2" seacock. This seems counter intuitive. I'm planning to instal another when I haul-out this winter.

Tim    'Pelli'   DE32

Two cockpit drains on Oasis plumb to a single 1 1/2" black PVC pipe, then out via a thru hull.  Only seacock in engine room is for the raw water intake for the engine.  I presumed the two cockpit drains are for opposite heel angles, rather than for quickly removing vast quantities of water.

Hey Jonathan,

It seems to me that when I took out my icebox, the top was very poorly insulated with just a thin skin of fiberglass separating it from the main compartment.  It seems very possible that the skin has been compromised, but any moisture should be seeping into the plywood core of the counter top.  I don't see how any moisture could make it up to the piece that you're talking about, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.

I used to have a little fan powered by a D battery that I put in my icebox to circulate air.  You could try that first before you install the computer fan and see if it does anything for you.

Jason

DE 32 Bodhran