2004 Hunter 36 Refrigerator...repair or replace?

[Kupe]

Hey gang-

Some time during the three weeks since our last visit to our 2004 Hunter 36, the refrigerator stopped cooling. (I'm sure the near 100 degree temps didn't help.) The unit has power- interior light works and I can hear the compressor motor quietly running.

Not a fun thing to discover and unfortunately I had just enough time to clean up spoiled goods before I had to drive back home. I couldn't find any identifying markings on the fridge, but it is the factory original. Anyone know what make and model these are? Nothing of use in the Hunter manual. (I'm sure there was a separate fridge manual at one time.)

I cycled the thermostat up and down and cycled the CB- no help. Any ideas of what to check for a possibly easy fix? Thanks gang!

 

[Terry Cox]

Hi Kupe. If the fridge runs but no cooling, it may need a re-charge. If it were my boat I would call a marine refrigeration guy to check things out. Could be a simple fix. When we purchased our boat the freezer would not get cold. After a re-charge, system worked great. That was in 2002.

 

[Kupe]

Hi Kupe. If the fridge runs but no cooling, it may need a re-charge. If it were my boat I would call a marine refrigeration guy to check things out. Could be a simple fix. When we purchased our boat the freezer would not get cold. After a re-charge, system worked great. That was in 2002.

Thanks Terry! I'm beating the bushes for just such a person. We're on Lake Lanier near Atlanta and if anyone has a recommendation it would be much appreciated!

 

[Rich 35.5]

If its an air cooled model, check the coils, they may just be filled with dust and lint... With the amount a good teck earns, I would replace the unit myself. Why put hundreds into a 20 year old unit when a new is easy and fairly inexpensive..

 

[gfrazzle]

Hi Kupe,
I replaced my old unit(2007 DS41) with a new one a couple of months ago. The original was battery powered- the replacement is AC/DC. The install was fairly easy, the hardest part was finding one to fit the old location. There are many on the market and I found a Norcold that was almost identical, required only minor fitting. As stated above, the price of a new unit will likely be much less than a service/ repair if you can find any one to do it and 20 years old is well beyond the normal service life.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I had mine recharged for around $200. Still works great 3 years later. A new system was going to cost over $1k back then.

 

[gfrazzle]

I had mine recharged for around $200. Still works great 3 years later. A new system was going to cost over $1k back then.

Hey Justin, that's great! mine was beyond redemption and in my area (West coast), getting any mechanic let alone a marine electrician is nearly impossible without waiting for months. I had to spend around $1300 for the unit but got it done in a couple of days

 

[Kupe]

Thanks gang! Got back to the boat today with more time to dig into this. The unit is a NovaKool R3800. Date of manufacture is 2004- same as my H36. So guess I can't complain if the unit can't be repaired (well except I've only had the boat a year but whaddaya gonna do?) The good news is that the company is still making them, which presents the lovely possibility of an easy swap and go. Prices though are all over the place from $1,200 to $1,800. But as I've been warned, a service call could equal a good chunk of that. But the theoretical service call may be irrelevant as nobody in this area seems to offer boat or RV refrigerator repair. Maybe it's like "television repair"? i.e. just chuck them?

 

[justsomeguy]

I bought a can of R134a and a hose for about $50-60 bucks and recharged my fridge myself. Not difficult. You simply sneak up on the optimum level of refrigerant, about 90% of your condenser frosting up. Charge a bit, let sit for a couple hours, charge a bit more if necessary.
Don't forget to purge the hose of air before you begin recharging.

 

[Kupe]

I bought a can of R134a and a hose for about $50-60 bucks and recharged my fridge myself. Not difficult. You simply sneak up on the optimum level of refrigerant, about 90% of your condenser frosting up. Charge a bit, let sit for a couple hours, charge a bit more if necessary.
Don't forget to purge the hose of air before you begin recharging.

Thanks! I presume there must have been a freon leak- were you able to locate that? Where did you source the can of R134a and hose?

 

[Ed Caldwell]

Kupe
Call George at 770-503-4420
Coastal Marine Services
All things refrigeration and air conditioning
Ed at K26 Sunrise Cove

 

[Kupe]

Kupe
Call George at 770-503-4420
Coastal Marine Services
All things refrigeration and air conditioning
Ed at K26 Sunrise Cove

Thanks neighbor! I just got Coastal's info from Janice at Sunrise, but missed them late Friday. Looking forward to chatting with them tomorrow! And I see they are (or were) Nova Kool dealers. It's been a broken stuff kinda week...our water heater at home died on Friday too late to get ahold of anybody. Shocking showers lemme tell ya! Gonna try to deal with boat fridge and house water heater tomorrow since major spine surgery on Wednesday. Thanks again!

 

[Ed Caldwell]

Wow, good luck with all 3 issues!

 

[Rasselas36]

This is where I found the best price on mine. Great company to work with.
.
Bob Beard
Encompass Marine
(954)920-0300
3700 N. 29th Ave, Suite 201
Hollywood, FL, 33020

 

[Kupe]

This is where I found the best price on mine. Great company to work with.
.
Bob Beard
Encompass Marine
(954)920-0300
3700 N. 29th Ave, Suite 201
Hollywood, FL, 33020

Thanks and it looks like they are a NovaKool dealer. Did you install yours yourself? Do you mind if I ask what the all-in cost was?

 

[Straycat22296]

About five year ago my 1999 cooling went out and of course the unit had no way to recharge. I do not recall the brand but it was a major brand. A Tech that I talked to on the phone stated he might be able to add a charge point for $400-$500 it it would be a 2-3 months wait. This cost involved pulling it out, installation of the port and then putting it back in. There would be no gaurantee.
I easily installed a new same brand replacment with a charge port myself. I do not recall the price but the wife was not happy since I was not buying Jewelry
From information I found, refrigeration gases have changed over the last few decades — only a generation ago, the refrigerant R-12 was commonly used to cool houses before R-22 took its place. Then, R-22 was replaced by the new R-410a as recent as 2010.
This information also states that the most popular and widely used marine refrigerant today looks to still be R12 so you may be ok if you can recharge your unit with the R-12.
Good luck with your project and remember it's a boat so it's always something.

 

[justsomeguy]

Where did you source the can of R134a and hose?

R134 at the auto parts store, the hose you'd have to search for using certain terms like "AC parts and supplies" or such.

 

[jviss]

I would think if it needs a recharge, there's a leak to be addressed. But, since others have mentioned long term fixes from recharging, perhaps leaks can be intermittent, or maybe there's something in the recharge that can seal small leaks?

I had a fridge last 33 years and it was still working when I sold that boat! So, you never know. But if I had a 20 year old unit fail I might consider replacing it.

Good luck.