My Adler Barber refrigerator runs off my batteries. I would like to refrigator to run off shore power when connected to A/C in the slip.
Ac/Dc refigeration
- Thread starter Tom Mulligan
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Converter
My ref works AC/DC since adding a converter,yes just did not make much sense to be hooked to shore power and run the ref off the batteries and than charge the batteries,here in Florida the boat is in the water 12 months and ref on 24/7 and that means alot of recharging.
It's was not cheap adding the converter and check the ref maker.
Nick
My ref works AC/DC since adding a converter,yes just did not make much sense to be hooked to shore power and run the ref off the batteries and than charge the batteries,here in Florida the boat is in the water 12 months and ref on 24/7 and that means alot of recharging.
It's was not cheap adding the converter and check the ref maker.
Nick
I understand the refrigeration runs from A/C through the batteries but I want to turn the batteries off and run off shore power alone. I believe I need a converter and looking for suggestions. Rick, you seem knowledgeable, I have a Hunter 340 with a Yanmar 27hp and a single handle lever for throttle, forward and reverse. I leave the transmission in neutral and let the prop free spin. Is this correct or should the trans. be in reverse.
Re: Converter
Thanks Nick, I am in the same situation in California 24/7 in the water and the batteries are led acid and are constantly charging. My boat is a 1998, 340. Another question, I have a single handle transmission lever for throttle, forward and reverse, I let the prop spin free, do you engage your transmission while sailing or let it spin free?
Thanks Nick, I am in the same situation in California 24/7 in the water and the batteries are led acid and are constantly charging. My boat is a 1998, 340. Another question, I have a single handle transmission lever for throttle, forward and reverse, I let the prop spin free, do you engage your transmission while sailing or let it spin free?
I am with Rich on this point. I have NEVER understood having a refrigeration system that runs off of AC/DC. Who cares if you are charging the batteries once the power levels drop and need a recharge.
I think it is better to keep the batteries active than sitting for weeks at a time and discharging (just my opinion).
I think it is better to keep the batteries active than sitting for weeks at a time and discharging (just my opinion).
Boat stuff and components cost big money. The less wear and tear they receive the more likely the longer they'll last. Have you considered acquiring a 120V dorm refrigerator. A 1.7 cf refrigerator can be purchased for around $70 and you can give your batteries, charger and boat refrigerator a rest. Installing a converter would probably run you $200+ and you are still providing wear and tear to your boat refrigerator. The biggest drawback is finding some space for it but even if it sits on the chart table there should be no inconvenience while the boat is docked. For sailing it can be stowed away or removed and left behind on a dock box.
Added a 1.7 fridge to my 23.5 hunter last year,put a shelf over rear storage behind sink,only a/c. but boat is on shore power as I'm out every other day min 6 hrs.and everything stays cold till return to slip.One thing;add a hasp on door to body of fridge,keeps everything in box instead of all over birth when heeled.
In Reverse
I have always put the lever into reverse and with my Flex O Fold they recommends it in reverse,I just felt that my new T-105 would last longer with them needing charging less and the charger working less,1 out of 3 working less is better.
Here in Florida I use my boat more and with all the electronics I have when sailing the batteries are being charged alot,so running on shore power hopefully is better but my 2007 inverter/charger needed repair this past year already.
Nick
I have always put the lever into reverse and with my Flex O Fold they recommends it in reverse,I just felt that my new T-105 would last longer with them needing charging less and the charger working less,1 out of 3 working less is better.
Here in Florida I use my boat more and with all the electronics I have when sailing the batteries are being charged alot,so running on shore power hopefully is better but my 2007 inverter/charger needed repair this past year already.
Nick
Tom.. you can wire in a 12 Volt supply to run the fridge while the batteries are isolated. The fridge load transfer can be done automatically if desired, but that isn't necessary. A supply like this: http://www.trcelectronics.com/12-volt-power-supplies-mid-led-waterproof-1.shtml
can do the job. If you aren't sure about the wiring, get a good boat electrician to help ..
Many Smart battery chargers rely on the decreased current draw to signal them to go to float.. if something like a fridge is running, the charger will not go to float and can boil the battery or at least shorten its life. Best to not run DC devices on a charger except for short times.. (a few days)
can do the job. If you aren't sure about the wiring, get a good boat electrician to help ..
Many Smart battery chargers rely on the decreased current draw to signal them to go to float.. if something like a fridge is running, the charger will not go to float and can boil the battery or at least shorten its life. Best to not run DC devices on a charger except for short times.. (a few days)
You guys do understand basic electricity right.
When you connect to shore power and turn the battery charger on it charges the batts and when they are full it goes to this thing called "float" If the charger "sees" a voltage drop due to a load then it supplies the current at the float charge. So your batteries are just a wide spot in the circuit and don't really get involved except to smooth out spikes when the load is turned on/off. You might get 0.1 AH out of the batteries before the charger picked up the load.
I always put my tranny in reverse to stop the prop when sailing
When you connect to shore power and turn the battery charger on it charges the batts and when they are full it goes to this thing called "float" If the charger "sees" a voltage drop due to a load then it supplies the current at the float charge. So your batteries are just a wide spot in the circuit and don't really get involved except to smooth out spikes when the load is turned on/off. You might get 0.1 AH out of the batteries before the charger picked up the load.
I always put my tranny in reverse to stop the prop when sailing
For sure, Bill.. but the absorption volts and the float volts are different .. Leaving the charger on absorbtion for months at a time will shorten the battery life. If he has a plain old charger and not a smart one, then it will be fine..
We have had our 1993 40.5 since 2000. We leave both refrigerators on 24/7. We still have the original battery charger and have 4 T105 6volt batteries for the house. It all works well. We hardly ever have to add water and we replace the batteries every 4 to 5 years or so. They can last longer, but since batteries don't give warning when they retire, changing them every so often seems prudent.
I mis-stated my point on this one..The problem happens when dealing with a smart charger that shuts completely off once the batterys are fully charged.. If the charger floats or is an un-smart one, then using it as a power supply is not really a problem.. Sceniaro for some (not all) smart chragers is: The charger fully charges the battery then shuts off.. When the fridge kicks on, The volts drop enough to tell the charger to charge.. so it kicks in and looks at the amperage it is pushing.. with the fridge on, it thinks the battery is really discharged because of the higher ampere draw and starts to push some more amperes into the battery by raising the volts.. fridge shuts off and the charger ramps down slowly, thinking it is dealing with a battery in need when in fact the battery is now getting overcharged. The manual that came with my Xantrex Truecharge cautions to not use it as a power supply for things like refrigeration.. I have seen the Truecharge playing strange games while running the stereo .. not a high draw device.. The Truecharge has a pushbutton that makes it act like a power supply but they caution to disconnect it from the batterys when using it that way..
Base case, if ya have a plain old charger, probably not a problem.. if ya have a smart one that shuts down the charge when full, ya might want to look closely at wiring in a power supply to run something like a fridge.. Whew.. Time to go watch football now..
Base case, if ya have a plain old charger, probably not a problem.. if ya have a smart one that shuts down the charge when full, ya might want to look closely at wiring in a power supply to run something like a fridge.. Whew.. Time to go watch football now..
Battery Chargers & The Fridge
That is a very good post, Claude.
You described the operation of older and newer chargers very well, without having to get into electrical theory!
At the risk of making one of my few posts without a "link" ,
I suggest: RTFM
The issue of "Do I run my fridge all the time to keep my wife's mayonnaise cold all week?" has been pretty much worn out...
That is a very good post, Claude.
You described the operation of older and newer chargers very well, without having to get into electrical theory!
At the risk of making one of my few posts without a "link"
, I suggest: RTFM
The issue of "Do I run my fridge all the time to keep my wife's mayonnaise cold all week?" has been pretty much worn out...
kouldie1
sounds like those "smart" chargers are not so smart after all. Why would you want such a charger? I can't think of a single boat that does not use some sort of 12 volt power while the charger is running. I have a TrueCharge 40. The only thing I have ever done is move the temp switch as the seasons change. I've never even used the "power supply" feature. The charger does kick on and off but......
if you take an ammeter and measure the amps into the battery you will see that when the reefer is on and the charger kicks in there is no current going into the batts even though the voltage rises a bit. Kinda have to understand how two devices (batts and compressor motor) wired in parallel effect the voltage the other device "sees". A judicious session with a digital multimeter is enlightening.
tvangrove
I have done the same on my 40.5 for about 4 years now and the bats where old when I took ownership. Apparently the laws of physics are different on these boats as my batteries NEVER gets off float voltage once the batts are topped off.
sounds like those "smart" chargers are not so smart after all. Why would you want such a charger? I can't think of a single boat that does not use some sort of 12 volt power while the charger is running. I have a TrueCharge 40. The only thing I have ever done is move the temp switch as the seasons change. I've never even used the "power supply" feature. The charger does kick on and off but......
if you take an ammeter and measure the amps into the battery you will see that when the reefer is on and the charger kicks in there is no current going into the batts even though the voltage rises a bit. Kinda have to understand how two devices (batts and compressor motor) wired in parallel effect the voltage the other device "sees". A judicious session with a digital multimeter is enlightening.
tvangrove
I have done the same on my 40.5 for about 4 years now and the bats where old when I took ownership. Apparently the laws of physics are different on these boats as my batteries NEVER gets off float voltage once the batts are topped off.
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