Adler Barbour Refrigeration Issue

[CABixler]

I have a Beneteau 331 that has a horizontal ice box with the typical Adler-Barbour fridge set up for 12 volts. Boat about 8-9 years old and I did not use the refrig for about 3 years except on occasion as I am on a mooring and it was not worth the power consumption.

I installed an great solar panel set-up and now have plenty of power and started using it (fridge).

It worked great but I have had some issues last couple weeks, and was not getting cold. I thought it was the thermostat but when I looked at the condenser unit which, BTW, looks like new, in the bottom of the dry locker, I noticed the fan was not turning.

I flipped it with my finger and it started up fine. And then produced a nice cold response in the ice box. Seems the bearing is a little stiff on the fan? I am not sure of the relationship between the fan and the actual little compressor but it seemed the moment the fan spun up it worked fine.

Once running... I have not experimented with trying to let it re-start on it's own as I maxed out the temp setting to keep it going. Maybe try tomorrow.

Any feedback??? I love the unit now that I have a solar panel but not sure if it's just a bad unit??

For know I will flick the fan to get her going but as the dry locker is filled with stuff it's kind of a hassle to empty each time.


Thanks,,,,
Craig

 

[heritage]

The control board will not allow the compressor to start if the fan is not running. Hopefully after running for a few hours the fan will start normally, if not a new fan is inexpensive and an easy install.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Four inch computer box fan from Radio Shack, $25 instead of $45 from a A/B refrigeration rep.

See reply #19 here: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3044.15.html

Wouldn't hurt to check the charge level, too.

And this, too:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6956.0.html

 

[onecoolair]

They are not mean to just sit unused like that. They do not hold much Freon. And after sitting that long has probally lost some freon. And the bearings on fan motor may have dryed out. Fan probaly just needs some fresh lubrication. Make sure that your frig a/c guy does not over fill or under fill with freon. One of the stradder valves on mine lost its sill suddenly one day when first starting up. It was just about over a year old. Had a local marine company send someone out to fix it and got ripped off they charged me $750 to replace valve and recharge. They milked it out over nearly 4 days. It seemed to work but was not keeping the blue bell frozen like before. Made several calls camplaining but to no avail. Then just over the 30 days it went out again. They said they would only warranty there work for 30 days and wanted more bucks. Hell I could have just bought a new one for that much.So I did what I should have done in the first place and called Dad, he called one of his old lodge Buds. They showed up with all the goody tools gauges freon etc. and found that the so called the marine frig tech expert had left the rubber sill out of the valve and did not properly tighten cap or valve. Plus he had over filled it which made the compressor have to work to hard, thus the reason it was not getting as cold as before. I was told by the real expert its best to let it run 24/7 just like home. When defrosting never use a hot blow dryer to defrost. Just set a small fan down in the box to help circulate air and speed up the defrosting process over night about every 30 to 60 days or as needed. Using the propper valve gauge set up we pulled a vacume on it for about half day. Let it suck in the manufactures recommended amount of freon. Placed a digital thermometer in the freezer box in front of freezer fan. We then fired it up. And patiently watched it cool down for about an hour. When temp had settled in at about 15 degrees. We then dialed it in using the valve and gauges sucking out freon and putting it back in, using very very short burst on the gauge valves till we saw the temp get to its lowest point. So far it as ran 24/7 for about nine years straight. I just recently added a 12volt continious power supply along with a proper shore power to battery switich. Now the batteries and charger do not have to run it when at the dock and plugged in. I will try to post some pictures to show what I did for the 12volt cont. power supply setup just in case anyone is interested. I will have to remember to take some pics of the installation this weekend. And yes that is -10 degress in the freezer. Keeps the Blue Bell very,very hard!

 

[CABixler]

Thanks all for the help. It seems to be working after yesterday and notice I do get a blinking single LED which indicates low voltage. So I will check the voltage at the control unit when I can.

Stu: Really did like the thread back to the Cat 34 site. Great info. Ironically there is a member that also had some issues and he is in the next harbor. He just posted a day ago or so. It aught my attention since he mentioned the awful Chicago weather this week. Every day over 100 degrees!

 

[DeniseO30]

Onecool, that's terrible, the way you were treated by a company that didn't know what they were doing. Sadly not many people in HVACR have the willingness to understand small, even tiny units like what are used in boats and little RV units.
EVERYONE over charges them if they don't weigh in the charge according to the name plate. Alder barbour and others like it use only a a few ozs.

CAB ck and recheck all the connections, even question the wire size. You can get a new fan but try to get one the draws less then 1 amp.

 

[Gunni]

Thanks all for the help. It seems to be working after yesterday and notice I do get a blinking single LED which indicates low voltage. So I will check the voltage at the control unit when I can.

for some reason the control panel blinks a low voltage signal when the compressor is overheated. Likely the refrigerant pressure is too high and the and the compressor locks up - exceeding the motor capability. Make sure your condenser coils are dust-free and that the fan is moving air. These units are very robust and will turn themselves off to prevent damage. After sitting unused, and unmaintained you most certainly require a cleaning. make sure the the air flow is not blocked by your cabinetry, or gear.