cold plate and insulation

[chet p]

i am getting ready to do a major renovation to the interior of my 1977 cat 30. i plan on pulling out the counter top to access the ice box. depending on what i find i may just rip it out completly and rebuild a new one with 4-6 on foam. i want the box to be as efficient as possible and am leaning towards a cold plate system and adding a small circulating fan. i live in florida and am also leaning towards a water cooled system but don't want the extra drain and plumbing of a water pump(just more to go wrong and use extra electric) how should i approach this overhaul(i only want to do it once) thanks chet P keladi

 

[Michael cohn]

Water Pump

Chet,I want to strongly encourage you to use a water pump on your system; it made a huge difference on mine in terms of energy consumption.You can use a small magnetic drive water pump that will use *very* little current, and plumb the discharge and intake lines into existing thru-hulls. It took me about 30 minutes to set up my pump using this method, and the results are well-worth the effort. Make sure to put an on-off switch on the pump and use it only when cruising or at anchor.MC

 

[Phil Williams]

Rebuild

Pulling the entire box out and starting all over is a BIG job. If you are up for the challenge then I would suggest you contact Kenyon Customer Care at 860-664-4906 and request a copy of the box book. It will give you a ton of helpful information on how to do the job right.I would not use an engine drive system as they are very limiting and expensive. A well insulated box with a ColdMachine or water-cooled SuperColdMachine will do a better job for less money than the engine driven system.You can rebuild your box and purchase the SuperColdMachine for less money than just putting in an engine driven system.