Please see the item in the attached link. Has anyone ever thought of or tried something like this LP gas powered fridge in their boa? I like the idea of having refrigeration in my boat for cold drinks and meats etc but hate the idea of running my engine as much I have heard I need to run an electric fridge. I know a fridge can be a huge electricity drain and don't want to run my engine all the time to keep things cold. I like the quiet of sailing. I like the idea of this. Will have propane on board anyway so that will be available. Should be whisper quiet and a little over a sqaure foot should be adequate. I figure if I put extra insulation around it should work really well. If I am running the engine I could always switch to that power source to conserve LP. Thoughts?
Gas Refrigerator?
- Thread starter maccauley123
- Start date
- Status
Propane is not a new idea
Propane is not a new idea and in the north woods in MN they were common at one time. The only one I have seen on a boat was on the West Country ketch from England that I sailed on. It was sensitive to heeling and would cut out if the boat sailed on her side. Other then that it worked and kept things cold. The idea of using fire to make ice cubes takes some getting used to but whatever works works. All the best, Robert Gainer
Propane is not a new idea and in the north woods in MN they were common at one time. The only one I have seen on a boat was on the West Country ketch from England that I sailed on. It was sensitive to heeling and would cut out if the boat sailed on her side. Other then that it worked and kept things cold. The idea of using fire to make ice cubes takes some getting used to but whatever works works. All the best, Robert Gainer
Not recommended on sailboats 'cuz...
Gas fridges need to be kept level or they quit working and have to be "shaken up" to get 'em started again. Even in RVs, parking on a hill causes problems with 'em. The burner also has to be vented into the "room"...and a gas flame generates a lot of heat in the cabin. It also can consume a lot oxygen in cabin with all the hatches closed. Btw...a gas fridge came with the first house I ever owned. The cats' favorite place in the winter was on the floor in front of it because it put out so much heat.
Gas fridges need to be kept level or they quit working and have to be "shaken up" to get 'em started again. Even in RVs, parking on a hill causes problems with 'em. The burner also has to be vented into the "room"...and a gas flame generates a lot of heat in the cabin. It also can consume a lot oxygen in cabin with all the hatches closed. Btw...a gas fridge came with the first house I ever owned. The cats' favorite place in the winter was on the floor in front of it because it put out so much heat.
Gemini 105Mc factory stock
The Gemini 105 comes from the factory with a gas fridge system that works really well..know two people wityh these and niether reports anything negative about the systems which only work when your off the grid.Check out the system and see if it'll work for you or not.Good Luck>>> David
The Gemini 105 comes from the factory with a gas fridge system that works really well..know two people wityh these and niether reports anything negative about the systems which only work when your off the grid.Check out the system and see if it'll work for you or not.Good Luck>>> David
Heeling
I read in a description of gas fridges that the problem was very sensitive to being level. My thinking is I would use one of these when, some day, I set off on my long sail around the Caribbean. Most of the time will be spent at anchor and hopefully level enough for the fridge to operate. While on passages can either keep it shut off and let things stay cold through insulation or run off 12 volt. My biggest desire is to keep the anchorage quiet. Thanks all, sounds like I may have found a good idea.
I read in a description of gas fridges that the problem was very sensitive to being level. My thinking is I would use one of these when, some day, I set off on my long sail around the Caribbean. Most of the time will be spent at anchor and hopefully level enough for the fridge to operate. While on passages can either keep it shut off and let things stay cold through insulation or run off 12 volt. My biggest desire is to keep the anchorage quiet. Thanks all, sounds like I may have found a good idea.
Ice
If you have a big ice box, 40 pounds of ice will chill your entire stash for a week. Make sure your ice supplier has it at at least -20F. The mistake most people make is not using enough ice andor it's not cold enough. Ice is cheap, easy, safe, fun to chew on, doubles as beverage mixer.
If you have a big ice box, 40 pounds of ice will chill your entire stash for a week. Make sure your ice supplier has it at at least -20F. The mistake most people make is not using enough ice andor it's not cold enough. Ice is cheap, easy, safe, fun to chew on, doubles as beverage mixer.
Good insulation & the right unit can run for days.
If you have the proper amount of insulation and the right unit, you can run for several days without recharging. Check out the Isotherm SP unit. Whisper quite and very low consumption. Technautics Marine also makes a very efficent unit. You can also build a larger battery bank and that will take care of the problem with even a low end unit.
If you have the proper amount of insulation and the right unit, you can run for several days without recharging. Check out the Isotherm SP unit. Whisper quite and very low consumption. Technautics Marine also makes a very efficent unit. You can also build a larger battery bank and that will take care of the problem with even a low end unit.
how loud
Is your frig anyway? I run my 12v unit continually and can barely hear it. My unit is located within a cabnet and I keep the door open most of the time to allow extra ventalation, and like I said, I can barely hear it cycle. Also, I can run my unit for 4 days at full-cold and batteries stay in the green. Maybe if your 12v unit is old, spend the money on a new efficient quite unit and a better battery bank rather than being a maveric with a gas fired unit on the boat. At a hot ancorage, the extra heat generated from the unit would not be welcomed on my boat. Good luck Greg
Is your frig anyway? I run my 12v unit continually and can barely hear it. My unit is located within a cabnet and I keep the door open most of the time to allow extra ventalation, and like I said, I can barely hear it cycle. Also, I can run my unit for 4 days at full-cold and batteries stay in the green. Maybe if your 12v unit is old, spend the money on a new efficient quite unit and a better battery bank rather than being a maveric with a gas fired unit on the boat. At a hot ancorage, the extra heat generated from the unit would not be welcomed on my boat. Good luck Greg
Dangerous because
the simple fact is that they work due to a small flame and a system of heat exchange to create cold air. The hitch is the flame. The risk for incomplete combustion getting into the boat's cabin area is too great to take. A number of years ago we had an "up north" cabin with no electricity service and a gas refrigerator. Now a cabin isn't a boat I realize but the thing leaked what turned out to be a rather small amount of carbon monoxide and other products of combustion into the closed cabin and nearly killed six people. I simply wouldn't take the chance when electric refrigeration or ice or dry ice is available and safe. If you don't like the sound of your engine running, and who does, get a little Honda EU 1000 or 2000 to charge the batteries. Quiet, fairly cheap and simple to use.
the simple fact is that they work due to a small flame and a system of heat exchange to create cold air. The hitch is the flame. The risk for incomplete combustion getting into the boat's cabin area is too great to take. A number of years ago we had an "up north" cabin with no electricity service and a gas refrigerator. Now a cabin isn't a boat I realize but the thing leaked what turned out to be a rather small amount of carbon monoxide and other products of combustion into the closed cabin and nearly killed six people. I simply wouldn't take the chance when electric refrigeration or ice or dry ice is available and safe. If you don't like the sound of your engine running, and who does, get a little Honda EU 1000 or 2000 to charge the batteries. Quiet, fairly cheap and simple to use.
The RV side of the story
I own both an RV and a boat (try getting all that up and running each spring). The absorption refrigerators used in RV's run fine rocking around while driving, up to about 5 degrees out of level, as long as it's constantly changing. Heeled at 10 degrees for a couple hours on a tack and you'd mess them up. The amonia cirulates via convection, not pressure, and the path gets blocked or some such, sometimes permanently. On my RV, the thing is vented outside. You could do that on a boat too. Turning it on at anchor and shutting it down while sailing might work, but the things don't pick back up and re-cool quickly, particularly when it's real hot. Don't underestimate the amount of electricity they need. It cools via propane, but the flame is ignited electrically. As an alternative thought ... I have a friend that installed a small dorm type frig in the area under the stove in the galley. It has almost the food/drink capacity of the ice box (assuming the ice box is heavily charged w/ice). At dock it runs on shore power. When sailing, he turns it off except for an hour at lunch when he re-cools it running it off the house battery bank through an inverter. He added a big extra battery for the purpose. Mostly, he's back at the dock each night. Best arrangement I ever saw was a boat I crewed on years ago. Heavily insulated box, with a holding plate arrangement. The guy ran the aux 1 hr per day to recharge the house batteries and the holding plate. He kept things frozen indefinately. Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
I own both an RV and a boat (try getting all that up and running each spring). The absorption refrigerators used in RV's run fine rocking around while driving, up to about 5 degrees out of level, as long as it's constantly changing. Heeled at 10 degrees for a couple hours on a tack and you'd mess them up. The amonia cirulates via convection, not pressure, and the path gets blocked or some such, sometimes permanently. On my RV, the thing is vented outside. You could do that on a boat too. Turning it on at anchor and shutting it down while sailing might work, but the things don't pick back up and re-cool quickly, particularly when it's real hot. Don't underestimate the amount of electricity they need. It cools via propane, but the flame is ignited electrically. As an alternative thought ... I have a friend that installed a small dorm type frig in the area under the stove in the galley. It has almost the food/drink capacity of the ice box (assuming the ice box is heavily charged w/ice). At dock it runs on shore power. When sailing, he turns it off except for an hour at lunch when he re-cools it running it off the house battery bank through an inverter. He added a big extra battery for the purpose. Mostly, he's back at the dock each night. Best arrangement I ever saw was a boat I crewed on years ago. Heavily insulated box, with a holding plate arrangement. The guy ran the aux 1 hr per day to recharge the house batteries and the holding plate. He kept things frozen indefinately. Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
- Status