Icebox conversion kits

Tally Ho · Mar 12, 2022

I didn’t install the fridge on my current O’Day 322, but my first boat didn’t have refrigeration…just an icebox…

I often say that the fridge is the single best feature of my O’Day 322…and I think she is a great sailing boat!

Yes, expensive, but DIY friendly with ore-charged lines, etc.

Greg

dlochner · Mar 12, 2022

The refrigeration unit is only part of the cost. The other big cost is having enough battery capacity and charging ability to run the refrigerator. If you only use it when at a dock and connected to shore power then battery capacity isn't as big a deal. Using refrigeration away from the dock is a different story.

We have refrigeration and love it. At the marina the beer is always cold. Away from the marina we have ample solar power to keep the batteries charged. Refrigeration makes a huge difference when living aboard and cruising for extended periods of time as we are currently doing.

markwbird · Mar 12, 2022

I did it. I used the isotherm kit. Ran about $1000.00. I love it. Battery draw is not too bad In my case as my ice box is well insulated and I live in a cool climate. I have two 100 amp deep cylces and it takes a few days to run them down so no problem overnighting on the hook.

PaulK · Mar 12, 2022

We explored this idea extensively last year for our J/36. Turning the icebox into a fridge would have cost something like $1500 for the compressor, plates, tubing, etc, not including the time and work involved to install it. Or we could have gotten a portable unit, like an Engel, and put it under the companionway ladder for about the same amount but a lot less work. To run either for more than 3 days would have required charging the batteries with the engine for about 2 hours a day, and a really secure setup would have called for an additional battery to the two already in place. This would have added a good bit to the cost. We decided that $2000 would buy enough ice to keep our beer cold for perhaps ten years, and we wouldn't have to worry about draining the batteries, parts wearing out, or anything breaking.
On the other hand we sold our J/36 last June and bought a boat with a refrigerator-freezer and six batteries. A solar panel is likely in our future.

shemandr · Mar 13, 2022

If you are in a weekend cruising mode I think refrigeration is great and worth the cost. For one thing it mitigates the loading and unloading of the icebox. If it were just beer ice would be fine. But if you can keep condiments and other foodstuffs on the boat from weekend to weekend it simplifies your life. I've had boats without refrigeration and a boat with. With was better.

sailme88 · Mar 13, 2022

My C-34 came with refrigeration...It works great... I also has an Igloo heat pump cooler/heater and an igloo ice maker. My house bank is 3 group 27s so plenty of power...

shemandr · Mar 13, 2022

Ice maker. Now that's decadence!

RoyS · Mar 13, 2022

Old ice boxes are often top loading and deep. This was to allow you to fill the bottom with ice and place the food and beverages on top. When you convert to refrigeration you cannot just toss food and beverages down there. Suggest that you make several baskets or crates that you can stack and remove to access all your groceries.

DArcy · Mar 13, 2022

My upgrade to refrigeration included the entire boat. I cruised (weekends only) for many years with an ice box and was perfectly happy with it. My current boat came with refrigeration that had recently been replaced and I love it. As shemandr says, keeping things cool from one weekend to the next means you can keep condiments and other things on the boat. I really like having cheese, humus, sausage, beer... available when I'm just down working on the boat or heading out for a sail.
I do have solar which keeps the batteries happy when not plugged in to the dock. My 250W panels keep the fridge running and batteries topped up. My panels are not angled well for my slip, they are angled slightly north, so if you tilted a panel to the south I'm sure you could get away with slightly smaller panels and still keep it going. My panel looses about 75% during the summer months due to the angle while I'm in my slip.

Justin_NSA · Mar 13, 2022

We had the refrigeration unit that a PO installed repaired a couple years back. From a sailor that went from hauling ice to coming out to an already chilled "fridge", I can say it's a game changer! Cold beer awaits whenever we come out (sodas and water for the admiral).
Our older system had built-in logic that shuts down before the batteries get drained. Solar would be nice for the rare occasion that we lose shore power.

bawlmer · Mar 13, 2022

I did it 3 years ago. It was worth it. You don't have to deal with ice anymore; getting it, lugging it, throwing it out, draining its remains and wiping out the ice box. Your drinks are cold when you get on board and you don't have to empty the fridge when you leave. It saves me almost 2 solid hours. Also don't panic over the battery usage. The new fridges are very power friendly. I ran mine for 24 hours on one battery and it didn't put a dent in it. I have a 2 battery system but isolated the load to one battery for test purposes. If you have a good electrical system now, you should not have a problem. You just have to keep the boat plugged in while you are gone. That was the biggest thing that I had to get over. It took a long afternoon to install which included a second trip to West Marine. It was a very good investment and I would do it again.

Justin_NSA · Mar 13, 2022

Even my old system only draws the equivalent of a 60w light bulb when it comes on.

MikeHoncho · Mar 13, 2022

I did mine about three years ago. Do the work up front and either confirm proper insulation or fix the problem, before installing the system. As for cold drinks…..I don’t put drinks in mine. Food only. Drinks go in a high efficiency cooler with ice. It keeps the battery draw down significantly. Don’t buy into the Isotherm “blue box” module if they still offer it. Went through two of them before I got one that worked then I got rid of it because it didn’t do what they advertised and Isotherm sent me a normal thermostat. Complete waste of $100 and about three weeks of messing with it.

jviss · Mar 13, 2022

Justin_NSA said:
Even my old system only draws the equivalent of a 60w light bulb when it comes on.

What does that mean? You mean a 60W, 120V bulb? That would only be 1/2A, which is ridiculous - about 10 times less than normal.

DArcy · Mar 13, 2022

jviss said:
What does that mean? You mean a 60W, 120V bulb? That would only be 1/2A, which is ridiculous - about 10 times less than normal.

Or could mean 60W, at 12V that's 5A, about double mine.

Johnb · Mar 13, 2022

The

jviss said:
What does that mean? You mean a 60W, 120V bulb? That would only be 1/2A, which is ridiculous - about 10 times less than normal.

The 120 volt dorm fridge I had before the Isotherm would start out at about 70 watts and as it ran taper down to just under 60 watts after about 3 to 4 minutes. That was watts, not VA which was about 90.

My 12 volt Isotherm draws about 4.5 amps which is a little over 50 watts. It varies with ambient temperature.

Nothing ridiculous.

Hayden Watson · Mar 13, 2022

I installed my icebox conversion 23 years ago and it is still working. I have needed to fix a few leaks over the years and replace a condenser when my sister spilled a diet coke in it and didn't tell me. The acid in the coke ate a hole through it. We will not cruise without it working.

jviss · Mar 14, 2022

Johnb said:
The

The 120 volt dorm fridge I had before the Isotherm would start out at about 70 watts and as it ran taper down to just under 60 watts after about 3 to 4 minutes. That was watts, not VA which was about 90.

My 12 volt Isotherm draws about 4.5 amps which is a little over 50 watts. It varies with ambient temperature.

Nothing ridiculous.

Yes, I don't know what I was thinking. 60W makes sense.