Leave the refrigerator on or off?

[sf34dtw]

Like many other weekend sailors my boat tends to sit a few weeks between sails. I might average a sail about ever two to three weeks. Is it better to turn refrigerator off or leave on? Last year I turned the refrigerator off between sails to save wear and tear on the compressor. To cycle it on and off like this seems to cause a little more ice build up on refrigerant lines outside the box and also makes the box a bit smelly. Better to leave on and turn down the thermostat a bit when leaving?

1. What do most people do with their refrigerators On or Off when not using the boat for 2-3 weeks?

2. My boat is from 2002. The 12V refrigerator is powered off the battery which requires me to leave one of the battery switches on in order to run the refrigerator. This could cause my batteries to run down if somebody accidentally disconnects the shore power cord causing battery damage. Are newer boats refrigerators powered differently than this? For example do they have a separate power supply for the refrigerator? I’m thinking of getting a small power supply like the one in the picture and switch to this when at the dock instead of the battery.

 

[sail sfbay]

You are going to get different answers on this one as it depends on whether you pay for power at your marina (and power cost per kwh). I clean out the refrigerator and turn it off to avoid consuming power. if you already connected to shore power through a galvanic isolator or isolation transformer to charge your batteries and want to keep your refrigerator on then do that through the batteries vs. adding a separate shore electrial line to boat, which will bypass your boat's electrical protection system. If you keep the refrigerator on while you are gone, consider what would happen to the stuff in your refrigerator if you lost shore power for any number of reasons.

 

[BigEasy]

Mine stays on 24/7. I like cold beverages and ice when onboard. Minimal power consumption and cost; utility co is going to charge just for having an account. I defrost the freezer compartment once or twice per year. Have been doing this for ten years.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Mine stays on also. Nice to have cold beer waiting onboard! It's older but it has logic to shut down before it drains the battery in case we lose shore power.
That said, we have lost perishables when power was lost one time. I think a small solar panel might have helped.

 

[Stu Jackson]

This is a very recurring topic. It comes up regularly, like clockwork.

The answer is: Your boat, your choice.

The disadvantages are obvious: your power goes out, for whatever reason, and you're stuck with dying crap in your fridge, depending on what you have in there. In this case, much depends on how long you leave your boat: if you visit more than a few times a week, it makes sense, also if you have your own dock out back.

If the advantage to you is cold beer and maybe ice cubes, I maintain that's why they invented 7-11, just make a pit stop on the way to the boat - you get a beer refill and they're cold.

I also dislike leaving anything on when I leave my boat. I have a 1986 fridge that still works fine, although I did install a new electronic module in 2016 after years of Fridge Follies with what I incorrectly thought were electrical issues.

Your boat, your choice.

 

[Hayden Watson]

If you turn it off, leave the lid open to prevent warm fridge stank. I leave mine one with basics needed for cooking. I also keep a baggy with "mine Canaries" (ice cubes) to tell me if I have had a power outage. If the cubes are intact, the rest of the contents are good. If the cubes have reshaped themselves into a single mass, I know the box has warmed and anything perishable will need to be replaced.

 

[Stu Jackson]

If the cubes have reshaped themselves into a single mass, I know the box has warmed and anything perishable will need to be replaced.

Hayden, great idea. Have you found a single mass often, if so over how many years? Just trying to get an idea. Power outages, while rare seem to be happening more often.
A few years ago I came down to my boat and found the power off. Turned out some numbskull had stolen my 15A to 30A adapter plug, the scoundrel. Stranger things than power outages or unknowledgeable dock neighbors do happen.

 

[jviss]

I also keep a baggy with "mine Canaries" (ice cubes) to tell me if I have had a power outage.

That's brilliant!

 

[Hayden Watson]

Hayden, great idea. Have you found a single mass often, if so over how many years? Just trying to get an idea. Power outages, while rare seem to be happening more often.
A few years ago I came down to my boat and found the power off. Turned out some numbskull had stolen my 15A to 30A adapter plug, the scoundrel. Stranger things than power outages or unknowledgeable dock neighbors do happen.

I have only had my "Canaries" die once while the fridge was in service and that was not due to a power outage. It was due to a complete loss of refrigerant. My sister had been to visit and spilled a diet Coke into the evaporator and cleaned up the obvious spill but was less than thorough in getting all of it out of the inside of the condenser / freezer box. They tell you that Coke as about the same PH as battery acid and I can confirm. It ate a hole clear through it in a couple of weeks.
I have been told by the marina staff of some outages and scheduled shutdowns, but the batteries have always kept the box cold until the power came back on.

 

[Tally Ho]

I leave mine on 24/7 as well. I don’t pay for power, so no cost to me. The only downside is if we were to lose power for long…I will have (I assume), dead batteries. I don’t think (but I dont know for sure) my fridge will shut down before it drains the batteries flat. I also keep ice cubes in a freezer bag in the freezer compartment. If they are a solid block, something went wrong. I also keep several water bottles in the freezer, and the fridge pretty full (beer, water, condiments , etc) to help the compressor a bit with some “cold mass”.


Greg

 

[BigEasy]

One problem with turning it off & on is that it takes approximately 12 hours, during summer months, to reach a suitable temperature (36 degrees) in an uncooled fridge. So, you are really stressing the compressor by running it continuously for the box to get cold. If you are spending a weekend or longer on the boat, you have to ice down perishable food and chill drinks in an ice chest until the refrigerator gets cold enough to transfer the items into the fridge. If you load a bunch of room temp bottles or cans into the fridge, it is more like 24 hours for the fridge & beverages to get cold. Thats OK if you prefer to use it that way. I stop at the boat a couple times per week on the way home from work and like the convenience of having a cold brew at hand. When I restock the fridge, I usually purchase cold beverages from the supermarket or pre-chill them at home before loading into the boat fridge to minimize the run time of the compressor. I don't leave foodstuff in the fridge, only non perishable beverages. Of course, if you have an icebox that is equipped with refrigeration, all of the above, really doesn’t apply., because you can dump a few bags of ice and get cold temperatures quickly. No right way or wrong way on best practices for using fridge; it all depends on how you use your boat and how frequently you are aboard .

 

[Capt Robbie]

I leave mine on 24/7 and keep smart battery charger on and it automatically switches to float when needed.
Note that your fridge compressor works less maintaining temperature, rather then longer cycles trying to get to temperature. If you’re system is properly installed and ventilation is good then you should be fine. Ventilation is key. My compressor is located in a locker outside of the cabin and is always relatively cool 75-80 degrees. If inside your cabin temperature could easily reach 100 plus then installing a circulation fan to keep temperatures down to a reasonable level might be a good idea.

I have custom companionway doors with screens and leave the hatch in the shower slightly open with a screen open along with a medium sized fan set in a timer to help keep cabin cool in the summer when not on board. Unfortunately the solar vents don’t really seem to do anything for my boat

my system ran for twenty years until it quit. I can’t say that was the case for my home refrigerator that only lasted ten years.
Hopefully this helps

 

[jviss]

Note that your fridge compressor works less maintaining temperature, rather then longer cycles trying to get to temperature.

I understand the logic of this, the folklore, as it were, but I wonder if it's really so that the latter case is more detrimental to the life of the unit than the former. Strictly an academic curiosity, leaving mine on is not an option at this time, as I'm on a mooring without sufficient solar power to keep my canaries alive.

 

[jeepbluetj]

On all the time. 400W of solar for when the power goes out (happens often) or when the marina workers disconnect the power cord (happens often). That way the Cava is nice and cold all the time.

 

[Riverdaze]

I started another post just now on where the compressor is located and how to access it, but thought I'd run the question of "Where is the compressor and how to access it?" in this group of posts. I see a lot of experience and knowledge from you guys so hope to get an answer. . 2007 Beneteau 423 2 cabin model. Thanks for the help.

 

[heritage]

I leave mine on all the time. 350 watts of solar and a large battery bank are not stressed by the frig. It surprises me how little power the new marine units use compared to the old one I had. I have free power at the slip but only use it when running the ac.

 

[Riverdaze]

I started another post just now on where the compressor is located and how to access it, but thought I'd run the question of "Where is the compressor and how to access it?" in this group of posts. I see a lot of experience and knowledge from you guys so hope to get an answer. . 2007 Beneteau 423 2 cabin model. Thanks for the help.

Found the compressor in the starboard lazarette inside a wood enclosure.

 

[arf145]

I leave the fridge running all the time, and the boat plugged into shore power, of course. The worry of the power going out and the refrigerator killing my batteries led me to install a Blue Sea Systems low voltage disconnect, so the fridge contents are sacrificed instead of the batts!

 

[BigEasy]

I allow my fridge to remain on also; like to have cold beer & ice readily available as needed! I have a low voltage disconnect in my parts "warehouse" and its on the "to do" list.

 

[NYSail]

Frig/freezer stays on always….. 400 watts of solar ensures it never goes off. My canary is a small plastic Tupperware type container with water frozen and a quarter on top. If quarter is on bottom we know we had an event.