Non-working Adler Barbour Cold Box Unit

Ward H

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,807
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
Free for the taking.
This came from my 93 Catalina 30. It wasn't working when I got the boat in 2018 and I did no troubleshooting on it.
I replaced it last year.
Not really interested in shipping it but will consider if it is still sitting around in a month or two. (no time to box it up this month.)
IMG_2768.jpg IMG_1983.jpeg IMG_1053.jpeg
 
Tally Ho

Tally Ho

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Jan 7, 2011
5,793
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
Got an air conditioner laying around ;-)

93F in Chicago today.

cheers,

Greg
 
Hayden Watson

Hayden Watson

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Apr 5, 2009
3,199
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
These units are pretty reliable and easy to repair. Mine has quit a couple of times in the past 20 years. Once was caused by my sister spilling a diet Coke inside the evaporator which ate a hole through the aluminium. The other was a leaking schrader valve. I do not get AB parts because they are massivly over priced. I silver solder my connections to avoid leaks at the screw connections.
 
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J

Jaxn

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May 17, 2021
33
O'Day 272 Percy Priest
Do you still have this? And are you willing to box it and ship to Tennessee?
 
L

lantzalot

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Feb 15, 2022
16
morgan 38 built in 1976 38ft fruit cove florida
L

lantzalot

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Feb 15, 2022
16
morgan 38 built in 1976 38ft fruit cove florida
Ward H

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,807
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
Sorry @lantzalot, I missed your earlier post. Thanks @kappykaplan
Yes, I'm in Barnegat NJ and Yes I still have it. At least I should have. I haven't put eyes on it for a while. Should be in my buddy's shed. I can check on Monday.
 
Leeward Rail

Leeward Rail

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Mar 20, 2015
3,279
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Is this gone ? My "new" boat only had an ice box. I have automotive AC experience in regards to repairing it or repurposing parts.
 
Ward H

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,807
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
Yea, gone. Should have posted as such.
Sorry
 
Hayden Watson

Hayden Watson

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Apr 5, 2009
3,199
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
Leeward Rail said:
Is this gone ? My "new" boat only had an ice box. I have automotive AC experience in regards to repairing it or repurposing parts.
Click to expand
If you have the equipment to evacuate and recharge a system and the knowledge to make the tubing connections by soldering or flair joints, you might buy one of these and tear it apart for all of the parts needed. They use the same compressor as all of the "marine" icebox conversion kits.
 
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Leeward Rail

Leeward Rail

.
Mar 20, 2015
3,279
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Hayden Watson said:
If you have the equipment to evacuate and recharge a system and the knowledge to make the tubing connections by soldering or flair joints, you might buy one of these
Click to expand
That is what I had been considering. A boat in our marina is using an alpicool freezer/fridge unit that has an LG compressor and nice control with display.

I was thinking to tear one apart and possibly use a evaporator from a dead marine unit instead of fabricating one from the alpicool coils.
 
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DeniseO30

DeniseO30

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Feb 26, 2009
716
Oday 30 Anchor Yacht Club, Bristol PA
Automotive ac and miniature Refrigeration units are very very different, the hoses on your gauge manifold alone hold almost the same amount of refrigerant your little refrigeration unit holds and if you try to make the pressures equal to what you saw on an air conditioning unit it will be grossly overcharged and quite possibly damage the compressor
 
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Leeward Rail

Leeward Rail

.
Mar 20, 2015
3,279
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
DeniseO30 said:
if you try to make the pressures equal to what you saw on an air conditioning unit it will be grossly overcharged and quite possibly damage the compressor
Click to expand
Correct and very good points.

Pressure is different for different systems. Anyone trained in refrigeration should understand that.

DeniseO30 said:
the hoses on your gauge manifold alone hold almost the same amount of refrigerant your little refrigeration unit holds
Click to expand
We had the same problem when many refrigeration techs would hook their hoses up to the commercial ice Makers, and bar fridges we sold. (I did that before I ever touched an automotive AC system)
They would say the gas was low. Surprise... Look at your hoses ! Hehe.
 
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DeniseO30

DeniseO30

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Feb 26, 2009
716
Oday 30 Anchor Yacht Club, Bristol PA
R404A I hate ice makers but we worked on many of them and just as many seem to have had pink slime. in the trays, ew!
 
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Hayden Watson

Hayden Watson

.
Apr 5, 2009
3,199
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
I bought the unit I posted the link to for a freezer on my C30 and it uses R134a. It is correct that a capillary tube unit cannot be charge with gauge pressure. They take a specific volume of gas which in the case of this one is 40g per its spec. That said, I have charged my old Adler Barbour unit many times over the past 24 years and getting it correct is very simple. Evacuate for about 30 minutes to get it dry then add gas until you start to hear the hissing at the capillary tube in the evaporator. Then add gas in a bit at a time until the frost line on the evaporator comes to about 3/4" from the top.
 
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