Uh oh! I see this forum is sponsored and moderated by Adler-Barbour. Does that mean we are not allowed to discuss and perhaps recommend other makes? We had an Adler-Barbour in our O'Day 37 and it worked just great. But the aluminum to copper joint in the refrigerant line near the evaporator broke (I suspect rough handling by the boatyard doing after-fire repairs) and it was prudent tio replace the entire ancient system. I replaced it with a Frigoboat keel cooler system. This uses essentially the same Danfoss compressor and the evaporater looks the same as the A-B unit. But the condenser is a copper tube inside a sintered bronze ingot very like a ground plate which is attached to the bottom of the hull with a through hull. One has to drill a hole though the bottom of the boat, a nervous-making activity. There is no fan and no pump. Only the compressor runs. I am very pleased. The unit draws about five amps when running but seems to run only sporadically. Twenty four hour battery drawdown is less than half what it used to be.
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Cost and URL
The web address is http://www.frigoboat.com or http://www.boatac.com. In this country the distributor is Coastal Climate Control of Annapolis, Md., Rob Warren, president and apparently chief bottle washer and tech support guy. The price of my unit was $1,005.00 delivered. The units are manufactured in Italy.
The web address is http://www.frigoboat.com or http://www.boatac.com. In this country the distributor is Coastal Climate Control of Annapolis, Md., Rob Warren, president and apparently chief bottle washer and tech support guy. The price of my unit was $1,005.00 delivered. The units are manufactured in Italy.
frigoboat
I have the frigoboat keel cool in an IP420 that was delivered from MD to me by Gratitude. If there is any question on it's performance, talk to Jack at Gratitude yachts in Rock Hall, MD. He will explain to you the performance differances between the AB and the keel cooler. And no, anyone with fridge qustions can use this forum. It is not mfg. specific
I have the frigoboat keel cool in an IP420 that was delivered from MD to me by Gratitude. If there is any question on it's performance, talk to Jack at Gratitude yachts in Rock Hall, MD. He will explain to you the performance differances between the AB and the keel cooler. And no, anyone with fridge qustions can use this forum. It is not mfg. specific
Keel cool condenser
I have a homemade refrigeration unit in my old Catalina 38. I originally had a condenser air and water cooled. I ran a length of refrigerant line from the compressor through my bilge, which always has 1" of water, and found that the return to the evaporator was about sea temperature. I have since taken the air/water cooled condenser out completely and run only on the bilge condenser, which cools my freezer section down to about 20 to 23 degrees. There is no fans, no water pumps, and no thru-hulls, and no noise. With a 7600lb lead keel 1" below my bilge condenser, the condenser always runs cold compared to air cooling and more energy effecient. Now my only battery drain is the compressor itself. This modification can be done to any brand of refrigerator if you have a wet bilge. The bilge warms very little because the heat is soaked into the keel and surrounding sea.
I have a homemade refrigeration unit in my old Catalina 38. I originally had a condenser air and water cooled. I ran a length of refrigerant line from the compressor through my bilge, which always has 1" of water, and found that the return to the evaporator was about sea temperature. I have since taken the air/water cooled condenser out completely and run only on the bilge condenser, which cools my freezer section down to about 20 to 23 degrees. There is no fans, no water pumps, and no thru-hulls, and no noise. With a 7600lb lead keel 1" below my bilge condenser, the condenser always runs cold compared to air cooling and more energy effecient. Now my only battery drain is the compressor itself. This modification can be done to any brand of refrigerator if you have a wet bilge. The bilge warms very little because the heat is soaked into the keel and surrounding sea.
Very ingenious Tom!
You must have an HVAC degree. What is the average water temperature where you sail? This should work really well on cold Lake Erie.
You must have an HVAC degree. What is the average water temperature where you sail? This should work really well on cold Lake Erie.
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