Suggestions
Hi Bill, I also have a H40.5 (1997) with Adler Barbour refrigerator and freezer. But we live aboard so we use them all the time. On Yaga, the AB units are identical so the only difference is the size of the box. We actually use the smaller box (freezer) as a second refrig. Trying to keep things frozen is a power drain. We do freeze ice cubes in the bottom of it for drinks but usually keep ice in a cooler in the cockpit under the helmsman seat. If we want ice cream we just go out for some. I suggest leaving the refrig on and shut off the freezer when you are away for weeks at time. If you don't have too much to keep cool use the smaller box. However, if you plan to use a box that's been off for a trip, it does take about 2 to 4 hours to 'charge' the cold plate. Setting the thermostat to a warmer setting (40 degrees) and taking home milk or any meats and cheeses is another option since the AB unit will hardly run at all. At 35 degrees our refrig runs 30 percent of the time if we keep it closed. I strongly suggest you clean both AB units since they get dirty very quickly if they run often. Remove the dinette seat for easy access. There are lots of screws but its worth the trouble. Remove the intake fan cowling to get access to the fins and vacuum the dust/lint off and use a nylon brush as well. The cowling is held on by special tie wraps that you will need to find a supplier. I also took off the dusty supply ducts and rinsed they out. The AB units will fail if they aren't keep clean. Very expensive to replace. Good luck
