Refridgeration

[JTR]

Hello, I own a 1999 Hunter 310 and am having problems with the fridge/freezer. It works fine on shore power but when out on the water on DC it looses its cooling and freezing ability. It still has the original "Waeco"unit from 1999. Any suggestions on what could be the cause or is it just time to replace the unit as a result of its age.

Thank You

 

[Don Lucas]

How's your battery voltage?

 

[LeoLambert310]

Check your wire contacts had same problem and cleaned the contacts now ok also you may want to increase the wire size to reduce line loss.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

It works fine on shore power but when out on the water on DC it looses its cooling and freezing ability.

Now that is a head scratcher because nothing changes when you're on shore power. The power still comes from your batteries (with an assist from your charger). As Don says, check your voltage at the fridge after a day away from shore power to see how it's holding up.

Is your engine in the Nike shoe box like this, or could it be passing heat along to the fridge via poor insulation ?

 

[JTR]

Voltage is good. I put in a 3rd battery.

 

[JTR]

Yes. I have the same configuration.

 

[JTR]

I had the wiring replaced with a heavier wire. I will check the connections. Thx

 

[JamesG161]

it looses its cooling and freezing ability.

The cooling is directly related to amp load used by the compressor. This should be relatively constant.
If not, you may need a refrigerant charge.
Jim...

 

[Bill Roosa]

The SPEED that the compressor runs at determines the BTUs moved out o the ice box. So if the shore power voltage to the compressor is higher than the sea power voltage the cooling will also be lower on sea power. So the connections are probably ok and you need to check the battery voltage in both cases.