refrigeration conversion

[Jacques C]

I am about to purchase and install an ice box refrigeration conversion system on my 1983 H34. I am focused on the Frigoboat Capri 35 air cooled unit right now. The keel cooler looks good to me but it will be some time before I haul out the boat. I would like some help as to where to mount the compressor unit and any other opinions about types of units. My boat has a shelf in the rear of the starboard cockpit locker that is actually the floor of the lazurette. This looks like a good spot to me. What do you think? Thanks,
Jacques

 

[Ed Schenck]

Does that shelf butt up to the galley? If so then maybe you could do something like I did( http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...&cat_id=38&aid=7309&page=article&mn=37-cutter ). Much more efficient to pull the air from the interior.

 

[kloudie1]

My compressor unit had been mounted to the vertical bulkhead over the fuel tank. It was water cooled, so it did not need fresh air. . The evaporator sprung a leak and I removed the whole system .. If I get around to fixing it or putting a new one in, it will be water cooled as well because of the extreme temperatures here in the summer.

 

[Steve Dion]

Take a look at the Isotherm. It uses the thru hull to cool the refrigerant.

 

[Brad Hoff]

Jacques,

I put in a Sea Freeze unit in about 2 years ago and have been very happy. The compressor is in the very back corner (port) of the storage area under the helm seat. The length of the tubing was perfect and only had to bend to the curves of the boat. I have a 1984 H34 so the same setup as you. Drilled the holes in the back of the icebox and curved the tubing around the stern to the port side. The very back corner is quite well protected, offers pretty good air flow to the exterior, and was an easy run from the electrical panel. Even though the unit is pretty light, it keeps the weight off of the starboard lean. I was concerned with water getting into this are but that has not been a problem. It is important to have good ventilation and this area offered it. Sometimes in the summer I lift up the seat to get more air in there. The only thing is that I can hear the fan run (very slight) when sleeping in the stern berth. The advantage to this is I know how much the compressor is running having a pretty good idea how much overall power is being used.

 

[Brad Hoff]

Jacques,

Here's a link to the unit I purchased:

http://www.fisheriessupply.com/onli...+Inactive/Shopby/Shop+By+Department/Ns/P_Sort

Has the freezer box that I mounted at the top of the icebox. Makes great ice but will not keep ice cream very hard. It looks like I mounted my compressor on the same "shelf" you were talking about but at the port side rather than the starboard side. I was concerned with the possibility of kinking the tubing or having to bend them too much. I ran the tubing above the rear shelf in the stern and it ended exactly in the port corner shelf. Let me know if you have any questions or would like some photos.

 

[Jacques C]

thanks Brad and Steve

Thanks for the fisheriessupply site. I am really interested in their conversion equipment but have not received a response to my email for more information. That makes me alittle conserned as to their responsiveness to customers. Did you have a good experience in working with them? They appear to be a company that supplies refrigeration to commerical boats. I guess I will have to call them for more information. Which model did you purchase Bob?
Steve, I checked into Isotherm. I believe Defender sells them. What impressed you about their equipment?

 

[Jacques C]

Thanks Ed - ice box conversion

Thanks Ed for the pictures. It really looks good. I do plan to vent air from the galley to the refrig unit but I am putting a microwave where you put your compressor unit. I took out the bulkhead with it's cabinets last weekend. That was difficult! I'll replace it with 1/2 inch plywood with white laminate and put cabinets below the microwave.

 

[Steve Dion]

Jacques:

Here is a link for another Isotherm dealer.

http://www.emarineinc.com/

 

[Steve W]

I have to stronhly agree with Steve D about the Isotherm. Actually I recommended it to him. I purchased a unit from them for my '81 H33 (I used to be a "Cherub"!) and installed it myself in a less than a day. The only time consuming part of the installation was building a shelf in one of my underseat lockers in the salon to mount the compressor on. The reason I installed it under the settee was simple. 1) it was immediately forward of the reefer box (maybe 2-3 feet) so the refrigerant tubing runs were short, 2) close to the galley sink thru-hull fitting which was replaced by the Isotherm unit (the cooling 'fins' are integral to their propriatary thru-hull), and 3) I didn't need to 'vent' the compressor anywhere or even install and air grills.

That compressor (Danfoss 50??) DOES NOT NEED AIR CIRCULATION!! You can keep it in an unventilated closed!. And it's so quiet that the only time I realized it was on was by checking my Xantex amp draw monitor. We're talking SERIOUSLY QUIET!

In terms of efficiency, I installed an 80W solar panel to feed the house bank while the boat sat on her mooring during the week. For the record I had a 400 aH house bank (a pair of L16s). I installed the refrigeration unit in May, started it up, and shut it down in September - almost close to 4 months continuous use. The only time I ever got to the boat and the house back was depleted almost down to the 50% level was after a week of continuous overcast and rainy. Otherwise the 80 watt panel fed her all summer without issue.

Excellent unit - especially for a DIY project....

 

[KandD]

Anyone ever try gutting a home deep-freezer and modifying it to install in the ice box??

 

[Steve Dion]

You can get the guts of a freezer but how are you going to power it once you leave the dock? Freezers are high amp draw and most boats do not have that good of insulation.

 

[billt1]

I had an AC fridge ice box conversion on my old boat an H40. 3 D cells provided about 1-2 days

at anchor before I needed to charge them with my honda eu2000

 

[billt1]

i neglected to say I added a xantrex freedom inverter/charger

for use of the icebox and other electrics like tv etc while underway

 

[Steve Dion]

I do not think that any inverter is going to help run a 120vac freezer unit unless you have about 1000 amp capacity that can be recharged every day while on the hook.

 

[billt1]

I had 3 D cells at 200 amp hrs each. longest I was out was 5 days

I determined I could last 1.5 days. so I charged for approx 45 min daily If I had another D cell I could get 2 days.

thats with lights, 24inch tv, norcold and fridge ice box etc

 

[billt1]

oh and I neglected to say I also ran the norcold fridge also

on the 3 D cells. thats quite a load if you think about it .... the batteries cost me 150$ each.

so its do-able on the hook with an AC fridge.