Refrigeration System - Always on power or battery switched power?

[Bob S]

We shut all DC power off except the frig/freezer. We installed a Blue Seas LVD on the frig circuit that will protect the batteries just in case we are inadvertently shut off or power outage.

m-LVD Low Voltage Disconnect - Blue Sea Systems

Senses low battery voltage and disconnects non-critical loads to save power for engine starting.

www.bluesea.com

 

[Jackdaw]

Like many here I leave my DC-only fridge powered on 24x7. I only plug in at our slip; the boat has an isolation diode (but not an xformer).

The unit is wired directly to the house battery, which is separated from the start via an BSS ACR. Its fused immediately, and then is switched by a small BSS battery switch. Then to a BSS LVD, then on to the unit. I didn't wire that fiddly and automotive-style switch the that LVD came with, the defaults are fine and I don't need the lights.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Well, I'd be a lot more worried about the shore power right now if I hadn't emptied the fridge on Saturday and turned it off to de-frost! Lot's more electrical planning & upgrades to do is all I can say! When I bought our boat, I figured the 5-year old batts (now 6 seasons) may be near the end of life, but they seem to hold their charge pretty well when away from the dock, so I should think a bit more about protection and BMP!

 

[Justin_NSA]

My 90s vintage Nova Kool fridge has built-in low voltage logic to shut it off. Had one incident this year where we lost shore power for a week until we came back out to the boat. Batts were low but not fully discharged

 

[Jackdaw]

My 90s vintage Nova Kool fridge has built-in low voltage logic to shut it off. Had one incident this year where we lost shore power for a week until we came back out to the boat. Batts were low but not fully discharged

My newish IsoTherm does as well, but at a voltage level almost guaranteed to not allow you to start or damage your batteries. The BSS LVD is designed to do one thing; prevent this from happening; and cost like 75 bucks. Cheap insurance.