Refrigerator Conking Out

[YVRguy]

Hello all. It’s an unusually hot summer up here in Vancouver and I just arrived at the boat to find the refrigerator dead. This has happened once before in hot weather. We thought it was dead but the next day it turned on and worked like nothing was wrong. We are in the habit of leaving it on all summer long while in the marina so we can leave staples on the boat. Could the fridge just be shutting off because it’s overworked? I’m sorry I don’t know the brand of the fridge but just looking for general knowledge & experience. Thanks.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Doug, often the heat affects the ability of the condenser to reject heat. In all too many cases, the placement of the compressor/condenser unit on boats is located in hidden away areas with inherently poor ventilation. Indeed, some eons ago, Adler Barbour actually began to offer a "ventilation kit" with a grille and a short piece of ducting to provide air TO the unit. What this utterly failed to do was even to help get rid of the hot air coming off the condenser (the thing that looks like a car radiator), although it did help to get fresh air TO the unit.

If your unit is buried somewhere, getting ventilation to it may help resolve your issue.

Good luck.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Lots of us in Florida have both refrigerators and freezers which function perfectly in our garages as well as our boats. Hard to imagine a refrigerator in any boat and particularly one in Vancouver being more “overworked”.
Assuming free air flow through the condenser and proper coolant pressure, its a guessing game what your problem is.

 

[DeniseO30]

More information would be helpful for those trying to help you, even when
someone with 50 plus years in the HVAC business.

most refrigerators freezers air conditioners are able to operate in high ambient conditions although it is possible if it's working in a stagnant air location like the engine compartment that it will get 200° or so but without information from you, everybody's just speculating.

Typical temperature in the Box on my boat even during the dog days of August on the East Coast with Chesapeake mugginess

 

[Head Sail]

Hello all. It’s an unusually hot summer up here in Vancouver and I just arrived at the boat to find the refrigerator dead.

What does dead mean? Was the battery dead? Was the compressor running but not cold? Did you try and turn it on and not start? Did you try adjusting the thermostat?

 

[YVRguy]

Thanks all, for your responses. I should have worded the question more carefully. I am primarily interested in understanding if boat fridges typically have some kind of thermal protection that allows them to shut down under certain conditions to prevent damage. The reason I asked is I am leaving today on a long trip and it's not yet clear to me if the fridge is broken or if it simply shut itself down under stress. The answer to that question has a big impact on the coming week. I realize it's unfair to ask for help with so little background info but I appreciate your efforts at providing context for my research.

 

[kloudie1]

Some units will attempt to reset/restart for a couple of tries then really shut down .. Depending on the unit, there might be a low pressure trip (low refrigerant) and/or a high pressure trip. The high pressure one can be tripped by low air flow or heated air flow at the condenser. It could be a bad fan or as previously mentioned, restricted airflow to the condenser. If the air flow path is not restricted and the condenser is free of dust/hair/debris and the fan is running, then there is a real problem.. Be sure to check the fuse and holder to make sure the power supply is good. Good Luck

 

[SycloneDriver]

My dock neighbor had an issue with his fridge. He replaced control board twice. Recharged the refrigerant. Ran lots of tests. He eventually replaced his house batteries, and maybe his charger, and this solved his issue. Make sure the batteries and charger are in good shape. Check the voltage at the fridge while the compressor is running.

 

[NYSail]

Great points above. How old is the unit…. Sometimes they just die. Make sure the unit is getting good ventilation. I assume because you are at the slip power is not the issue but I do know mine on old boat would stop if power on batteries dropped….. don’t have that issue now because of solar! And isn’t there indicator lights on the unit that help trouble shooting what’s wrong?
Good luck!
Greg

 

[DeniseO30]

Thanks all, for your responses. I should have worded the question more carefully. I am primarily interested in understanding if boat fridges typically have some kind of thermal protection that allows them to shut down under certain conditions to prevent damage. The reason I asked is I am leaving today on a long trip and it's not yet clear to me if the fridge is broken or if it simply shut itself down under stress. The answer to that question has a big impact on the coming week. I realize it's unfair to ask for help with so little background info but I appreciate your efforts at providing context for my research.

Well you still haven't provided any context so we have to add our own LOL

even a picture would help

Compressors have built internal overloads but it's not normally something that will shut down the whole refrigerator so something else must be going on

 

[senang]

Most fridges installed in a boat have a safety device where they switch off when voltage gets to low. The fridge manufacturer wisely decided that it is cheaper to replace the contents of the fridge then to replace your house bank. So when voltage gets above this level again the fridge comes back on. So your fridge is not broken, this low voltage switch off is a feature!