Hi all, I have a 1991 Passage 42 and my Adler-Barbour freezer compressor has finally died. The original used freon, and it's now time to replace the entire unit with a newer, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly unit. (I'm looking at Frigoboat). This means that the evaporator plates and all of the tubing must be replaced. My problem is that I can't figure out a way to replace the pipes/tubes that make the run between the compressor and the evaporator plates in the freezer. They run from the engine compartment to the freezer, and they appear to run between the back of the refrigerator and the back of the shower which is located in the aft head. I can't figure out any access. Has anybody done this before in a P42, and if so, how did you do it? If nobody has done it before, does anybody have any ideas on how to accomplish this?
replacing reefer in P42
- Thread starter Paul Cossman
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A Thought...
My layout is a little different. BTW, I was really turned off by AB's lack of customer support when it came time to change out my refrig. I went with Seafrost and am very happy. They will do whatever length on the tubes you need. So, what may be risky is to get some small copper tubing or some other kind of leader and pull it through to use as a leader to pull the new one back. It is a several person job, or was in my case since tubing isn't the most flexible stuff. You would at minimum have to remove (chip out) any of the foam that surrounds the tubes as they enter the box.
I hope someone else has a more direct answer for you.
My layout is a little different. BTW, I was really turned off by AB's lack of customer support when it came time to change out my refrig. I went with Seafrost and am very happy. They will do whatever length on the tubes you need. So, what may be risky is to get some small copper tubing or some other kind of leader and pull it through to use as a leader to pull the new one back. It is a several person job, or was in my case since tubing isn't the most flexible stuff. You would at minimum have to remove (chip out) any of the foam that surrounds the tubes as they enter the box.
I hope someone else has a more direct answer for you.
Are you sure it's the compressor? My AB fridge wouldn't kick on and I thought I was going to have to replace everything.
There's an electronic module that needs to be working for the fridge to start. I replaced that and it took care of the problem. I was even able to order the part from West Marine.
My symptom was that when you turned on the refridge circuit breaker, you'd see a short voltage spike in my electrical panel meter and then it would go back down to zero.
Yours problem is probably different, but I wanted to share my experience.
There's an electronic module that needs to be working for the fridge to start. I replaced that and it took care of the problem. I was even able to order the part from West Marine.
My symptom was that when you turned on the refridge circuit breaker, you'd see a short voltage spike in my electrical panel meter and then it would go back down to zero.
Yours problem is probably different, but I wanted to share my experience.
Tim, thanks for the thought. I know it's not the electronic module because I swapped out the electronic module from the refrigerator (which still works), and that didn't solve the problem. The compressor continues to run, but isn't effective. I also checked the freon level, and that's not it either. The unit is about 18 years old, and we lived on the boat for 10 years, so the freezer has likely run its course. In any event, it's time for it to go.
And Rick, thanks for the leader idea, but there are a couple of bends that would make that pretty much impossible. Therein lies the problem. Hmmmm.
And Rick, thanks for the leader idea, but there are a couple of bends that would make that pretty much impossible. Therein lies the problem. Hmmmm.
Paul:
Have you considered an Isotherm SP unit. They have no fan. The freon (coolant) is cooled by seawater. They use the sink drain thru hull for this cooling process. Check it out, it may be a solution. We have one on our HV'36 with an island fridge.
Have you considered an Isotherm SP unit. They have no fan. The freon (coolant) is cooled by seawater. They use the sink drain thru hull for this cooling process. Check it out, it may be a solution. We have one on our HV'36 with an island fridge.
P42 Fridge
Hi Paul, both our units on our 1991 P42 work fine. I leave them on year around and I'm sure they will fail some day. At that point I will likely replace the failed components rather than change to a different system. I've always found AB to be very helpful in the past, especially when the control module failed on our fridge a few years ago.
Hunter Marine Customer Service would be my first stop for advice on removing the two units. It looks to me as if all the galley cabinets and counter tops need to be removed in order to get to the two reefers.
Terry Cox
Hi Paul, both our units on our 1991 P42 work fine. I leave them on year around and I'm sure they will fail some day. At that point I will likely replace the failed components rather than change to a different system. I've always found AB to be very helpful in the past, especially when the control module failed on our fridge a few years ago.
Hunter Marine Customer Service would be my first stop for advice on removing the two units. It looks to me as if all the galley cabinets and counter tops need to be removed in order to get to the two reefers.
Terry Cox
Re: P42 Fridge
Steve, thanks for the tip on the Isotherm. I had only been looking at Frigoboat, which uses a keel cooler. Sounds like the Isotherm wouldn't require (yet) another thru-hull.
Terry, thanks for the input. Like you, I had always planned to just replace components. But I found that the new compressors are only made for the new refrigerants, and not for freon. And that the change of refrigerant requires a new evaporator plate, which in turn means new tubing/piping. And so it goes. But great idea on contacting Hunter Marine--I hadn't thought of that. Any idea on who to contract there? I have only dealt with Mike in the parts dept.
Rather than removing the galley counter tops and cabinets, I was thinking that if worst came to worst that I would make a straight run through the side of the engine compartment, through the back of the reefer itself, and into the freezer that way.
Paul.
Steve, thanks for the tip on the Isotherm. I had only been looking at Frigoboat, which uses a keel cooler. Sounds like the Isotherm wouldn't require (yet) another thru-hull.
Terry, thanks for the input. Like you, I had always planned to just replace components. But I found that the new compressors are only made for the new refrigerants, and not for freon. And that the change of refrigerant requires a new evaporator plate, which in turn means new tubing/piping. And so it goes. But great idea on contacting Hunter Marine--I hadn't thought of that. Any idea on who to contract there? I have only dealt with Mike in the parts dept.
Rather than removing the galley counter tops and cabinets, I was thinking that if worst came to worst that I would make a straight run through the side of the engine compartment, through the back of the reefer itself, and into the freezer that way.
Paul.
Thanks, Tim. I like your photo--unless I'm mistaken, it looks like either Cherry Cove or maybe 4th of July Cove. Ahhhh, Catalina. At least it's up to the lower 20s in Anchorage today.
Paul, like Steve Dion, I installed an Isotherm unit in my old '81 H33 and it worked like a charm. Like the Frigoboat, both are "keel cooler" units, the difference being Isotherm doesn't require another hole in the hull. They designed a great seacock which contains the cooling coils inside the thru-hull which you use to replace your existing galley sink thru-hull/gate valve. The only modification I needed to make was to shorten the existing sink drain hose to accomodate the higher fitting of the Isotherm unit. Otherwise, pop out your existing sink drain valve and replace it with theirs. They use the Danfoss compressor which is scary quiet and doesn't need to be mounted anywhere with ventilation! I stuck mine under a settee seat (no vents or anything) and it worked like a champ. The only way to ascertain it was "on" was to look at the aHr meter. They draw about 4.5 amps p/hr but with a well insulated box, once it's initially cooled down the compressor should kick on for more than 15-20 minutes an hour. Extremely efficient and one 80W solar panel on the boat kept it very happy!
Steve Weinstein
Steve Weinstein
Steve, thanks for the input. The Isotherm sounds almost too good to be true. Six months of the year I will be cruising areas where the water is quite warm, and I wonder about the effect of that on its ability to cool. I'll look at Isotherm's literature and website--I would think they'd address that concern. Thanks again, Paul.
Steves (Dion and Weinstein)--I have studied the Isotherm literature, and for the tropics they recommend the magnum unit, which is one that includes an active seawater pump. I assume that the units you guys have do not include the active seawater pump. Are your units the holding plate units or the evaporator plate units? Does it get cold enough to freeze the food that is closest to the plate and keep it frozen? Have you cruised where the water is as warm as the tropics, and if so, how did the unit perform? If you're familiar with the P42, is your reefer capacity similar to the capacity of the P42 freezer?
I appreciate the info, guys. The concept of using the galley sink through-hull is QUITE appealing. I just wonder about the additional power consumption and noise of an active seawater pump.
I appreciate the info, guys. The concept of using the galley sink through-hull is QUITE appealing. I just wonder about the additional power consumption and noise of an active seawater pump.
Paul, this may be a little late in coming but I went through a similar problem. In my case (94 P42) the freezer lines ran through the reefer. They were in the back top. You had to get down and look up through the reefer front door to see them. The hole into the reefer from the engine room and the hole between the reefer and freezer were plugged with plumber's putty. Hope that helps.
Thanks, Rich, that helps a lot. I am still in Alaska, and haven't yet gotten back to my boat in California since I first posted. I strongly suspect that my configuration is identical, and that tells me how to go about it. Thanks a bunch!
Paul.
Paul.
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