Ok, some thickened epoxy and a couple of hours later, my ice box is back in the condition it was in when I purchased my boat 19 years ago. You see, I bought new boat and wanted all the conviences... roller furling, refrigeration, etc. The one I regret is the A/B refrig. It worked great for about 3 months, then, all went to hell. Talked back and forth with customer service, new fan, worked another 2 weeks and to hell again. Another new fan, worked another week, then you guessed it... to hell. Well, I allowed it to reside on my boat without working for over 16 years.. then I decided one day I would be better off with an ice box that is just that... an ice box! So, removed everything to do with the A/B. It now has a resting place in my garage.. but that will not be for long. I am trying to decide what I should do with it... Is it too old as far as technology goes, or type of refrigerate goes? what about the condenser? Should I rob a small ac refrigerator of its compressor and try an installation like someone on this site did? He spent $40 bucks on his... mine cost over 700 and that was 19 years ago. He put his in seven years ago and it still works! So, what should I do? Suggestions are welcomed. Thanks.
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older systems
first things first. try to determine why the fan was failing so often. It may be an older brush style that was a bit more subject to moisture damage than the newer brushless fans that are now readily available. If the unit was starving for air, the fan may have overheated. Fan over-current draw is another possibility. True the unit is outdated as far as compressor technology is concerned. But, the Adler/Barbour and most other DC conversion kits are equipped with the Danfoss compressor, which has an incredibly long lifespan when installed properly. Before retiring the unit, look into the actual reason for failures. You may find a simple solution to bring it back into service. Like any other equipment, consider costs to repair versus replacement.If it is indeed a "dead soldier", there are many options, most of them inexpensive, to replace it. The refrigerant should be R12. Still available for service but expensive. There are retrofit alternatives. Replacing it with an AC unit may be fine, but inefficient. If the boat is plugged in at the dock most of the time, there should be no problem, other than the labor cost to convert it. Converting DC to AC when away from the dock is usually less efficient than running a straight DC unit.
first things first. try to determine why the fan was failing so often. It may be an older brush style that was a bit more subject to moisture damage than the newer brushless fans that are now readily available. If the unit was starving for air, the fan may have overheated. Fan over-current draw is another possibility. True the unit is outdated as far as compressor technology is concerned. But, the Adler/Barbour and most other DC conversion kits are equipped with the Danfoss compressor, which has an incredibly long lifespan when installed properly. Before retiring the unit, look into the actual reason for failures. You may find a simple solution to bring it back into service. Like any other equipment, consider costs to repair versus replacement.If it is indeed a "dead soldier", there are many options, most of them inexpensive, to replace it. The refrigerant should be R12. Still available for service but expensive. There are retrofit alternatives. Replacing it with an AC unit may be fine, but inefficient. If the boat is plugged in at the dock most of the time, there should be no problem, other than the labor cost to convert it. Converting DC to AC when away from the dock is usually less efficient than running a straight DC unit.
let us check it out for you
Why don't you pack it well and send it to us. I'll check it out, and let you know what's required to get it up and running. There's no charge for the estimate, just the shipping cost. send it to: WAECO Adler Barbour Service Dept. 8 Heritage Park Rd. Clinton, CT 06413 Please be sure to put a note in it requesting an estimate and a weekday telephone or fax number.
Why don't you pack it well and send it to us. I'll check it out, and let you know what's required to get it up and running. There's no charge for the estimate, just the shipping cost. send it to: WAECO Adler Barbour Service Dept. 8 Heritage Park Rd. Clinton, CT 06413 Please be sure to put a note in it requesting an estimate and a weekday telephone or fax number.
Also Check Electrical System
From your description it would seem there is definitely something adnormal. After following up on Bill Thomas' suggestions I'd check out the electrical system to ensure there is adequate voltage at startup. This would require a scope to capture the low transient voltage. Low voltage will burn up motors or cause premature failure. When a motor starts up it will pull the voltage down at the instant it starts up. Any place along the circuit that causes power loss (corrosion, bad connectors, small conductors, etc.) will put stress on the motor. For several years I had a problem with my starting battery and it wouldn't crank the engine very well so I used the house battery bank which really turned it over. One day I was tinkering with the electrical system changing some conductors around and went to start the engine on the start battery to ensure things were working right and it really cranked well. Further checking revealed a cable lug that had a poor connection with the cable! The cable, by the way, was original (4 years old) factory (Hunter) wiring - automotive, not marine grade. Motors require a lot more amperage at startup than resistance loads like lights because there is a magnetic field that has to be created and this is why the conductors should be larger than the steady-state power needs. For loads such as the autopilot, water pump, forced air heater, refrigeration, etc., use larger conductors. Looks like you have a good offer from A-B. By the way, my A-B was put in 8 years ago and I've never had a problem of any kind but the entire circuit is heavy duty: Battery area is #00, main panel is #2, and the conductors to the A-B are #6, all marine grade. With good ventillation, good electrical system, and A-B support with regard to the unit, hopefully you'll have a system that will work. It is really nice to have Refrigeration!
From your description it would seem there is definitely something adnormal. After following up on Bill Thomas' suggestions I'd check out the electrical system to ensure there is adequate voltage at startup. This would require a scope to capture the low transient voltage. Low voltage will burn up motors or cause premature failure. When a motor starts up it will pull the voltage down at the instant it starts up. Any place along the circuit that causes power loss (corrosion, bad connectors, small conductors, etc.) will put stress on the motor. For several years I had a problem with my starting battery and it wouldn't crank the engine very well so I used the house battery bank which really turned it over. One day I was tinkering with the electrical system changing some conductors around and went to start the engine on the start battery to ensure things were working right and it really cranked well. Further checking revealed a cable lug that had a poor connection with the cable! The cable, by the way, was original (4 years old) factory (Hunter) wiring - automotive, not marine grade. Motors require a lot more amperage at startup than resistance loads like lights because there is a magnetic field that has to be created and this is why the conductors should be larger than the steady-state power needs. For loads such as the autopilot, water pump, forced air heater, refrigeration, etc., use larger conductors. Looks like you have a good offer from A-B. By the way, my A-B was put in 8 years ago and I've never had a problem of any kind but the entire circuit is heavy duty: Battery area is #00, main panel is #2, and the conductors to the A-B are #6, all marine grade. With good ventillation, good electrical system, and A-B support with regard to the unit, hopefully you'll have a system that will work. It is really nice to have Refrigeration!
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