Gday comrades,
I have just oulled out my old Waeco/Danfoss fridge unit - it worked okay but is noisy and I put it in a bad spot. It is 23 years old and I don't want to go to the trouble of putting it back in as it is near the end of its life. I talked to Ozefridge and they quoted me north of $3000 for a new setup. I don't think the Ozefridge idea is that clever (the eutectic tank storing "cold" overnight) in the new world of cheap solar (I will soon have 880 watts) and our new 400 AH of lithium. It is much cheaper to generate more power on our cat than get an efficient fridge. So my issue is - 1 - I am getting tired of needing to know stuff about the boat. I can strip the engines and built all the rest of the boat. I can do everything and I could install a new fridge but it will be a hassle to get it properly charged and running well.
- 2 - Getting someone out to look at an installed fridge is hard. When I made the new fridge compartment I took the Waeco unit and compressor as one to the locak fridge shop. I asked them to test it and they didn't know what to do. So I don't know if my very amateur job of putting the kit together is any good. A fridge mechanic said he would deign to look at it if I had the boat at the wharf during work. He would only charge me about $250 to show up and $200 an hour to work on it. So getting anyone to tune my installed fridge is impossible.
So what are people's thoughts on just going to Anaconda and getting a plastic camping fridge? I have one in the 4wd and it is silent, works dependably and draws little power. You just don't know it is there. I could get a 95litre version in the cat pretty easily. It will mean less space than the current box but we never fill that up at the moment. A 95 litre Dune 4wd will cost $899 at the moment. Sometimes cheaper.
www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/fridges-coolers/camping-fridge-freezers/dune-4wd-95l-dual-zone-fridgefreezer/BP90221918-multicoloured
Or I talk to DC fridge and they send me a new BD50 with a plate and I pop it in. dcfridge.com.au/products/isotherm-classic-diy-400-140-kit-400l-fridge-or-140l-freezer-381516
It will cost more double and I will never be able to take it out if it goes bad.
I am at analysis paralysis stage.
cheers
Phil
Go the new portable fridge, I'm not sure about the durability of the cheap end of the range. If you get one with the secop / danfoss you should be good. You could get 2 smaller units instead of the 95l. I've just upgraded to 500w solar with a miserly 200ah lead acid & the 65l fridge hardly makes an impression. If you haven't already install a battery monitor
I've had a "Dometic" middle range from BCF running 24/7 as a freezer for a couple of years now. It replaced a Waeco that failed doing the same job after a few years.
I purchased the 65l champion brand 2016 from bcf, I was told it had a danfoss compressor, just before 2yr warranty expired it died. Turned out it was a danstar compressor there was a pile of them at the repairer I was directed to, anyway I was given a replacement & the warranty started again, the replacement/ renovated unit had the secob / danfoss running gear & is still going good 24/7.
Some expensive production boats build them into the boat either in the galley or cockpit.
I had both a Waeco (in a rear storage berth) and a Novakool freezer /fridge diy kit in the S&S39. Both worked flawlessly and the NovaKool 12 volt was very easily installed and quiet. I did make sure the unit was 30% larger than required and we had 100mm insulation all around the 65litre freezer in galley. Ran the boat off 600 A/hr battery and 2 x 190 solar panels and never missed a beat. NovaKool plate and unit was easily removed should a problem have occurred.
Turned up at the boat today, fridge running, 18 degrees, hmm. The cheap fridge that ended up with a secob compressor has lost some gas, it's doomed. I think I will try the dometic cfx, it's got some new twist on the compressor for power efficiency & it's got a drain plug !
