Refrigerator questions

[captmikecoin]

My yacht has a built-in freezer with spillover fridge. At some stage in its past life the aperture in the base of the freezer where the pipes enter has been unblocked leaving a large (approx. 2" x 2") hole with 2 pipes passing through it to the expansion valve and holding plates. Needless to say the plates frost up very quickly.

Question 1. What to use to block it up and how to incorporate a drain hole with plug?

Question 2. The compressor is an old Rich Beers 1/2HP 110V ac driven one which creates a massive current surge when starting. I have seen 40A on the meter although I realise this has little correlation to the actual spike of current. From time to time I want to run this on battery power. What size of inverter do I need to run this thing and does it have to be true sine wave?

Mike

[Typhoon]

Hi Mike .

So are you saying that the lines for the holding plate come in through the bottom of the box ?

As for the inverter, how long does the compressor draw that 40 amps , is it just for a millisecond or so ? What amperage does the system draw in steady running ?

Regards John

[captmikecoin]

Originally Posted by ColdEh Marine

Hi Mike .

So are you saying that the lines for the holding plate come in through the bottom of the box ?

As for the inverter, how long does the compressor draw that 40 amps , is it just for a millisecond or so ? What amperage does the system draw in steady running ?

Regards John

Hi John,

Yes the lines come through the bottom.

The 40A is just a surge, certainly less than a second. Steady running current is about 9A.

Cheers,

Mike

[Typhoon]

Hey Mike

I would just totally plug the hole . All your cold air sneaks out of there. Then it's easy , just use crack and gap filler spray foam . Let it expand , cut of the stuff that sticks out , then you could use two part epoxy putty to seal up the foam so moisture does attack it from the inside. Done .

A good 2400 watt inverter should get that compressor going . Most of the can surge at 80 amps for a second . I would definitely go with a pure sine wave inverter. They are much more efficient with electric motors . They are a little more expensive but worth it. Also remember that system will draw around 80 or 90 amps at 12v from your batteries.

Hope this helps .

Regards John

[a64pilot]

I used the foam and after it dried trimmed it, and painted both sides with 5200.
I was worried it would absorb moisture, and then of course not insulate worth a darn

[captmikecoin]

Thanks John. Re: the hole, the advice about the epoxy putty is the bit that I hadn't figured out, so I'm really pleased to hear about that. I'll look into an inverter now, but are these cheap Chinese ones any good or should I look for something like a Victron or similar? I don't need all the bells and whistles of an inverter/charger just a simple inverter.

Cheers,

Mike

[Typhoon]

Hey Mike
You could use 5200 as Pilot suggests . I like the putty because you can sand it . But the 5200 will work just as well.

As for the inverter , I guess it all depends what kind of cruising you do and that would dictate how reliable it would need to be . The better they are the more costly they are. I use a simple Vanner inverter , no charger no automatic switching . Just a rock solid pure sine wave inverter built like a tank . Mine has not been turned off in three years . You can find good prices for one on eBay . What ever you get make sure it works well with
Inductive loads like an electric motor .

Regards John

[a64pilot]

I was afraid of the putty from a removal standpoint, that stuff is tough, Besides I had an opened tube of 5200

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by ColdEh Marine

Also remember that system will draw around 80 or 90 amps at 12v from your batteries.

That fact should pretty well put the kibosh on running it off your inverter in anything but the most dire of circumstances. Like when you absolutely, positively need to keep ice-cream overnight.

[captmikecoin]

Suijin, I run it about 4 hours a day at present on genny or shorepower according to availability. What I'd like to do is run the genny for only two hours when it can power the fridge while recharging the batteries, with the other two hours on inverter. The boat has 950Ah of 12V battery capacity.


Is there anything I haven't thought of?

Mike

[Typhoon]

You may consider changing out the motor on the compressor with a 12v unit , they run at around 36 amps . Made by Leeson . Then just run it off the batteries all the time and use your charger when you are on shorepower to keep them topped up .

Just an idea
Regards John

[DeepFrz]

Suijin, I run it about 4 hours a day at present on genny or shorepower according to availability. What I'd like to do is run the genny for only two hours when it can power the fridge while recharging the batteries, with the other two hours on inverter. The boat has 950Ah of 12V battery capacity.


Is there anything I haven't thought of?

Do you have solar? It takes a lot longer than 4 hrs. to completely charge your batteries.

[captmikecoin]

John, I wish it were that easy. Unfortunately the existing compressor is a sealed unit as per a domestic refrigerator so it would mean new compressor too and getting a bit expensive. Thanks for the thought though.

DeepFrz, no I don't have solar. I had thought that with a 150A multistage charger I could keep the battery up to about 80% most days with the occasional complete recharge when on shore power. I don't like solar panels which I think are ugly and ruin the appearance of a yacht.

Thanks for the advice.
Mike

[Typhoon]

Hey Mike nice to meet some one of like mind . Im not a fan of solar panels either , I designed my charging system without any solar . They are very ugly on a triditional yacht .

Regards John