Has anyone had experience taking a small inexpensive
refrigerator such as those
sold for college dorms at places like Best Buy, taking them apart and "making" a
refrigeration system for their
boat. I have given much thought to this "marine"
refrigeration problem. The bottom line is that every
marine system seems to use the same type of
compressor and essentially the same
parts used to refrigerate these small refrigerators.
If you can put a danfoss
compressor into a $150-$200 small
refrigerator why should we have to pay 8 times that and in many cases much more to refrigerate the same space in a
boat? Of corse the manufacturers will claim that their systems are "Marinized". But what exactly does that mean and what standards are there for these units. I would submit that this is done better by some Mfg's than others. Conformally coating a PC board does not a
marine system make!
I realize that there are issues of piping and connections but these are done all the time in larger systems with regularity, in large boats,
commercial kitchens and air conditioners! As for the piping, in most larger cities there is a
commercial hose, piping and refrigeration wholesaler who has many of the
parts needed for such an
installation.
I think the big issue for most of us in tackling this
project is the lack of knowledge about refrigeration. This could be overcome with an online course or one at a local junior college.
I am convinced after much
research and thinking on this subject that we boaters ar being taken to the cleaners for refrigeration units by companies that are honest and do add value to the various parts they assemble, but are essentially selling us early 20th century technology cobbled together and called "marine" refrigeration.
What are your thoughts? Ideas? Experience?