Lipari 41: Refrigerator & Freezer

[aclmck]

Originally Posted by Toys_with_time

I have ordered the FP options freezer for my Lipari (goes in to left of fridge in place of cupboard) and plan on changing the thermostat to an electronic variable type (if i can find one) so i can choose to use it as a freezer or as a 90 litre fridge

Will decide on waternmaker location when i get the boat but as I'm looking to increase house batteries to 500amp in port engine room will probably put watermaker in stbd side. Not planning on having a genset.

TwT

the actual position of the freezer is it above the fridge top to the left sitting on the panel over the starboard hull so the door is above the stairs. and are you going to leave a shallow cupboard (as it exists) or remove it completely.

Will house batteries at 500 amp be sufficent with the Freezer and Fridge i can't get details of the standard fridge as isotherm dont have them listed they say they are custom made. are you using the isotherm Freezer??

regards

Allan

[aclmck]

Originally Posted by rwallace

Yeah, I did a double take on the watermaker plumbing myself, but owner said it worked fine.

I do have photos of solar panel mount - will try and post them when I have a chance. Basically, a welder made a 1" stainless, rectangular tube frame - a single piece with rounded corners. The stern part has two tabs welded on that fit into existing pins at the end of davits. The forward part is supported by two legs that are attached to the hull near where the davits exit the hull. The panels came with stainless mounting tabs, which are welded to the frame - the panels bolt directly to these tabs. The welder didn't want to drill into the davits themselves - might weaken them, or eventually result in corrosion. The result is a very sturdy, light panel mount.

I think one reason the panels work so well for us is that we invested in a good charge controller. I think the controller is the heart of any solar system, and you shouldn't skimp when purchasing this.

As for energy consumption, all lights - navigation and interior - are LED. Everything else is 12v powered - computer, etc. So I guess we just don't use that much power.

I had been designing a "roof " out of 4 x 135w panels to cover the dinghy and attach to the existing roof to keep out more rain and sun i to will use the same mounts but it is interesting that you have got away with 3 panels would be great to see some pic's of your design.

have you already installed the watermaker , it sounds a simple solution on the plumbing side how did you get the water to flow backwards through the pressure pump??? where do you stow the genny and fuel for it and the dinghy??

is any more room available in the port engine room for additional batteries.??

regards

Allan

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by aclmck

the actual position of the freezer is it above the fridge top to the left sitting on the panel over the starboard hull so the door is above the stairs. and are you going to leave a shallow cupboard (as it exists) or remove it completely.

Will house batteries at 500 amp be sufficent with the Freezer and Fridge i can't get details of the standard fridge as isotherm dont have them listed they say they are custom made. are you using the isotherm Freezer??

regards

Allan

Allan
My understanding is that freezer sits in place of the cupboard to left of fridge as you face fridge. Deletes the cupboard that normally goes there. Freezer door opens over fridge ie faces towards port side. Have a hard copy drawing of it somewhere I was given at the facory- send me private message and i can scan & email it to you if i find it. Looks like an off the shelf freezer, not sure of brand.

re amp hours think standard battery is 300 house 100 stbd motor but plan on adding 2 x 150 amp hours to supplement. Will see how I go on consumption. Trying to source variable thermostat so can run freezer as fridge sometimes (as a fellow Australian you would understand the priority that needs to be accorded to beer - may have to turn off unessentials like navigation equipment if 600AH insufficient).

Also have developed an approximate scale AutoCAD / pdf drawing of side elevation and plan view - useful if you are trying to estimate sizes, cable / plumbing run lengths etc. Let me know if u want a copy in either format. Needs to be printed A3 to be at scale.

Cheers

TwT

[R2boat]

Any ideas on how much insulation there is around the frig and freezer?

[Dod42]

About 40mm on the drawer front and about 45mm on the sides. We added cryogel all around which made it much more efficient and cut power usage dramatically. Insulation standard is fine for Europe but you need more for Australian climate

[Bruce S]

Hi Dod54 - new 2015 Lipari owner here. Would you mind stepping me through how you installed the additional cryogel insulation on the twin-drawer fridge and where you sourced the cryogel. Thanks.

[Dod42]

Originally Posted by Bruce S

Hi Dod54 - new 2015 Lipari owner here. Would you mind stepping me through how you installed the additional cryogel insulation on the twin-drawer fridge and where you sourced the cryogel. Thanks.

We are in Australia. We source the cryogel from a supplier in Brisbane but they only had 3.5 mths left from a mining job. The rolls are 1.54 mtr wide so it was plenty for what I needed. One of our friends did get some from a supplier in Perth and they posted. I can get contact details if you need.

We went with cryogel as the space around the fridge is quite limited and cryogel seems to have the best R rating for its size. We just cut pieces for each side and then taped with duct tape in place like a big bag all around including the bottom. In this case duct tape is your friend use lots. It is very dusty to work with but cryogel has plastic on one side so that is on the outside. Once suitably bagged we just slid it back in place. The front of the draws come off with 4 screws on the sides. We cut a piece to fit inside the stainless outside in addition to the existing insulation. It does make it thicker so you have to add a spacer for the drawer locks.

I think the addition to the drawers makes the most difference, but the rest also makes a big difference. You could use other insulation other than cryogel like blue board but if you can find it, I think it works the best.

We have also added a little battery operated fan that sits inside and circulates the air. You can get these easily from camping shops, eBay or amazon.