Make a freezer in existing fridge?

[malbert73]

Hi everyone,
I have a Technnautics Cool Blue system with eutectic holding plate in my large well insulated fridge on my Tartan 40. It does great at keeping the fridge cold.

Can I make a freezer compartment within the fridge? I was thinking a smaller styrofoam box enclosing part of the cold plate.
If should I put an adjustable vent to allow "cold" to spill into fridge?

Didn't know if a holding plate system can make a freezer compartment.


The rest of the fridge will rely on maybe 1/2 of the cold plate....


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[Neptune's Gear]

Well, the easy answer is NO. The fluid in the eutectic tank should have a different freezing point for a freezer than it does for a fridge. The settings on the cooling controller would also be different.
The Complex answer is YES. You would have to set up the existing fridge as a freezer, then partition it off in an airtight manner, and the partition Without the eutectic plate can become a fridge. If you have a look at my site there are some pics of cabinets that do this, and share the same refrigeration unit for fridge and freezer. see here;
Refrigeration Cabinets, Power Consumption Boating Gear fit for the King
Matt

[newhaul]

Actually you can't do it that easily it requires a freezer type holding plate I'm sure rich will be happy to help you do just the thing you want shoot him an email rich@cruiserowater.com let him know I sent you

[Neptune's Gear]

A eutectic plate is a eutectic plate. There is no freezer type or fridge type. The control unit needs to be capable of freezing. As I said, it is not simple, but it's possible.

[newhaul]

Actually the plates are not the same the solution is different in each type of plate . The following quote is from riches site on his technautic systems " The holding plate is filled with the proper eutectic solution for either a refrigerator or freezer plate." He makes em so I will take his word I just install em

[Neptune's Gear]

Newhaul, may I politely refer you to my first post in this thread. I quote "The fluid in the eutectic tank should have a different freezing point for a freezer than it does for a fridge"
The PLATES can be the same. The fluid needs to be different. It can be changed.

[onestepcsy37]

Don't know if it's cheaper or easier, but you could switch from holding plate to a box type evaporator. The box becomes the freezer. Have that on my Adler Barbour install.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Don't know if it's cheaper or easier, but you could switch from holding plate to a box type evaporator. The box becomes the freezer. Have that on my Adler Barbour install.

That can be done however it would complicate things considerably
I gave the email of the man that manufactured the system in question however I'm sure he will be along soon to help his handle is SV third day.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

Newhaul, may I politely refer you to my first post in this thread. I quote "The fluid in the eutectic tank should have a different freezing point for a freezer than it does for a fridge"
The PLATES can be the same. The fluid needs to be different. It can be changed.

Sorry didn't mean to sound rude mostly different on how we read how things are written and said I'm from north america and you are from nz. Here we have technautics in California and there you have oze fridge same same just different nomenclature

[Red Sky]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

Well, the easy answer is NO. The fluid in the eutectic tank should have a different freezing point for a freezer than it does for a fridge. The settings on the cooling controller would also be different.

Matt's post was pretty clear to me and I'm in North America too.

[newhaul]

Red what I meant was it would be easier to have rich send a freezer plate in exchange after all he built the op's system.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Sure...its a piece of cake and will cost you very little in terms of Cruising Kitty to complete!
Just give me a call at 619-609-3432 and I'll be happy to walk you through the process or shoot me an email at info@technauticsinc.com

This type of single plate spill-over system is the standard configuration that most CoolBlue system are utilized in.

Quick bullet point plan:
1. Change the eutectic solution in the holding plate to a freezer concentration rather than the refrigerator concentration you have now. There is a drain plug on the plate and you can easily (OK nothing is really easy on a boat) swap out and mix up the eutectic solution yourself once you know the mix formulae of 1/3 glycol 2/3 water for a freezer plate or 10% glycol and 90% water for a refrigerator plate.

2. Replace your refrigerator thermostat with a freezer thermostat. We can sell you one or give you the part number to buy one anywhere around the world. This will get you the lower temps and you always have to match the thermostat temp with the eutectic solution freezing/melting temps for efficient operation.

3. Put a 1" insulated partition box around the plate with air flow holes like we show in our manual (go download it from our website) and you can control the flow of cold air to from the freezer space to the refrigerator space.

4.
Boom.....done...how hard was that? Easy as falling off the boat and you can have rock hard ice cream in the freezer space and good refrigerator temps that don't freeze your veggies.


But seriously I'm available 7 days a week by phone, email, Skype, text and damn near smoke signals if you need me.....

[msrcal36]

Technauctics Cool Blue boat show display shows a frig/freezer combination. Simple: install divider (Polyisocyanurate board available at Home Depot). The divider can be movable to enlarge one section or the other. It must be about 2 inches shorter than the top of the fridge to allow freezer side cold air to spill over to fridge side.
Mike

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Sure...its a piece of cake and will cost you very little in terms of Cruising Kitty to complete!
Just give me a call at 619-609-3432 and I'll be happy to walk you through the process or shoot me an email at info@technauticsinc.com

This type of single plate spill-over system is the standard configuration that most CoolBlue system are utilized in.

Quick bullet point plan:
1. Change the eutectic solution in the holding plate to a freezer concentration rather than the refrigerator concentration you have now. There is a drain plug on the plate and you can easily (OK nothing is really easy on a boat) swap out and mix up the eutectic solution yourself once you know the mix formulae of 1/3 glycol 2/3 water for a freezer plate or 10% glycol and 90% water for a refrigerator plate.

2. Replace your refrigerator thermostat with a freezer thermostat. We can sell you one or give you the part number to buy one anywhere around the world. This will get you the lower temps and you always have to match the thermostat temp with the eutectic solution freezing/melting temps for efficient operation.

3. Put a 1" insulated partition box around the plate with air flow holes like we show in our manual (go download it from our website) and you can control the flow of cold air to from the freezer space to the refrigerator space.

4.
Boom.....done...how hard was that? Easy as falling off the boat and you can have rock hard ice cream in the freezer space and good refrigerator temps that don't freeze your veggies.


But seriously I'm available 7 days a week by phone, email, Skype, text and damn near smoke signals if you need me.....

That's great advice. Many thanks for the quick reply. This will be my spring project. Quick question what kind of glycol do I use? And should I use distilled water?


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[newhaul]

Originally Posted by malbert73

That's great advice. Many thanks for the quick reply. This will be my spring project. Quick question what kind of glycol do I use? And should I use distilled water?


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Food grade would be preferred ( propylene glycol )