So as I've begun seriously planning out my
galley I have gone back to something I've wondered over and over again.
When it comes down to
refrigeration is it worth
buying all the super expensive and tiny
marine units, or could I just use standard store-bought
appliances?
I want to have both a chest
freezer and a small
refrigerator in my
boat.
You can buy a 5 cubic foot chest
freezer with a fairly small footprint for between $150-250. The only difference in them seems to be in thickness of the cabinets and I would imagine energy efficiency. Likewise I can buy a very nice and fairly efficient
refrigerator (3.5-4 cf) for between $150-500 depending on how nice it is and the shape of it.
Now I know how I eat and live, and I use my fridge for things that are either left over for a few days, for dairy stuff that doesn't stay in there for long, for fruits and vegetables, and for drinks. Those things don't require a super cool
environment. I do eat a lot of meat dishes and tend to make big
meals divvie them up and freeze them.
So I'm thinking one of these under counter fridges and a chest freezer is the perfect set up for me. Plus I lived in
Europe with a similar system minus the freezer and never had a prob.
Either way, I would imagine that these household units are on their own less energy efficient than custom
marine apps. They do use compressors, which use electricity. They would also require me to run A/C
power for them (unless I can figure out how to convert them to DC).
But, I would think I should be able to add a further layer of hardcore
insulation around these units as part of the install and make them a bit more energy efficient on the
cheap. Plus, the more you keep in a fridge or freezer the less it has to operate (even if you're just freezing ice).
So, what the whole point of this post is, when you look at the initial cost of between $300-700 for full
installation versus the added expense over time of using a bit more electricity, is it worthwhile to go with these units over somethign designed for a
boat?