410: Refridgeration

[ozsailer]

Hello all.
Since purchasing our boat back in February we have been exceptionally happy. At this time there is only one great concern and that is the refrigeration system presently in the boat. Presently there is only one cooling plate which is located in the freezer. A four inch hole has been cut between the freezer and the adjoining fridge section.
This system is totally inadequate. For a three or four day charter it may have been Ok but after this the good in the fridge starts to go off. Fruit and vegetable first followed by other consumables. The freezer is not particularly efficient and will not freeze food but will freeze water over two days. Bags of ice will remain frozen.
On closer inspection it appears that there was a panel of some description installed at the rear of the fridge due to the placement of mounting holes for screws and also a larger hole that has been filled in for piping. The only thermostat is located in the freezer section.
Can anyone tell me what the original set up was or if in fact this was the factory arrangement ( I would find this hard to believe) I would like to hear what other owners have in their boats as I wish to replace the current system as soon as possible.
I am looking at a system by Ozfridge here in Australia which will require a double eutectic plate in the freezer and a fan driven and thermostatically cooling system to keep the fridge cold. The compressor is a water and air cooled unit that is capable of freezing or refrigerating a combination of the same to 200 litres. Having measured the system it would be more than adequate for my needs having spoken to the Ozfridge engineer. The other advantage of this system is that it can be installed relatively easy for the average handyman.
Would love any feedback regarding other Lagoon owners or suggestions. The unit will be operating in a tropical location most times.


Greg and Sue
SV Sunshine L 410 S2

[a64pilot]

Sounds like you already know the answer. I would go with the Ozfridge system and not look back. Of course it's possible to boost the cooling air in the fridge with a computer fan but if it's not adequate to keep things frozen it's not going to get better when you rob more cold air for the fridge

[gspeak]

Greg & Sue,
One of the first modifications I did when I bought Seabreeze was to replace the engine driven eutectic system with an Ozefridge system. It sounds like they may have replaced the original eutectic system on Sunshine.

Our Ozefridge system has been running non-stop for over 2 years now. There are photos in my Yahoo Lagoon Owners album of the install which is easy. Mine is just for refrigeration & we use an Engel for the freezer.

Dave