Should I turn these OFF or leave them ON?

[foothillsailor]

Depends where you will be leaving the boat and time of year --- if in a hot, humid location with a lot of rain then I wouldn't want to leave my shore power connected because of the risk of corrosion on the power cord plugs followed by increased electrical resistance and then either frying the shore power cord or its plug connectors or a fire. How do I know .... had to replace a shore power cord for exactly that reason. If had properly fused solar power then I wouldn't be afraid to leave frigerator running. As for the Airconditioner to avoid/reduce mold I'd use a couple of 12 volt fans to circulate the air rather than the AC as the AC would also probably require continuing to use unsupervised shore power

[jkleins]

I did have my refrigeration on one week when I wasn’t going to be there and someone unplugged my power cord at the dock. The batteries ran down and really pissed my off (as well as almost ruined the batteries). I now have an little camera set up connected to the internet so that at least now if I check it and it is not on for several days I call the marina and they can check the cord. Also solar panels take some of the worry out it.

Jim

[Maka]

Does everyone close their sea cocks when they leave the boat for several days?
Should they?

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Maka

Does everyone close their sea cocks when they leave the boat for several days?
Should they?

That should be a different topic.

[Matsubob]

Generally speaking, OFF and CLOSED (for seacocks and portlights) That is commonly called, "seaman ship" Everything should be ship shape, with hatches battened, porlights closed power shut down and ready for a storm, even. I always leave the boat, assuming that something could come up and I wouldn't be able to row out there to turn everything off and shut everything. However, as another post said, I do have to leave the cockpit drain seacock open because it is a center cockpit and that is the design. Don't like it but have no choice. No, a boat is a boat. Not a cabin in the woods or on the lake! Seamaniship!

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I tend to turn mine off. I'll leave fridg going if I have things to keep cool and will be back soon but my Engels cool very quickly so I tend to turn them off. I don't run my AC for extended periods unattended; my AC water intake isn't super deep so it can easily pick up grass and get clogged and I prefer to close seacocks when I am not around. My solution to keeping boat dry is a $150 standard dehumidifier that I do run 100% of the time unattended. The dehumidifier works great for my area; it makes a huge difference. I store it in the head for day sailing and in the dockbox when out cruising.

[rhpike]

I leave them on. I’m at a Slip with shore power.

Fridge/freezer - keeps ice and beverages cold.

A/C - To keep interior cool in the hot Texas climate, and to keep humidity down. Finally, I keep the a/c running because it is a pain in the a@# to get the water pump">raw water pump system primed and full of water!

[Leo Ticheli]

I close every seacock when I leave the boat, except when I'm ashore for a short time. I never turn off the refrigerator.
I would like to leave the air conditioner running, but that requires leaving the cooling seacock open; the last time I tried that, I was away for a couple of weeks and the strainer became so fouled that it stopped the water flow to the pump. I do have a couple of small dehumidifiers running and have no "boat smell" or mold problems; they fill every week or so. I have considered using a large dehumidifier with a built-in pump to run the water overboard, but have not needed to do so; it might be a better idea than leaving the air conditioner running.

Fair winds,
Leo

[Rasselas36]

If it involves an open thru hull or sea cock then I turn it off if I am leaving the boat. First rule is to close all thru hulls when leaving the boat. As for the fridge it stays on.

[gonesail]

i would turn the refer off and the AC as well. you never know will get sucked up into the AC filter and the coils. also I would invest in a good dehumidifier and let it drain into a sink. close as many seacocks as you can and leave bilge pump on.

[bradm85]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Off for safety.

Am I the only one that closes every seacock when a boat I own is left unattended?

The salt water plumbing system is an enormous risk to sinking at the dock, especially with a pump helping the system to bring more water in faster.

I agree 100%. I turn frig and freezer off and close all sea cocks when I leave. As an HVAC engineer you put a great deal of wear on a compressor to not have it cool anything. It should only take a couple of hours once you turn it on to get down to temp and that is not going to spoil any perishables.

[Woodland Hills]

If you turn your fridge off, do you carry all of your condiments back and forth from your home to your boat? Ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, butter, salad dressing, etc? The doors of our fridge are filled with such items, do you really schlep this stuff home in a cooler all the time?

[bradm85]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

If you turn your fridge off, do you carry all of your condiments back and forth from your home to your boat? Ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, butter, salad dressing, etc? The doors of our fridge are filled with such items, do you really schlep this stuff home in a cooler all the time?

Yep. We go to the grocery store each weekend before we go out on the boat and we go out every weather cooperative weekend. I buy little single serving packets of ketchup, mayo, salad dressing, creamer, etc from Amazon and keep them on the boat. The stuff we take home we can always use at home or bring it back next weekend. Not really that much of a hassle.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Maka

Does everyone close their sea cocks when they leave the boat for several days?
Should they?

Yes, then turn off the fridge and lift the lid so it can breath. Finally turn the heating off

[SailorRon49]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Ah but this thread so begs the question: Do you know if the light goes off inside your refrigerator when you close the door?

Put your iPhone inside while it takes a video🤣 Real experience my light was on for two years using power and creating heat in the refrigerator. I put an extra bump on the switch. Works much better now.