refrigerator question

[Opnine99]

Ok so the fridge in my boat freezes everything and will not defrost, so the thermostat control has malfunctioned. I am seeing this as an opportunity to change it out with a larger apartment style mini fridge that has a separate freezer and is also more aesthetically pleasing. The original fridge is only ran off of the shore power side of the switch panel and i do not see a switch anywhere for running off of propane. So I'm assuming that it is only ran off of 110. So my question is, should this be a simple switch out? I do not plan on running the fridge off of the 12 volt system so I will not be putting in an inverter, because anytime I stay the night on the boat I always go back to the slip and hook up to shore power. Info on this boat is minimal that I have been able to find online. 1987 Trojan 8.6 Meter Express. Research I've done on other types of boats say that the marine refrigerators run 120 or 12v with an on board controller that either steps down the 120 to a certain voltage or steps up the 12v to that same certain voltage that the compressor runs off of. So assuming that the one in there has a 120v source from the shore power control panel I should be able to make the switch out without any problems other than cutting out the drawer above the old one to make space for the new one. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Opnine99]

Re: frefrigerator question

Re: frefrigerator question

well I'm at the marina and took the old fridge out....there is not enough room with the hull angle so I will either have to fix the thermo. or replace with similar size fridge.....or i could just put the 3 cf mini that i have out on the deck and use the orig. one as a deep freeze lol

 

[Fireman431]

Re: refrigerator question

Are you sure your fridge isn't 110/12v?

 

[Opnine99]

Re: refrigerator question

it is 110/12v but there is not a switch for it on the dc panel only on the a/c side

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: refrigerator question

If it is anything like a home Frost Free Refrig....
The thermostat does not control the Defrost cycle.

There is a timer behind a panel.
Once every 12 to 24 hours, it shuts down the Compressor and the Circulating Fans, and turns on a small heater in the freezer section.
Yes! A Heater in the Freezer!
It warms up the evaporator coils for 15-20 minutes and melts all the Frost/Ice.

If it is fully iced up you may need to warm the whole thing up to clear the ice after you fixed the timer, or the heating element, or whatever needs the fix'n.
Way cheaper than replacing the whole refrige, And not an uncommon problem.

Sometimes if the door was accidentally left open for a while, or opened a lot, it will freeze up solid and all it needs is a day turned off with the door open to warmup and melt all the ice.
If the boat is very humid this can happen for no apparent reason and nothing needs fixing, just a good defrosting.
Try that first.

 

[Opnine99]

Re: refrigerator question

sounds like good sound advice I will try that before anything...........the selector has a def. setting on it and I have left it on that for most of the day I was tinkering with it.....around 5 or 6 hours....still frosted over. I will go down to the marina tomorrow and just shut it off and leave it open to fully thaw out.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: refrigerator question

It is likely that the fridge is not a frost free one. If it is frost free it will have a seperate freezer compartment and a fan in the freezer compartment.

I would test the thermostat and see how cold she gets. They will frost up quickly from a bad door seal and damp marine air.