When I am in my slip, but not on the boat, I turn the cabin A/C off. Ususlly crack open a hatch for a little ventilation (covered slip), and also open a few galley drawers to let the the trapped heat behind the refer escape. Has anyone else found anything helpful with cold retention in these small refrigerators ? Adding insulation is an issue because the opening to slide the refer unit in and out is the exact dimension of the refer box. And adding insulation after the install isn't practical. These things are catch 22. The hotter it gets, the more they run, the more. . . . .
Additional Refrigerator Insulation
- Thread starter bobalong
- Start date
Never had a problem with the small Norcold on our 25' SeaRay. We closed everything up when we left for the week and ran a small fan just to keep the air cirulating in the cabin.
You can try turning the refrigerator thermostat down, but if the refrigerator is always running and there's a heat build-up, it sounds like something else is going on.
Lady C
You can try turning the refrigerator thermostat down, but if the refrigerator is always running and there's a heat build-up, it sounds like something else is going on.
Lady C
boatcomfort
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- Mar 8, 2010
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I had a lot of those questions. Please let me know what make and year of the boat and make and size of the fridge. I probably have an opinion for since I did a few modifications.
Yup, and leave the frig door ajar to allow it to dry out. That is what I always did. When coming to the boat, make sure everything is already cold before placing in the frig. I usually started out with many things, such as meat, frozen.
I think the largest problem with heat is when the compressor is actually running. My 120 volt magic Chef (also runs on inverter) is
installed in the original refer location which is an enclosed dead space. There is no route for the heat to escape from the coils.
I added SS vent covers both high and low on the cabinet next to the refer. The top one has a 120 volt (computer power supply) fan that exhausts the space. I have it wired so that it comes on anytime the compressor starts. Insulating the space may be counter productive because it might keep the heat from the compressor in rather than the ambient heat out.
installed in the original refer location which is an enclosed dead space. There is no route for the heat to escape from the coils.
I added SS vent covers both high and low on the cabinet next to the refer. The top one has a 120 volt (computer power supply) fan that exhausts the space. I have it wired so that it comes on anytime the compressor starts. Insulating the space may be counter productive because it might keep the heat from the compressor in rather than the ambient heat out.
This may help. I installed 2 muffin fans (very cheap) in the vent which allows circulation for the condenser coil (either bottom or back of refrigerator). I determined the voltage to the compressor (voltmeter) (and whether AC or DC) and matched the fan voltage. I wired the fans in parallel with the compressor wiring by splicing. The muffin fans draw so little electrical load the the demand on the compressor circuit is minimal.
The muffin fans kick in when the compressor starts and cools the condenser coils, significantly boosting the refrigeration cycle efficiency. The system has worked flawlessly for the last 10 years with the exception of a fan replacement. Hope this helps.
The muffin fans kick in when the compressor starts and cools the condenser coils, significantly boosting the refrigeration cycle efficiency. The system has worked flawlessly for the last 10 years with the exception of a fan replacement. Hope this helps.
Actually, yes the addition of fans does significantly help reduce the duty cycle by improving the convection cooling of the condenser. This removes the heat of compression and allows the evaporator coil to function at a lower starting temperature. Thus the cooling per duty cycle is improved.