Why not propane refrigerators on boats

C

Carvervirgin

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Happy Thanksgiviing fellow boaters! I am visiting family and just toured my brother in laws new RV. His dometic fridge is a electric/propane model. Why are boats AC/DC electric and not AC/propane? Is there some regulation against this? Thanks
 
Dometic and Norcold had big issues with their units catching fire.....even after all the recall fix's where done. Its the main reason why most R/V manufacturers are now using residential refrig's in their R/V's ......along with a inverter/charger and an extra house battery.
 
R/Vs already have power hook ups and generators so I question why anyone would want it. Perhaps they were popular in the past when the stoves were propane fired but with more R/V parks supplying power drops and new inverter technology it no longer makes sense (IMHO).
 
The RV's use propane to power the refrigerator while moving from campground to campground. Once we unhook from the campground power supply our refrig automatically turns to propane until it is pluged into another electrical supply.

I will make the assumption that propane can leak and will then settle in the lowest point. In an RV that is in an outside compartment and should then disperse. In a boat the lowest point is the bilge where it will settle and accumulate until something really bad happens.
 
quote:
Originally posted by PeteMrrs

The RV's use propane to power the refrigerator while moving from campground to campground. Once we unhook from the campground power supply our refrig automatically turns to propane until it is pluged into another electrical supply.

I will make the assumption that propane can leak and will then settle in the lowest point. In an RV that is in an outside compartment and should then disperse. In a boat the lowest point is the bilge where it will settle and accumulate until something really bad happens.

Click to expand...


+1

Now the new technology....with Residential refers .... is when you unhook from the c/g power supply the inverter/charger kicks in and runs the frig on 110V....then when the house batteries get bellow 11.2 VDC the generator automatically starts and recharges the house pack. It works flawlessly......
 
Another boater/RVer here. As PeteMrrs says. On propane the fridges are very thrifty to operate. On AC through an inverter, not so much. Many RVs do not have a built in genny. We get along just fine with a Honda 2000. If dry camping we make sure that the fridge & water heater AC circuit breakers are turned off.
 
IMHO.....I find that Norcold and Dometic units just NEVER get cold enough...and have limited space. IF you can get them down in the low 40's your lucky. Never liked them on my boats or my other R/V.
 
On a boat, I believe code may come into play and force the tanks outside the boat where it will not settle into the bilge. I have seen them located on swim platforms with purpose built boxes that have holes in them to let any leakage out.
Another reason for less use is that the refers built now are using 12v compressors so why have an AC compressor as well as a gas system when one compressor is all you need anymore? The electronics are getting cheaper all the time.
 
The key reason is, they have to be level to operate efficienly. That is not going to happen on your boat unless it is a stabilized cruise ship,,,,,except for the Costa Concordia, then you still have problems.
 
I had a 85 32ft bayliner that had a refrig that could operate on propane the tank was stored on the bridge under the helm and you had to manually switch it over
 
Common guys.

We had several Campers (2 Jayco and 2 Coachman) with 3 way fridges. 120AC 12DC and Propane. All 4 worked perfectly in any mode. Also Propane appliances in our 40' River Queen. Never had any problems.

Back then The propane stove in the RQ was appreciated because most stoves were 110volt and only had 1500 watts heating capacity.
 
quote:
Originally posted by getakey

I hope those RVs don't have to go uphill

Click to expand...


or downhill.....never mind those right and left turns.
 
Some houseboats DO have propane fridges, but they do present some installation challenges. Due to the ventilation requirements every one I've ever seen is mounted against an outside bulkhead. I considered one when I built my boat, but space and galley layout forced me to go electric.

Running a propane fridge (or water heater) on the highway can present problems. They both operate with an open flame, and having a 70mph wind going by the vent could a: blow out the flame or b: start a fire. I know of one trailer that caught fire going down the road, unoccupied. IMO the culprit was the fridge or water heater. I had a small trailer with one and one day noticed a burned spot on the inside of the compartment. I think this is the main reason many are 3-way and will run on 12v when traveling.

Also I think the open flame could be a source of ignition in a marina full of gas-powered boats, so it would make sense to switch to electric.
 
No defrost, not cold enough, every boat that I have owned, I have removed the nocold, installed inverter, went with a standard house refer. Battery bank gives 30 hrs min. We anchor out alot. Also cuts down on generator time.

Ron
 
Actually.....with our old R/V ( that had the Norcold unit) runing down the highway was when the frig cooled the best. I assumed it was due to the fact that more air was circulating the absorption system. The problem was when we where sitting (level) at a c/g the unit didn't work well.....the cooling fins just ran hot. At times I needed to remove the vent cover and set up an external 110V fan for extra cooling. One of the recall fixes was to install a thermal break sensor on the cooling fins that shut the system down at the point of overheating and catching on fire. It was NOT a fix....it was more to cover their ass against more fires.
 
It's OK to use propane on a boat but you need to drill vent holes in the bottom of the boat for the gas to escape if there is a leak, wait that wont work never mind.
 
quote:
Originally posted by getakey

I hope those RVs don't have to go uphill

Click to expand...


Actually, according to the manual on propane fridge, it said it should not be on gas while the vehicle was in motion. (In part because the vent may over draft and extinguish the flame)

If you look at the way it works, the flame resides centered in the coil which is why it needs to be level. While the coil is designed to take on a direct flame, the efficiency of the system suffers greatly.

From the Dometic manual which mentions the need for leveling at least 3 times,

"IF THE COOLER FAILS TO WORK
Check the following points before calling a
service technician:
1. That the “STARTING THE COOLER”
instructions have been followed.
2. The cooler is level.
3. If it is possible to start the cooler on any of the
connected sources of energy.
4. If the cooler fails to work on gas, check:
1 That the gas bottle is not empty.
1 That all LP gas valves are open.
1 That the thermostat is not set to the off

http://www.dometic.com/FileOrganize... - Dual Energy/RC230G-RC230GET-RC230SC_EN.pdf
 
According to the Norcold tech....when they performed the recall " fix " on my unit....it only had to be LEVEL during the diagnostic procedure. Other then that....it didn't matter.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp2u6d3EQRg&feature=player_embedded
 
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