Refrigeration

[S.Airing]

For those who care,here is how I installed my refrigeration system.The box has 4 inches of insulation all around,the lid has only 2.I didnt take any pictures many years ago when I built it,this is the best I can do.I am posting this only because only about a million people have asked me about refrigeration on such a small boat.

[S.Airing]

Here is how I mounted my evap.

[S.Airing]

I built a shelf in the starboard sail locker to mount the condenser.

[Bill]

From the photo, it appears the box is full of evaporator How much space does it have?

[S.Airing]

The forward side is deep,not sure of the size.About 2 cubic feet or so.I do know it will hold 30 beers,1/2 gallon of milk.1/2 gallon of juice,dozen eggs,4 chichen breast,4 steaks,bag of vegies. and still have room.That still leaves freezer open.It makes ice,and can keep ice cream.Easyer to keep a small full box cold than a large half full box cold.I could have made it bigger,still can.I stay out 4 or 5 days at a time ,plenty of room for food.Its certainly bigger than the original piece of crap ice box.The 4 inches of insulation on all sides takes up alot of space,when I tore out the old ice box I found the max. of 1 inch of insulation,some areas had none just plywood.

[commanderpete]

Pretty roomy fridge.

But, if you remove the milk, juice and veggies, you could probably fit another 30 beers.

Just trying to be helpful.

[c_amos]

I posted this on the SailFar.net site, I thought it might be of interest to others here.

Ok, I have re-evaluated my position on onboard refrigeration.

Having no icebox, and no desire to build one, I have opted for one of the small self contained units, specifically the Engle. The other one I looked at was the WAECO ADLER BARBOUR, now sold by west Marine.

Here is the add;

WAECO ADLER BARBOUR CF-025DC 7895808 Only $569.99 USD

Fully hermetic Danfoss BD35F compressor with integrated control electronics, low-voltage protection adjustable for consumer or starter battery by means of a slide switch, electronic fuse/automatic reverse pole protection, dynamically ventilated wire condenser, aluminum rollbond evaporator.
• 24 quarts
• 12/24 volts DC
• 35 watts
• +50°F to 0°F, adjustable via electronic thermostat with LED indicator
• 26.5 lbs.
• CFC-free polyurethane foam
• DC connection cable, detachable wire basket
• Detachable lid (lid mount at the front), interior light
• Vertical space for standing 2-liter returnable bottles
CF special electronics

No mention of the current draw beyond the 35w number. Given that this unit uses a conventional compressor, I expect they went with the 35w rating at 12vdc, rather then publish the current draw... can't be sure.



The Engle uses little current, and fits into my energy budget. I like the fact that there is only one moving part in the compressor.
[img width=419 height=650]http://www.thermaldynamicssales.com/images/Engel%2520Compressor%2520C-Section.jpg[/img]

I looked at a few models of the Engle,
The Engle 15, 14 Quart

• Outside dimensions: 14.5"H x 11"W x 17"L
• Inside dimensions: 13.75"H x 7.5"W x 7.5"L
This would have fit best onboard, and the storage space would probably have been adequate for my needs. The issue with it (for me) is that is has a slightly higher advertised current use then the larger models (probably due to less insulation).
Then is was the 16q, or the 22q. They both have the same advertised current use… .7 to 2.5a
• Model: MT17FU1
• Fits 24 cans (12 Fl.oz) Dimensions: 14.2"h x 21.1"w x 12"d

Then it was the 22q model, (model 27)

Power Consumption: 0.6 - 2.3 Amps
Fits 30 cans (12 Fl.oz • Dimensions: 21"h x 12"w x 18.2"d
From there you go to the 34 and 43 quart models.
I like them for their capacity, but they would not fit on my boat without some modification.
Model: MT35FU1
Volume: 34 qt. / equivalent to 54 12oz. cans
• Outside dimensions: 16"H x 14 1/3"W x 25 1/2"L
• Inside dimensions: 15.4"H x 10.8"W x 12.4"L
0.7 Amps in refrigeration mode; 2.5 Amps in freezer mode
Weight: 46.3 pounds
Model: MT45FU1
Volume: 43 qt. / equivalent to 60 12oz. Cans
• Outside dimensions: 20"h x 14 1/3"w x 25 1/2"l
• Inside Dimensions: L 15.4" x W 10.8" x H 16.4"
0.7 Amps in refrigeration mode; 2.5 Amps in freezer mode
Weight: 52.9 pounds

I took the measurements out to my boat, and figured out that the model 27 was the right one for me.
I like the model 43, but the 25” length gets me. I would have to stow it lengthwise in my v-berth, or rebuild my interior to accommodate it. This would take up too much space, and the lid would not open more then ½ way.
The 18.5" Model 27 should sit at the aft end of my V-berth (on the port side) and the way the lid opens from the end should make it a perfect fit.

Looking around I found Compact appliance (the link Connie suggested) beat all others, and was actually cheaper when I checked out then their own advertised price! (It lists for $569, and sold for $534!)

I will post my impressions when it arrives.

[Hull376]

Gang,

I ripped out the icebox last year, and I bought the Engel MT-17, which fits sideways at the very front of the shelf which used to be the bottom of the icebox. I have the travel lock "thing" that engel sells to secure the fridge. There is just enough room to mount the slide lock and be able to slide this size refer and engage the slide lock. I didn't preserve the shelf where the top of the old icebox used to be in order to allow the top loading unit to swing up without hitting anything. These units shift from ac to dc current automatically, so I installed a new dc and ac outlet in the bulkhead. I can attest to the quiet and trouble free, excellent construction of these Engel units. I'm solar powered for the most part with 300 am hr battery bank, and I've never run out of power or drawn batteries below 50% on 4 day cruises running the electronics and this refer. I would have NEVER considered a refer until I heard about Engel and the low power draw. I have the thermostat set at 1.5 (goes up to 5) and I have to be careful because it starts freezing Dr Pepper cans at 2.0! These are not cheap, but then, you get what you pay for. I'll snap a pic and post it.

[joe]

Does anyone have a propane fridge or any experience with them??

[Hull376]

Attached are two shots of the Engel MT 17 that I promised. It sits in a travel lock on the shelf which used to be the bottom of the old icebox. The shelf was extended out 1 inch and the unit plugs into both an ac and a dc outlet that is located on the bulkhead behind the unit. It switches between ac and dc when the shorepower is unhooked. It draws minimal power in refridge mode--- lower than anything I've seen on the market (see posts above for technical details.)

[ebb]

Got mine!
Definitely a luxury item. But there will always be a few of those.
On TonyG's thread, who also has an Engel 35, mentioned that I ordered an extra set of lid hinges from headquarters in FL.
With the extra set reconfigured the hinges to allow the lid, after being tilted up just a small bit,
to slide off sideways. Either right or left, your choice.
This means if you have the fridge cinched in tight, and have allowed some squirrlie access from the top, you can reach in,
without having to lift the lid through its huge radius.

I also believe the 'transit slide lok', which is mostly plastic, allows good versatility in mounting the fridge at the cost of about 1" more height. No straps or bungee cords necessary.
Also got the insulating blanket which is tailored to allow air circulation for the fan. And slight fiddley access with a zipper.
Wonder how much it actually cuts down on run time?

Not there yet,
but if we can electrically feed this baby we can probably factor in an exterior fan to keep cooling air moving around the back of this little gem.

[c_amos]

Wow,

Just realized I had not updated this since 07.....

Over the intervening years I have been VERY pleased with my Engle 27.

One complaint (I have to struggle to find one) is that the temperature knob is very easy to turn... any setting above 1.5 gives frozen stuff... easily bruise the bottles of frosty beverage if one is less then careful. Real life use was sub 30ah a day in the Bahamas with some sunlight coming in the foredeck hatch.... towel placed over the lid helped with this.

No special treatment was afforded to the cooling fins on the back, it was pretty happy being just mounted to the port side of the V-berth all the way aft. I did make a small cut into the 'stock' shelf to allow the corner a place to rest with the fridge being tucked up against the bulkhead.

One really special thing about the Engle is that it is quiet.... I was on a delivery last week (cold) and the installed fridge would wake me up in the middle of the night it was so loud! The Engle is not like that.... now, I got them regular old hinges so no comment on the special ones... but never had any trouble with opening mine.

Sure is nice to drink something cold at the end of a hot day!

Good buy!

[ebb]

Craig, Engel doesn't seems to have any stocking distributors. So if we're looking for prices we essentially won't find any deals, everybody gets their stuff or has it shipped from Florida. When I called I got a lady who wasn't surprised at all with my hinge request. The price, no surprise, was steep.
I can see that knob getting knocked off, and maybe that nice catch on the lid, but I'm sure they have replacements there for everything.

QUIET!
Worth paying for. So glad to hear that. Maybe that's why these little fridges have been along on so many expeditions. Afterall, getting away is also getting to quiet places.

If I had a complaint, it's the weight of the Engel27.
40 plus pounds!

[CapnK]

Had a real nice fellow come through the marina on his way back from the Bahamas this past spring with an Island Packet 31. His forestay had parted; his roller snarler held things together enough that he could attach his inner forestay and make it to Georgetown. He contacted me to do the fix. It wound up that he needed to purchase not just a forestay, but also a new roller snarler - the OEM one on his IP was no longer in production, and messed up just enough that we could not re-use it - parts would have been the cost of a new model...

Long story short, about 10 days, over 25 hours of work and 3 trips up his mast later, I had him all set up and ready to cruise the rest of the way to upstate NY. When he asked me how much did he owe me, I handed him a printout from the 'net with the Engel distributors contact number and the info for the MT35 model, and said "Just get me this...". Saved him about 50% off the hourly rate, and made it easy for me.

After 10 months now, I'm as happy an Engel owner, as I ever was an Engel user. Two thumbs up!

[c_amos]

Had a real nice fellow come through the marina on his way back from the Bahamas this past spring with an Island Packet 31. His forestay had parted; his roller snarler held things together enough that he could attach his inner forestay and make it to Georgetown. He contacted me to do the fix. It wound up that he needed to purchase not just a forestay, but also a new roller snarler - the OEM one on his IP was no longer in production, and messed up just enough that we could not re-use it - parts would have been the cost of a new model...

Long story short, about 10 days, over 25 hours of work and 3 trips up his mast later, I had him all set up and ready to cruise the rest of the way to upstate NY. When he asked me how much did he owe me, I handed him a printout from the 'net with the Engel distributors contact number and the info for the MT35 model, and said "Just get me this...". Saved him about 50% off the hourly rate, and made it easy for me.

After 10 months now, I'm as happy an Engel owner, as I ever was an Engel user. Two thumbs up!

NOTE: For those who might wonder about this, I can attest that Kurt's propensity for the ingestion of frosty beverage necessitates the larger 35 model... I am frankly surprised he can get by with such a small unit. More good press for the Engel's rapid cooling prowess.