alistair1537

What they didn't say...changed the capacitors (and switched on the tripped breaker)

My opinion - the best option is the most readily available - anything for "Marine" usually involves a premium. So, 240V compressor is the cheapest, easily available, most efficient. Do your work on the other things needed to power it - Solar, batteries, inverter. The price difference in the fridge and the consumption costs make the economics more favourable down the years. /

I fabricated my mounts from 40 x 40 x 5 Aluminium angle - 30 x 30 sq. bar drilled and fixed to roof with stainless bolts into Riv-nuts - sealed. I use short and long extrusion pieces depending on the time of year to tilt - and which way I'm moored - I won't cruise during winter anyhow, so the panels can stay raised until 15 February.

That looks great - did you have any issues with the floor heights? I'm putting down a layer of insulation under the floor boards and I'm a bit worried I may battle to get the closed heights equal?

Hi, I'm mulling over the underfloor cooler concept - particularly as a winter fridge-free option to save on power requirements. Anyone with experience or ideas regarding the following aspects - location - access - hygiene - size - efficacy, and any other factors you may think pertinent. Would you mind sharing? Pictures? Ideally, we'd be switching off the fridge/freezer from around 15th November to 15th February - that's what my limited observation - in terms of solar power generation - has been the period we need to have use of alternate cool storage. As I am still in fitout and have not finalised the flooring yet, I thought it may be a worthwhile thought experiment.

Oh, another thing I forgot to mention - consider using rigid panels - If you cover much of your roof with these, you effectively create a double layer roof and you won't need to find shade on sunny days...the panels provide.

While I understand the niceties of reducing everything to cost and budget on the various means of power production, very little arguments here include the aesthetics side of solar, namely the peace and quiet. Faced with a choice of spending a few hundred on panels and an additional solar controller, or running a genny/engine power plant a few days less per annum; I know what I would choose - the faff of hauling the genny off the boat - getting the petrol - the noise - the possible CO dangers - the immediate environmental impact - the neighbours peace and quiet and my own, would sway me every time. Get more panels.

I looked at various options and made mine out of 2.5mm PVC - Bent into place and glued with a polymer sealant. About 5 euro each.

Here you go. I hope

I'll see if I can do a few pics.