Over working fridge

[Sea Dog]

32 minutes ago, Loddon said:

I still think the fridge might need re-gasing.........

Can this be done with a domestic fridge, or are they sealed for life?

[Keeping Up]

It's really annoying that our galley was designed in relation to a fridge whose coooling coils were at the back - plenty of space at the rear, sides, and top, but then we had to buy a new (theoretically identical) fridge which turned out to be 1" wider so was very close fitting at the sides, and then its (theoretically identical) replacement is the same size but is cooled at the sides so it struggles in this weather.

[GUMPY]

13 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Can this be done with a domestic fridge, or are they sealed for life?

Sometimes,  but generally when the gas is out the fridge has to go.

 

[cuthound]

22 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Can this be done with a domestic fridge, or are they sealed for life?

 

Yes, but given that the old refrigerant has to be safely removed and disposed of, it is often no longer economically viable.

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

It's really annoying that our galley was designed in relation to a fridge whose coooling coils were at the back - plenty of space at the rear, sides, and top, but then we had to buy a new (theoretically identical) fridge which turned out to be 1" wider so was very close fitting at the sides, and then its (theoretically identical) replacement is the same size but is cooled at the sides so it struggles in this weather.

I would have agreed - until I did some tests wit a modern fridge (and confirmed it with out two home nmachines-

The sides od the cabinets hardly get warm at all; blowing air down the sides is the challenge but it can be done. I'll let you know in the autumn....

[CLAN1]

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think you may not have grasped the need to blow COOL air at the fridge. If the "wall" you talk about   has just the cabin on the other side you will be b,owing cabin temperature air and after a short while the same will apply if its a locker.

 

Just sticking a fan behind the fridge in the void just blows warm air that has been heated by the fridge about.

 

You need a source of the coldest air you can find and that means bilge air even if you have to duct it up the other side of the "wall" and through a large hole.  You then need to ensure its very easy for the air to escape from the void behind the fridge. If you don't ensure these two things you will be wasting your money and effort to some degree.

Hi tony, yes a grasp it now youve explained, the wall is the outer wall behind the fridge, i will be extending to hole underneath and will put holes in cabinate sides, either side, and vent in the worktop. You always manage to explain things clearly, and i do take notice cheers

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think you may not have grasped the need to blow COOL air at the fridge. If the "wall" you talk about   has just the cabin on the other side you will be b,owing cabin temperature air and after a short while the same will apply if its a locker.

 

Just sticking a fan behind the fridge in the void just blows warm air that has been heated by the fridge about.

 

You need a source of the coldest air you can find and that means bilge air even if you have to duct it up the other side of the "wall" and through a large hole.  You then need to ensure its very easy for the air to escape from the void behind the fridge. If you don't ensure these two things you will be wasting your money and effort to some degree.

Hi tony, yes a grasp it now youve explained, the wall is the outer wall behind the fridge, i will be extending to hole underneath and will put holes in cabinate sides, either side, and vent in the worktop. You always manage to explain things clearly, and i do take notice cheers

[AndrewIC]

It’s the compressor that heats the gas up, so if you don’t have a radiator on the back and can’t cool the sides, then cooling the compressor is the next best thing. I have two small fane set into the floor under the back of the fridge, blowing bilge air up onto the compressor. They are also wired through a series/parallel switch so that at night they can be connected in series and run at half(ish) speed to keep the noise down. There must be a trade off point somewhere between increased fan power consumption and decreased fridge consumption!

[WotEver]

2 hours ago, Loddon said:

I still think the fridge might need re-gasing.........

Me too.

[BEngo]

3 hours ago, Loddon said:

I still think the fridge might need re-gasing.........

Regas is OK if:

A.  You can find someone to do it, who knows the Danfoss/SECOP BD35 version  in your fridge.  Daventry Refrigeration, maybe. And;

B.  The necessary refrigerant is still available.  R134a was common in boat fridges but has gone, banned by the EU.  Modern stuff uses C Pentane R600a IIRC, which is not a direct replacement for R134a.And;

C. Then you need to find out why the original gas has taken it on its toes  and get that fixed before the regas follows suit.

 

A new fridge is easier and probly cheaper.

 

N

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by BEngo

[GUMPY]

50 minutes ago, BEngo said:

A new fridge is easier and probly cheaper.

 

As I said 13 hours ago .........

Edited August 11, 2020 by Loddon

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

Regas is OK if...

Regas is rarely ok these days. If it needs a regas then sadly it usually needs replacing. 

[robtheplod]

Must admit to being a little concerned about the fridge on our boat in these hot times when we're not aboard....

[GUMPY]

9 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

Must admit to being a little concerned about the fridge on our boat in these hot times when we're not aboard....

My fridge is switched off and resting quietly while I am not there.

[system 4-50]

Whilst researching a problem with my gas fridge (gets too cold), I am devasted to discover that White Knight (Crosslee) are/have closed down.  This country reminds me of the cartoon characters that walk off a cliff and hover in free space before crashing down.

[ditchcrawler]

37 minutes ago, Loddon said:

My fridge is switched off and resting quietly while I am not there.

Same as ours, I can't understand why people go home and leave them on. 

[Machpoint005]

Quite agree with the last two posts (don't know if the OP lives aboard, though).

 

If there is stuff in the fridge that needs refrigerating when we are leaving the boat, we take it home with us.

 

It's probably time we rotated the (non-refrigerated) bottle of HP sauce though (use-by date March 2018).

 

 

 

 

[dor]

54 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

It's probably time we rotated the (non-refrigerated) bottle of HP sauce though (use-by date March 2018).

 

 

 

 

Years of life in it yet ...

[Stephen Jeavons]

I made the big mistake of buying (rebadged) Shoreline integrated fridge and integrated freezer when we refitted the kitchen 2 years ago. They have the heat exchanger under the front of the units so rising heat goes straight back into cabinet above. Brilliant Eastern European design (NOT!). Quality of the cabinets is decidedly poor and flimsy. Compressors run for long periods. Documentation is pathetic and no decent installation guidance. Never again! As soon as they die (I can't see them lasting another year) will replace with 240V items and vent them appropriately. 

[Machpoint005]

17 hours ago, dor said:

Years of life in it yet ...

 

Yes - more likely to be used at home, though!

[Sea Dog]

On 13/08/2020 at 10:09, Stephen Jeavons said:

I made the big mistake of buying (rebadged) Shoreline integrated fridge and integrated freezer when we refitted the kitchen 2 years ago. They have the heat exchanger under the front of the units so rising heat goes straight back into cabinet above. Brilliant Eastern European design (NOT!). Quality of the cabinets is decidedly poor and flimsy. Compressors run for long periods. Documentation is pathetic and no decent installation guidance. Never again! As soon as they die (I can't see them lasting another year) will replace with 240V items and vent them appropriately. 

Well, I sympathize, but the fact is that it's not that you bought 12v units that's the issue here, it's that you bought 2 badly designed units. You could have done that with 230v units too you know.

 

Also, I'm not a massive fan of my Shoreline 12v fridge either (for capacity reasons really), but the documentation far exceeds anything I've ever had with a 230v domestic fridge or freezer.

[JonesBoy]

On 11/08/2020 at 08:45, BEngo said:

Not all compressor fridges have the condenser at the back.  Most modern ones have it on both sides.  If so the fan(s) need to be moving air up the sides, and there needs to be a decent gap there for it to go up as well as at the top for the heated air to escape..  

 

You can tell if you have a side condenser.  There will be no network of pipes and wire radiator thingy on the  back and the sides (right side first, probably) will get warm when the fridge is going.

 

It is also important that the cooled air inside can circulate easily, so that the thermostat can do its job. So leave some air gaps between the beers, tonics, water bottles and milk cartons.  Clear out anything not essential.

 

N

Just as a matter of interest and my curiosity can you point me in the direction of a fridge or freezer that has the condenser embedded in the side walls.

Cheers

[WotEver]

55 minutes ago, JonesBoy said:

Just as a matter of interest and my curiosity can you point me in the direction of a fridge or freezer that has the condenser embedded in the side walls.

Cheers

Does this help? (Loads more similar on a quick Google search)

https://www.samsung.com/in/support/home-appliances/why-side-walls-of-the-samsung-refrigerator-are-very-hot/

[TheBiscuits]

On 13/08/2020 at 10:09, Stephen Jeavons said:

I made the big mistake of buying (rebadged) Shoreline integrated fridge and integrated freezer when we refitted the kitchen 2 years ago. They have the heat exchanger under the front of the units so rising heat goes straight back into cabinet above. Brilliant Eastern European design (NOT!). Quality of the cabinets is decidedly poor and flimsy. Compressors run for long periods. Documentation is pathetic and no decent installation guidance. Never again!

 

1. What size cable is feeding them, and how far are they away from the batteries?

 

2. Do they have adequate ventilation above and below?

 

3. http://www.shoreline-marine.co.uk/admin/document_library/RRInstructions_BD35ONLY.v21_150618.pdf

 

[Arthur Marshall]

I've got one of the old gas/12v ones running on gas. It seems to be fine on the first two settings, but if turned on to the highest, while I can hear the flame burning a lot more (it's silent usually) it seems to be working less efficiently than on the lower setting. Any ideas?

Mind you, I don't think they cope that well with these temps at the best of times.

[BEngo]

5 hours ago, JonesBoy said:

Just as a matter of interest and my curiosity can you point me in the direction of a fridge or freezer that has the condenser embedded in the side walls.

Cheers

If you want a 12 V example the Shoreline RR102 is so constructed.  At  240 V both our Indesit fridge and freezer use side wall condensers.

N