3 way fridge on boat

[Feeby100]

As title says is it okay to have one of these I was told not guess they don’t like it but I can’t see why not

[Alan de Enfield]

50 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

As title says is it okay to have one of these I was told not guess they don’t like it but I can’t see why not

 

 

Ok unless you have petrol on board.

[Feeby100]

No petrol at all 

[blackrose]

I have a Dometic 3 way fridge onboard which I run on mains and on gas when I'm away from my mooring. A BSS inspector passed the installation a couple of weeks ago.

 

Don't bother trying to run it from 12v though. They're useless for that 

Edited July 25, 2022 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

13 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

No petrol at all 

 

If you have petrol stored it must be in a locker to the same standards as a gas locker.

If you have a petrol engine on board any fumes / spillage must be able to go overboard, so storing a genearator in a locker, or the cratch, or under the bed is a no-no.

If you run, or refuel, a petrol generator on the boat you stand a chance of getting fumes into the bilge.

 

You can have a specific model of gas fridge which has been modified to work in a boat where there is a possibility of petrol fumes. Details in the BSS guidelines.

 

8.2 LPG refrigerators on vessels with petrol propulsion engines

8.2.1 Where the vessel has a petrol propulsion engine, is any LPG refrigerator of a proprietary room-sealed type, or a Wilderness Boats conversion of an Electrolux RM 212? R

 

If an LPG refrigerator is present on a petrolengined boat, determine if it is a proprietary room sealed type, or a Wilderness Boats conversion of an Electrolux RM212. On petrol-engined boats, any LPG refrigerator must be either:

• a proprietary room sealed type; or,

• a Wilderness Boats conversion of an Electrolux RM212.

 

Examiner action – Examiners must refer to section 1 of Appendix 8 for essential information on recognising Wilderness Boats’ converted Electrolux RM212 LPG fridges.

Applicability – known room-sealed LPG fridge models include the Electrolux RB180, RB182, RM4213 LSC and RM6401 LSC models.

Applicability – this Check is limited to petrol engines, including petrol outboard motors, used as the means of propulsion. Applicability – if the suitability of the fridge cannot be verified from visual assessment and the owner has no declaration from an equipment manufacturer or supplier, mark your checklist ‘not verified’. In such cases, the fridge must be considered as non-compliant until such time as its suitability has been verified.

Applicability – in the event a paraffin fridge is found on board a petrol-engined boat Examiners should contact the BSS Office for guidance. Applicability – in the event a fault is determined take the actions described in Appendix A and B

 

 

Of course like anything that would fail the BSS you just remove it from the boat before the examiner arrives, but what does that actually achieve towards safety ?, But, then I guess if you do that you are the sort of person that borrows the tyres / wheels off your mates car for the MOT as yours would fail.

 

 

8 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I have a Dometic 3 way fridge onboard which I run on mains and on gas when I'm away from my mooring. A BSS inspector passed the installation a couple of weeks ago.

 

Don't bother trying to run it from 12v though. They're useless for that 

 

And thats not a problem if you have a diesel engine and if you have a petro, generator stored correctly.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Alan de Enfield

[blackrose]

As far as I understand it, it's the small continuous flame on the gas fridge that makes using petrol onboard dangerous in case petrol fumes come into contact with the flame.

 

But I thought using petrol onboard was dangerous anyway regardless of whether there's a gas fridge onboard? What happens if petrol fumes come into contact with a spark from an alternator or the batteries for example? 

[Feeby100]

thanks I may just cap the gas but and have mains and 12 v 

as in my moterhome it runs ok on 12 v

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, Feeby100 said:

 12 v as in my moterhome it runs ok on 12 v

While your engine is running

[Feeby100]

Would that make a difference? 

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

Would that make a difference? 

 

Yes it flattens the battery withing a matter of a few hours - the fridge manual specifically states that you must not leave the fridge running if your are (say) going into the motorway services for a break as you may not be able to start the car again.

 

The manual states the usage as :

 

1) Put it into 230v the day before use to allow it to cool down.

2) Connect caravan and switch to 12v, drive to the campsite.

3) Swich to gas or 230v

 

Amend instructions to suit a boat.

 

The 12v cooling is not temperature controlled - it is running continuously.

[Tony Brooks]

8 hours ago, Feeby100 said:

Would that make a difference? 

 

Not to the fridge but  a huge difference to your batteries and the required change to your charging regime if you do not intend to wreck your batteries.

 

There is typically no thermostat on the 12V system so it draws about 8 amps 24/7 and you get solid milk and tomatoes. That is close to 200 Ah per day which in turn implies a 400 Ah battery bank JUST FOR THE FRIDGE and then many hours of engine running to recharge. A 12V compressor fridge typically draws less than 50Ah per day.

 

[Feeby100]

I see so if I leave the marina it better to run on gas 

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

I see so if I leave the marina I can only it better to run it on gas 

 

 

Amended for you.

 

The statement is now correct, (Unless it is an electrolux 3-way fridge and you have petrol &/or a generator incorrectly stored on the boat)

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Amended for you.

 

The statement is now correct, (Unless it is an electrolux 3-way fridge and you have petrol &/or a generator incorrectly stored on the boat and running)

Slight addition just for clarity.

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Slight addition just for clarity.

 

No quite correct. If the petrol can or genny is stored 'non-running' (say) under the bed it is deemed unsafe. The petrol left in the carb can result in fumes in the bilge.

 

This is why I said "if incorrectly STORED"

[blackrose]

47 minutes ago, Feeby100 said:

I see so if I leave the marina it better to run on gas 

 

You don't have mains and an inverter on your boat? I sometimes run mine from the inverter for short trips, but to be honest unless you're going to run a 3 way fridge on gas when you're away from shore power then there's not much point having one.

 

It's simple really, if you want to run a fridge from mains/inverter then buy a small mains fridge. If you want to run a fridge from 12v then buy a 12v fridge. 3 way fridges are good run on gas, ok on mains but crap on 12v.

[system 4-50]

1 minute ago, blackrose said:

It's simple really, if you want to run a fridge from mains/inverter then buy a small mains fridge. If you want to run a fridge from 12v then buy a 12v fridge. 3 way fridges are good run on gas, ok on mains but crap on 12v.

This is one of canalboat commandments that Moses brought down on stone tablets.  Can we have it permanently fixed on the forum in neon lights?

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

You don't have mains and an inverter on your boat? I sometimes run mine from the inverter for short trips, but to be honest unless you're going to run a 3 way fridge on gas when you're away from shore power then there's not much point having one.

 

It's simple really, if you want to run a fridge from mains/inverter then buy a small mains fridge. If you want to run a fridge from 12v then buy a 12v fridge. 3 way fridges are good run on gas, ok on mains but crap on 12v.

 

Good summary.

 

I have a 12v DC Fridge (30Ah per day) and a 230v AC Freezer (~35-40Ah per day) To keep the options open and an element of redundanacy.

[blackrose]

11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Good summary.

 

I have a 12v DC Fridge (30Ah per day) and a 230v AC Freezer (~35-40Ah per day) To keep the options open and an element of redundanacy.

 

I have a small tabletop mains freezer too. If it's already down to freezer temperature when I unhook the shore power cable and switch on the inverter, the thermostat means it's only kicking in half the time. But to be honest if I was going to be away from shore power for a while I'd eat the contents and switch it off before going away just to make battery management a bit easier. 

Edited July 28, 2022 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Extract from the Electrolux manual :

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

It is all very well people with modern boats talking  about mains or 12V compressor fridges but once you get to low output single alternator boats a GAS fridge makes good sense from a battery point of view A 3 way fridge can be just a gas fridge if you don't connect t to 12V DC or the mains. However, with the price of gas going the way it is it may soon be time for a massive upgrade on such boats so a 12V compressor fridge won't wreck the batteries.

[Alan de Enfield]

35 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

It is all very well people with modern boats talking  about mains or 12V compressor fridges but once you get to low output single alternator boats a GAS fridge makes good sense from a battery point of view A 3 way fridge can be just a gas fridge if you don't connect t to 12V DC or the mains. However, with the price of gas going the way it is it may soon be time for a massive upgrade on such boats so a 12V compressor fridge won't wreck the batteries.

 

The prices of compressor fridges has reduced dramatically with new entrants into the market.

Who knows how reliable they will be but at ~£200 less than the Dometic or Waeco ones I'm sure they will soon get some buyers and reviews;

 

 

50 Litre 12v Compressor Fridge DC50 Like The DOMETIC WAECO CRX CRE Campervan VW | eBay

 

£419 with free delivery a one year warranty and buying from a 'proper' address (including registered company number and a VAT registration number), I'm giving serious consideration to getting one for the campervan.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Alan de Enfield

[Sea Dog]

15 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I'm giving serious consideration to getting one for the campervan.

If only they weren't "out of stock"! 

[Tracy D'arth]

17 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The prices of compressor fridges has reduced dramatically with new entrants into the market.

Who knows how reliable they will be but at ~£200 less than the Dometic or Waeco ones I'm sure they will soon get some buyers and reviews;

 

 

50 Litre 12v Compressor Fridge DC50 Like The DOMETIC WAECO CRX CRE Campervan VW | eBay

 

£419 with free delivery a one year warranty and buying from a 'proper' address (including registered company number and a VAT registration number), I'm giving serious consideration to getting one for the campervan.

Its a bit on the tiny side.  I stay with my old Batts/LEC as long as it works.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Sea Dog said:

If only they weren't "out of stock"! 

 

Told you'd they sell some.

 

They appear to have other sizes in their shop