Jump to content

Fridge/ Freezers 12 volt. and Inverter for washer.


canals are us?

Featured Posts

I currently have an old 12 volt inlander fridge with freezer compartment and a separate 240 volt small worktop freezer and am planning to replace both for new separate 12 volt under counter fridge and freezer. I live in a Marina so have 240 volt electricity but want to get out this spring and go cruising for 2-3 months hence want to be able to power a fridge and freezer. The inlander fridge/freezer that I currently has seems to spend a long time running and is probably around 2002 in age so suffering efficiency and scruffy!

I have been looking at shoreline and inlander models and wondered what peoples views was on both?  A chap who I did some boat jobs for bought a shoreline fridge which hardly ever ran and seemed very efficient.

Inlander is cheaper by nearly £200.

What make would you go with?

Another item I want to buy is an invertor to run my washer dryer but use only the washer function. Its an old indesit WD12X and has hot and cold fill. Maximum absorbed power is 2050w washing and drying. Cant find any other info.

What power of inverter may run it? Thinking something like this? Budget around £500, so any suggested makes?

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/347-4000W-12V-pure-sine-wave-power-inverter-230V-AC-output-UK-socket-with-remote-onoff-switch.html

A few electrical details are a beta 1305 with a 70amp alternator and 50 amp alternator for starter battery and currently 2 Trojan T105 batteries that are 3.5 years old, suspect need new set of four and have 380 watts of solar with a PWM controller which I plan to replace with a bimble solar MPPT one.

It would be nice to use the 30 minute wash facility while out cruising and having the use of the 12 volt fridge and freezer. As you can see I want to modernise the appliances and electrical spec.

Also plan to replace the current C200 loo with another one. Cost wise looking around 2.5k

Many thanks. James

Edited by canals are us?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We refitted our kitchen earlier in 2017 and replace the old aging  12v fridge with a nice new 240V one. I think it was less than £200. The inverter has to be on 24/7 and takes 1.7A when the fridge compressor is not running and circa 5.2A when it is. If you have enough Amps then I would go for the 240v option. Your solar should mean that is no problem for your cruising in Spring/Summer and then you are back on shore power for the winter months when solar is poor. It has been no problem to keep up with the  power needs of the inverter 24/7 so glad we got the 240v fridge.

If you dont put it on a hot fill, the washing machine will be fine on less than 2Kw - just put hot water in the unit before you start it. If you want to use the hot cycle then you will likely need more than a 2KW inverter. Ours is 2Kw and trips when we do a 30°C wash.

What you save on the 240v fridge vs 12V, you can afford to pay more for the inverter. They are not cheap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I looked into shoreline fridges and found them to be identical to the likes of currys entry level fridges, and I mean identical.

The difference being they have been converted to 12 volts and 12 volt fridges & freezers will never be as efficient as mains ones.

The price though is nowhere near identical.

I ended up buying a mains small freezer and though it needs the inverter ( while out cruising ) it still uses less power than the 12 v one did & it spends much less time "on".

I will be also replacing our 12 v fridge soon for a mains one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As the previous two posters. I have again gone 230 volt mains stuff after buying this boat with 12 volt. The fridges are way better with better size choice, build quality and are less than eighteen million pounds that the crappy 12 volt ones are. Electrical consumption is similar or lower than the 12 volt was as the fridge runs far less than the flimsy 12 volt one did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have the inlander 12v one... it's a converted LEC unit.

It's been on constantly (well apart from 1 intentional defrost in summer) and seems ok...  ONE thing to keep an eye on though is things accidentally touching the back of the fridge section - there's not much of a lip on the shelves and quite often jars/cans end up touching the back and the compressor stays on forever trying to "freeze" them...  It's become a nightly obsession now to check the fridge before bed.

I'm NOT sure it was worth spending 650 quid on it though.. in hindsight, perhaps I should have bought a better quality inverter that uses less "just being on" (ours is about 6amp) and a cheaper mains fridge.   That said, it's never gone off through low batteries and has performed well enough.

 

btw - the inverter I bought was this ... good value and the built in charger gets used a lot from my genny.

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/162-3000W-12V-low-frequency-pure-sine-wave-off-grid-inverter-peak-power-9000W.html

Its run everything I've thrown at it. including the 2.2kw tumble dryer...  Manages the 1800 hoover washer with no problem and can even make toast when it's on lol.

Edited by Quaysider
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Glynn said:

I looked into shoreline fridges and found them to be identical to the likes of currys entry level fridges, and I mean identical.

The difference being they have been converted to 12 volts and 12 volt fridges & freezers will never be as efficient as mains ones.

The price though is nowhere near identical.

I ended up buying a mains small freezer and though it needs the inverter ( while out cruising ) it still uses less power than the 12 v one did & it spends much less time "on".

I will be also replacing our 12 v fridge soon for a mains one.

Complete nonsense the only difference between a 12v and 240v fridge is the voltage   I have a 12v under counter fridge and also a 12v under counter freezer, they both have Danfos compressors which are the benchmark in compressors. I have never had to turn mine off and don't need an inverter to run them , remember inverters can fail and if yours does then you lose your fridge and freezer (unless you go 12v)

I've always gone for 12v as much as I can because I live on my boat not in a house  

Phil 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There  ya go we are all in complete agreement then :lol:. a lot depends on the quality of the inverter, mine uses 1 amp on standby my previous one only used half an amp. Problem with 12 volt is they are always lightweight flimsy cabinets ( I sold the recent 12 volt but still have a 12 volt freezer ) the other two problems are with 12 volt practicaly zero choice unlike this mains one I bought a few months ago where there are umpteen differing sizes and colours and this is MUCH better build quality and a third of the price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

Complete nonsense the only difference between a 12v and 240v fridge is the voltage   I have a 12v under counter fridge and also a 12v under counter freezer, they both have Danfos compressors which are the benchmark in compressors. I have never had to turn mine off and don't need an inverter to run them , remember inverters can fail and if yours does then you lose your fridge and freezer (unless you go 12v)

I've always gone for 12v as much as I can because I live on my boat not in a house  

Phil 

Are you saying you can run a 12 v unit off 230 volt mains ? and a 230v off 12 v ?.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

There  ya go we are all in complete agreement then :lol:. a lot depends on the quality of the inverter, mine uses 1 amp on standby my previous one only used half an amp. Problem with 12 volt is they are always lightweight flimsy cabinets ( I sold the recent 12 volt but still have a 12 volt freezer ) the other two problems are with 12 volt practicaly zero choice unlike this mains one I bought a few months ago where there are umpteen differing sizes and colours and this is MUCH better build quality and a third of the price. 

I agree.

1 hour ago, Phil Ambrose said:

 remember inverters can fail and if yours does then you lose your fridge and freezer (unless you go 12v)

Inverters are usually very reliable so not likely to break down. If you are in marinas a lot then the 12v fridge has a disadvantage over the 240v if your battery charger fails. The 240v can still run on shore power. Swings and roundabouts.

Edited by Dr Bob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Dr Bob said:

I agree.

Inverters are usually very reliable so not likely to break down. If you are in marinas a lot then the 12v fridge has a disadvantage over the 240v if your battery charger fails. The 240v can still run on shore power. Swings and roundabouts.

No problem if charger fails because I have a good solar set up plus a decent battery bank and hey being a belt and braces man I have spare charger and I know this is a bit radical but I can recharge from my 90amp alternator.

Phil 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am with Phil on this I have had 2 invertors catch fire and one pop something very small and cheap internally first two times lost me the contents of the freezer last time nothing because  I had put in a 12 volt jobby, I have 1 kw of solar so it runs most of my stuff all year long for free

3 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

No problem if charger fails because I have a good solar set up plus a decent battery bank and hey being a belt and braces man I have spare charger and I know this is a bit radical but I can recharge from my 90amp alternator.

Phil 

Great minds think alike Flappy :)

Edited by peterboat
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

 I have spare charger

 

If I was worried about my inverter breaking down and me loosing the contents of the fridge (which I am not), I would buy a spare small inverter as a spare like your charger ( so I am not). As I say, swings and roundabouts. The money you can save on a £200 fridge would help fund a decent inverter that will last the lifetime of the fridge.

Everyone will have different views but we like having 240v on all the time on the boat -tvs/rasp pie/router/chargers/ and the other home comforts as it is a home. We have a lot of 240v stuff (One pot, nesspresso, hair dryer, Iron, sewing machine,  washing machine etc) which are used because we have a decent inverter. It would be too like living in a tent for us if we didnt have those 240v items. With a decent inverter, you might as well have a cheaper fridge.

  • Happy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I'm amazed your all in agreement:) Thanks for all your thought and the inverter link, good to know it does it's job. If I bought 240 volt appliances I could up the budget and spend £750 - £1000 on a better inverter. Last year I never went cruising and most of the time on shore power at the Marina. I would be cruising in Spring or summer for 2-3 months and so solar should give me enough charge while out and when back, plug back into mains and only use the inverter while out cruising. This to me seems a sensible option!

Can anyone recommend any inverters and good efficient 240 volt freezers and fridges that are both 50cm wide?

James:cheers:

Edited by canals are us?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

If I was worried about my inverter breaking down and me loosing the contents of the fridge (which I am not), I would buy a spare small inverter as a spare like your charger ( so I am not). As I say, swings and roundabouts. The money you can save on a £200 fridge would help fund a decent inverter that will last the lifetime of the fridge.

Everyone will have different views but we like having 240v on all the time on the boat -tvs/rasp pie/router/chargers/ and the other home comforts as it is a home. We have a lot of 240v stuff (One pot, nesspresso, hair dryer, Iron, sewing machine,  washing machine etc) which are used because we have a decent inverter. It would be too like living in a tent for us if we didnt have those 240v items. With a decent inverter, you might as well have a cheaper fridge.

Now what you are saying follows my mantra of the last 20 years  ........ " We may live on a boat but we ain't camping"

Like you we have all the comforts that we had when we lived ashore, at the venerable age of 72 I learnt many years ago that there is more than one way of skinning a cat, with that in mind I have never got wound up because other people do things differently to me, it's good to see how others tackle things but I try to avoid denigrating them or their choices.

Phil 

  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, WotEver said:

See post #7. Looks good to me. 

Indeed it does look good.

Say I was using the washing machine and the 240 volt fridge or freezer started up during the wash would a 3000watt inverter cope with the fridge or freezer start up current and would it manage to power all 3 items?

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/162-3000W-12V-low-frequency-pure-sine-wave-off-grid-inverter-peak-power-9000W.html

Certainly a good price compared to Victron etc.

James:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, canals are us? said:

Say I was using the washing machine and the 240 volt fridge or freezer started up during the wash would a 3000watt inverter cope with the fridge or freezer start up current and would it manage to power all 3 items?

It depends :)

Assuming your washing machine only consumes around 1800W then you’d be fine with all 3. If your washing machine consumes 3000W then no. But then I don’t believe that any washing machines do consume 3000W, nor anything close. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, WotEver said:

It depends :)

Assuming your washing machine only consumes around 1800W then you’d be fine with all 3. If your washing machine consumes 3000W then no. But then I don’t believe that any washing machines do consume 3000W, nor anything close. 

On the manual online it consumes a max of 2050 watts but that is quoted as a wash and dry which drying I probably wouldn't use. The machine has a hot and cold fill so should help keep the heater at lower power and take the hot water direct from my calorifier.

Thanks. James:cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, canals are us? said:

Indeed it does look good.

Say I was using the washing machine and the 240 volt fridge or freezer started up during the wash would a 3000watt inverter cope with the fridge or freezer start up current and would it manage to power all 3 items?

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/162-3000W-12V-low-frequency-pure-sine-wave-off-grid-inverter-peak-power-9000W.html

Certainly a good price compared to Victron etc.

James:)

If you read post 7 again, Quaysider would have gone for something better due to its 6 amp draw.  It’s not a good inverter to run your fridge n freezer.

For comparison my old Victron combi uses less than a amp.

 

Edited by Robbo
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Robbo said:

If you read post 7 again, Quaysider would have gone for something better due to its 6 amp draw.  It’s not a good inverter to run your fridge n freezer.

For comparison my old Victron combi uses less than a amp.

 

That's right - well for "us" anyway...  even on powersave more, it's about 2-3...  the victron or mastervolt ones were MUCH better ... but much more expensive and at the time, I only had lumps of money to spend each month.

It IS good value for a powerful inverter with charger (up to 90amp ) and doens't make much noise .  We can leave it on full time in the summer when the panels are doing their bit but right now, I turn it off as soon as we've finished using whatever mains item it was running...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a shoreline fridge freezer, as we are a 12v only boat apart from when we are plugged into a landline.

The shoreline switches between 12 and 240v automatically which I find quite useful.

It does though try and freeze stuff touching the back wall as another poster previously mentioned, but it's not a big problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In re-fitting our boat, we went for 12v integrated fridge and freezer from Shoreline. The first fridge delivered ran but didn't get cold and it took quite a bit of convincing them to replace the unit. We've now been running the replacement fridge and freezer for about 8 months and (touch wood) no further issues.

Two things to mention: One, the quality of the plastics of the adjustable legs in particular is very poor (I've seen better quality threads on a child's toy). So much so that in adjusting the height one of the fridge legs stripped its thread as it couldn't take the weight of the unit. I improvised with some wood to take the weight as I couldn't be arsed to go through the hassle of arguing with Shoreline as they would surely blame me for the problem (the guy at the other end of the phone doesn't exactly win brownie points with his phone manner). The other annoying thing is the documentation and installation pack. You get a very well produced manual covering the compressor and fault finding. However, in the pack are an assortment of brackets and screws and some badly copied sheets with diagrams, none of which seem to make sense and there is no installation guide or instructions in any language. You have to suck it and see.

Shoreline fridges and freezers are re-badged units made by Amica in Poland (peeling the Shoreline stickers off the boxes will reveal this). I would say they have a lot to learn about plastic moulding.

Anyway, we shall see how well they hold out as appliances. We are on shore power 95% of the time and have a 3KW Victron Combi inverter/charger. Don't yet have solar but hope to invest in that this year.

Stephen

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.