Thanks Phil
second wind @95 annapolis Md.
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philip vizzini |
adler barbour refrig |
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fellow capns , my temp control on my refrrig is locked up. I sprayed with wd 40 but it did not help. I am afraid to force it too much as I am sure I will add
to my problems. The fridge is cooling down to 43 degrees,but the admiral is after me because we are taking a week cruise in july and will pack a lot of
food.Has anybody had this problem and outside of replacing the control is there any way I can lower the fridge temp. The freezer section is fine I would
appreciate any input.
Thanks Phil second wind @95 annapolis Md. |
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donpaget |
#1 | |||
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My frige/freezer is keeping things too cold and freezing alot of our veggies etc. With a setting of 2.5 on the thermostat, the freezer compartment is 16, 1st
shelf is 31, 2nd shelf is 22 and the very bottom is 21.
Don Cat950 |
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yorkrose |
#2 | |||
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Don,
Not to be too much of a wise guy, but does the thermostat have a setting smaller than 2.5? Seriously, it sounds like the sensor probe may not be in the right place (on the evaporator) or the switch in the thermostat may be stuck. Does the compressor shut off at all? If it runs only about 50% of the time, consider yourself very lucky, and set the thermostat to a smaller number. If it runs continuously, or most of the time, then some troubleshooting will be required. These systems don't really have the cooling capacity to fail in a "too efficient" mode. Philip, Some years ago I replaced a thermostat on another boat that had the same A-B system. Easy to do, and not too expensive for the part. I think perhaps West Marine sells the replacements. Regards, Gene Fuller Yorkshire Rose, C42 #870 |
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Paladin42Peter |
#3 | |||
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For the question of getting the refer below 43, it sounds like a bad thermostat or the sensor capillary tube is kinked or not in contact with the evaporator.
You can short the thermostat either at the control or at the compressor at the electronic module and run the refer on manual. This will get the box cold but
you will have to watch out for freezing everything in the box. If you hear a sound at the evaporator like running water you are most likely low on refrigerant.
If you do a search for marine refrigeration there are several forums on the subject.
Pete Chartier Paladin, C42, #299 |
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philip vizzini |
adler barbour refrig | #4 | ||
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Thanks for all the feedback on my fridge. the compressor is running about 50% of the time and I hear
no running water at the compressor so I do not think I am low on refigerant I just ordered a new control unit so I will start there to see if I can lower temp to 36 to 38. Phil second wind #95 annapolis md. |
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azure42 |
A-B questions | #5 | ||
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I hope someone can answer a few more questions about these refrigeration units. I've scheduled a refrigeration tech to come to the boat and checkout our
unit, then service the system if necessary. During our phone conversation he asked me if we left the refrigerator running all of the time. I explained that we
do not as sometimes weeks or months might go by before we can visit the boat. He told me that these A-B units should be left running all of the time, like a
refrigerator at home, and that the temperature control should just be turned down to low when a long period between visits is anticipated.
We've owned this 1992 model boat for 9 years and have always turned off the fridge when we leave her, except while we lived aboard. As far as I know the A-B is original to the boat and has never given any trouble to the prior owner or us. Do any other of you C-42 owners leave your refrigeration system on when the boat is not used for long periods of time? Any opinions on whether this is a good practice to start doing now? My other question is this -- the unit has always been trouble-free, should I even be taking a risk of getting it screwed up by having it serviced? Thanks for any advice.
Rod Williams
Azure' #343, 2-cabin fin Alameda/San Francisco Bay, CA.
Last Edited By: azure42 06/23/08 21:40:32.
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garrywillis |
Leaving the A/B running all the time | #6 | ||
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Rod,
Your tech guy is giving you good advice. In 13 years of owning our boat, we have never turned it off except for the occasional defrost. It runs year round and cycles from 37 degrees to 42 degrees. These compressors are designed to run all the time just like at home. It can't hurt that your tech guy is coming down to test it either as long as he is qualified since your unit is 16 yrs old. He'll probably come down and stick a thermostat in the box and then settle back and wait for a readout all the time on your nickel and then tell you that you need better insulation which is probably true. He'll also most likely do a compression test and give you a shot of Freon if you need it but these units don't typically leak that stuff. I did get rid of that silly thermostat that came with the unit and installed a digital one that A/B offers instead. I like it because you can never tell when the unit is running or what temp the box is at with the old one but you certainly can with the digital. Anyway, go ahead and do it cause it can't hurt.
Garry
"Breezn" #502 2-Cabin |
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philip vizzini |
aller barbour refrig | #7 | ||
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Gary I can not believe you leave your fridge on all the time. On my mechanics advice I do not leave my boat
plugged in at the dock due to electrolysis I just plug in when I need electric or when I am running my AC. If I left my fridge on there would be substantial drain on my house battery.I have had my boat for a year and turn it off when not in use and has been working great until my thermostat control froze up and I can not adjust the temp. Phil second wind #95 |
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garrywillis |
#8 | |||
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Phil,
I read your comment on your thermostat so am aware of your situation. Well, what can I say?? Whether away from the dock or tied up to it, the A/B stays on and while at the dock the boat is plugged in. Naturally, if the boat was not plugged in and without doing a re-charge the house battery would expire in five days or so but I would estimate that this is a very common practice with the boaters staying plugged in and having the ability to have a cold beer when they want one around here. If a dock is wired correctly and up to code and your neighbors are good with their wiring and practices than there is little to no electrolysis problem. That may be the difference between what you do and what I do as your mechanic indicated. Just got a return call from the Waeco - Adler Barbour tech guy who recommends keeping the unit on all the time and compares it to your fridge at home. He said "if you take everything out of the box and leave the boat for months on end, that would be the time to turn the unit off otherwise simply leave it on". So again, if you have an electrolysis problem on your dock which prevents you from leaving your boat plugged in all the time than shut it down and continue doing what you are doing.
Garry
"Breezn" #502 2-Cabin
Last Edited By: garrywillis 06/24/08 10:57:41.
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dbnonsense |
adler barbour | #9 | ||
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On Common Sense we leave the fridge on all the time and plugged in at the dock , we do of course shut it down when on the hard etc.It takes a long time to cool
the box down if you shut down the fridge.
Of course we are concerned about electrolisis but if the dock is wired properly as well as your neighboring boats then it should not be a problem. We just had our zincs changed this past weekend and we still had 75% left after 13 months in the water. Dave Zeuli # 810 |
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melelana |
On all the time | #10 | ||
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I'm in the turn it on and leave it on camp. I load it with drinks, condiments, etc at the beginning of the season (usually early April) and take stuff out
when we winterize in the early winter.
19 years and still ticking along just fine.
Larry
Melelana Catalina 42 #175 1990 3cbn, wk Solomons, MD |
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philip vizzini |
adler barbour refrig | #11 | ||
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Hi Larry I am glad I brought this subject up on the fridge. I just thought a lot of running time on the compressor was not good but I will go with the
majority and leave my fridge on all the time. It would be
nice to have a cold beer when I go down to my boat. Thanks Phil second wind @95 Annapolis Md. |
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azure42 |
#12 | |||
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Thanks to all for the replies. I left the fridge running last weekend and can't get back to the boat for 2 weeks. As others here said, it will be nice to
have a cold beer waiting for me.
Phil, it sounds like you might be in a "hot" area of your marina....you might want to check into having a galvanic isolator installed on the boat. We had this done and significantly slowed down the consumption of zincs.
Rod Williams
Azure' #343, 2-cabin fin Alameda/San Francisco Bay, CA.
Last Edited By: azure42 06/25/08 05:20:25.
Edited 1 time.
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tinolanza |
#13 | |||
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Just to throw a different opinion in the mix, it is OK to turn the refrigerator off when not in use. The important thing is that it is run periodically so
that the seals are lubricated. Every few weeks should be sufficient.
So why turn it off? 1) conserve electricity, 2) extend the life. Everything mechanical has a mtbf (mean time between failure) that is associated with its operation. Sounds like the A-B Ref. has a great record so no big deal to leave it on. What is bad is to leave it off for extended periods where the internals are not lubricated. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry either way.
Tino Lanza, Dancing Dolphin (#739/3 cabin pullman, Westlake Village, CA)
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nickwigen |
No issue with seals. | #14 | ||
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The Danfoss compressors used by A-B (and just about everyone else) are the hermetic type. The compressor and motor are fully encased in the housing with no shaft seals. The most likely failure in the A-B system is the power module. Leaving the system up and running will keep the electronics warm and reduce the possibility of corrosion. Or, maybe not... For us we leave it on all the time except for 2-3 months in the winter when we aren't using the boat.
Nick Wigen
Ursa Minor #178 FK, 3-Cabin Portland, Oregon |
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tomcharron2 |
REFRIGERATOR ON FOR 10 YEARS going strong | #15 | ||
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Purchased C42 #631 in June 1998...
Have had the refrigeration on for 10 years straight... (some down time in haul outs etc....) Unit is going strong and makes ice too!!!! Never has been serviced Other C42s of the same vintage here in Alameda have had problems with refrigeration but they have had long periods of units being shut off... So for what it is worth....I keep the refrigeration unit on 24/7.... (BTW I have kept the AC Heart 2000 charger on 24/7 too!!!!) Tom Charron
Last Edited By: tomcharron2 06/29/08 13:19:26.
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begold |
You can leave it off | #16 | ||
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I have 1989 hull # 103 UpTick and have owned her since 1994. We always turn off the A-B when we leave the boat and never had a problem in 14 years. We did
replace the thermostat a couple of years ago but other than that we have had no problems.....
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