June 25, 2019-Refrigerator Repair
Our Adler Barbour Cold Machine failed after 9 years. We were unable to determine if it was the compressor or the control unit without testing it with a new control unit which I didn’t have. Anyhow, I suspected the compressor since all the functions of the control unit seemed to be working and it was attempting to start the compressor; however, the compressor frequently failed to start. All other tests, power supply, etc, showed normal. After a couple of weeks the refer went down completely and we were without refrigeration. Not a crisis but something we wanted to remedy, and quickly.
We ordered a new Dometic unit (which replaces the Cold Machine) from Defender Industries in Connecticut. We included a new evaporator plate with the order even though our existing one seemed to be OK because the gas fittings between the compressor and the evaporator were compromised back in 2010 when the old unit was installed and I knew that to reuse the evaporator we‘d have to replace the connectors, which would involve replacing the gas, meaning vacuuming the system, gauges, etc., etc.
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 days (it wound up taking 8 days) so I used that time to refurbish the refer box. There were gaps in the insulation near the top of the box which I filled with spray urethane foam. It took nearly a whole bottle of foam and it was a messy job, but apparently it was worth it because we saw much better performance out of the new system after doing this. I also fixed several cracks in the lining using epoxy and micro balloon filler, and finally repainted the entire box with two part polyurethane paint. I was lucky that we had all of the needed supplies to do this job already on the boat.
We hoped that this refurbishment would make the box’s insulation more effective. We have nearly 6” of closed cell foam on all sides of the box, but until now, (for the last 10 years) it didn’t seem to be very good. We decided to run some tests after the new hardware was installed.
Finally the compressor and evaporator were delivered by FedEx and we went to work to get it installed. While it was still sitting on the workbench I tested the fan amp draw and determined that I could install a second, 4” 3.5 watt, fan to more than double the air flow over the condenser. I also reconditioned all the wiring, and then proceeded to do the installation.
The install went quickly and in two and a half hours after the arrival of the FedEx shipment I had the job finished and the refer running. Other than a bit of anxiety over the correct torque for the gas connections it all went smoothly. One last shot of spray foam to fill the hose conduit and it was totally finished.
Now over one week has passed since we turned the refer back on with the new hardware and the refurbished box. It’s been two days since we reprovisioned and filled the freezer section and the box itself. Everything is cooled down. Time for some tests:
Today, during the hot part of the afternoon, we timed the cycling of the system. Over three cycles we found it to be consistent. The compressor was running around three and a half minutes out of a 14 minute cycle. That was about 28% of the time. The amps while running were 5.6A. So the average power use in amps was 1.56A, or less than 40Ah per 24 hour day, assuming the cycling would be constant for the whole period. Previously we had measured the power usage by the old box at around 100Ah per 24 hour day, so this is a remarkable improvement. We’ll do some spot checks tonight. During the test the ambient air temperature was 89-90F (31-32C), the sea water temp was 82F (27.7C). The refrigerator box was 25-45F (-4-+7C) and the freezer section was 18F (-7.7C). This is on setting 4 out of 10, and actually is slightly colder than we need. The contents of the freezer were frozen solid and some of the beers outside the freezer were also frozen. We’ll play with the settings.
The good thing about the refrigerator’s 40Ah daily load on the batteries is that we are getting around 60Ah from the solar panels so that means we should be able to run on the solar power alone on most days. (Unfortunately we need about 1 hour a day of engine/water maker running to supply drinking water, so I guess we’ll have plenty of electricity.)
So, at this point we are very happy with the refrigerator. Other than costing about 75% more than it should have due to shipping and customs, it was a pretty painless and satisfying process.
Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico
We ordered a new Dometic unit (which replaces the Cold Machine) from Defender Industries in Connecticut. We included a new evaporator plate with the order even though our existing one seemed to be OK because the gas fittings between the compressor and the evaporator were compromised back in 2010 when the old unit was installed and I knew that to reuse the evaporator we‘d have to replace the connectors, which would involve replacing the gas, meaning vacuuming the system, gauges, etc., etc.
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 days (it wound up taking 8 days) so I used that time to refurbish the refer box. There were gaps in the insulation near the top of the box which I filled with spray urethane foam. It took nearly a whole bottle of foam and it was a messy job, but apparently it was worth it because we saw much better performance out of the new system after doing this. I also fixed several cracks in the lining using epoxy and micro balloon filler, and finally repainted the entire box with two part polyurethane paint. I was lucky that we had all of the needed supplies to do this job already on the boat.
We hoped that this refurbishment would make the box’s insulation more effective. We have nearly 6” of closed cell foam on all sides of the box, but until now, (for the last 10 years) it didn’t seem to be very good. We decided to run some tests after the new hardware was installed.
Finally the compressor and evaporator were delivered by FedEx and we went to work to get it installed. While it was still sitting on the workbench I tested the fan amp draw and determined that I could install a second, 4” 3.5 watt, fan to more than double the air flow over the condenser. I also reconditioned all the wiring, and then proceeded to do the installation.
The install went quickly and in two and a half hours after the arrival of the FedEx shipment I had the job finished and the refer running. Other than a bit of anxiety over the correct torque for the gas connections it all went smoothly. One last shot of spray foam to fill the hose conduit and it was totally finished.
Now over one week has passed since we turned the refer back on with the new hardware and the refurbished box. It’s been two days since we reprovisioned and filled the freezer section and the box itself. Everything is cooled down. Time for some tests:
Today, during the hot part of the afternoon, we timed the cycling of the system. Over three cycles we found it to be consistent. The compressor was running around three and a half minutes out of a 14 minute cycle. That was about 28% of the time. The amps while running were 5.6A. So the average power use in amps was 1.56A, or less than 40Ah per 24 hour day, assuming the cycling would be constant for the whole period. Previously we had measured the power usage by the old box at around 100Ah per 24 hour day, so this is a remarkable improvement. We’ll do some spot checks tonight. During the test the ambient air temperature was 89-90F (31-32C), the sea water temp was 82F (27.7C). The refrigerator box was 25-45F (-4-+7C) and the freezer section was 18F (-7.7C). This is on setting 4 out of 10, and actually is slightly colder than we need. The contents of the freezer were frozen solid and some of the beers outside the freezer were also frozen. We’ll play with the settings.
The good thing about the refrigerator’s 40Ah daily load on the batteries is that we are getting around 60Ah from the solar panels so that means we should be able to run on the solar power alone on most days. (Unfortunately we need about 1 hour a day of engine/water maker running to supply drinking water, so I guess we’ll have plenty of electricity.)
So, at this point we are very happy with the refrigerator. Other than costing about 75% more than it should have due to shipping and customs, it was a pretty painless and satisfying process.
Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico
posted by wingssail at 3:16 PM
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1 Comments:
You need to be calm as each and every electronic item stops working. But in the post, you provide all answer to the problem of a Refrigerator repair. Thanks for sharing your views.
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