Refrigeration A25

[kerrye]

Sorry for all the questions. Do you remember how long your slides were?

[kerrye]

Is this the kind of slide you used?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Knape-Vogt-Heav ... 0005.m1851

[kerrye]

Another question: How easy is it to unlock those slides with them being low and in a tight location? Is there any advantage to having a different locking system higher up on the fridge? Is the frig secured to the tray or does gravity hold it in place?

[kerrye]

I realize you're about to tell me to shut up with my questions, but I have another. With my existing Icebox I usually sit on the engine box, tilt out the icebox and then rifle thru it for what I'm looking for. How easy is to get stuff out of the icebox when it slides out instead of tilting? Can you access it from the bow cabin step? Can you open both lids from the cabin step? Can you unlatch it from the cabin step.
When I'm cooking at the moment it is kind of irritating to have to go outside the cabin to get stuff out of the icebox.

[Beta Don]

Default setting on a Whynter is 11.7 volts.

11.7 is 80% discharged. 11.5 is 90% discharged

Don

[Sunsetrider]

Those 2 inches are hugely important. As it is I had to cut 2 inches out of the bottom fiberglass, and another 3/4 inch notches in order to recess the slats/slider. Two more inches and no way it would have fit.

Now I will explain (again, sheesh! per previous deleted attempt) the support attachments. The challenge was to overcome the disturbing fact that the hull is concave, both vertically and horizontally, making it impossible to glass the supports to the hull since they only touch at the ends. But if you look down into the cavity you will see there is a natural "ledge" that can be used to support a plywood floor (or maybe it's already there?). So I just used 2x2 bottom support and plywood slats for upper support, each simply Gorilla-glued top and bottom. There is a channel at the top to tuck the plywood uprights into. This will support the fridge in both the in and out positions.

[Sunsetrider]

More like these, but with the locking tabs:
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.a ... 43616&ap=1

I sit on the engine box to pull the fridge out - still room for my legs - and open the lid, then push it back in till it locks in place. The fridge sits on the tray by gravity alone. You cannot access it without closing the door to the galley, so your life will not improve in that respect.

[Sunsetrider]

18-inch sliders

[Sunsetrider]

Sorry for the multiple posts, but I have to keep going back to review the questions.

- cutting: plenty of room at the sides, which is one reason I chose the Unique. I was about to cut some out of the top until it was pointed out to me that to do so might well cause structural weakness - so instead I notched at the bottom for the slider/slats.

As for inconvenience, I am so thrilled to have a fridge and freezer totally powered by solar instead of a wet, inconvenient and sometimes smelly icebox that I spare the inconvenience not a single thought! I don't really know if there is technically more room now - after all, the icebox is just an empty box, while the F/F also has a compressor or whatever machinery makes stuff cold. So the small side is less than half the volume of the big side.

What I did to make my choice was to first remove the icebox and take careful measurements of the cavity. Then research the technical details of all the dual-box F/Fs out there for measurements and of course price. The Engels are seriously more costly than everything else. A keyhole-type hacksaw made quick work of cutting into the fiberglass. You will also remove the wooden support at the base of the cavity - I replaced that at the lower level in order to provide a solid base for the slat/sliders.

[kerrye]

Thanks for all the answers. I hadn't thought about the machinery replacing the blocks of ice. A couple of things are pushing me towards a frig. One is that we did a camper exchange in Australia and the camper there had an Engel in it. We really liked it. Secondly we just did a North Channel cruise and the ice doesn't last as long as the porta-potti can. We do canoe trips without cold food but it would be nice to be able to cruise for 10 days with a regular menu and cold storage.

[kerrye]

Whoa! Just looked at the shipping charges on the Unique frig. $287! Yikes. Engel 60l dual zone fridges are $1249 with free shipping. Height is only 19 on the Engel but they're 31" wide without the handles. For $300 more I'm thinking the Engel might be worth it. I'll have to think some more.

[kerrye]

The Engel 60L DZ weighs 85 lbs. The Unique 62 lbs and the Dometic 50lbs. That Engel is too heavy to be hauling around.

[kerrye]

Talked to Ben's Discount Supply. There's no shipping charge if you pick up the Unique 60l at one of their warehouses. There is a warehouse in Tonawanda NY which is close to where my boat currently rests.

I'd like to find some long term reviews of this frig. Anyone know of any? Lots of reviews of Edgestars and Whynters over on Expedition Portal (threads hundreds of pages long). They clearly are not as dependable as Engels but many of the problems people experience are relatively easy fixes. I'd like to know if the Unique is the same as those or not.

[kerrye]

Talked to Unique. There's a one year warranty on the frig. Asked about whether it was a rebadged Whynter. Customer service rep wasn't in so I was talking to the receptionist. She seemed to indicate that it was built by the same people who built Whynter's but spec'd out by Unique. Then she decided she didn't know enough to give an adequate answer to customer service rep is supposed to call me back when she gets in the office.
I'm torn at the moment between the Dometic and the Unique. The Dometic will require more cutting but their frig's seem to have solid reviews and a reputation for very low current draw. It's ten pounds lighter also. Anyone have any opinions about making a deeper cut in the bottom of the icebox opening? Probably about 2" more material would need to be removed. In a saltwater environment, the plastic Dometic would have a significant advantage over the Unique.

[WillieC]

These hulls are tough, I don't think a cut for the fridge as you are suggesting would dramatically affect anything. My original icebox has a fairly low cut already, the opposite side by the helm is already revealingly low-cut for the Espar heater. Just remember what is internal and what is the hull. The chine in that area is doing all the work. (Mine is a '73, super duper deLuxe model. The older ones are probably tougher yet.

I am with you all in the need for decent refrigeration. Just got back from two weeks exploring the South Sound and finding block ice is sketchy. Bag ice will melt if you have a long walk to get it back to the boat. For us, in the PNW, a better cooler will be my choice. We are currently using a 70's vintage discount picnic cooler which is better than paper bags only because it doesn't disintegrate when it gets wet. The Harbor Freight rubber mats I have installed for floor mats get real cold under the cooler just like the stack of towels we place on top. It has already been noted that one can buy a lot of ice for the prices mentioned. I also get the independence a decent fridge can bring, other than the ever-present Mr. Murphy that accompanies "upgrades". And once again, available power is the first thing. I have been able to keep our WillieC. fairly close to original, like the VW-camper-on-the-water it was advertised as. Sleep when it gets dark and get up early.

Keep the info coming! I am interested in long-term results by real users. None of Kerrye's question sound even remotely stupid. I just want to hear about Sunsetrider getting out there and being offline for a couple weeks enjoying his voyage!