Refrigeration A25

[kerrye]

The simplicity argument against refrigeration is a pretty strong one in my opinion. It's why I've shied away from refrigeration in my boats until now. If we hadn't used the exchange camper in Australia with an Engel frig for 5 weeks I doubt I would be thinking about a frig now. Everybody in Australia has a 12 volt frig, even in the back of their cars and trucks. An old woman with a Nissan Patrol stopped to talk to us and there on the back seat was her Engel. So if they work so well that they're ubiquitous in Australia I decided it would be worth a shot. I won't dispose of the old icebox though. I'll keep it around just in case:) Although frig's work as iceboxes also.

[Sunsetrider]

Over the past three weeks I have been watching the readouts on the solar controller with the fridge cycling. The max draw has been 2.2A when the motor thing is humming (to use the technical terms). Otherwise just maintaining the batteries I suppose. How that would look with a smaller solar panel I do not know, except to say that with fridge-only (no freezer temp set) the figure of 2.2A is accurate with my setup.
I was able to source my Unique from a local supplier, so there were no delivery charges. It came with a black insulated cover, which resides in a heap in my garage. It would be handy for car travel, but not for the boat.

[Sunsetrider]

I am keen to find another use for the icebox, so retro and functional. Maybe at the cottage.

[kerrye]

That's really a low draw on the frig. One advantage of the Unique over the Dometic is that the Unique has separate temp controls for the frig and freezer sections. The Dometic doesn't. The frig just gets its cold air as bleed off from the freezer.
Where did you mount your batteries? Do you have any pictures? I've been hoping to mount mine in the space under the frig but that's an uncertain proposition since I don't have exact measurements, especially with the wooden shelf removed. I wouldn't mind putting them far forward since my boat is bow light partly due to my carrying an outboard on the transom. I suppose the compartment right behind the water tank under the V-berth is a possibility. That compartment is deep enough to accept golf cart batteries. How about the solar panel(s)? 245 Watts would seem to imply a lot of area in solar panels.

[kerrye]

Pretty inexpensive 6 volt golf cart batteries.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sligc110

I know connecting two 12 volt batteries in parallel can cause problems if one battery is better than the other, ultimately destroying both. Is that the case with connecting two 6 volt in series? I've had them that way in a Wanderlodge motorhome I owned and it didn't seem to be a problem. But I've had problems with dual parallel batteries in my GMC and Fuso trucks.

[kerrye]

Are your frig batteries connected to the motor's alternator? On my Fuso camper I have the camper battery connected to the truck alternator using an solenoid which is activated by the truck key so it's only connected when the truck key is on so the camper can't draw down the truck batteries. I would do that on the A25 also.

[Sunsetrider]

I got rid of my 115AH house battery and replaced it with the 2 new GC batts, plus my original (well, actually it's only 2 years old) cranking start battery. My electrician did not support my desire to keep the 2-year-old existing house battery as well, in order to up the AH's, on the theory that you refer to above. The batts are all easily located where they have always been, under the helm seat beside the holding tank and close to the wooden bulkhead where all the fancy electrical doodads go and close to the dash. A simple cable over to the 12V plug beside the fridge. My house bank powers everything in the house including the fridge, but I do not have much of a house usage, and I just replaced the anchor light with an LED version. Being under power at all times underway means the calculations are quite different from sailboats. I can get fresh pics later this week.

[Sunsetrider]

I want my fridge working all the time when I am away so that the beers are nice and cold on Friday - so it would make no sense to restrict its operation to "key on." I want to leave the cheese on board, and the butter. Like at the cottage. It's all there waiting for me - the cold cans of Perrier, the tonic - maybe even the popsicles?

[kerrye]

The 'key on' function just connects the house battery to the engine and engine battery when the key is on so the house battery is charged by the alternator. But since it is disconnected when the engine is off, it can't draw down the engine battery.

[Sunsetrider]

I think it is my understanding that my ACR performs the function of regulating which gets what. But I may be completely wrong.

[DesertAlbin736]

If you're talking about a Blue Sea Systems switch and ACR, the ACR keeps house and start banks separate and only cross connects them via a charging circuit when it senses higher voltage from the alternator when the engine is running. That way if the house bank gets run down the start battery won't be affected.

If you're docked in a marina and plugged in to shore power with an on board charger the fridge could stay on 24/7.

[Sunsetrider]

Fridge is on 24/7 as it is, solar charging only. Don't need no steenking shore charging!

[kerrye]

Anyone have an opinion on this battery for powering a refrigerator? Seems like it's a good size for sitting in the space under the fridge on the port side?

https://www.apexbattery.com/leoch-lps12 ... gK00_D_BwE

[kerrye]

Anyone find it odd that this Duracell AGM 6 volt golf cart battery has screw caps?

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracell- ... tid=378385

[DesertAlbin736]

I believe Sunsetrider's batteries are conventional FLA. We are at his house near Sharbot Lake, ON right now. His fridge setup is way cool, no pun intended. We were treated to a boat ride on his boat around the Thousand Islands near Gananoque. So interesting to see another A25 in action.