Back to the fridge situation.......

QT1

Active Member
Oct 20, 2016
645
Belair, MD
Boat Info
1990 350 Sundancer, "Quality Time II".
Engines
454 Mercruisers, performance parts modified by PO.
Thanks all for the enlightening info on keeping the fridge on always. Now, I find out from the previous owner he never used the fridge and I have it on the first day, it gets cold. I check on it yesterday evening, nothing. One of our association members suggested I take measurements and purchase one from Walmart or Home Depot. It only made sense to me for these reasons:

Fridge is on A/C while on shore power.
Fridge operates on A/C when genny is running(far and few between).
Could always use a cooler or those blue ice packs for day tripping.

Am I on the right track, verses paying 800-1200 for a new dual voltage fridge?
 
I don't think there's a right or wrong--it comes down to preference for the long term and budget for the short term. Our first season we had no fridge at all. Manageable, but not ideal.

After installing a dual voltage fridge--and while we had a working genny--we liked life a lot better. A nightly recharge over a long weekend let us store fruits/veggies/eggs/condiments/etc. in there and use coolers for beverages only. If we woke up in the middle of the night we had stuff close by in the glow of a lovely little blue LED, rather than having to rummage through ice cubes/packs. (Is there a reason you don't use your genny often?)

Our genny died so we're back to coolers for long weekends....BUT if we're out just for a day trip, we can leave the fridge running. There's enough power in our 2-battery house/starboard bank to run it and still start the engine, especially if we use just 1 battery while out and preserve the other for the return trip. Worst case scenario if we draw down that bank too far is we start port then use the dash switch to jump starboard.
 
Dual voltage fridges are expensive but in my opinion worth it. We keep the fridge stocked with sandwich making things, snacks... I wouldn't want them getting warm every time I'm away from the dock. You may also encounter a problem with the freezer defrosting and getting everything wet. Our last boat had carpet damage from the previous owner using the fridge on the weekend, turning it off during the week and the condensation leaking out every time.
 
And when you go to sell, the buyer will discount your boat for the non-standard fridge. So you are paying for a new fridge regardless. Why not actually get to use it while you have the boat instead of paying for the next owner just before you sell?
 
And when you go to sell, the buyer will discount your boat for the non-standard fridge. So you are paying for a new fridge regardless. Why not actually get to use it while you have the boat instead of paying for the next owner just before you sell?
+1!
 
I truly appreciate everyone's input.
 
Is your fridge working properly on dockside 110 or when running off of the charger at dockside but not staying cold enough on 12 volt when you're away from the dock?
If so, you should check the health of your starboard battery bank before going too crazy.
I found that one of the earliest signs I got of battery problems on my old 300 Sundancer was the fridge not getting cold enough on 12 volt. The fix was getting new batteries for that bank and the fridge worked great again.
The fridge either gets cold or it doesn't. If it gets cold enough on 110 then the fridge is working properly. If the problem only happens when running it on 12 volt, then the problem is with the 12 volt supply to the fridge. The most likely cause is a weak battery bank.
The port battery on those boats only starts the port engine and it seems to last forever.
The starboard bank powers everything on the boat. Since I spent a lot of time on the hook with that boat and didn't have a generator I got in the habit of just getting two new starboard batteries every other year. The group 27 dual purpose marine batteries at Walmart are about $80.00 each, and Costco now carries Interstate in that size for about the same price. The Walmart version is identical to the Interstate in every way but color and labeling. They're made by the same company.
 
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Thanks. I will take a look.
 
JVM225, I have 3 new batteries, but the fridge is still doing nothing, on shore power or battery power.
 
While spending the money on a dual voltage fridge is hard to do, it's the right thing to do.

The generator will power a "dorm" fridge while away from the dock, but all it takes is for the generator to quit working and whatever you had in the fridge is now ruined. Having two sources of power for perishable items just makes sense.

As others have said, it will also make future buyers weary of the level of care you've given the boat.
 
JVM225, I have 3 new batteries, but the fridge is still doing nothing, on shore power or battery power.

That's good. The next thing I'd do is check to see how much voltage is making it to the 12 volt power supply on the fridge. If you are getting good voltage there, then the next logical thing in line would be the power supply.
I wouldn't jump to buying a new fridge if it works well on 110 because if it does the job when you're plugged in to the dock then the fridge itself is good.
 
What's the proper way of checking voltage to the fridge?
 
Also, does anyone have an idea how many cubic feet the factory fridge is?
 
An inexpensive multi meter will do the job.
But before you dig too far in to it, check to make sure that the 12 volt breaker at the helm and the connections to it are clean and solid. A green, or oxidized connection will cut down on voltage and cause the fridge to underperform on 12 volt power. The connections on all of those 12 volt breakers tend to get cruddy because they are semi exposed to the salt air so give them all a good look while you're in there.
Once you know you have a solid connection at the breaker, and if the problem persists, you can move on to pulling out the fridge. Although I had the Sundancer, the cabins on the 2 models are essentially the same forward of the entry. Mine had 2 screws on each side that had little plastic covers on them. Pop the covers off, take out the screws, and slide the fridge out. It can be a little tight in that narrow space between the fridge and dinette, but it isn't terrible.
Once it's out, disconnect the 12 volt power at the point just before it goes in to the fridge and see what kind of voltage you're getting there. I can't remember for sure, but it may be hard wired. If so, cut both the power and ground. You'll probably need to do that anyway to get the fridge all the way out so you can have room to work. After you're finished, put them back together with pull apart connectors to make future removal of the fridge easier.
If you have a good connection at the breaker, you should have solid voltage at the point where the power goes in to the fridge. That line is a fairly short run, and the fridge should be the only thing on it assuming that a previous owner didn't tap in to it to add another 12 volt accessory or outlet. If that's the case, undo it. The fridge should be the only thing on that line, and it's highly unlikely that there is a problem with the line itself other than at the connection ends if nobody has messed with it.
If you have solid voltage going in to the fridge, then you're next step would be to swap out the power supply.
Again, if the fridge works properly on 110 but not on 12 volt, the problem is the 12 volt and not the fridge. Worst case scenario is the power supply, but they are fairly inexpensive and very easy to change. But I think that there is also a good chance that your problem may just be a cruddy weathered connection at the breaker. I had one or two problems over the years there and wound up just proactively changing all the breakers and crimping new connectors on clean wire ends to connect to them. It was a fairly inexpensive project.
Another thing I did was change the fuse busses under the dash after having a VHF radio power problem. Those little clips that hold the fuses are riveted on and become loose over the years, and also take a beating from the salt air. That's another very easy and inexpensive project that will save you some problems down the road.
 
The dual voltage refrigerator we used on the 1988 300WE was the Norcold DE-251. It was 2.0 CF in size with a Sea Ray part number of 113647.

Obviously Norcold has changed models and part numbers since '88, but by starting with the original part number on their site, you may discern the OD dimensions for a new one.

Hope it helps, ask more if not.

Capt. R
 
Capt Rusty Higgins and JVM225, you guys are the best! I will pull the fridge this weekend and test .
 
QT1, you will do more harm than good by not running your gennie....... It will turn into an expensive paperweight with non-use.... Don't ask me how I know this !
 

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