Replacing Norcold cockpit fridge

Michael Mirra

Member
Jan 18, 2017
176
Rock Hall, Md
Boat Info
360 Sundancer 2002
Engines
8.1 Horizon X 2
My AC/DC fridge just died. Has anyone replaced theirs with a 120v only fridge like the college dorm ones?
 
Yes, I did. When I owned my '89 340 Sundancer the Nor-cold fridge in the galley died shortly after I bought the boat. Being a cheap bastard and after assuring my wife we would not have to spend much money on the boat, I bought a 110v fridge that fit the space. It worked well except....when I was away from shore power or not running the genny. When we went on a long cruise we had to put everything in an ice chest and then transfer it to the fridge when we reached our destination and got plugged in. It's actually became a PITA.

I finally resolved the problem by installing a small 2000 watt Xantrex inverter and 2 6 volt golf cart batteries. The inverter had a built-in automatic transfer switch. I set up one circuit through the inverter that ran the fridge and the TV and Blue-ray player. I could turn it on manually or when I unplugged from shore power the inverter kicked on and powered the fridge. The batteries were wired through the battery selector switch and were charged by either the charger or the alternator when underway. The boat had 3 batteries. A starting battery for each engine with one doing duty for the generator and a deep cycle house battery. I replaced the house battery with the 2 golf carts.

Let me know if you want more detailed info on this.

Shawn
 
Thanks for the info Shawn. I'm not concerned about being away from shore power. This is my cockpit fridge and used mainly for beer. I also run the genny when ever I'm going to be out for more than an hour. One of my main concerns is how hot it get in my cockpit when I'm not there. The air conditioning is always on in the gallery. I don't know if the marine and RV units are made to handle the high temps better. It seems like it stays over a hundred degrees in the cockpit when it's all closed up.
 
Michael, the previous owner of my 360 replaced the original icemaker with a small dorm room fridge like you mention. I leave it on all the time for refreshments and only use the main fridge / freezer down below when I'm planning on being out on the boat. I figure it is easier and cheaper to replace a little 110v fridge than the Norcold units.

I'm sure the cockpit fridge works it's butt off on hot days and I keep a couple of silicone ice trays so that there is always at least a few cups of ice available. On real hot days (90s outside, hotter inside the full camper canvas.), the ice in the trays start to melt some and the drinks are not quite ice cold like I like them to be. The fit on the fridge was not quite 100% and there is a small (2.5") strip of trim at the top; I'm thinking about maybe putting a smallish exhaust fan or two in the strip because I have no idea if there is any circulation back behind the fridge and would make the compressor / condenser work even harder.
 
My Norcold cockpit fridge only works well once the canvas is off. The ambient air temp (100+ degrees) is too much for the old fridge to handle with the canvas in place. I'm not sure a dorm fridge would be any more efficient.
 
Is there anyone who doesn't have a complaint about these crappy Norcold refrigerators? The one in my cockpit failed last year and the galley one seems to be going downhill. I like the idea of getting a 120v-only fridge for the cockpit that would probably be 1/5 the price of the Norcold.
 
Since it's a cockpit fridge, it may be worth taking it out and having it looked at by a fridge repairman. I know I did a repair on mine myself yeas ago and it's still going strong.
 

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