Refrigerator

[sail4dale]

I keep mine on all the time.  I figured like my frig at home, it is designed for continuous   operation and keep the seals and machinery in running condition.  It has worked for me for 6 years

[Hawk]

Stu/Ron/Jon,

When I'm out for a couple weeks without shore power I tend to throw a half block of ice on the bottom and then turn on the refer switch on the panel when we need to motor (therefore while charging). Typically with the fridge full, once everything is chilled I hit the switch on for an hour or two then off. I have actually had drinks start to freeze when I left it on too long. I do have an indicator light when the refer switch is on (very helpful).

Back at my dock when off the boat but on shore power I just leave the refer  panel switch off. I don't think I see a need to change the set up? Do I?

Of course I recognize that where we are my "canadian" beers are very often "ice cold" due to natural ambient air temperature! So having a cold fridge immediately on boarding is not crucial.

As you say, the 7/11 cold 6-pac does the job to get out of home port.
HAwk
   

[Ron Hill]

HAwk : When we cruise we always keep one or 2 ice cube trays in the freezer and the fridge stays on 24/7.  We frequently make more cubes to cool the drinks that are kept outside the fridge(keep the lid close). I've been doing that for the past 18+ years. 
I've found that ice in the bottom allows the water(MOISTURE) from the melted ice to form more frost on the freezer portion of the fridge.  This means you have to defrost the fridge more often (during a 6 weeks cruise) than not having ice in the bottom.  Defrosting gains the efficiency/true temp. of the fridge back. The whole idea is to keep cold dry air in and warm moist air out. 
We do turn down the fridge thermoatate to #3 when the engine is not running and #6 when the engine is running.  With the extra insulation I added, the fridge has no problem of holding 40F (in 90+ OAT). 

I don't stay plugged in when I'm not on the boat.  That's always been my choice and lucky that it was when our marina power line was hit by lightening and BIG power surge fry-ed boats that were plugged in. 

As Jon pointed out, there is a way to convert your AB 12V fridge to run directly off 110VAC shore power.  I wouldn't consider doing that to my C34, as we stay at the dock and marines a minimum amount of time (less than 5%).  I personally would much rather be sailing or at anchor and therefore need a 12V fridge.

Hope these thoughts help.   

[Hawk]

Good thoughts Ron.
Thanks

[Lance Jones]

I believe the fuse is blown. Stu has been a great help by providing photo's of his ref. unit. However, it is different enough that the fuse is not in the same location. I've attached a photo of what I could see. Is there a cover over the electrical module? If so, or not, where is the fuse and how do I get to it. YES, I'm an electrical idiot!

Thanks!

[Ken Juul]

The picture is too blurry to be sure, but the line under 12 volt DC looks like it says "Fuse 15A".  I do not have this unit, but I would start by turning the refrig off at the electrical panel, then remove the cover and have a look see.  If you want to be extra careful, turn the battery switch off also.   

The diagram it the left corner of the cover I would interpret to be an over pressure switch.  They sometimes pop on their own accord.  While you have the panel off, give it a good push, if it clicks and resets, then it may be the source of the problem.  If the switch isn't under the cover, follow the electrical lines till you find it.  I'd run the fridge again to see if it is really a problem or just an occurrence. 

[Craig Illman]

To add to Ken's comment, I'd recommend tracing in both directions the larger gauge red wire to search for fusing. Then, break out the multimeter to check if power is getting from the panel to the compressor. You might also want to see if that black ground wire is working as expected. It's a circuit, it needs a viable round trip path. As Stu has commented more than once, in different threads, check all the connections! I made the mistake of replacing my salon stereo speakers prematurely. When I was hooking them up, I found the wiring crossing the bilge to the starboard bulkhead speaker had separated at a splice.

Craig

[Lance Jones]

So that IS a panel I need to take off to see inside?

[Ron Hill]

Lance : In my 1988 the factory (AB or Catalina??) had installed the wrong size fuse.  I'll have to check, but I believe that mine should have been a 10 Amp rather than a 15 amp fuse.  (I wrote a Mainsheet Tech article on this topic)
In the literature it talked about a fuse, but I could never find it until I stood on my head and found it at the compressor unit like yours (auto stab in type).  I have never been able to find another fuse and the AB tech told me that that was the only one for the unit.

[Lance Jones]

Thanks Ron. I felt something like that when I checked; but, I was looking for the tube type fuse.

Cheers!

[Jon Schneider]

Lance, another thing to check is all of the connections to fan.  One of my wires had pulled out of its terminal, though it wasn't obvious until I looked really closely and saw it lying right beside where it should have been in the terminal.  According to my documentation (1990 AB cold Machine), if the fan does not work (for any reason; e.g., the fan itself could have died), the compressor will not turn on as a safety precaution.  So, if it's not the fuse, and it's not the connections, be sure to test to see if the fan works. 

[Lance Jones]

Thanks for that additional tidbit! Man, a plethora of knowledge here . Sorry to beat a topic to death.

Cheers!

[Stu Jackson]

Don't know if I mentioned this to Lance during our offline emails (contents of which have been well-covered here, so no one else missed anything ) but as John Nixon has reminded us many times, the wiring inside the electrical panel is ALWAYS something to check.  Many have completely replaced their panels (see Projects), but since we're keeping our "traditional" copper colored 1921 vintage lettering fused panel  until the Confederate $$ comes back again, the wiring itself and the connections especially on the jumpers, is something that should be, if not simply checked, just replaced.  As Ron has noted, the older stiff probably non-tinned wiring, and the factory connections, sure leave a lot to be desired.  Since the fridge (and everything else for that matter) is dependent on those jumpers, they are important.   Oh, and we're still workin' on ours...