Help w SeaFrost settings - keeps freezing

[a1jacktar]

Hello, I hope you can help me with settings on the SeaFrost BD XP w AEO air/water on a sailboat we purchased a few years back. I have had a bit of a struggle getting the temp to stay reasonable. I sent an email to seafrost but have heard nothing back from them.

WHAT am I not understanding here?

The manual appears to use multiple names for the ST-1 setting including cut-out temp, set point, cold stopping point which I believe are all the same thing. Can anyone verify these refer to the same thing?

The manual says the plate temperature should be 10 to 15 degrees COLDER than the desired box air temperature. Based on the manual I should be setting ST-1 to roughly 27 degrees to get to a box air temp of 37. My experience so far is the exact opposite where just yesterday, I set ST-1 to 37 and my box air temp went down to 26 degrees. My differential had been left at 6 although I changed it to 4 yesterday.

Another concern I have is that when I press SEL and get to ST-1 (and up/down arrows) when I push SEL again to save the settings, instead of going back to the box temp the screen shows ST-2 which is set at 40. There is nothing in the manual about this setting so I have no idea if it is correct or incorrect. When I push SEL after this, the screen goes back to box temp.

Does anyone have information that can solve all of this? We are heading out for a couple week trip late next week and would love for this to be settled.

[mike d.]

Just contact Seafrost in Barrington, NH ! Good people to deal with !

[pjShap]

I have a pdf with temperature setting instructions and explanations. Let me know if you want a copy, or maybe it's on the SeaFrost website. According to the manual, and it's correct for my system, you need to set ST2, NOT ST1. It makes no sense to me why they use ST2 instead of ST1, but give that a try.

Short version:
1. Press and hold the SET button until ST1 appears then let go. Press and hold
again until ST2 appears.
2. The display will alternate between showing ST2 and then the current value of
ST2.
3. Use the up and down arrows to change to desired plate temperature.
4. Press SET to save and exit.

[Weatherbird]

Originally Posted by mike d.

Just contact Seafrost in Barrington, NH ! Good people to deal with !

Yes, call them. Best company I've dealt with.

Sea Frost: (603) 868-5720

[a1jacktar]

Can you send the manual you have to clay@claymichaels.com? Thanks. Mine has nothing about ST2.

[Roger Wells]

There has-been family tragedy. Give them a few days and telephone. Great small company. Great products.
Always helpful.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by mike d.

Just contact Seafrost in Barrington, NH ! Good people to deal with !

As I learned in the course of one of my many calls to Cleave (owner), he's severely dyslexic.

Email is torture for him.

But he's very responsive on the phone.

To your issues with your electronic thermostat:

You seem to have the access to the cold-setting section in hand. However, the first (ST1) is not functional. It's the ST2 portion which will drive your plates.

And, that thermostat measures plate, not box temperatures, for on/off triggers.

Getting out of the ST1/2 segment (let it sit for several minutes or hold the change button again after you've modulated the temperature you want) will put you back to the box-temp setting.

You didn't say, but if you don't have a circulation fan, you should. A small computer fan on edge, set to run all the time other than when the door's open, will go a long way to keeping your food happy. You can get a lot fancier than that (see other threads on CF for examples) with tubes and other enhancements, but this suffices, at negligible power consumption.

If you don't already have such as setup, a NO/NC magnetic reed switch, powering puck LEDs when the door's open, and the circulation fan when it's closed, will make your experience better

[fred4936]

I cannot answer your questions, but I will add that Sea Frost has been great to deal with. Part of the reason why I bought mine. I hope they recover from whatever tragedy occurred.

[keepondancin]

I have been friendly with Cleave since the 80’s, spoke to him last summer. What happened, or should it be left as their personal concern.

[mikeo16]

If you go to the Seafrost website they have all the instructions clearly written and also the manuals. It is under the "Service & Technical" tab
Seafrost Home

[a1jacktar]

Thank you for all the responses. I will wait a few days before calling.
I do have a fan running inside, and I do have the manual(s).

The main thing I don't understand is the manual says to set the plate cut out at 10-15 degrees LOWER than the desired box air temp, possibly even 20 degrees lower. Setting the plate at 27 degrees to get 37 in the box results in a 26-28 box air temp. And I have a high quality temp sensor near the box temp probe and it reads within a degree of the box probe.

I am also now wondering if the two probes may be wired in backwards...