Frost and Ice Buildup: The Enemy eating your Amps

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by poiu

On the subject of making the seals good, I have some seals where the corners have come apart. I have no idea what plastic/rubber material is used. What is the best way or what types of glue might be best for gluing them back together?

The best bang for the buck hatch seal fix I have found is this simple stuff from Ace Hardware. The trick is finding something not too rigid that will screw up your door shutting but still be large enough to fill voids. This is very soft and supple and fills the void areas without making it difficult to close the hatch.
M-D Building Products 3/8in x 17ft Weatherstrip in White (43846) - Weatherstrip Caulk - Ace Hardware

[reed1v]

We converted our ice box to a frost free unit. Worked like a charm. Ran off engine compressor and also off battery bank. Nothing quite like having food that can be kept for months at a time. Had a day frig unit(insulated box) for foods that would be used within a day or so. Nothing quite like a vodka martini with vodka chilled to 20 degrees while sweating out in the middle of the ITCZ.

[steve77]

Frost needs water vapor to form. I think it is important to realize that this water vapor can enter not only from leakage at the seal, but also from food that is not in sealed containers. As an extreme example, if you put in a head of lettuce that has ben washed, then I believe the moisture from the lettuce will greatly contribute to ice buildup.

I read an article some time ago, I think by John Neal, that suggested using desiccant cylinders by H2Out to keep the inside of the freezer and refrigerator dry. We bought a couple of these on Amazon and have been happy with them. Just don't buy one too small, or you have to "recharge" it more often. We do this by heating them in a heavy pot on the stove.

And as always, I appreciate Rich contributing his knowledge to this forum on the refrigeration issues we cruisers are always dealing with.

Cheers!

Steve

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by TurninTurtle

E-6000 craft glue can buy you a bit of time.

I used to use a lot of E 6000 until I realized that it's the exact same stuff as Shoe Goo which is significantly cheaper.
Take a look at the tubes they come in. Same smell, consistency, dry time, package graphics etc.
I guess the company gives Shoe Goo users a break because they have to fix their shoes, therefore they're low income???

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I used to use a lot of E 6000 until I realized that it's the exact same stuff as Shoe Goo which is significantly cheaper.
Take a look at the tubes they come in. Same smell, consistency, dry time, package graphics etc.
I guess the company gives Shoe Goo users a break because they have to fix their shoes, therefore they're low income???

If it even remotely smells of boat, raise the price. You can either buy Dawn liquid dish washing detergent cheap or pay 10 times the price for same stuff billed as salt water soap. The list goes on for miles.

[a64pilot]

Shoe Goo isn't all that cheap, but that stuff is like 5200, when you put it on something be sure that is what you want it on, cause its going to be real tough to get it off. I filled a cut in the rub rail on my dinghy with Shoe Goo, stuff is tougher than the rail is.