Refrigerator

[Lupin]

I am tired of the problems caused by marine refrigerators.
Like poor refrigeration temperature, ice forming on the back and expensive maintenance.
Does anyone have experience with installation of regular home refrigerators?
I am tempted to just buy a nice LG or Bosch or similars
Only problems I can see are voltage (it’s not going to be 24V) and maybe damage caused by bumping on waves.
Any suggestions?
Luigi
Privilege 615

[chris mac]

I just removed our almost 30 year old built in fridge(lagoon 42 tpi, 1993) and replaced with 2 bar fridges from home depot. The fridges cost about $200, I had to build a support shelf, and most importantly I installed a dedicated pure sine inverter(I went with victron).
I went with 2 because of hull shape, the top one is much deeper, and for redundancy. If one dies, I still have the second running.
The temperature consistency is greatly improved, power consumption is about the same, and total fridge space is slightly more, but less freezer space.(we have a separate freezer for long term stocking up)
It has been installed for about 2 months and so far i am very happy with it. However it does ice up in the freezer sections, similar to the old unit. But, it is much easier and quicker to defrost now.

[Cheechako]

SailorChic34 on this forum has used one for years. Maybe she will pipe in.

I'm not sure she's been on here lately though... anyone seen her?

Ugh, her last post was 2020. Hope she's OK.

[Lupin]

Originally Posted by chris mac

I just removed our almost 30 year old built in fridge(lagoon 42 tpi, 1993) and replaced with 2 bar fridges from home depot. The fridges cost about $200, I had to build a support shelf, and most importantly I installed a dedicated pure sine inverter(I went with victron).
I went with 2 because of hull shape, the top one is much deeper, and for redundancy. If one dies, I still have the second running.
The temperature consistency is greatly improved, power consumption is about the same, and total fridge space is slightly more, but less freezer space.(we have a separate freezer for long term stocking up)
It has been installed for about 2 months and so far i am very happy with it. However it does ice up in the freezer sections, similar to the old unit. But, it is much easier and quicker to defrost now.Attachment 247843

Yes exactly, I have seen some regular fridge also in new boats
You can buy one for 600 $or more ,
Have you done some sailing around? Someone told me that maybe they don’t like bumping

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by Lupin

Yes exactly, I have seen some regular fridge also in new boats

You can buy one for 600 $or more ,

Have you done some sailing around? Someone told me that maybe they don’t like bumping

As for sailing, we haven't been deep water with it yet but did sail a couple weeks around the chesepeake, close hauled in 20+knots for a full day on one occasion. And have done several days on the icw with the typical power boat wake. This is usually more violent than anything we have encountered offshore.
We have been off dock for well over a month now. So far we haven't had any issues with the fridges. Time will tell, as we are headed to the Bahamas and don't plan to be on a dock again till probably May.

[Shanachie]

This seems to be a popular topic these days.


There are two problems with using Home Depot electrical appliances on boats, particularly in salt water.


First is that they are designed for use in climate-controlled homes, not humid, salty conditions. Think zinc-plated screws instead of stainless steel screws for starters.



Only all of the innards are built that way. Copper wires with no tinning. Cheap connectors and circuit boards.This increases the risk of shorts, fires, bad performance, etc., once corrosion sets in.



The second problem is overall safety. ABYC rules say you keep the 110-volt neutral wire and the green wire separate on boats.This provides a safe path to ground and keeps you from being electrocuted once that inevitable corrosion appears.



But home appliances connect the neutral and green wires in their wiring. This creates the possibility that you will get fried when electrical problems arise and you touch the unit.


Yeah, everyone knows people who have done it for years without problems. I see people jaywalk into traffic every day, too. But some people who do that get run over.

[team karst]

Originally Posted by Shanachie

….
But home appliances connect the neutral and green wires in their wiring. This creates the possibility that you will get fried when electrical problems arise and you touch the unit.

.

Whoa! Not a chance. That would immediately trip out a AFCI or GFCI.
Only old installs of dryers and ovens did that.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by Shanachie

This seems to be a popular topic these days.


There are two problems with using Home Depot electrical appliances on boats, particularly in salt water.


First is that they are designed for use in climate-controlled homes, not humid, salty conditions. Think zinc-plated screws instead of stainless steel screws for starters.



Only all of the innards are built that way. Copper wires with no tinning. Cheap connectors and circuit boards.This increases the risk of shorts, fires, bad performance, etc., once corrosion sets in.



The second problem is overall safety. ABYC rules say you keep the 110-volt neutral wire and the green wire separate on boats.This provides a safe path to ground and keeps you from being electrocuted once that inevitable corrosion appears.



But home appliances connect the neutral and green wires in their wiring. This creates the possibility that you will get fried when electrical problems arise and you touch the unit.


Yeah, everyone knows people who have done it for years without problems. I see people jaywalk into traffic every day, too. But some people who do that get run over.

I appreciate the concern. I did inspect the ground and neutral wiring, I also ran the dedicated inverter ground to the boats ground. Seperate from the neutral.
In terms of components not being of use for the marine environment, of course they aren't! That isn't what they were made for. But at a small percentage of the cost, if the fridge lasts 1 year, I can replace both fridges every year and still go 20 years before approaching the cost of what I was quoted for marine grade drop in units.
We are on a catamaran and the components in our galley down see very little (if any) Sea spray. So I suspect we will get much more than 1 year from them.
As I said earlier, time will tell. It's worth experimenting to get real information instead of internet speculation

[mvweebles]

Surprised no concern about doors swinging open or stuff launching when opened. I used to deliver higher end power boats that often had hi-end household fridges (Subzero were common) facing fore or aft. Still hated them as jack-in-the-box launch was common. Would think it worse on a sailboat, especially side-to-side orientation shown in photo above.

Thoughts? Is this really viable for longer range cruising?

Peter

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Surprised no concern about doors swinging open or stuff launching when opened. I used to deliver higher end power boats that often had hi-end household fridges (Subzero were common) facing fore or aft. Still hated them as jack-in-the-box launch was common. Would think it worse on a sailboat, especially side-to-side orientation shown in photo above.

Thoughts? Is this really viable for longer range cruising?

Peter

It is a concern and I have a strap option worked out and ready to install. However I did want to see if it works without.
As I mentioned earlier, the worst agitation we get is from passing power boats on the icw. So far on this trip south, we have had cupboards open, including my tool shelf unfortunately, but the fridges have been good.
They are just barely forward of the keels, so a pretty stable location.