Sea frost engine driven compressor

[Exile]

Originally Posted by Exile

An engine drive compressor system is a 12v system, but I'm sure you were referring to the more typical (continuous cycle) 12v systems with BD-type compressors, etc.

Originally Posted by john61ct

Wut?

No.

The compressor is driven directly by the engine mechanically, just like a stock vehicular aircon unit

Mine (SeaFrost) requires 12v to engage the compressor clutch & timer.

Originally Posted by john61ct

I did, and now disagree.

But the post I was responding to as OT here was advocating AC-powered home appliances.

I've read several threads about people using dorm-style AC fridges quite successfully. Apparently it's a viable option for some, maybe the OP. Why rule it out as 'OT'?

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Link to this small Kubota plate freezer Watermaker please.

See post 16 link.

Last I checked something like $4200 for the basic 150 amp genny. With watermaker was like $8500. Add a COTS freezer plate system for about $3000.
That all equals the price of a NL AC genny (with no watermaker or freezer plate for the same money). Again, I'm not endorsing the company or product, rather the concept.

I never got deep enough to this company, but they note what is otherwise obvious, that you can mount a bilge pump, pretty much anything that runs by pulley of smaller energy requirements.

People have rigged these things for ages. I mean it's a horizontal shaft single cylinder engine that turns a pulley. Modular with user serviceable components. Take one look at the little diesel units then your AC genny and tell me which you'd prefer to have to service in the field. Recall that these little engines are industrial engines, serving as pumps, etc, running all day being dragged behind tractors through fields and worse.

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by john61ct

But the post I was responding to as OT here was advocating AC-powered home appliances.

The OP's implied mission is that he needs to keep food cold while on a boat.

It is customary in the culture that I come from to try to fully understand what it is that someone is asking for when they ask a question.

I understood that the OP's terminal goal was to keep food cold while on a boat.

I offered input that had potential to be received as insight that would be helpful to the OP. That information was sharing the knowledge that a great many other humans faced with a challenge of keeping food cold on a boat have elected to use AC instead of DC systems, saving much money in the process and receiving good results.

I would ordinarily assume all of this to be self-evident, but I hope this clears things up.

[SV THIRD DAY]

We do about 5-6 holding plate recycle projects per month. We take the AC compressor and the engine-driven compressors and get rid of those and put a 12vdc compressor are standard cool blue unit onto the new holding plates. Gone are the days of having to run your generator every day just to keep your beer cold and ice cream hard. Now you can have your batteries and solar panels do it for you.

What does it cost approximately on average $2,500 for a single holding plate $2,800 for a dual holding Plate System typically found in a lot of freezer boxes.

Why would you want to reuse old holding plates typically because they were custom made to fit in your box and custom holding plates are more expensive.

Do holding plates fail yes everything fails in life but the truth is stainless steel and copper tube holding plates last a very long time I've seen 50 year old plates work as good as they did on day one.

Okay what's the negative everything has a negative. One of the negatives is that most older holding plates systems have one holding played in the refrigerator and then two in the freezer. Or one played in the freezer and one in the fridge.
The 12-volt DC compressors cannot run a freezer plate and a refrigerator plate so you would need a separate compressor for each of the boxes a separate $1495 compressor.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Why would you want to avoid AC?

Because I have no interest in 90% of the examples you gave, and want a simpler more efficient and robust system.

I've never lived in a house with television, nor a dishwasher since a child.

The favorite home I've ever had we drew water with a bucket by hand from a well in the courtyard, only space heat a single open fire.

Call it camping, or voluntary simplicity if you like.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Singularity

the aquagen does combine a healthy DC alternator with a compressor for the freezer plates and/ or water maker. I'm not endorsing the product, only the concept (particularly when a new AC generator costs more than the Aquagen (itself something like $8500)).

https://www.aquamarineinc.net/aquagen.php

Wow take back all my sniping, thanks for this link, yes right up my alley.

I call it learning by being a PITA 8-)

Too bad they don't mention boat propulsion, all in the same unit.

[RaymondR]

If you already have the engine driven system it seems a waste to get rid of it when it could be fixed for the price of a new compressor.

You can always put in a 12V compressor and put a flat plate evaporator on one wall of the box and have both, redundancy, and the ability for fast pull down using the engine driven system.

There are times when I am cruising when I have heavy power usage and have to run a noisy genset for hours to get my batteries thru the night when it would be great to just run the main engine for half an hour and be able to turn the 12V fridge off.

[LargeMarge]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Wut?

No.

The compressor is driven directly by the engine mechanically, just like a stock vehicular aircon unit

Seconded. On a land-based vehicle, only one part of the compressor is 12vdc == the pulley clutch. While the engine is running, flip a (dash) switch to supply electricity to engage the pulley to activate the compressor so it can compress the Freon-style gas. Switch off to disengage the pulley. A free-wheeling pulley spins without activating the compressor.