Should I keep fridge on while away

[GoneDiving]

Originally Posted by johnmcd

On balance, I'd recommend not keeping the fridge on.

Shore power failure is more or less inevitable. There are too many reasons why it will ALWAYS trip off eventually.

If the fridge is powered off, for definite keep the door open. This will prevent smells or condensation/water collecting inside.

On the other hand, if it's only for a few days or a couple of weeks and you have food or beers to keep cool in readiness for a trip, then you are probably going to be OK. And in the rare circumstance that the power does fail then it's not the end of the world.

The risk is not just your fridge contents though. If the shore power fails and the fridge is busy running your batteries down it's likely that in a week or two that the boat batteries will be dead, or worse need replacing. That will completely ruin a planned trip and cost more than a crate of beers!

Make sure the battery power, charger and shore power all reconnect automatically after a power outage or battery low voltage. Many need to be manually reset and will leave everything with out power until this is done even if there is power available from panels or shore.

Dont do this:

https://youtu.be/0j0zcRXTDRk

[robert sailor]

If you need the fridge every other week id probably leave it running as you'll be restarting it very often. If your going away for months I'd shut it down. Clean the box very carefully, wipe it out with vinegar as it kills mold/mildew and leave the door open.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That cold beer when you get to the boat is WAY better than waiting for it to be drinkable!

So stop at 711 on the way to the boat.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

That cold beer when you get to the boat is WAY better than waiting for it to be drinkable!

Quote of the Year!!!

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

So stop at 711 on the way to the boat.

Our 7-11's in New Jersey don't sell beer
(Is it 7-11s or 7-11's? Ugh, my grammar rules are escaping me)

[oceanshoretiga]

Interesting series of posts but the key question I thought was being asked was: is a fridge system better left on or off (if longer periods) for the fridge machine itself? The power issue is really about all electrical draw down while the boat is idol. During the lockdown for Covid, I turned my fridge off for the first time in about 8 years and my batteries were almost to the point of overcharged when I came back to the boat 2 months later. Solar only. I’m not away as long now as things have ‘eased’ in Western Australia but have left the fridge on as well as AIS (for the fun of it while I’m 500km away).

I have an Isotherm unit retrofitted into an icebox.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[oceanshoretiga]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Quote of the Year!!!



Our 7-11's in New Jersey don't sell beer
(Is it 7-11s or 7-11's? Ugh, my grammar rules are escaping me)

Yes, Luke, you got it wrong. The 7-11s are plural, not possessive. Also, an earlier post (not you) had a your for you are, so should have been you’re.

Then there is less and few, which a national toilet paper company got wrong on their packaging.

[rslifkin]

Personally, I keep my fridge on for convenience. But I'm never really away from the boat for more than a week or so during the season. I do worry a bit about shore power failure, but it's not a huge concern, as it'll take 4 - 6 days for the fridge to draw my house bank down to 0 (depending on outside temperature). When I add solar at some point, that'll take care of that concern.

[Andreas W]

I always keep mine on. I never leave the boat on shore power when I leave her for a while. Batteries and solar panels have no problem keeping up with that.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

That cold beer when you get to the boat is WAY better than waiting for it to be drinkable!

You chill beer

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

When we’re cruising, the batteries are usually 100% by 10:00 am.

No they aren't!!!!!!!!

But that is a different topic and it doesn't matter to me and I will now unsubscribe to the thread as I don't what to argue about it. But you may want to do some more research.

[JanetGroene]

I can tell you a lot of horror stories about people who came home to a failed refrigerator with a smell so bad they couldn't get rid of it. It permeated the entire boat, insulation, filters, sheets, towels. Could you get a friend to check the boat every other day or so?

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by jeff356

We keep ours on as we leave food and don't have to worry about it coming "down" to temperature before we head away from the dock. Found it was a pain coming down to a warm fridge and transferring food into it and waiting the hours for it to get as cold as if being left on.
Also have a small container with ice in it and a quarter on top to make sure it has not gone off during the time we have been away.

Now that is a meet way to see if the ice melted at any point and cheaper than any other monitoring solution I’ve heard yet.

[Shrew]

We boated on weekends (Fri night to Sunday) every week for many, many years. We left the fridge on all the time. Do you really want to keep transporting mustard, ketchup, mayo, pickles, relish, etc all the time??

Unless you're at a really shady marina, power is usually fairly stable. If you're really concerned, then put a small plastic container with water in the freezer and allow it to freeze. Once frozen, place a penny on the top of the ice. When you come back, check the penny. If it's still on top, you didn't loose power. If the penny is in the bottom of the ice, you lost power for a considerable amount of time. How far the penny is in the ice will indicate about how long you lost power for.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by AST

...............And I never leave anything in the fridge. Should I keep the fridge powered while I am away? If not should I keep the fridge door open? The boat is onshore power when I am away but I just don't see why I should keep the fridge running while I am away. Any thoughts on that?

Check with your marina regulations. Our marina prohibits electric power to be on while you are not aboard as stated below:

"Electrical Power and Water: Electricity and water are provided for your convenience. While not aboard, however, the electric power is not to be used for cabin heaters, refrigerators and water heaters. Your electrical cord must be a marine grade."

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by sail sfbay

Check with your marina regulations. Our marina prohibits electric power to be on while you are not aboard as stated below:

"Electrical Power and Water: Electricity and water are provided for your convenience. While not aboard, however, the electric power is not to be used for cabin heaters, refrigerators and water heaters. Your electrical cord must be a marine grade."

That's a pretty uncommon restriction in my experience. My marina doesn't allow unattended boats to be plugged in while on land, but when in the water, power is fair game whether you're on the boat or not.