Fridge Freezer 220v or 12v?

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Bill O

It's been several years, but it may have been an Edgestar (?). It was a compressor driven model.

Thanks. That may be a brand to avoid, given your experience.

Portable units are very popular with long distance cruising boats and it is rare to hear a negative report.

There are drawbacks with the portable units, such as limited volume. As they are often not built in, it can be hard to find a convenient location and attractive cosmetics. However, even these problems are solvable with multiple units and suitably galley cabinetry.

Both portable units and modern efficient AC units are viable alternatives to traditional marine fridges. Not the perfect answer for everyone, but worth considering. The advantages of both of these options is an easy, quick and relatively inexpensive solution to fix defects (just replace the unit and drop in a new model). This is a significant advantage compared to the cost and trouble of calling into a marina and waiting for a specialist.

[Jono as 2234]

I'd go with the portable units. We have ours in the cockpit with an upholstered vinyl seat on top. Whilst it does get in the way a bit the expelled hot air just disappears. This is in Sydney where we reached 44C last summer and it performed well. I would never try to freeze with it. Have a $200 ice maker for that, it runs off the inverter at not very much grunt. The fridge consumes 5 amp hrs when the compressor is turning.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Worth checking it will fit through the companion way hatch. Don't ask why I think this is important

We have a 550 litre 2 door Samsung onboard.
Turns out the boat was built around it and we'll need to do surgery at the cockpit doorway to get a replacement in.

[rodsuter]

Originally Posted by Tangarua

Hi guys

I'm after some advise on whether to kit my boat out with a 60L 12v Engel fridge/freezer which comes in at a whopping 12K South African Rands versus a normal little 220v domestic equivalent at 3K. Huge difference in price!! Should I not take the savings and beef up solar and the battery banks and inverter?Please advise.

Many thanks
PS. I should add I'm a live on board saddling up heading outta Dodge.

Just a further thought - I live in SA, 100m from the sea - the quality of local domestic appliances, especially the materials, gives them a life of about 3 years in my home - actually on the water will be much less I suspect. Sure you can replace it several times for the cost of an Engel or similar, but do you really want to ? and where will you be when it packs up and you have to drink warm beer ? Good luck !

[s/v Jedi]

The portable units being very energy efficient and popular is a new thing so many will attack it as with all new tech.

With the OP in South Africa I recommend to look at Snomaster Expedition units. They have much more insulation than Engel, more cooling capacity, built in stainless steel and a better price.

We are currently replacing our refrigeration with these units and my testing shows it will outperform the traditional custom built boxes with Danfoss compressors etc.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by rodsuter

Just a further thought - I live in SA, 100m from the sea - the quality of local domestic appliances, especially the materials, gives them a life of about 3 years in my home - actually on the water will be much less I suspect. Sure you can replace it several times for the cost of an Engel or similar, but do you really want to ? and where will you be when it packs up and you have to drink warm beer ? Good luck !

The fridges we have onboard, all standard household 240v models are all over 10 years old.
No signs of rust and all still going strong.

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The portable units being very energy efficient and popular is a new thing so many will attack it as with all new tech.

With the OP in South Africa I recommend to look at Snomaster Expedition units. They have much more insulation than Engel, more cooling capacity, built in stainless steel and a better price.

We are currently replacing our refrigeration with these units and my testing shows it will outperform the traditional custom built boxes with Danfoss compressors etc.

Thanks for this picture. This just solved a spacing issue for me, I just need to figure out how to make the sliders do they'll hold the weight.

[southernx]

Hi Cruisers, My first post.
I use a standard under the counter fridge 220v , front opening , I changed this to Top opening,
You have to undo the 2or 3 screws each side of the compressor unit, rotate it 90 degrees being careful not to damage the soft copper pipe, (the compressor must be facing up) there is normally two sets of threaded holes during manufacturing to allow for this ( Front or Top opening)
I put 2” extra insulation all round. Using 12 to 220 inverter, after 2 years, still runs great in monohull. By far the cheapest option .

[myocean]

Check out the threads in this forum about domestic fridges which are much, much more energy efficient then the expensive "marine" fridges.
e.g. here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3123050

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

Thanks for this picture. This just solved a spacing issue for me, I just need to figure out how to make the sliders do they'll hold the weight.

I used these; they are 500 lb rated
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Moontide]

Most "home" refrigerators and freezers have minimal insulation on the box. On a boat that can be a killer. If you have lots of power no big deal but if on an energy budget (almost all of us) then it is more of an issue. Although the Engels are cream of the crop, there are numerous other combo 110/220/12 volt units that are half the cost. Not quite as energy efficient, but the price difference allows you to pay for more solar which you will find a way to use. :-)

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Moontide

Although the Engels are cream of the crop

I think these portable fridge/freezers are a great solution for many (although by no means all) boats.

The Engels are a good middle of the road solution, reasonably priced and reasonable quality, The Toyota Corolla of the portable fridge world. However, be aware that much better quality units available (for a price).

I am not sure these better quality, more expensive units are necessarily sensible. One of the great appeals of portable fridge freezers is their low cost (in marine terms). This makes them largely disposable. Simply dropping in a completely new unit is an easy and great solution to marine fridge problems. Some of this versatility is lost as the cost increases especially as even the less expensive units work acceptably and usually have an excellent life. However, if you want a top quality portable fridge/freezer there are premium products available.

Here is one example of the better brands. The Trailblaza fridges (see photo below).
https://www.norcoast.com.au

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by southernx

Hi Cruisers, My first post.
I use a standard under the counter fridge 220v , front opening , I changed this to Top opening,
You have to undo the 2or 3 screws each side of the compressor unit, rotate it 90 degrees being careful not to damage the soft copper pipe, (the compressor must be facing up) there is normally two sets of threaded holes during manufacturing to allow for this ( Front or Top opening)
I put 2” extra insulation all round. Using 12 to 220 inverter, after 2 years, still runs great in monohull. By far the cheapest option .

Brilliant. I have an Engle 40qt that I'm very happy with as a freezer and overnighting leftovers but I was thinking of getting a cheap dorm type fridge off Craigslist for things like fruits and vegetables, cheese and eggs just to keep them cool. this will help with the efficiency I'm sure.

[moseriw]

Against some others: One should have a top-load fridge/freezer compatible with the boats DCV system.

i.E.: mine is a 140 litres custom built top load fridge/freezer with a 12 VDC Waeco unit that consumes 4A at max cooling down and 1.8A when recooling the diifference.

Rule no 1.) What I don't have won't brake down.

I doubt a 12V to 230V Pure Sine Wave Inverter (IMPORTANT!) to fridge will be as efficient as my unit. I threw out the 230V front loader unit without checking efficiency but I do not want 230 VAC on the boat unless it is absolutely necessary.
And I have an 1,5 Kw and an 350W inverter too but both were only used when required for a few minutes.

And I am not in a marina so I try to be shore power independent as much as possible.

230V Fridge for a 24/7 marina liveaboard is quite OK

[Dsanduril]

I understand the sentiment about 240V, but take the newer Liebherr 1760 as an example. 154l of refrigerated space that is rated to use 15Ah/day. It's really, really hard, and expensive, to find a marine refrigeration unit with that kind of energy usage.

The companion GP 1486 freezer provides 103l at -18C for about 25Ah/day. If you have room on the boat, for 40Ah/day you can have essentially household quantities of cold storage. All for less than USD1000. That's impossible in the marine refrigeration market.

Probably helps to keep these units running if the boat doesn't tip