Troubleshooting an Old Fridge

[Jonah]

Hi all,

I've owned a '95 Sailfish 272 for about four months now, but am only just figuring out the mini-fridge. I'm not sure if it's original, but it looks old enough that it might be. My manual, however, has nothing to say about it.

I'm smart enough to find the switch for the fridge on the DC panel. ;-) But what I'm wondering is whether I should make sure that a sea cock is open before I use it. That may be a silly question, since household refrigerators don't require a water source. But then again I don't think that household AC systems do either, even though my Grady's AC does have a thu-hull and sea cock.

So, do all marine cooling systems (fridge, AC) have thru-hull fittings with sea cocks? If so, any advice on where I'd find the one for my fridge?

p.s. Will be traveling this week, so apologies for slow replies.

 

[SkunkBoat]

The little 12 v fridges don't have a seacock. Just power. They will drain condensation though, preferably to the bilge and not out the front.

 

[Jonah]

Thanks very much!

 

[Legend]

The frig runs off your batteries so if you are not on shore power you need to make sure you shut it off or it will drain your batteries. Also in addition to the circuit breaker there should be an on / off switch in the rear or the frig in the upper right hand corner. Good luck

 

[Jonah]

Thanks everyone.

I've now had three attempts at using the fridge. First time, when I flipped the DC power switch, I heard a gargling sound immediately. Lasted a few seconds. Also a slight, quiet hum, I think. Fridge got cold in a matter of minutes, but I kept it on setting 3 our to 5, to keep from overpowering. Worked fine for a two-hour outing, but it did seem a tad bit warmer at the end than at the beginning.

One week later, I flip the switch and ... nothing. No gargling sound, no hum. After 45 minutes, the fridge had not cooled down at all.

So, where does one start in troubleshooting an old fridge? I know it isn't the house battery or the DC panel switch. There could be a fuse somewhere, but I have yet to find it.

Thanks for any advice. Looks like it might be original to the '95 hull.

 

[SkunkBoat]

First, pull it out and check for 12v at the wires.

 

[Fishtales]

It runs off 12v first and then will connect to 120vac is your boat is equipped with shore power. There have been several manufacturers used. You'll want to look for a label when you pull it out.
GW used Isotherms for a while, my Marlin has a Cruise 40 (CR-49) model. If you find the manufacturer online you can likely locate the manual. It may be time to replace if you want the fridge. You could also have a cabinet installed to give you additional space. Good Luck.

 

[Jonah]

Thanks everyone,

Will see if I can confirm 12V at the wires, and will see if I can find the manufacturer and model.

 

[reelserious]

It runs off 12v first and then will connect to 120vac is your boat is equipped with shore power. There have been several manufacturers used. You'll want to look for a label when you pull it out.
GW used Isotherms for a while, my Marlin has a Cruise 40 (CR-49) model. If you find the manufacturer online you can likely locate the manual. It may be time to replace if you want the fridge. You could also have a cabinet installed to give you additional space. Good Luck.

The newer models may switch to 120 when on shore power, but the older ones don't. The closest you get is you run the battery charger while on shore power to prevent the fridge from killing the house battery.

 

[Fishtales]

Hi,
I believe I got it wrong. You are correct. My b....

 

[Legend]

one other thing to check is the knob you used to change the temperature. That is also an on/off switch. If you went all the way with the knob you may have shut it off (can't remember if it is right or left). There is a click you will notice when you move the knob past the on or off position.

 

[Jonah]

Hi all,

I took SkunkBoat's advice and checked that I am getting 12V at the wired. Indeed, 12.8 at the wires.

I also took Legend's advice and checked for an on/off switch inside the fridge. There is none. Instead, at the top-left of the fridge is the setting knob, which ranges from 0 (off) to 5. There is also a breaker there, but it isn't tripped.

Any other thoughts on things to check before I just find out the make, look for a manual, or pull it out? I find it strange that when I flip the main switch on my DC panel, it takes a while for the switch light to warm up.

Thanks again.

 

[Jonah]

SOLVED

I couldn't get over the fact that the DC panel light was acting so odd. While on the boat yesterday, I flipped the panel switch to try again—same thing. When I shut the door to the head, the panel light suddenly got much brighter. Tried to turn on the fridge, but the panel light went dim again.

Weak connection behind the switch? I was reading 12.8V at the wires behind the fridge, but maybe that was just for the low amperage of my multimeter. If the connection were weak, maybe it just couldn't supply enough amperage for the fridge?

I took the panel off and found that one of the nuts on the larger grounding wires was fairly loose. I figured that the fridge was one of the largest power accessories on the boat, so that might be it. Tightened it up, put the panel back in place, and the fridge turned on the first try.

So, a good lesson to learn about finicky accessories when they are accompanied by finicky panel lights.