Seafrost fridge / freezer replacement

[David Jade]

Our J46 has two Seafrost refrigerations systems - the engine and two separate DC air cooled systems. Our engine system seems to work fine, no refrigerant leaks, etc. Cools down very fast. 

Our DC systems on the other hand seem to be not up to the task. These DC systems were put in as replacements for the Shore Assist that originally came with the boat. Previous owner has his reasons for making that switch but it was not to gain shore power independence. In fact he told me, the DC systems require the shore charger. This is because I now know they easily consume somewhere near 200 Ah a day combined, if not more. Each of the two units uses between 6-8 amps and runs for about an 50% duty cycle daily. And they dump all that heat into the main cabin as a bonus (they are behind the port settee). So much so that our A/C can’t keep up on a hot day - double bonus. 

So we are struggling now to have a reliable fridge and freezer. While the engine system seems fine, I don’t see how it could keep things cold enough with just 1-2 hours of engine time a day. Our fridge simply heats up too fast when the boat is 70-80 degrees inside (the limits of our A/C on a hot day). It makes me wonder if someone hasn’t puncture all the insulation (I was told it was vacuum panels inside). 

So I’ll like to hear what other’s experiences have been and what things you’ve done or considered doing to make it better?

If the engine system is working to keeping a 40 F fridge and a 20-30 F freezer, please let me know what your routine is and what if anything you’ve done to make it better. How to do manage having the fridge plates frozen and not freeze anything too near or below them? Did you install circulation fans? How are they situated?

If you’ve switched everything out to a DC system, please share with me what you’ve done and what your energy consumption is. Is it air cooled, water cooler, or keel cooled? Where are the systems located? 

If your fridge or freezer insulation was broken or inadequate, what have you done to resolve that? I put several temperature loggers in our fridge so I can see how fast it heats up. Also, the bottom of our freezer gets warm/defrosts despite the top being 20 F - I can’t figure out why (the drain is closed).

As we are now full-time on our boat, we’re feeling a bit chained to the dock by our fridge, so any ideas or help is much appreciated! 

We are considering ripping it all out and starting over with water cooled DC systems. We know we will go lithium within the next year or so but battery space is also somewhat limited. I’m even considering using the space that the Seafrost engine compressor uses for a high-energy alternator or DC generator to gain shore power independence. 

Thanks

David Jade

Shadowfax - J/46 #19

[Tom Keffer]

It's on a J/42, but here's a description of my adventure replacing the Seafrost systems.

https://groups.google.com/g/j4x-owners-group/c/J__ZXO6OPgA/m/5jQNrpS3AQAJ

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[Larry Romano]

Hi David 

I own a J40, but I did redo my refrigeration system and I’m very happy with the results. My boat had an engine driven compressor which was not installed correctly on the 56 hp yanmar engine that was put in the boat. It also had the 110v compressor. I wanted to live on 12v so I removed everything. I replaced the 110v compressor in the back with a 12v that is either air or water cooled. Seafrost suggested I install a freezer box instead of the cold plate. The freezer box has the top and bottom as the cold plates separated by stainless steel sides front door.

I’ll attach a picture. It’s been installed for about 5 years and we are very happy. The compressor at startup uses around 8-9amps but then it drops down to around 4amps over time. I have two solar panels on my Bimini which generate around 9amps which keeps everything happy once things are cold. When you first turn it on and load food it runs continuously for the first day or two.

On May 26, 2024, at 11:40 AM, Tom Keffer <tke...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAPq0zEC4F6_fKHuYvEDgMgYemX1LQ9Py3k8MNQwcY4XVPgbPzw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Jim Brainard]

David.   We did the Seafrost XPBD conversion on our J46, similar to Aragon with great input from Dock York.  We added 1” pink board insulation to both boxes.  The condensers both have the air/water cooling option but I have not yet hooked it up- we just this year put in a thru hull for the water cooling and i simply have not collected the proper plumbing fittings to cleanly hook it up.  I did do some minor improvements this cruising season on the door and lid gaskets. I am still not very happy about the seals on the freezer lid - on Brainwaves the lid profile and counter profile that the lid rests on are mismatched and I have not yet come up with a good fix.  

Still, I estimate that the freezer and refrigerator draw 1500-2100 Whr per day in Mexico that is readily replaced by 630 W of solar. 

JIm Brainard.   Sent from my iPhone

On May 26, 2024, at 12:02 PM, Larry Romano <j40r...@gmail.com> wrote:



Hi David 

I own a J40, but I did redo my refrigeration system and I’m very happy with the results. My boat had an engine driven compressor which was not installed correctly on the 56 hp yanmar engine that was put in the boat. It also had the 110v compressor. I wanted to live on 12v so I removed everything. I replaced the 110v compressor in the back with a 12v that is either air or water cooled. Seafrost suggested I install a freezer box instead of the cold plate. The freezer box has the top and bottom as the cold plates separated by stainless steel sides front door.

I’ll attach a picture. It’s been installed for about 5 years and we are very happy. The compressor at startup uses around 8-9amps but then it drops down to around 4amps over time. I have two solar panels on my Bimini which generate around 9amps which keeps everything happy once things are cold. When you first turn it on and load food it runs continuously for the first day or two.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/7B233229-E088-493D-8B17-1464E912C92D%40gmail.com.

[Todd Stevens]

This is a timely discussion as I realize that it’s time to get my new DC refrigeration system all figured out before I leave the boat in Baja for the summer, so that I can bring the new parts back with me!

A key question I have is whether the old AC system can be removed without disturbing the engine-driven system?  Both feed the same cold plate. Can’t quite see the connections without removing cabinetry.  

For the record, I’ve been cruising the west coast and Baja for two years using only the engine-driven refrigeration.  I get by, but it’s a pain and uses a lot of fuel to run the engine morning and evening when at anchor.  (Up north, I got by with an hour in the morning.)  And I can’t leave the boat for more than a day without wasting everything in the fridge.  (I’ve rarely been at dock, but as mentioned by others, the AC system has >50% duty cycle and pumps noise and heat into the cabin.  I’d love to have the cabinet space it takes up, and would sure like it out of the way before replacing the rest of the plumbing in there.) 

I’d like to replace it with a DC unit, preferably in a different location, and feed it from the solar panels.  Though the water-cooled option is something to think about.  I previously added an Isotherm icebox conversion kit to my old boat and was very impressed with its efficiency and silence.  If possible, I’d just leave the engine-cooling option as it is.  

Re: insulation. One sign that it’s inadequate is the settee cushion opposite the fridge is constantly moldy due to condensation behind it.  

I’ve added a Dometic AC/DC stand-alone unit as a freezer.  It fits neatly on the J/42 aft cabin “seat.”  This has been a great quality-of-life improvement, though it does add substantially to the power budget.  Its top also adds a bit of “counter space” to the little work station there. 

Hauling out the boat for hurricane season, so it’s time to get all the work planned.  Best chance to change through-hulls for the next couple of years.  Still got a few weeks cruising before then though.

Todd

J/43 #41

[S/V Sweet Ruca]

We were in a similar situation. We ripped everything out and went with new systems using air cooled Isotherm units with evaporator plates, the compressors are mounted behind the aft head. 

We haven’t thought about the power consumption of the fridge and freezer since we made the change. 

We haven’t connected the boat to shore power in 4 years.

We chased leaks for years on the original Sea-Frost units and never got anywhere worth celebrating. 

Regarding the bottom of the freezer, it is likely due to its proximity to the outside hull, which gets warm in the sun and lack of air circulation. We put rubber grates/mats on the bottom of the freezer to allow better airflow and that seemed to have resolved the issue.

We didn’t redo insulation, but it would be nice for extra efficiency (it’s a big project though). If you are doing a comprehensive project and you have the time/bandwidth, it’s a good idea. 

We moved our lithium batteries to the “generator compartment” area. 

[Tom Keffer]

Todd, the AC and engine-driven systems run completely independent circuits, both of which have coils in the holding plate. So, yes, the AC circuit can be removed without disturbing the engine-driven system.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/3F538A9D-A541-460D-9A66-88A9886A51E7%40me.com.

[Todd Stevens]

Thanks Tom. This thing would be in the next dumpster, except the customs guys like to see one unit leaving the country for each unit entering under the TIP.  

Hmm… the internet says that the max water temperature for the Isotherm SP units is 28C/82F. Which happens to be exactly the water temperature where I’m sitting today. Anyone know what happens when it gets a little warmer than that?  Does it get less efficient? Or just stop working?  What does it do right at 28C?  I guess it wouldn’t work at all on the hard… I think it’s reasonable to expect some weeks with 30C water in the tropics.  

(Man, I love being able to roll out of bed, stretch, and just drop in to “the pool” for a few laps  before breakfast.)

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAPq0zEAR-t%3DYSxdNpfKMkNaPk9k9Fgqtz2CYRHSpO3KJCHVapw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Paul Lever]

Todd,

Once you get to areas with high water temps, the water cooling has no advantage over air cooling. It has the disadvantage of being another underwater corrosion point. It also does not work when you are on the hard, so living on your boat in the yard becomes even more of a pain.

When I redid the reefer on my J37, I went with a holding plate system Technautics Coolblue. Worked well in the Panama heat. I did improve the insulation by adding insulation on the box inside. The box was larger and deeper than I needed. After I sold the J I used Coolblue in my Outbound. It functioned well in the worst conditions we had, SE Asia, and was reliable. Their website has power usage estimates - your milage will vary based on the box and lid efficiency. 

Paul

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/AAD8F83E-B804-46DD-AFC6-4F17CC19CFAF%40me.com.

[Tom Keffer]

My previous boat, a Malo 42, had the same water-cooled system, and we took it through the South Pacific without any problems. Mind you, it had a Swedish boat's idea of insulation, maybe a couple inches max, so the fridge worked on about 80% duty cycle, but it worked. 

It was nice not having the heat dumped into the main cabin.

Still, I'd ask Isotherm.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/AAD8F83E-B804-46DD-AFC6-4F17CC19CFAF%40me.com.

[Todd Stevens]

Interesting. No problems with fouling of the HX?  

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAPq0zEC9gt%3DNPH-2YeoZJaauFV8dU%2BCRw2tNMAcL%2BUn9SBF5sg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Tom Keffer]

I ran a bottle brush up it every once in a while, but no problems.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/C0509767-33BD-42F1-B124-65D3718F95B4%40me.com.

[Robert Kowalski]

A few things I’ve learned about electric fridges on boats. Two separate guys in the industry told me the compressor/condenser units are all made by one company I can’t remember the name I think it starts with a “B” but it really didn’t matter to me. So my thinking was what cold plate looked the best and what company was the easiest to work with. I liked the stainless plate that seafront makes also how the unit is enclosed. When you call seafront you’ll more than likely be talking to someone in the family of the owners, they are always helpful and all the electronics are rebuildable and they will rebuild it for you.
On Courage what I did was get a cold plate that was as close to the length and height of the deepest and longest part of the box, the control unit I got the simplest one with just the on/off, and temp wheel. I ducted the incoming air to the lowest point in the area into the cabin. What I found was I could set the temp so the bottom 2+” of the box would would keep frozen stuff frozen, but honestly I never tried to freeze anything but there were a few times a water or coke was found down there frozen. Plugged the drain simply because heat rises cold sinks I never saw the need to improve on the insulation. I had 300amps of batteries and like 270 watts solar once all was installed I turned it on and left it on for like 10 years except I believe two times on passage where I didn’t have any sun for like 3 days, even after once getting the solar knocked off in a big storm I was only running the engine an hour in the morning and I only had a 100 amp alternator, but ran dark at night. One of the things I think helps is I got a clear plastic rectangle container that 5# of ice would fit in and had it right against the the plate, also I have two of those white trash bags filled with packing peanuts and as the fridge empties I put 1 or 2 on top.
So I had that running for somewhere in the 10 year range, I was redoing the interior and the fan started making noise and running way more than the 3 or 4 cycles a day I was used to, I’m in Tiverton at the old Quality Yachts and right next door was Ocean options I knew Mike the owner for years (you know boat yard buddies) ask him if he’d take a look. Turned out my working and all the dust clogged the radiator so it was working double hard and killed the fan. I guess I was the one at fault on that, but did learn how to service the thing so all worked out for me, and was the only problem I ever had.
Now on Ardent I have 600amp of lithium and somewhere around 800watts of solar about 2 years ago I turned it on and never turned it off it uses about 2% of the power a night and the only problem I had was the temp was reading 100º but it was actually like 38º in the box it’s the probe I’ll replace it. It has one of those freezer boxes not like the one pictured in the other post, mine was bigger took up to much room, I called Mike (he's retired actually covid killed his business) asked if he had a plate laying around that would fit, after a few days called me back, found one that will fit with 2” to spare! the only problem so far is we're both so busy we haven’t been able to connect.

Yeah I thought us retired guys have all the time in the world, what’s wrong with this picture…

Bob

Sailing a course less traveled
Delightfully typed on a full keyboard on a mac

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAPq0zEC9gt%3DNPH-2YeoZJaauFV8dU%2BCRw2tNMAcL%2BUn9SBF5sg%40mail.gmail.com.

[David Jade]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the info, this really helps.

It sounds like you must have removed the cold plates and changed to evaporator plates for the BDXP? You probably have removed the engine compressor systems as well I am guessing? 

How many and how big are the evaporators? Did you drill or cut any new holes in the boxes?

Where do you have the two BDXP units installed? How hard was it to run the coolant lines (if you managed to put them outside the main salon)?

We have two Tradewinds XP units, installed under the port side settee drawers. I think they are basically the same compressor boxes as the BDXP more or less, but have ‘valves’ that allow them to work with the cold plates. The idea being they do what the Shore Assist did, but much less powerfully. Our two units are air cooled only though and they dump all that heat into the salon through ductwork. It’s a lot of heat and the whole area feels like they have seat warmers essentially. The previous owner did not like water cooled units and that is why he switched away from the Shore Assist unit - he got tired of leaving the boat unattended, having the intake strainer clog, and all the food spoil. I wish he would have least put them in the back of the boat.

It has been suggested to us by the local Seafrost service company (owned by the son of the Seafrost main guy) that we could use our Tradewinds unit to drive evaporator plates and have a more precise thermostat for a more conventional refrigeration system. But it would still be pretty power hungry. I am seriously contemplating switching to a water cooled system as dumping all that heat into our main cabin is not a good combination for the mid-Atlantic region even before we get to summer here.

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 26, 2024, at 2:01 PM, Jim Brainard <brain...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[David Jade]

Hi Curtis,

Good tip on the grating idea in the freezer - we will try that. We had it pretty packed down low and likely not enough circulation. I also suspect we have just enough heat from the nearby compressors leaking into the space underneath the freezer to melt the bottom. It was such a bad decision to put all that heat so close to the actually freezer.  

How hard was it to run the lines from the aft to the fridge and freezer? Or were you able to reuse your old Seafrost Shore Assist refrigeration lines?

I’d really like to move our compressors to the back somewhere, but all the old Shore Assist lines have long been removed and the Tradewinds XP units we now have are behind the port side settee. We do have a quite large holding tank right behind the aft head though, so our compressors might have to go even further back where there is room.

Currently, our generator space is taken up by a generator since we have A/C, but we are also contemplating how we want to go all-lithium and maybe do away with the generator. One potential advantage of removing the whole Seafrost system is we potentially gain a place for a large frame second alternator where the SF compressor is currently. Then we could pack lithium and inverters into the generator space and maybe be generator-less and still preserve our A/C.

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 26, 2024, at 5:23 PM, S/V Sweet Ruca <rucas...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/CAGSa-zM-23kANSjsH24F_ayO69LDkUNw9VJBeMmzyU1WUd0SLQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[David Jade]

I will say that what we are struggling with is having a DC system that tries to drive the cold plate system. They have such a large mass and react so slowly that even with two Tradewinds XP systems, they are running 50% of the time at best. Each unit draws roughly 7-8 amps when they run. They each cycle on for 3-6 hours before shutting off, then only stay off for 3 or so hours. That is adding up to ~200 Ah a day when the inside temps are around 70 F. If the boat warms up beyond that, then they run even more and don’t seem to be able to keep up. So we still have to use the engine system along with it daily unless we are plugged in. All they seem to do is delay running the engine some. I worry that with that duty cycle, we’ll wear them out.

It has been suggested that we switch to standard evaporator plates and that’s what we’re looking into. We could reuse our Tradewinds but since they are only air cooler I’m more inclined to swap them out for water cooled to get the excess heat out of the boat. Our previous J Boat had a keel cooler heat transfer but I’ve been warned that doesn’t work very well in warmer waters like we will experience. That’s such a bummer because that keel cooled unit was super efficient with no fans or pumps. We probably only used 10-20 Ah a day.

We recently met up with another J/46 (iSea) that was visiting Annapolis. They had water cooled Isotherm units and said they worked great. They were installed in the same place as our units (behind the port side settees). The thru hull was just aft of the bilge. Conventional batteries. But I don’t think they ever had a Seafrost system to start with. 

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 26, 2024, at 3:18 PM, 'Todd Stevens' via J/4X Owner's Group <j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

 This is a timely discussion as I realize that it’s time to get my new DC refrigeration system all figured out before I leave the boat in Baja for the summer, so that I can bring the new parts back with me!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/3F538A9D-A541-460D-9A66-88A9886A51E7%40me.com.

[David Jade]

I’ve had great conversation with the main Seafrost guy, well beyond what I should expect as the second owner of a system that was installed 20+ years ago. The local company we’ve used to service our units is owned by his son.

But we’ve sort of been told that what the previous owner tried to do (using the Tradewinds XP units as a replace for the AC Short Assist with the massive cold plates) is a stretch. They have 1/20th of the capacity for the engine system or something like that. So I think we’re likely looking at a dead end trying to make them work better on battery power alone with cold plates.

The future for us is lithium so we’re starting to lean towards a big overhaul to DC-only more efficient systems, preferable water cooled if that makes sense. We just don’t need the excess heat in the boat if we can avoid it. Not in hot climates.

I think most of these fridge compressors are all made by Danfoss. BD is a common model name for them.

David _/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> On May 26, 2024, at 10:20 PM, Robert Kowalski <rc...@charter.net> wrote:
>
> A few things I’ve learned about electric fridges on boats. Two separate guys in the industry told me the compressor/condenser units are all made by one company I can’t remember the name I think it starts with a “B” but it really didn’t matter to me. So my thinking was what cold plate looked the best and what company was the easiest to work with. I liked the stainless plate that seafront makes also how the unit is enclosed. When you call seafront you’ll more than likely be talking to someone in the family of the owners, they are always helpful and all the electronics are rebuildable and they will rebuild it for you.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/A3F71432-1D41-4982-BE5A-DDE268669C33%40charter.net.

[S/V Sweet Ruca]

Hi David,

The refrigerator/freezer lines can run under the stove and the aft head to the aft “garage”. It is a task, but doable. Standard boat yoga.

Compressors could be mounted even further aft, behind the aft holding tank. That is where our old Sea-Frost units were mounted. Check your hull for glassed in mounting pads which will appear as thicker areas there. The caveat is the longer the lines the less efficient your system becomes. 

Good luck with the project!!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/B87411AC-2115-4D9A-8CC2-A52EB2AD880C%40mutable.net.

[William Stellin]

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 27, 2024, at 2:26 PM, David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:
>
> I’ve had great conversation with the main Seafrost guy, well beyond what I should expect as the second owner of a system that was installed 20+ years ago. The local company we’ve used to service our units is owned by his son.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/FFFAA83F-CBB6-4F52-AB36-B9B25D569B8D%40mutable.net.

[William Stellin]

Mount the SF AC compressor on the bath bulkhead in the port side seat locker. This gets it out of the main cabin. Duct the waste heat back into the aft bath behind the wet locker curtain. Makes a wonderful conditioned drying room. Bath waste heat will help heat the main cabin with the door open or outside through the ports and vents in the bath. It was my idea cause I anticipated the efficiency improvement not breathing its own heat. Dealer wanted it under the sink cause it was easier. System has been in for 28 years with nary a hiccup .
We fill it on a Fri night and by the next night stuff near the cold plate is frozen. We we leave for a day or two we turn it down to the lowest level so coke, milk beer doesn’t freeze and burst. Could not be happier. Lived with this since boat was built in 1996 including 8 years in the hottest parts of the Med 24 hours a day. Sometimes I think you guys do too much overthinking of what is a wonderful system ready made. Remember my advice. KISS
JES SAYING
BILL. JAYWALKER. #6

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 27, 2024, at 5:20 PM, William Stellin <wste...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> 

[Jim Brainard]

Hi David. 

We removed the engine driven compressor, the AC compressor and the old cold plates.  Cleve fabricated an evaporator plate for the refrigerator that covers the entire forward wall of the refrig.  And two evaporators for the freezer, one for each side.  We mounted the compressors on the shelf in the garage aft of the aft holding tank.  No new holes in either box, other than through the insulation and liner that we added. We ran the new precharged copper tubing pretty much along the same path as the tubing we removed. 

Jim and Deb. 

JIm Brainard.   Sent from my iPhone

On May 27, 2024, at 12:36 PM, David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:

 Hi Jim,

Thanks for the info, this really helps.

It sounds like you must have removed the cold plates and changed to evaporator plates for the BDXP? You probably have removed the engine compressor systems as well I am guessing? 

How many and how big are the evaporators? Did you drill or cut any new holes in the boxes?

Where do you have the two BDXP units installed? How hard was it to run the coolant lines (if you managed to put them outside the main salon)?

We have two Tradewinds XP units, installed under the port side settee drawers. I think they are basically the same compressor boxes as the BDXP more or less, but have ‘valves’ that allow them to work with the cold plates. The idea being they do what the Shore Assist did, but much less powerfully. Our two units are air cooled only though and they dump all that heat into the salon through ductwork. It’s a lot of heat and the whole area feels like they have seat warmers essentially. The previous owner did not like water cooled units and that is why he switched away from the Shore Assist unit - he got tired of leaving the boat unattended, having the intake strainer clog, and all the food spoil. I wish he would have least put them in the back of the boat.

It has been suggested to us by the local Seafrost service company (owned by the son of the Seafrost main guy) that we could use our Tradewinds unit to drive evaporator plates and have a more precise thermostat for a more conventional refrigeration system. But it would still be pretty power hungry. I am seriously contemplating switching to a water cooled system as dumping all that heat into our main cabin is not a good combination for the mid-Atlantic region even before we get to summer here.

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 26, 2024, at 2:01 PM, Jim Brainard <brain...@gmail.com> wrote:



David.   We did the Seafrost XPBD conversion on our J46, similar to Aragon with great input from Dock York.  We added 1” pink board insulation to both boxes.  The condensers both have the air/water cooling option but I have not yet hooked it up- we just this year put in a thru hull for the water cooling and i simply have not collected the proper plumbing fittings to cleanly hook it up.  I did do some minor improvements this cruising season on the door and lid gaskets. I am still not very happy about the seals on the freezer lid - on Brainwaves the lid profile and counter profile that the lid rests on are mismatched and I have not yet come up with a good fix.  

Still, I estimate that the freezer and refrigerator draw 1500-2100 Whr per day in Mexico that is readily replaced by 630 W of solar. 

JIm Brainard.   Sent from my iPhone

On May 26, 2024, at 12:02 PM, Larry Romano <j40r...@gmail.com> wrote:



Hi David 

I own a J40, but I did redo my refrigeration system and I’m very happy with the results. My boat had an engine driven compressor which was not installed correctly on the 56 hp yanmar engine that was put in the boat. It also had the 110v compressor. I wanted to live on 12v so I removed everything. I replaced the 110v compressor in the back with a 12v that is either air or water cooled. Seafrost suggested I install a freezer box instead of the cold plate. The freezer box has the top and bottom as the cold plates separated by stainless steel sides front door.

I’ll attach a picture. It’s been installed for about 5 years and we are very happy. The compressor at startup uses around 8-9amps but then it drops down to around 4amps over time. I have two solar panels on my Bimini which generate around 9amps which keeps everything happy once things are cold. When you first turn it on and load food it runs continuously for the first day or two.

<image0.jpeg>

On May 26, 2024, at 11:40 AM, Tom Keffer <tke...@gmail.com> wrote:



It's on a J/42, but here's a description of my adventure replacing the Seafrost systems.

https://groups.google.com/g/j4x-owners-group/c/J__ZXO6OPgA/m/5jQNrpS3AQAJ

On Sun, May 26, 2024 at 8:26 AM David Jade <da...@mutable.net> wrote:

Our J46 has two Seafrost refrigerations systems - the engine and two separate DC air cooled systems. Our engine system seems to work fine, no refrigerant leaks, etc. Cools down very fast. 

Our DC systems on the other hand seem to be not up to the task. These DC systems were put in as replacements for the Shore Assist that originally came with the boat. Previous owner has his reasons for making that switch but it was not to gain shore power independence. In fact he told me, the DC systems require the shore charger. This is because I now know they easily consume somewhere near 200 Ah a day combined, if not more. Each of the two units uses between 6-8 amps and runs for about an 50% duty cycle daily. And they dump all that heat into the main cabin as a bonus (they are behind the port settee). So much so that our A/C can’t keep up on a hot day - double bonus. 

So we are struggling now to have a reliable fridge and freezer. While the engine system seems fine, I don’t see how it could keep things cold enough with just 1-2 hours of engine time a day. Our fridge simply heats up too fast when the boat is 70-80 degrees inside (the limits of our A/C on a hot day). It makes me wonder if someone hasn’t puncture all the insulation (I was told it was vacuum panels inside). 

So I’ll like to hear what other’s experiences have been and what things you’ve done or considered doing to make it better?

If the engine system is working to keeping a 40 F fridge and a 20-30 F freezer, please let me know what your routine is and what if anything you’ve done to make it better. How to do manage having the fridge plates frozen and not freeze anything too near or below them? Did you install circulation fans? How are they situated?

If you’ve switched everything out to a DC system, please share with me what you’ve done and what your energy consumption is. Is it air cooled, water cooler, or keel cooled? Where are the systems located? 

If your fridge or freezer insulation was broken or inadequate, what have you done to resolve that? I put several temperature loggers in our fridge so I can see how fast it heats up. Also, the bottom of our freezer gets warm/defrosts despite the top being 20 F - I can’t figure out why (the drain is closed).

As we are now full-time on our boat, we’re feeling a bit chained to the dock by our fridge, so any ideas or help is much appreciated! 

We are considering ripping it all out and starting over with water cooled DC systems. We know we will go lithium within the next year or so but battery space is also somewhat limited. I’m even considering using the space that the Seafrost engine compressor uses for a high-energy alternator or DC generator to gain shore power independence. 

Thanks

David Jade

Shadowfax - J/46 #19

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[David Jade]

Hi Jim,

This is awesome information. I’ve spoken with Cleve once or twice. He’s hinted at this route but not fully suggested it. I think he was trying to best work with what we already have. But given that we have two Tradewinds XP DC units that can drive evaporators, I’ll give him a call and see what he thinks about a further conversion, hopefully using some of the compressor pieces we have. And maybe we can move them further aft as well. For us, that shelf has a generator power box but we might be able to rejigger things to make room there. 

Thanks so much!

David                      _/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 27, 2024, at 6:47 PM, Jim Brainard <brain...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/487F51B5-0BCA-475B-BA01-B99F1F3C0B19%40gmail.com.

[William Stellin]

The biggest problem you all are having with SF AC system is where the compressor is mounted and the waste heat it produces. We mounted our in the port side cockpit seat locker and ducted the waste heat into the aft bathroom with the duct located high through the bulkhead behind the wet locker curtain. The beauty of this is the compressor is not breathing it’s own hot air.  The bath is a great drying room and cozy warm. 2 ports in the bathroom get rid of the excess heat. When you open the seat locker the compressor is mounted on the bulkhead, out of the way, but with excellent access. The guys the installed the SA wanted to mount it under the sink. I said they were crazy do it my way. They wanted the easiest route and didn’t think a 

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From: j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com <j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of David Jade <da...@mutable.net>
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2024 2:26:25 PM
To: j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com <j4x-owne...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [J/4X-owners] Seafrost fridge / freezer replacement

 

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