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Post by rob57 on Nov 20, 2016 10:00:42 GMT
Hi everyone - I am a new member and I know lots has been said about Frigoboat fridges on Jeanneau's but I need some help nonetheless, PLEASE! My SO43ds is a 2001 boat but new to us in 2016. The fridge has been re-gassed but has never worked in the months we have owned her. We have sailed her from the UK to the Algarve and will resume cruising early next year so being away from the UK means I need to tackle the problem in the right way if I am to avoid wasting money on the whole problem. It seems difficult to track down faults on these fridges and the cost of spares gets pricey so I am seriously considering putting in a whole new front loading unit. Has anyone else done this? I cannot see why marine fridges seem so quirky compared to domestic ones. Penguin Refridgeration have made lots of helpful suggestions but nothing has helped. i suspect a leak in the system but a whole new slot in fridge is about the same price as replacement compressor, condenser, and othe bits on the Frigoboat system. Any thoughts?
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Post by sailbleu on Nov 20, 2016 11:05:38 GMT
Hello Rob , if you have the time ( you'll need it  ) to check the link underneath , you will find alot of info coming from experts ( not me mind you ) on the hows and whens of boat refrigeration . Maybe your problem is the evaporator , which is alot cheaper to replace than a complete unit . jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/1623Regards Edit PS : Welcome to the board |
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Post by ianpowolny on Nov 20, 2016 13:19:16 GMT
Rob, not sure where you are in the Algarve but we left Afifnity at Portimao. We have a guy there looking after the boat for us plus another name of a friend who also has lots of knowledge of the sailing scene. I'm sure he could help you out as he's been there for years and knows the local scene. I guess you've looked at Soprimar and Bluewater Algarve. PM me if you need contact detials. Ian |
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Post by alenka on Nov 20, 2016 18:48:18 GMT
Hi Rob,
One of the problems is that no two boats appear to be the same. In some cases fridge units and other such things are fitted by the dealer and not the factory so it is hard to make comment without seeing pictures.
Our compressor was fitted under the cooker but at an angle so that the air just circulated air around and around. Hence it was anything but efficient. A bright young mech doing our winter maintenance made some simple changes so that cool air was drawn in at one side and warm air blown out at the other and hey presto we now have a fridge that is quite happy to freeze not just keep cool.
Is your fridge a top loader or front opener?
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Post by rob57 on Nov 20, 2016 20:04:33 GMT
Hello Rob , if you have the time ( you'll need it ) to check the link underneath , you will find alot of info coming from experts ( not me mind you ) on the hows and whens of boat refrigeration . Maybe your problem is the evaporator , which is alot cheaper to replace than a complete unit . jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/1623Regards Edit PS : Welcome to the board Thanks Sailbleu - The link is really useful, but intimidating too as there can be so many reasons why they don't work! The key thing is to establish where the fault is so I will try to get a grip on the DIY testing first and then get an expert on board to do a repair. |
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Post by rob57 on Nov 20, 2016 20:10:22 GMT
Rob, not sure where you are in the Algarve but we left Afifnity at Portimao. We have a guy there looking after the boat for us plus another name of a friend who also has lots of knowledge of the sailing scene. I'm sure he could help you out as he's been there for years and knows the local scene. I guess you've looked at Soprimar and Bluewater Algarve. PM me if you need contact detials. Ian Thanks Ian - we have left the boat in Albufeira tucked up safe for the winter so I am going to tackle the fridge question in the new year, but just trying to get my plan together right now! Thanks for the recommendation for Soprimar and Bluewater Algarve. Robin |
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Post by rob57 on Nov 20, 2016 20:15:14 GMT
Hi Rob, One of the problems is that no two boats appear to be the same. In some cases fridge units and other such things are fitted by the dealer and not the factory so it is hard to make comment without seeing pictures. Our compressor was fitted under the cooker but at an angle so that the air just circulated air around and around. Hence it was anything but efficient. A bright young mech doing our winter maintenance made some simple changes so that cool air was drawn in at one side and warm air blown out at the other and hey presto we now have a fridge that is quite happy to freeze not just keep cool. Is your fridge a top loader or front opener? It is a top loader fridge. One of the great features of the 43ds is the huge fridge space but right now its just a large cupboard! The layout under the cooker looks to be standard judging by pics other members have posted. The fan runs ok, compressor hums, you can even hear fluid going through the cooling plate if you put your ear next to it but other than that there's no cooling going on. No frosting on pipes anywhere. I suspect it is a gas problem but knowing that it has been gassed by professionals in the Hamble before we left, it suggests that we have a leak......maybe ??! |
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Post by alenka on Nov 20, 2016 23:49:53 GMT
Any good fridge man should be able to check the pressure in the system to see if you have lost gas. A good place to start.
It might be that when it was re-gassed they used the wrong gas!
Only the other week I received an email showcasing a very smart draw type fridge freezer new to the marine market. Sorry I didn't keep the details but it did look very expensive. It is probably worth spending a bit of effort working on your current fit, If you can get some life into it they do work very well, even in the heat of a Med summer.
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Post by sailbleu on Nov 21, 2016 5:49:29 GMT
Any good fridge man should be able to check the pressure in the system to see if you have lost gas. A good place to start. It might be that when it was re-gassed they used the wrong gas!Only the other week I received an email showcasing a very smart draw type fridge freezer new to the marine market. Sorry I didn't keep the details but it did look very expensive. It is probably worth spending a bit of effort working on your current fit, If you can get some life into it they do work very well, even in the heat of a Med summer. I was thinking the same yesterday. Strangely enough Rob can hear the " hissing " in the evaporator , that means there's no blockage , gas is present and the compressor does what it supposed to do. It's quite easy to check the pressure in the system , of course you do need a gauge. Regards |
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 9, 2019 1:54:56 GMT
Hello all and Happy New Year
Resurrecting this topic, my cooling plate has a blockage in the middle and in considering taking the opportunity to upgrade the system.
I have fitted computer fans in the holes that connect to the two fridge compartments and now I am trying to identify the best setup for a new cooling plate and size of the motor
I would be interested to know what others have done
Regards
Andres
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Post by pipemma on Jan 10, 2019 12:53:15 GMT
Don't know whether to piggy-back on this thread or start a new one... I'm totally fed up with the fridge(s) on my 44i; too deep to use, take a lot of power and always going wrong.
Has anyone replaced a top-loading fridge (pair) with a drawer-style one? Any recommendations?
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 10, 2019 14:58:33 GMT
Hi there one of the options I am considering is fitting a front door, as my kids cannot reach the door and my wife cannot reach the bottom of the fridge  cheers |
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Post by stefanw on Jan 11, 2019 10:20:57 GMT
As for someone not being able to reach the bottom of the fridge...this past summer my boat partner ended up with her feet towards the ceiling and herself half way into the fridge so I can relate to what you're saying  (it made for quite a laugh for all of us who was there, including my boat partner) We have been trying to come up with different solutions to the fridge, and currently its between building custom metal baskets/boxes or installing a front loaded or drawer based unit when we replace the workspace top in the spring. |
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 13, 2019 13:35:50 GMT
Replacing workspace tops will be a bit job, I would be interested to know how you get on with it
I found the front door and frame (I think that from Isotherm through a supplier in Germany) for 40USD and I was thinking sealing the top of the fridge and just having a front loading door
Cheers
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Post by markevans on Jan 13, 2019 13:59:09 GMT
Front access at sea? We are tall so no issues with top access. I have removed the spring door supports since they can't be trusted instead using line and clip to make sure door cannot drop on heads and hands. I may add gas struts as others have done in due coarse but this is simple, works and is maintenance free.
We removed the old engine driven fridge system and move the previously retrofitted evaporator panel to the fore end of the chest. We have one large chest with 2 access doors, one small and one large. The Frigoboat compressor (small one 35 not 50) is behind the starboard bench seat adjacent to the galley coolbox we use as a washing drainer. We also blanked off the original holes to the bilge drain and various other wastage points. This has considerably improved the effectiveness and efficiency. The compressor is No more frosting up, lower energy consumption, and varying temperature zones from frozen to fresh as tested with IR thermometer. Must have lost about 40Kgs in the process - the boat, not me!
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Post by alenka on Jan 13, 2019 19:24:48 GMT
Replacing workspace tops will be a bit job, I would be interested to know how you get on with it I found the front door and frame (I think that from Isotherm through a supplier in Germany) for 40USD and I was thinking sealing the top of the fridge and just having a front loading door Cheers Any chance you might post a link to the Iotherm door? Thanks |
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 14, 2019 0:36:12 GMT
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Post by alenka on Jan 14, 2019 17:43:08 GMT
Thanks
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Post by zaphod on Jan 14, 2019 21:13:42 GMT
One of the big drawbacks to front loading fridges is energy efficiency. Think of cold air as a fluid. Because it is cold it is heavier than the air around it. With a top loader you can access the contents without losing much cold air. With a front loader, every time you grab yourself a beer you dump the entire box full of cold air on the floor and replace it with hot ambient air. Your refrigeration then needs to run to remove all that heat. The result is you that your refrigeration is going to run far more frequently and draw far more battery power when compared to a chest style box.
Maybe not a concern when at the dock on shore power, but definitely a consideration if you are running on your battery bank frequently.
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 15, 2019 2:54:24 GMT
Front access at sea? We are tall so no issues with top access. I have removed the spring door supports since they can't be trusted instead using line and clip to make sure door cannot drop on heads and hands. I may add gas struts as others have done in due coarse but this is simple, works and is maintenance free. We removed the old engine driven fridge system and move the previously retrofitted evaporator panel to the fore end of the chest. We have one large chest with 2 access doors, one small and one large. The Frigoboat compressor (small one 35 not 50) is behind the starboard bench seat adjacent to the galley coolbox we use as a washing drainer. We also blanked off the original holes to the bilge drain and various other wastage points. This has considerably improved the effectiveness and efficiency. The compressor is No more frosting up, lower energy consumption, and varying temperature zones from frozen to fresh as tested with IR thermometer. Must have lost about 40Kgs in the process - the boat, not me! Hi Mark Thanks for the info I fitter gas struts already, now working on improving the insulation, and as the plate has a blockage and needs replacing, I'm considering replacing the 18yo motor Do you have info on the side of your plate or motos r? Regards |
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Post by andreshs1 on Jan 15, 2019 3:01:34 GMT
One of the big drawbacks to front loading fridges is energy efficiency. Think of cold air as a fluid. Because it is cold it is heavier than the air around it. With a top loader you can access the contents without losing much cold air. With a front loader, every time you grab yourself a beer you dump the entire box full of cold air on the floor and replace it with hot ambient air. Your refrigeration then needs to run to remove all that heat. The result is you that your refrigeration is going to run far more frequently and draw far more battery power when compared to a chest style box. Maybe not a concern when at the dock on shore power, but definitely a consideration if you are running on your battery bank frequently. Hi there That is very true, and in preparation I fitted 360w of solar. Regards |
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) to check the link underneath , you will find alot of info coming from experts ( not me mind you ) on the hows and whens of boat refrigeration .
(it made for quite a laugh for all of us who was there, including my boat partner)
