help with fridge install

[felthamscruiser]

hi as you know im new here anyway i have a electrilux gas/12v fridge i want to fit in my boat but how do i install exhaust outlet for fumes to escape ???

[paladin]

Sorry...just noticed your post......do you have the info/model number/installation manual or website information on your refrig so that I can look at it.....and then I'll get back to you...

[Bob Adams]

A propane fridge ala RV??? I'd sell it and get something else. Propane, being heavier than air is dangerous in a boat. People, with much care, get away with propane cook stoves, I don't think I'd chance a propane refer.

[Plover]

Felt,
I would have to agree with Bob Adams on that one! If it is an R/V fridge it will have to be lit from the back and all the venting is also done from the back which means simply, you are going to be wasteing a lot of space to use something you shouldn't! But, if you're going to do it anyway you are going to have to fabricate ducking for under venting for the flame and ducking for the back and run it to a chimmney on deck. All of it has to be vented very well and almost sealed. The interior of boats is somewhat small and Carbon Monoxide can build up very fast! Not to mention the fact that it is more then likely filled with Amonnia Gas and it is all thin wall carbon steel and won't last in a marine enviroment. The gas in them isn't like the stuff under the kitchen sink at home! It is some really nasty Sh*t! And you don't want to be around if it lets go! If you want cold beer, put 2 cups of kosher salt in a bucket with a gallon of water and a block of ice stir well and add beer, it will be ice cold in 5 minutes, and a hell of a lot safer.
Paul

[Gary E]

Propane in a boat???
That is so DANGEROUS... it's not about IF, it's about WHEN
it will BLOW UP and put you and all others in the BURN Hospital

Read the thread "J. Dillon, 11 years on a 27 footer,"

[S.V. Airlie]

Gary.. I tend to agree about propane. However, for cooking I am currently using one... I have sensors all over the heck and gone... Shutoffs etc...
Gotta be real careful obviously....

At least I don't have a GAS engine as well.....:rolleyes:

[S.V. Airlie]

Gary.. I tend to agree about propane. However, for cooking I am currently using one... I have sensors all over the heck and gone... Shutoffs etc...
Gotta be real careful obviously....

At least I don't have a GAS engine as well.....:rolleyes:

ps. felt.. Ya gotta a lot going on with that boat. I would worry about a frig later with everything else you may find yourself having to do...

PRIORITIES MAN, PRIORITIES!!!

[felthamscruiser]

hi thanks for all info but this boat had one installed im just fitting back in were it once was you all keep on about danger with gas but you all use a gas cooker????? these were made to be fitted in a liverboard boat and have the heat chimney and are sealed

[Bob Adams]

hi thanks for all info but this boat had one installed im just fitting back in were it once was you all keep on about danger with gas but you all use a gas cooker????? these were made to be fitted in a liverboard boat and have the heat chimney and are sealed

Just because it had one before don't make it right. In my mind, it means the previous owner was lucky. No, we all don't use propane, as a matter of fact I believe only one respondant does. A manually operated stove is a whole different deal than an automaticly operated refrigerator. Even then, a stove requires an outside mounted bottom vented tank storage locker, auto shut off in case of line rupture, shut off solenoids and the like. And the it's STILL dangerous. I know of NO LPG refrigerator suitable for installation in a boat.I hope we don't read bad things about you one day.

[Lew Barrett]

I'll stick my 2 cents in here too. Let me first say that I had a three way reefer on Rita for about 10 years, and I do understand the appeal. It's extremely easy on the boat when you're out at anchor, because propane doesn't draw DC, which electrical refrigeration does at an alarming rate. My propane reefer kept everything perfectly, including ice cream. So that's some good to say about it, and if that were all there was, it would be a great option.
However, the open flame is an issue, and even more is the failure mode of propane reefers, which use ammonia as their medium. When, not if, the open coils at the back of the reefer corrode through, they will release a load of ammonia into the boat that will truly wake you up, or put you to sleep permanently. When about three or four years ago I arrived the day before a big trip and opened the door to enter and load the food, I almost fell over.
The smell of ammonia was overpowering. The floor and counters were, oddly, littered with dead bugs. Well, not exactly littered, but nothing was alive on the boat. I knew in an instant what had happened.
OK, so doing just a modicum of research, you'll find out that "they" won't likely insure a boat with a three way reefer. Oh, you can ignore that it's there, or tell them it isn't, but if you ever need to collect on a claim.......
Finally, all the benefits of propane are to the cruising boat. If it's to be a liveaboard, what good will propane do at the dock? Look into a high efficiency AC/DC or DC only unit. Cleaner, less fuss and safer. Propane gives no benefits to a liveaboard, unless you'll be living off the grid. And even then, you'd be better off with robust systems to handle electric refrigeration. You'll need it all if you're going it alone.
I cook with gas on our boat, by the way, so I don't have an inherint fear of it, but I do respect it. If the reefer fails while you're away (or asleep) you risk alot.

[felthamscruiser]

at last someone who does and has used well my fridge has been rust proofed ie hamerite i will only be using fridge ie long week ends etc so not every day use but i really wanted ideas on how to do exhaust /vent through hull or deck fitting??

[Gary E]

at last someone who does and has used well my fridge has been rust proofed ie hamerite i will only be using fridge ie long week ends etc so not every day use but i really wanted ideas on how to do exhaust /vent through hull or deck fitting??

You have been told of the dangers, looks to me like you chose to ignore the advice. Now that I think about your situation, IF YOU KNEW anything at all about this, you'd not of asked the question in the first place. So, looks to me like your on your own. At least call in an expert to LOOK at YOUR instalation and maybe make some recomendations.

Sorry to be so blunt, but when your boat blows the He!! up with you init...
maybe then you'l wake up.

[Plover]

Felt,
It is true that you have a failing in taking good advise! What I can say is look at how a fire place chimmney works in any home The draft from the heat pulls the smoke up and out. Over the fire box the area called the flue that is designed to enhance the upward draft of smoke. In your case putting a box and a stove pipe isn't going to get it! Those refridgerators don't produce sufficiant heat to create the draft you are going to need. Any slight breeze is going to send all of it right back at you and your cabin. And as I said earlier you are going to have a Carbon Monoxide issue no matter what! If this thing you have was in a boat find out how they did it and contact the manufacturer and get the spec. sheet from them. And if they are out of buissness, I can only amagine why! And as you have said that its only for long weekends, I suggest mounting it on deck and putting the propane tank out there too! You won't be sacraficeing (Not sure if that's spelled right) any space and you will wake up after falling to sleep. Just remember,"better warm beer, then no beer"

[BETTY-B]

Disconnecting BETTY's propane refer was probably the second thing I did the day I bought her. The first was noticing that there was a splitter making two propane lines. One line was terminated with a rusty pair of vise grips! Yes it leaked. Long gone now....
The gas engine also bothered me enough to put in the best fuel line possible. A brand new tank. New spendy wendy fuel filter. Fuel pump and anything else all with stainless clamps doubled everywhere. Quadruple checked. The new blower is not enough either. I run it, then lift the floor boards up and wave usually the local "Yachting" magazine like crazy to make sure.
I'm not into fires on boats.
Actually me and BETTY helped pull a bunch of boats set adrift out of the way in a pretty famous Seattle fire. That was amazing being right in the middle of it. I just happen to be right next door at the Gas Works Marina dock party at the time. We left to pick up a friend who is a photographer for one of the local yachting mags at the SYC. The fire had just started when we got back. After our initial help, we got the hell out of the way. There was nothing to do but watch the sad story unfold.

[Bob Adams]

at last someone who does and has used well my fridge has been rust proofed ie hamerite i will only be using fridge ie long week ends etc so not every day use but i really wanted ideas on how to do exhaust /vent through hull or deck fitting??

I'd suggest you contact the manufacturer. I think giving advise on how to install this would be tantamont to conspirasy to assist suicide.It's a shame you can't take well intentioned advise. I hope luck is with you.

[StevenBauer]

If you are just fitting it back where it once was wouldn't it be obvious how it should be vented?


Steven

[willmarsh3]

I wish you luck in finding the appropriate and safe refrigerator for your boat.
My understanding is that the propane/ammonia type refrigerator is not suitable for a boat as it must stay level in order to operate correctly - such as is the case in a parked RV. Please see the right hand side of the FAQ.
http://www.gasrefrigeration.net/faq.htm

[Lew Barrett]

The way the reefer on my boat was vented (when I got it) was that a grid had been installed in the top panel. That was it. No other venting. The pilot that heats the ammonia is a very minimal flame. Mine was reliable while it ran, and never blew out. When running, you could put your hand over the open grid-work (beautifully fitted in mahogany, I'll add) and just feel the faintest warm air rising up. I wouldn't worry about the CO emissions; there's not enough to worry over in a leaky old wooden boat. Plover expresses the dynamics and physics well. Frankly, containing the out-gassing of that open flame is virtually impossible. It vents to the boat. Another reason why considering an electric powered unit might be of considerable consequence. I was happy to rid my boat of the old Norcold. I assume you have one of those, too. The new electric units are very efficient and work well. Spend the money to do it right the first time.
By the way, turning a refrigerator on and off every few days is, apart from being a PITA, not really that hot for the reefer.
Propane puts water in the air when it burns. Not much with such a small flame, but enough to notice.

[felthamscruiser]

ok when it had one in the seventys and shower heating etc it had a vent but then removed etc one last question if i cant put the fridge in as (UNSAFE)then how do i keep things cold ie my kids ice creams

[S.V. Airlie]

felt.. Sorry.. From my perspective, the kids can make do without ice cream for a weekend...( based on your previous posts, you will only use the boat on weekends )...:rolleyes:

[Lew Barrett]

The easiest answer is a Waeco portable for weekend use. They're available in a wide range of sizes. Or, install an electric in the space you already have. Reefers are pretty much standard size.

http://www.waecousa.com/page.aspx?p=proportref

[willmarsh3]

I like what I see on the WAECO website and I may consider getting on of these myself.

[BETTY-B]

If you make sure to keep your bank up, cant you just use the AC/DC option on that refer still? I know I can use my crappy ol' fridge at anchor for a couple days before I have to do a run to charge. Make sure it has had plenty of time to get cold the day before leaving and dont open it for no reason. Use a cooler on the aft deck for drinks...

DAN

[Bob Adams]

If you make sure to keep your bank up, cant you just use the AC/DC option on that refer still? I know I can use my crappy ol' fridge at anchor for a couple days before I have to do a run to charge. Make sure it has had plenty of time to get cold the day before leaving and dont open it for no reason. Use a cooler on the aft deck for drinks...

DAN

Beer is better on ice anyway:cool:

[felthamscruiser]

now drinking on a boat is a no no also smoking more so on a wooden boat (anyway) like the idea of using the 12volt on my fridge but got told it will kill my battery very quick how about using gas to speed up the fridge then switch to 12v when running??

[BETTY-B]

now drinking on a boat is a no no

I guess I'm done then. Anyone looking for a semi restored, 1933, 42' bridgedeck cruiser? How about some Boston Whalers? Bronze heads, windlasses, lights, faucets, pulleys, cleats, hooks, latches, etc, etc...? Outboards and cans? All different hoses and fittings? Memories?

Go ahead and use gas. A bonus would be you can keep the kids warm while they eat their ice creams.... Real warm....

DAN

[Bob Adams]

Who said drinking was a no no? Or smoking? I agree, toss all the accumulated knowlage here and do what you want. My last post on this thread.