If I want to put a fridge on my boat I can go buy
a 12v Marine fridge for $500 or so.

Why can't I go buy a $100 dorm size fridge from
Walmart/Home-Depot, etc and use a $50 inverter
to power it?

any advice?

I don't understand why items used on boats have
to cost more just because they are 'marine'.

-mike

The marine fridge will run when not level (the boat is rocking), it will
switch from 12v to 120v automatically, it will take the pounding and abuse
that the dorm refrigerator will not take. The built in inverter will run
only when the thermostat is calling for cooling, saving power.

All that being said, a refrigerator draws a lot of power. The one furnished
with my boat will run one battery (also furnished with my boat) down to
where it can't start the engine in about twelve hours. To use the
refrigerator without shore power you really need a bank of deep cycle
batteries as a house system. I am planning on installing such a system, in
the meantime I use the refrigerator to hold a cooler.

Ron


"Michael Sutton" wrote in message
om...
If I want to put a fridge on my boat I can go buy
a 12v Marine fridge for $500 or so.

Why can't I go buy a $100 dorm size fridge from
Walmart/Home-Depot, etc and use a $50 inverter
to power it?

any advice?

I don't understand why items used on boats have
to cost more just because they are 'marine'.

-mike

The marine fridge will run when not level (the boat is rocking), it will
switch from 12v to 120v automatically, it will take the pounding and abuse
that the dorm refrigerator will not take. The built in inverter will run
only when the thermostat is calling for cooling, saving power.


I think you mean built-in compressor.

Marine fridges are almost all DC by nature. Some will also run on AC when a
converter, like a battery charger, changes the power to DC. :-)

The guy who is considering buying a WAL MART fridge and a $50 inverter to save
money? 1) He'll spend more dough for the batteries to run such a setup than a
far more efficient marine refirgerator would cost and 2) Rube Goldberg
solutions are not usually successful in the long run. 3) Is there a $50
inverter that will run a refrigerator?

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
The marine fridge will run when not level (the boat is rocking), it will
switch from 12v to 120v automatically, it will take the pounding and
abuse
that the dorm refrigerator will not take. The built in inverter will run
only when the thermostat is calling for cooling, saving power.


I think you mean built-in compressor.

Marine fridges are almost all DC by nature. Some will also run on AC when
a
converter, like a battery charger, changes the power to DC. :-)

The guy who is considering buying a WAL MART fridge and a $50 inverter to
save
money? 1) He'll spend more dough for the batteries to run such a setup
than a
far more efficient marine refirgerator would cost and 2) Rube Goldberg
solutions are not usually successful in the long run. 3) Is there a $50
inverter that will run a refrigerator?

What these two fine fellows said. I have a marine refrig and consider it
one of the better investments I made when outfitting the Contender.

Did I mention that it keeps the sammiches cool? ;)

Later,

Tom

(Michael Sutton) wrote in message . com...
If I want to put a fridge on my boat I can go buy
a 12v Marine fridge for $500 or so.

Why can't I go buy a $100 dorm size fridge from
Walmart/Home-Depot, etc and use a $50 inverter
to power it?

any advice?

I don't understand why items used on boats have
to cost more just because they are 'marine'.


so only one person who's done this? there's
got to be more!

anyone

On 3 Aug 2003 15:06:32 -0700, (Michael Sutton)
wrote:
(Michael Sutton) wrote in message . com...
If I want to put a fridge on my boat I can go buy
a 12v Marine fridge for $500 or so.

Why can't I go buy a $100 dorm size fridge from
Walmart/Home-Depot, etc and use a $50 inverter
to power it?

any advice?

I don't understand why items used on boats have
to cost more just because they are 'marine'.

so only one person who's done this? there's
got to be more!
================================================== ========
I have a non-marine Summit "under the counter" fridge on my boat that
is powered from an inverter when we are not running the generator. I
try to avoid using the generator except when underway or cooking, so
the inverter is supplying power from a bank of 4 golf cart batts about
18 to 20 hours a day. This works fine and the battery bank will run
the fridge for about 2 days without recharging if necessary.

My unit is a standard apartment sized fridge, and for some reason that
size costs considerably more than a "dorm" fridge even though it is
not a lot bigger. It was still substantially less than the $1,000
Sub-Zero that it replaced however. Is the Sub-Zero worth the extra 4
or 5 hundred? Time will tell I suppose but the Summit has performed
well over 4 years and done everything we needed.

I have one sitting right behind me as I type this about 30 miles north
of Ketchikan enroute to Juneau. The boat is gently rolling and the stuff
in the fridge is nice and cool as it has been for the couple of years
the "dorm" fridge has been mounted here.

I have used them on TransPacs when it was so rough they were airborne
half the time and they still worked fine as they spilled ice cold stuff
all over the place.

Rick

Rick wrote in message ...
I have one sitting right behind me as I type this about 30 miles north
of Ketchikan enroute to Juneau.

So how do you access the internet on the 'High Seas' ?

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 07:21:38 +0000, Michael Sutton wrote:

If I want to put a fridge on my boat I can go buy a 12v Marine fridge
for $500 or so.

Why can't I go buy a $100 dorm size fridge from Walmart/Home-Depot, etc
and use a $50 inverter to power it?

any advice?

I don't understand why items used on boats have to cost more just
because they are 'marine'.

-mike

Short answer: effiency and longevity.

The bar-fridge/inverter will work fine, but would draw a LOT of power from
your batteries. My NorCold (?) DC fridge draws 4 amps, which on a hot day
converts to under 100AH a day (including other draws like stereo,
lights...). The barfridge/inverter would probably draw 6-8A, resulting in
150AH a day or so (depending on duty cycle). You could stay on a hook for
about a day, tops, without Major Recharge, using golfcart batteries. I can
stay 2 days with a bit of help from my solar panel.

The barfridge is probably NOT stainless-steel. In a marine environment, it
would last 5 years, tops (and look pretty ratty after a year or two). I
replaced the compressor after 10 years of constant use, and the fan
several times, but the rest of the fridge is still fine.

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Rick wrote in message

Near Wrangell at the moment.


Sounds great! I went to the map to see where Wrangell was!!!
I assume your headed up the Eastern Passage.

Please add me to your email list if you send out a jornal
of your voyage. I'd really enjoy doing an Alaskan voyage
like that someday.

-mike