| Having marine refrigerator can be a pleasant luxury or | | | | problems are more common in used units but even |
| a critical necessity depending on the kind of sailing you | | | | new marine refrigerators can be subject to them. Buy |
| do. However adding one to your galley causes a | | | | quality merchandise from trusted vendors to minimize |
| substantial increase in electrical demands. Unlike other | | | | these concerns. |
| appliances such as a microwave, the draw is fairly | | | | Daily use |
| constant so you need to ensure that you have the | | | | As mentioned above, a boat refrigerator runs most |
| power capacity to keep everything running well. | | | | efficiently when kept full. However don't pack the unit |
| As a result, it is important to make sure your boat | | | | tightly as cool air must circulate inside to provide the |
| refrigerator is running as efficiently as possible. | | | | best cooling. |
| Occasional maintenance will keep the unit running with | | | | Adjust the thermostat as needed. Optimal temperature |
| as little power draw as possible. | | | | is 37 degrees Fahrenheit for refrigerators and 0 |
| Purchase and installation | | | | degrees for freezers. If yours doesn't have a built-in |
| The first thing is to make sure you buy a unit | | | | thermometer, get one so you can set it properly. A |
| appropriate to your needs and not larger. Not only do | | | | thermal barrier placed inside the refrigerator can |
| larger refrigerators draw greater power but they are | | | | separate the compartment into two areas. This allows |
| harder to keep full, another step to keep efficient | | | | one unit to act as both freezer and refrigerator. |
| operation. | | | | Wash the door gasket with soap and water every so |
| The boat refrigerator must be installed so that it gets | | | | often. This gasket wears much faster than on your |
| good airflow across the condenser and that air should | | | | refrigerator at home, so replace it once the seal has |
| be in the range of 70-90 F. Warmer or cooler air will | | | | been compromised. Dust off the condenser as the |
| make the condenser work harder. One particular | | | | dust acts as an insulating layer, preventing the |
| problem is that air, heated after passing over the | | | | condenser from operating properly. |
| condenser, cycles around and passes over it again. | | | | Other tips for proper use |
| Proper installation allows only fresh air flows across | | | | You should never run a marine refrigerator off the |
| the condenser then out of the area. | | | | ship's main battery. If your appliances drain the battery |
| There are several technical problems that can cause | | | | so much that you can't start the engine, then you are |
| power issues from day one. An improperly installed | | | | in trouble! For best performance, attach it to an |
| thermostat, too little or even too much refrigerant, | | | | auxiliary, deep cycle battery that will recharge as the |
| incorrect refrigerant/air mix, and so on. These | | | | engine is running. |