[C320-list] A-B Cold Machine: power consumption

[Russell and Kathleen Vance]

We have had our C320 for about 7 months now.  It is our 5th Catalina, but 
only the first with refrigeration.  We sail in Southwest Florida, where the 
summers are HOT!  Here is what we have been doing with the refrigerator, and 
we would appreciate some comments on our procedure:  When the engine is 
running or we are on shore power, we keep the fridge on.  While we are 
sailing or at anchor, we run the refrigerator during the day time, usually 
for 12 hours.  We turn the fridge off at night.  We run the engine for an 
hour in the morning, and turn the fridge back on for another 12 hours.  We 
run the engine for another hour at night  & turn the fridge off.

When we are going out and will be on the hook, we put ice blocks in the 
bottom.  Usually I will freeze four or five 1/2 gallon milk jugs and use 
these as blocks (they seem to fit nicely, & don't melt into the bilge).  We 
recently took a 12 day trip to the Dry Tortugas and  put two 25lb blocks in 
the bottom of the  fridge.  They were about 2/3 gone by the end of the trip.

Thanks for any ideas.  The boat is a 1997 Cataline 320, hull # 407.
Kathleen & Russell Vance
Shadowfax
Cape Coral, FL