[C320-list] Another dead reefer

[Jack Brennan]

Hi Doug:

My refrigerator was in similar condition when I bought my 320 two years ago. My original thought was to repair it to save a few refit bucks, but I quickly found out it didn’t make much sense if it was anything more complicated than a fuse. (My fuses were fine.)

A new Adler-Barbour Cold Machine is about $1,300 complete at Defender.

Getting a pro to even look at the old fridge would run a couple of hundred dollars. Then there would be charges for adding new refrigerant plus replacing any bad parts, several of which would cost hundreds of dollars more, with labor tacked onto that. 

Very quickly, it would add up to the price of a new fridge. And a repaired old one is not nearly as efficient as a new one. They’ve made big strides in engineering over the last 20 years.

The new ones are fairly easy to install. There have been several threads in the recent past on how to do it.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay










Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Doug Treff
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2020 3:52 PM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Another dead reefer

Allan, thanks. I will definitely check the fuses.

--
Doug Treff
doug at treff.us

On Thu, Aug 13, 2020, at 3:02 PM, Allan Field wrote:
> The Adler Barbour refrigerators have 2 blade fuses on the panel. You might
> want to make sure they are pushed in securely, the blades are clean, and
> they are not blown. The fix could be that simple.
> 
> Allan S. Field
> Sea Shadow - C387, #103 (formerly C320, #808)
> Columbia, MD
> 
> On Thu, Aug 13, 2020 at 2:54 PM Doug Treff <doug at treff.us> wrote:
> 
> > Dave,
> >
> > I wish that were the case for me. Mine does not seem to run at all. The
> > plate in the fridge does not cool at all. ?Nor does the compressor seem to
> > run, and no fan. I'm going to troubleshoot before replacement but it seems
> > bad initially.
> >
> > --
> > Doug Treff
> > doug at treff.us
> >
> > On Thu, Aug 13, 2020, at 2:03 PM, Dave Hupe wrote:
> > >  Regarding Doug's apparently dead frig, when I initially tried my
> > > refrigerator, it ran (the compressor only....quietly) and got cold, but
> > > the cooling fan didn't run which I figured was not right. In looking at
> > > my refrigerator manual, it appeared that the fan should run
> > > continuously anytime the compressor is running.  I researched
> > > replacement fans [4.68" (or 120mm) square by 1" (or 25 mm) thick
> > > "muffin" fan] and located this inexpensive one from Jameco Electronics
> > > for $9 then ($15 now) plus shipping which installed without incident
> > > (although hard to do inside the confines of the rear compartment) and
> > > has run perfectly
> > > since
> > https://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&freeText=2170927&langId=-1&productId=2170927&storeId=10001&krypto=fIN5Q673zDAP8XJ79wLl72l3xJYnRJ1iI1V1Srx31wLXxHH33Jr4t8aRHJdrUK9PaSgN5uxxfeibP30je2tXy9NyLjxzT69qPvheOj7wAfc%3D&ddkey=https%3AStoreCatalogDrillDownView
> > >
> > > Doug mentioned about planning to rebed his propane tank to eliminate
> > > leakage that may be dripping on his refrigerator. When I bought my
> > > boat, I discovered very significant leakage there.  The seal was in
> > > really poor shape and unlike other lockers on the boat, there is no lip
> > > around the locker that diverts water.
> > >
> > > I found that after removing the tank, I only needed to temporarily
> > > unhook the water drain hose at the bottom of the propane "pan".  I did
> > > not have to remove the gas lines at all .... the lines were plenty long
> > > enough to be able to unscrew the pan (only 4 screws .... not good) and
> > > pull it up high enough to clean up and redo the seal.  I sent a few
> > > photos directly to Doug.  If interested I can also send these to
> > > others.
> > >
> > >
> > > Dave Hupe
> > > 1994 C320 #32
> > >
> > >
> >
>