Refrigeration question

[Bolo]

A lot of Ericson sailboats ended up with a Adler/Barbour refrigeration conversion in the ice boxes and mine was one of them. It works OK, probably draws more power than the newer Isotherm models, but it has a rectangular "box" type evaporator that is mounted in top opening to the refrigerator box. It's can freeze anything that can fit in it but mostly for me it just gets in the way and we only keep the occasion frozen food or my vodka in it. I like to drink my vodka neat. A lot of times various items (catsup, mustard, soy sauce bottles, etc.) can also hide under the box evaporator making them hard to find and retrieve.

So I was wondering if a newer "flat" or even "L" shaped evaporator from Domestic who now seems to sell Adler/Barbour parts, can replace the freezer box opening up access to what's inside. Problem is, of course, age. The existing Adler/Barbour unit is at least 30 years old (I'm guessing) and I'm not sure if any newer evaporators or even cold plates will have the same fittings or if the gas inside is compatible.

Has anyone ever changed out their box type freezer/evaporator to a flat or "L" shaped one?

 

[bsangs]

I'm not familiar with the Adler/Barbour units, but my refrigeration system has what I assume you're referring to as a "flat" shaped evaporator. My Sea Frost compressor is under the starboard saloon lazarette, has a digital thermostat on the wall above the back opening of the forward icebox - which we use for dry goods primarily - and the flat cooling plate is attached to the slanted wall inside the main ice box. The compressor is wired directly to the battery, with an in-line fuse. I'm not sure if the previous owner changed to this setup from the Adler/Barbour setup you mentioned, or if it came this way. I just know it works very well and doesn't get in the way at all. (Sea Frost support is outstanding, btw. When I had to fix the compressor last year because of the previous owner's negligence, their suggestions saved me from wasting a lot of money.)

 

[peaman]

Replacing the old refrigeration system was one of the first projects I did on my hull #737. First, I gotta say you do not want to reuse any existing refrigeration components. Besides fitting compatibility (guaranteed with a 30 year old system), there will be issues with refrigerant and lubricant compatibility. As well as contaminants in the existing system, including the tubing.

I selected an Isotherm (Dometic?) unit sized for a six cubic foot box (I don't recall the model, but that's how they are listed by Isotherm), with a flat panel. The panel must have been at least 3 feet long, so I had to bend it (see instructions) and I had to carefully plan installation. In the original installation, the refrigerant tubing exited the forward end of the ice box, but that would not work with the new system. Again, with careful planning, I drilled a 1" hole in the aft end of the ice box, so I could feed the very long evaporator tubes through it, before sliding the evaporator panel into place. I mounted the compressor unit on top of the ice box, immediately outboard of the trash bin:



I'm very happy with the installation, and with the performance of the system. I'll try to remember to get part numbers for you if that might be useful.

The image below is NOT the new installation, but is what I removed. I bent and installed the new panel similar to what is shown here, but with a longer evaporator panel.

 

[Christian Williams]

Master Thread: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/thread...ricson-yachts-master-thread.6640/#post-155148

The first post has a link to a 32-3-oriented refrigeration thread.

 

[peaman]

I'll try to remember to get part numbers for you if that might be useful.

My system is Isotherm "Compact 2012" with flat evaporator plate 32"x8" which I bent in accordance with instructions, so the short leg is about 11", as shown in the image below:



I made a mock-up of the evaporator plate, using some cardboard, so that I could work out the procedure for installing the connected refrigerant tubing, followed by the evaporator plate. The tubing was carefully straightened and then fed through the new hole in the rear of the box. As the admiral carried the evaporator towards the box, I was in the cockpit locker carefully coiling the refrigerant tubing as I had planned, so that the delicate tubing would be handled as carefully and as little as possible. The evaporator has a single tube connected, but there is a tiny copper capillary tube contained within the outer tube. A kink in the line would be really bad news.