Reefer giving me the cold shoulder

Hey all,

My fridge is not getting cold anymore. The fan runs and it sounds the same as it did before- but no cold. The compressor was replaced by the PO 10 mos ago so I don't think it is that but you now know everything I know about fridges. There is a bicycle-style tube jutting out of the unit- do I just buy freon and fill it up?

Thanks,

Geoff

reefers are cool

Geoff, before you get freon to fill it, you need to know what type to get. There should be a tag attached to the compressor saying what it takes. If it has leaked down, there are a couple of things to do. You need to evacuate the system with a vacuum pump,to remove any contaminates ,ie moisture, and then recharge it and check for leaks. Good Luck, Harold

Adler Barbour?

Hey Geoff, Ben with the other Pau Hana here. If your unit is an older one and requires R-12 refrigerant you will have to hire a reefer tech to refill it. Since R-12 is controlled now it's way expensive. I think 1 pound which used to cost about $1 is over $100 now and you need a license to buy and use it.

By the time you hire a tech to charge the unit it may be more cost effective to replace it with a 134a unit. I did find some stuff on the web about R 12 direct replacements.
http://www.autocool-refrigerants.com/

While i was back east visiting my folks a few weeks ago, i found in my Dad's shop about 15 one pound cans of R-12. If I can get him to mail them out to me you are welcome to a can of it. Should be more than enough to charge your system. Dad is worried about the legal aspects of shipping them and I wasn't about to pack them in my luggage. So i need to figure that one out.....

Let me know if you are in the Bay area soon

Ben

Hey Ben I see you have what looks like the Doyle Stack Pack system for your main. How do you like it and if you did it over what would you change? My main is getting tired and I was thinking of going to that set up.


Ted Reshetiloff
89' E 38-200
Sovereign Nation

Cold shoulder

Thanks Ben,

The whole unit was replaced 10 months ago so I am assuming it is a newer type unit not using the R12.

So if I check it and it is a 134a unit- do I then just get the can of goo and give it a good filling or do I need to do the whole evacuation thingy too?

Does 10 months seem like a reasonable timeframe to last (running a lot of the time) or does that seem short and I should be concerned with a leak?

Thanks,

G-

10 month old unit should not need new freon. My unit is oem from 89' and still works fine. You have a leak somewhere. If yours is set up like mine the compressor is in the strbd cockpit locker with 2 copper lines running from the compressor to the icebox. There is a section of line tha runs behind the engine and can be sen in the aft cabin access under the cushion where you can get to the stuffing box. If a stuffing box leaks it can spray salt water in that area. My lines have a spot with some corrosion there and I suspect it will develop a leak there eventually. Thats the first place I would look. Otherwise best bet is to check the whole run from compressor to icebox unit. Look for leaks in the line and if you dont spot something obvious you should have a tech look at it. What they will do is charge the unit with a dye tracer. Then all of the leaks can be found and fixed and the unit can be charged with freon. You can also just recharge it your self and hope the leak is slow and will get youthrough another 10 months but I would have a tech dye test it. What type of unit is it? Adler Barbour is most common.

You have a leak.

Does the unit have "Quick Conect fittings" these are user connectable fittings that are prone to leaks, If you installed it and it has fittings, or if someone else installed it and it has "Quick conects make sure they are tight. Even tight they are prone to leaking, and I refuse to use them in the systems that I manufacture.

You should get over 5 years of reliable service (most of the time 10+) without having any issues with a hermetically sealed unit correctly charged without leaks.

Find the leaks first, then get additional refigerant.

Guy

Leak.....

Hey Geoff,
10 months is not very long. Like Guy said, you should be thinking years for a life expectancy. The Adler Barbour on my Morgan 416 was just replaced 2 years ago after running trouble free since it was installed on the boat new in 1982. I think they tend to leak less if you leave them running. I think the oil drains away and the seals dry out if they sit idle for extended periods of time.

Anyway the refrigerant type should be boldly displayed on the compressor. Adding freon is simple but you should use a pressure gauge on the high and low pressure sides to get the correct charge ( unless you drain the system empty and measure by weight the charge ) Unless the system has a major leak you shouldnt need to evacuate the system (if there is still some charge in the system)

Ben

A friend just got R12 on eBay for a good price, if you need to get some, get it on eBay.

Regarding the compressor- It may use Freon even if it's 10 months old. If it's a replacement of a 15 year old fridge, it may be the exact same part.

Refridgerant 132a

OK- My fridge is a Nova Kool LT 201. It uses the refridgerant 132a but the customer service people at West Marine (I know, a non-sequitor) looked at me like I was the freak-of-the-week. They carry none of it. Where do I get it?

Thanks,

G-

freon...

Are you sure its not 134a?? You can get that in 1 lb cans at Kragen, autozone, etc.

132... 134.... whatever!

Yeah- it is 134a. I called Nova Kool and they said I had to get a refer-tech to recharge it. They also gave me a pretty good troubleshooting list to figure out the problem first (including if the compressor is dead then what is causing it). I will try that then recharge.

Thanks!