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Old 05-14-2013, 08:59 PM   #2
rjtrane
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City: Palmetto Bay
Vessel Name: Sunshine
Vessel Model: Island Pilot DSe 12m Hybrid
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 268
There's no free lunch. A modern, store-bought, fridge, AC or DC is going to use essentially the same amount of power per cubic foot. That said, you can get a lot more fridge for the dollar in a home-style AC vs. boat DC ones.

If you have a GOOD inverter with low overhead (check the amperage draw when no AC items are running) I'd recommend a good, high tech AC unit. The money you save over a DC one can go to more AHs in your battery bank.

If you have 72" of height you can find a good, full size such as Sanyo, LG or Hitachi. What's in common with these brands? All Asian. Some models have high end features, ice makers, drawers, glass shelves, polycarbonate bins. And they tend to be energy efficient. You can read the yellow annual usage tag to figure out daily watt usage. Divide by 12 for 12 volt amps - add about 10% for inverter overhead. Times 24 for daily battery amp hours used.

Many boat DC boat fridges were engineered decades ago and look it.
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Reuben Trane
"Sunshine" - Island Pilot DSe 12m
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