Compact refrigerators that are not just a box...

[Osprey69]

Soon to be moving on-board and have been spoiled by our prior home's refrigerator. The boat has a plain jane box. Available dimensions are 68" high, 26" depth and 28" width. Looking for good source of household/RV fridges for that odd size.

Lots of noise on the inter-web and thought I would cut through the clutter and ask the "experts" (as a life-long sailor my experience has been limited to "built in's" with the usual external Danfoss propelled rig cooling things down).

Perhaps my expectations are unreasonable.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jleonard]

I bought a Norcold, aka "never cold" and will NOT recommend them. Very poor warrantee coverage on a boat.

 

[CharlieJ]

Take a look at the Tundra brand. Very efficient and, of course, pricey.

 

[alormaria]

I've had a Chinese Haier on board running every summer since 2000. Either dock power or Heart inverter.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Summit, we installed one on our boat 2 years ago, and are extremely happy with it. Ted did a post on installing this fridge on his boat and that’s where we got the info, Ill try and find the post and share.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Here ya go!


https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=711500&postcount=1

 

[wkearney99]

And before you wander too far down the rabbit hole of trying to find something that will fit an oddball space...

Check with a carpenter about having the space changed to fit something with the features you want. Sometimes rearranging some trim/cabinetry can be a lot less money than finding some fridge unit made out of unobtanium.

And if there's suitable windows, consider them fair-game for removal to use as a pass-through if the entry doors aren't large enough.

Just points to consider.

 

[catalinajack]

And before you wander too far down the rabbit hole of trying to find something that will fit an oddball space...

Check with a carpenter about having the space changed to fit something with the features you want. Sometimes rearranging some trim/cabinetry can be a lot less money than finding some fridge unit made out of unobtanium.

And if there's suitable windows, consider them fair-game for removal to use as a pass-through if the entry doors aren't large enough.

Just points to consider.

We did as wkearney99 suggests here. I ripped out the old enclosure and built brand new. The only mistake I made in sizing the enclosure was to not allow space to add more insulation. But, a caution is necessary. Some household units radiate heat from the sides of the fridge. You absolutely should not insulate these surfaces. This is also a significant disadvantage of stuffing household fridges into these small enclosures, heat scavenging. Boat fridges, such as the Vitrifrigo, radiate heat from the back of the unit enabling extra insulation on the sides and top.notice in the pictures that their is a gap along the bottom. This allows air to be drawn into the enclosure. I added muffin fans, powered by the Vitrifrigo circuitry, at the side vents on each side.

 

[Osprey69]

Thanks to all! Great suggestions. Will close loop upon resolution.

 

[wkearney99]

I had a Dometic unit that had support on it's power supply circuit board to add a 12v fan to help move more air around the compressor. It was a simple thing to add and did help because the way the cabinetry in that boat was set up.

For the current boat we've gone with two Vitrifrigo units that have external compressors and have them mounted where they get better airflow. That wasn't the point of choosing them, however, I was after having fridges that were 'all box' without the slanted or otherwise excluded areas inside to accommodate the compressor.

Both of these situations were for small fridges, not a household-sized unit, but most of the advice still applies. Good airflow for heat dissipation is key to efficiency and lifespan of any refrigerator. If it can't exchange the heat effectively the compressor works much harder, taking more energy and wearing out faster.

 

[FF]

Check and see if an RV fridge will fit the existing hole.

Many today have modern smart 12v compressors and are no worse power wise than the usual marine unit.