Icebox/Refrigeration on Ericson Yachts [Master Thread]

[e38 owner]

For E32-3 Refrigeration specifically see this thread

We ussually stay on our boat just for the weekends.
The orginal thermal fridge that came with the boat just doesn't work.
For years because we have just not wanted to pump out the cooler each weekend we have brought food on the boat and stored it in a 48 qt cooler on the starboard side.

It has come time that this to is getting old, What have other 38 owners done for refridgeration etc and how well does it work, we are concerned about putting refridgeration in the large icebox because things roll towards the back and are diffuicult to reach.

Thanks for the input
Jeff
1981 Ericson 38-Shalom

 

[TRMN8R]

I'm not a 38 owner, but, refridgeration is refridgeration. This summer, I stayed on my e27 probably 30 nights or so when I wasn't out of town on business. Some stays were up to 5 days. I used a Koolatron plugged into the AC shore power, and used the built in primarily for refreshments, and non-perishables that just needed to be chilled. I'd load my built in with 2 bags of ice which lasted two days or so. It worked for the most part with the exception of salads stuff etc which doesn't seem to make it past a couple days at most. This scenerio worked pretty well, although I'm exploring other options. BTW, the Koolatron works on both 12v/120v. I bought the adaptor.

 

[rwthomas1]

My E38 came with an Adler Barbour system installed in the factory icebox. Its a bit of an energy hog since the factory insulation, seals etc. in the icebox are lacking. To counter this we do two things: Add blocks of ice to jumpstart the cooling process and plug the boat into shore power overnight to run the reefer. Doing this pre-cooling before a trip will make 3 blocks and 2 bags of cubes last 4-5 days. We also run the reefer whenever the engine is on. Pumping out the reefer is easy enough. Ours is plumbed to a footpump that dumps into the sink. RT

 

[S Ellis]

Have a look at the Waeco refrigerators. The portable ones are great. They look like an icebox but are a compressor driven fridge/freezer. I've had one on my 32 for the last couple of summers. I just put it in the quarter berth and plug it in to a 12v socket. They are very low draw and we can easily sit on the hook for a couple of days without dragging the batteries down too much. The built in icebox is now the "beverage" cooler...acouple of blocks of ice keep all the wobbly pops etc cold for a long time! Keep the food in the fridge...no more water logged vegies!

 

[tenders]

I haven't found it worth the time to beef up the insulation and figure out a more robust electrical system to support more than the existing Adler-Barbour fridge.

Several years ago I plumbed the hand pump for the galley sink, which I never used, into the drain line for the cooler/fridge.

It now takes about 30 seconds to pump the melted icewater out of the fridge and another 30 seconds to scoop out the vestigial ice out of the cooler.

 

[dwigle]

Our 38 still just had an icebox when we bought it. Installing an Alder Barbour super cold was fairly easy in the aft locker by the sink. I'm guessing that you have the same configuration with the galley on starboard. I put the compressor on a shelf in the cockpit locker just behind the cabin. We leave it on 24-7 so there's always a cold beverage waiting when we get there, plus we don't have to haul condiments and such back and forth. It is a long reach around the back of the sink, but I think there's more usable space than in the forward locker.

If you don't need all the room, you could block some of the back with rigid insulation which would make things easier to reach and the refer wouldn't have to work as hard.

Rob is correct when he says it is a power hog, we counter some of this by turning it all the way up the night before a trip and whenever the engine is running, then down so it will just keep the ice frozen to conserve power. With a solar panel, we are usually only down about 20-25 amps a day.

Good luck,

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
E38 #8

 

[rwthomas1]

I am debating the value of a complete galley rebuild including a new icebox made of epoxy and foam with a real insulated lid and gaskets. New Corian countertops and an undermount sink as well.... The AB system would work much better if the insulation was up to it. RT

 

[u079721]

We found the ice box on our 1989 E38-200 to be so huge that we could stuff it with 10 blocks of ice at a time. So we just decided to use ice while cruising, and never even ran our Norcold fridge unit except when we were motoring (every third or fourth day) or at the dock (never). The great thing about this was that our electrical usage was so low that we never had to run the engine while anchored just to charge the battery.

Emptying the ice box of the melt water isn't that hard, and only took about 25 strokes with the foot pump each morning. Or if you're really lazy, check out the wash down pump installation I wrote up (which can be found under the owners and projects section of this site). If you rig it the way I did you could even use the wash down pump to empty your ice box! Which does sound silly I admit, but each fall when I winterized the wash down pump I would fill the system with antifreeze by adding a few gallons to the ice box and pumping it through the hoses - so it does work.

 

[e38 owner]

Thanks for all the input

Thanks for all the input. It provided several ideas to discuss with my first mate

 

[Bob Robertson]

Hi Craig,
We installed a new Frigoboat system a couple of years ago in our Ericson 38. We have the have the Frigoboat Keelcooler setup and have found it to be remarkably efficient.
A number of other sailors in our marina have also installed the system and all are very happy with it, they also cruise and agree that it is very efficient.
We installed the compressor in one of the seldom used storage lockers under one of the port side salon cushions.

Enjoy,
Bob

 

[footrope]

Thanks, Bob. We'll probably be waiting until next year. Sounds like a good system. Did you divide the icebox into a freezer and cooler or did you use the cooling plate formed into a freezer?

 

[Bob Robertson]

We installed the evaporator listed below. It's not huge, but it works for us. We haven't gotten a door for it as yet, but even without the door it keeps chicken and ice cream frozen without a problem.

Bob


160H Evaporator - 12.5"w x 4.5”h x 8.5”d

 

[Dan Morehouse]

I installed an Isotherm unit on my E-38 that uses an oversized thru-hull to contain a coil of copper tubing through which the refrigerant is run. This thru-hull doubles as the galley sink drain, and replaces the original thru-hull for that. The movement of water up & down in the galley drain hose and past the coiled copper tubing cools the refrigerant in the tubing, and should be far more efficient than an air cooled unit, since ambient air temperature has no effect on it. The boat had no refrigeration installed when I bought it, so I have nothing to compare the performance of this new unit with. But my problem is the same as Rob's...the system works too hard to overcome the woefully inadequate insulation and lid on the icebox. It has an electronic control that senses excess current availability when the engine is running, and it speeds up the compressor to take advantage of it, thus freezing the holding plate quicker. It would be a killer system if there were thicker insulation in the box and a snug, well insulated lid. And unfortunately, that's going to be the limiting factor in any system you eventually install. The box is bound to make your system look bad.

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"

 

[Willpatten]

Isotherm installation

Dan, I'm considering an Isotherm for my E38-200 and have a few follow-up questions:
1. are you saying that you used the existing through-hull for the sink drain? I'd love to avoid adding another hole in the boat.
2. where did you park the compressor? I'm thinking of putting it under the sink/below the drawers.
3. what model Isotherm did you use?

 

[Dan Morehouse]

No new holes are needed, but the existing through-hull for your galley sink drain must be replaced with Isotherm's larger thru-hull. This necessitates hauling your boat, removing the existing thru-hull, cutting a larger hole, and installing the new thru-hull. I did mine when I had the boat out for bottom paint. The new thru-hull has a pair of copper lines protruding from the body of it which are charged with refrigerant. These lines have to be fed through the enlarged hole in the hull as you are seating the new thru-hull. The lines are soldered thru the body of the thru-hull, and form a tight coil inside the enlarged section of the fitting where they are exposed to the water surrounding the boat. A seacock is mounted atop the thru-hull once it's installed, and the normal drain hose from the galley sink is attached to the seacock. The movement of the boat (even sitting at the dock) causes water to move up & down in the drain hose, thus carrying off heat from the refrigerant coil which is immersed in the water, inside the larger thru-hull fitting and just inside the hull. The unit I installed is Isotherm's model ASU 3751 SP. Their website has pictures of the various system packages.
It appears your boat is the later model, and thus a different galley than my 1981. On mine, there is a small door over the sink that accesses a bin in the starboard lazarette where a trash can is kept (one of the little features that makes me smile every time I use it). This bin is actually too deep for a trash can to reach the top...so I mounted the compressor at the bottom and installed a panel over it to protect it. Now the trash can sits at a better height, and the compressor is completely unobtrusive, yet easily accessible. I worry a little about heat build up, but will probably install a computer fan to ventilate it. You will have to measure your available spaces for the compressor, but the good thing is that since it's not an air-cooled system, you have more latitude to select confined spaces that would not work for air cooled units. Just don't expect miracles if your icebox has weenie insulation.

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"

 

[Christian Williams]

Many of us have a version of the Adler Barber/Dometic "cold machine." It's a condenser (usually located in the lazarette) and an evaporator (inside the icebox). Not hard to install.

No through hull, air cooled, works well, runs at the dock 24/7. Makes ice cubes. Draws maybe 2 amps when on, which is a variable duration. Hard to say daily draw at anchor, but you don't have to leave it on all the time. At the dock, runs off DC system with battery bank continuously recharged by shore power.

I never use additional ice so there's nothing to drain. The pleasures of refrigeration were unknown to me until recently but are life-, or at least -beer, changing.

 

[David Grimm]

Many of us have a version of the Adler Barber/Dometic "cold machine." It's a condenser (usually located in the lazarette) and an evaporator (inside the icebox). Not hard to install.

No through hull, air cooled, works well, runs at the dock 24/7. Makes ice. Draws maybe 2 amps when on, which is a variable duration. Hard to say daily draw at anchor, but you don't have to leave it on all the time. At the dock, runs off DC system with battery bank continuously recharged by shore power.

I never use ice so there's nothing to drain. The pleasures of refrigeration were unknown to me until recently but are life-, or at least -beer, changing.

View attachment 42764

I use the same Adler Barber. Works great. My lipos keep it going all the time. It will freeze a drink solid but don't expext it to keep Ice Cream. A double strip of tri rib weather strip tape all around the lid including the hinge portion makes a huge difference in efficiency.

 

[Joliba]

Here is a link to a brief video explaining what we do on our 38-200:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qc10gnY3k5ledM2aVMcw8vwhHaPSV4SX/view?usp=drivesdk
Mike Jacker

 

[Mark F]

Hi Mike, that was a great video of what you do with your refrigerator organizing.

 

[PANorth]

Yes, thanks for the video. Very helpful to see what you are describing.