"John Cassara" <jcassara.TakeThisOut@optonline.net> wrote in message news:<8Qc5d.13147$6X1.12194606@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>...
> RV units are often have three power options, 12v/120v/propane. The propane
> side is an open flame so don't atempt to use it or spend extra because it
> there. Look for the dual power only units.
Maybe it would be more accurate to view refer selection as
usage-driven, but I personally have never seen the ultimate sense in a
12vdc refer, whether RV, marine, cheap, very costly, or otherwise.
This is after living with one of the RV variety.
ISTM that low-volt DC operation is more suited to casual gunkholing or
limited coastal cruising, also where corrosion-proof marine
construction is relatively unimportant - and the ease of running any
small shoreside AC unit from an inverter & its far lower cost
outweighs the large price difference for RV or marine 12v units.
ISTM that for blue-water, and where ship's engine is routinely run
daily to charge batteries & such, an engine-mounted compressor (even a
salvaged & adapted auto airconditioning unit if one is on the cheap &
is handy) with a suitable evap is a much better deal all the way
around when used to recool a well-insulated icebox & make ice. It is
also one less separate machine to fail & fool with, versus an
easily-accessible compressor. It is unfortunate that "kits" of these
simple parts sold for yachts are quite costly, but there is a lot of
room for doing the same without them at low cost (given some hands-on
knowledge of refrigeration).
I have 2 of the Peltier coolers, one a large famous Kool-whatever &
the other a small $20 closeout special whatever. I find them next to
useless versus the space they occupy where refrigeration is really
needed (YMMV), as they will only cool to around 40F below ambient (and
that on a good day, with a lot of time, pre-cooled contents, almost
never-opened, optimal ventilation and a little luck thrown in). When
I first started casual coastal dubbing around I used the big one for
the first trip, then went back to block ice. They are good for using
in the back of your 4WD on summer off-road jaunts to make the soda &
beer warm up more slowly<g>, and the small one lives in my little Geo
Tracker where it hold exactly 9 cans that you may need a tool to pry
out of it unless you turn it upside down. This is good because it
keeps the riff-raff from snitching your cold ones. They cool very
unevenly. A constant 4 amp drain can be a serious matter, and also is
remarkably energy-inefficient in terms of refrigeration compared to a
compressor.
And if one is cruising & catching or foraging seafood/etc. for real
when opportunities arise, yes, one wants ice. Besides, ice (or its
equivalent) is what keeps food safely refrigerated when any unit is
not being powered - which happens all the time at sea without notice
for one reason or another. IMHO anything which cannot make ice (i.e.,
remove heat to below freezing to provide latent storage capacity)
isn't practical as refrigeration for the power & space it usurps, no
matter how low-budget one may be (as I am). Again YMMV.
If one is set upon having 12vdc refrigeration, there is a 3rd
alternative: highly efficient new chest fridges & freezers in the 5
ft/cu variety marketed by the solar pwr industry. They are bigger
than marine or RV units (due to much more insulation), and comparable
in price but far more efficient. I am certain one would not fit
through the companionway of S/V Free Three II, but may be perfect for
motorcraft. These draw little enough to run directly from panels, and
with certain usage patterns no battery may be needed.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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