When my compressor failed I went for a completely new system. I installed a Isotherm SP system. It is very small, no fan, no pump. The power draw is much less and there is no noise! Makes the aft cabin more peaceful. I installed it on a shelf, high up under the galley sink and no one even knows it is there. The only down side is that the boat has to be hauled to install.
Here are three photos of the Isotherm installation. One is of the freezer section across the outboard section of the upper shelf in the fridge. I made a solid base and lid for it from starboard. We’ve had stuff frozen in there for weeks. The second is the compressor under the sink. The potable water pump is bigger. The third shows the PVC pipe that I ran the refrigeration lines through behind the stove.
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[Editor: Also see post of refrigerator door replacement.]
We appear to be getting a lot of condensation from the main forward facing fridge door. It is the original door and as far as I can tell the original door seal. I did the dollar bill test and it seems as if there is not a lot of drag on numerous spots around the seal. Has anyone replaced the seal on the door before? If so was it successful? And where would you get a new seal? I have seen in the photos that some have upgraded the complete door assy with the stainless steel version. Is this a better option long term and a successful fix? Is the door exchange/replacement a perfect swap or what is involved in that project?
Thanks,
Paul
Hull 170
Maybe I should take some pictures when I am at the boat this weekend. I added
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I have also been fighting the refrigerator door. It has to be defrosted weekly. The gasket material had been replaced by previous owners with weather-stripping. The hinge side gasket gets pushed off when you close the door, our door is warped from latching down at the top left corner with a noticeable gap around lower right corner. I was looking at a screw down hatch latch for the lower corner and decided to order the stainless steel door with commercial latch from Catalina. (I passed it off as a birthday present for my wife…she LOVED it) It is a special production part based on your hull number and was ordered JUST LAST WEEK! I can’t wait to get it. Cost is $505 plus shipping (Gulp) but over the next 10 years or so there is no doubt we will appreciate it.
John
C-380 #105
Lucky Star
Factory Supplied Fridge Door
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Insulating the box from the hanging locker is actually the easiest part of the project. I did it a while ago to get rid of the condensation on the locker wall. I’m now doing the rest of the box and it is a lot more work.
In the locker figure out where you are going to drill the holes. Put vertical strips of 2″ wide blue tape and drill the holes in the center of the strips. Drill 3/8″ diameter holes into the void. I spaced the holes about 6″ apart. Start the foam at the bottom and work up. The foam will expand out of the holes so be prepared to wipe it away if it looks like it will go beyond the tape. You will learn to get it so that only a small tails comes out, leave it. After it cures, trim it off with a knife,
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Some early Catalina 380″s may have void areas between the hull and the back of the refrigerators present insulation. Voids area will be found on both side as well as the frontal areas. Additional foam must be added to the bottom area, some sort of temporary cofferdam will be required in this area. The following procedure will increase the “R” value of the refrigerator.
Please Take Note:
This procedure will require great care in the drilling and injecting of the foam. Caution will be required when drilling thru the refrigerator outboard face to the void area. Drilling too deep will contact the hull or hull liner. Use caution when injecting this foam. It can become very messy stuff. Clean with lacquer thinner or acetone immediately. All drilled hoes to be 1/4″ diameter.
Step 1. Remove range
Step 2. Remove sole and sub sole in the area of
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The list below provides links to owner websites and their descriptions of improvements they have made to various aspects of the Catalina 380 series. I include them in this post so that they will be available to the search routines of this site.
As we provisioned IdleWild, our 2008 C387, for our first summer cruise, it was apparent that we would miss the ample refrigerator capacity that we had on our previous boat, a Catalina 320. I didn’t see any alternative but to put a large cooler in the aft cabin, at the foot of the berth. That cooler turned into a real nuisance. It tended to slide around underway, it was a trip hazard, and it had to be drained and restocked with ice every other day. On that 6-week trip we used the locker next to the galley sink for dry storage, but I started thinking about converting it into a second refrigerator. It was an attractive idea; the locker and lid are already insulated, but it would take considerable effort and expense to install a second compressor. Then, this spring, I
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Bob and Janet Swanson onboard English Rose, C 380 #349, came up with a simple solution to an irksome problem. The refrigerator on most of our boats have a removable shelf near the bottom [unlike my older horizontal freezer version], with space for sodas, etc. underneath. Below-shelf access is troublesome at best, requiring removal of just about everything sitting on top of it.
Their solution, as shown in the photo: cut off the front part of the shelf [about 1/3], and reinstall it as a two-piece shelf. Removing only the front part of the shelf [requiring removing much less of the items stored above] allows reasonable access to all items below.
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Automating Refrigerator Startup and Shutdown with a Battery Combiner George LaForge 2/1/2004 Hull #: 147
We only run the refrigerator on Freebird when power is available from a charging source. That source is either dockside power or the engine alternator. I try never to run the refrigerator only from battery power. [George- maybe your fridge needs an insulation upgrade; Catalina has a procedure for installing expandable foam–Warren].
Not wanting to run down a battery, yet at the same time wanting to keep beverages cold, we developed a routine: as soon as the engine was started someone would need to go below and switch on the circuit breaker for the refrigerator. And after the engine was shut down someone would need to go below and switch off the breaker. Most of the time the problem was remembering to switch the breaker on when the engine was started.
One day while researching
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Title: Refrigerator and Batteries Author: Jim Seeman Date: 11/1/2003 Hull #: 123
Refrigerator & Batteries Jim Seeman, “Pipe Dream” #123 sent me the following: “My wife and I returned from a three week cruise in the Bahamas where we enjoyed many pleasant nights at anchor and some excellent sailing and fishing enroute. Here are a couple of items that might be of interest to others contemplating an extended cruise:
My wife found a simple way to prevent water from condensing on the upper access door and the inside roof of our refrigerator. She used an automobile windshield heat reflector (1/8″ foam with a metalized mylar on one side) that was cut to the approximate inside dimensions of the top of the box. The heat shield is placed between the roof of the refrigerator and the freezer coil and on top of any food stored on the upper shelf. Condensation was
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