Refrigeration - This is Cool

While we are working towards a goal of being as self-sufficient or "off the grid" as possible, we are not willing to deny ourselves some modern efficiencies.  While boat refrigeration has been available for a long time, in some applications having none may have been a much cooler idea!

On Poetry, our 1965 Pearson Vanguard, we attempted to benefit from refrigeration.  We had used blocks of ice and were less than enthused by the results.  Since we had remodeled the outward look of the galley, we didn't want to gut the whole thing to rebuild the icebox.  While having a better insulated box is KEY to the refrigeration thing, we felt that by rebuilding the box from the outside in would give us a box the size of a thimble.  We insulated the inside and installed a Grunert unit.  While it kept the box cool (read NOT cold), it ran 24 hours a day and never cycled.  The fault was the box, not the Grunert.

On Harmony, we had the perfect opportunity to rebuild the ice box area from scratch.  We had done all of the research about how to build a well insulated box.  However, we hadn't decided which unit to install for chilling the box.  There are many good companies, but we had to first choose whether to use an evaporate with a separate compressor or an engine driven cold plate.

OK, to set the stage, Harmony will have 2 cold boxes:  one will be a refrigerator, and the other will be a freezer.  However, we want to provide ourselves with an additional option of being able to use only one box while cruising for a long weekend or a week.  This will prevent us from having to fire up both boxes every time we sail and having to corral a separate cooler sliding around the sole.  So the refrigerator box will also be able to provide a small freezer compartment.

Now, our broader objective is to live on the boat sustainably without having to run the diesel to charge the batteries every day:  an ideal situation will find us using solar and wind to replenish the amps we use in a 24 hour period.  A vital necessity is to provide refrigeration with the lowest amperage draw as possible or the lowest need for engine hours as possible.

Since we only want to run the engine for propulsion in an ideal situation, we decided that an engine driven cold plate would not work for us.  Beyond the required engine hours to freeze the cold plate, the holding plate system would not work for us when we did short cruises over the weekend or for a week or so.

So, we narrowed our choice down to an evaporator plate with a separate compressor.  We would need two, one for the refrigerator and one for the freezer.  As I mentioned before there are many quality companies that provide this type of system:  Adler-Barbour, Sea Frost, Technautics, and Frigoboat, to name a few.  We needed an efficient compressor that came with a small footprint to enable us to mount it in a convenient enclosed space near the galley.

That narrowed the choice even further, actually down to two:  Sea Frost and Frigoboat.  We went to the 2012 Newport Boat Show to do our final evaluations and talk to the companies to get their perspective.  As so often happens at the boat shows, decisions are often finalized by those who are willing to actually discuss the subject with us.  I can still not fathom why vendors will not entertain a serious discussion with someone who is literally waving money in front of them!

We casually went to the Frigoboat booth, and a very pleasant person quickly gave the show spiel, but then did something unexpected.  She directed us to another booth where she said that we could get our more specific questions answered.  OK, nothing ventured nothing gained!  We journeyed over to the Great Water Marine Systems Booth and met Kathy Groh:  remember the hot water heater person!

Kathy was very helpful, as she listened to our prospective design ideas.  She offered her own perspectives and gave us a couple of options.  In a later discussion or what I can label as a design meeting, we finalized our choice.  We will use the Frigoboat keel cooler models for both boxes.
The refrigerator box will house a small bin shaped evaporator that will handle the chilling duties, but will also provide a small freezer for short cruises.  We will only have to fire this box up during our short cruises. 
The freezer box will house an evaporator panel and give us frozen food storage for the longer cruises.  The two compressors will fit perfectly under the salon berth just forward of the where the two boxes will be.
With between 3 to 4 inches of foam insulation, the reefer box will draw less than 1.0 amp an hour, while the freezer will less than 1.4 amps per hour.  As a combined system, the hourly amperage draw will be between 2.0 and 2.5.  Compared to what we have experienced before, this is miserly.  On top of that the compressors will be relatively quiet in operation.

Now, this is cool!  Even with giving ourselves the luxury of refrigeration, we will still be able to maintain a relatively small power usage footprint.  This should go a long way toward allowing the combined solar and wind power sources to supply the charging capacity we need in a 24 hour period.  More on this when we get near to building the boxes and installing the units!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Shower Plumbng - I'm in Hot Water Now

One of the creature comforts that Beth is looking forward to on Harmony is on board showers.  Yes, the in-cockpit Sun Shower fed showers on Poetry were a wonderful way to end the day.  However, we both lack the exhibition gene and the efforts we each took to practice proper decorum while bathing in the cockpit more often than not made the actual cleaning process somewhat difficult!

On Harmony, we'll have a shower in the forward head:  what a luxury.  To fuel that shower, we'll also have pressure hot and cold water.  To get cold water is a fairly easy feed from the on-board water tanks:  remember those brand new beauties!  However, like most domestic household applications, the hot water will have to come from an on-board hot water heater.

When we bought Harmony, she had an old Raritan 6 gallon hot water heater.  These are generally very suitable units, but they can develop leaks over time no matter how well they are winterized.  Well, the Raritan unit on Harmony had succumbed to the leakage of age.  We needed a new hot water heater.

Our old Raritan 6 Gallon Water Heater - it developed a leak and needed to go

OK, which size and make to choose?  These hot water heaters can be operated on 110 volts AC or be plumbed into the engine's cooling system.  We will have both options open to us for the few times we'll find ourselves in a marina slip.

We could fit a larger than 6 gallon unit, but did we really need to.  The more water to heat the longer it takes to heat and that means more electricity or a longer engine run time.  Since we wanted to minimize engine run time for economy and environmental responsibility, we chose to stick with the 6 gallon size.  Besides, with the engine running it shouldn't take longer than 15 to 20 minutes to have abundantly hot water.

Now, what brand to get?  The Raritan units can be somewhat of a standard, but a trolling through the life supporting marine catalogs offers a veritable plethora of options.  We wanted one that would have longevity, have superior insulation, and be relatively free from operational problems.

After a thorough review of the internet, the several sailing blogs and networks, and our own Westsail Owners Association, we had narrowed our choices down.  After our discussions at the Newport Boat Show, we had made our decision.  Our friendly marine refrigeration expert, Kathy Groh from Great Water Marine Systems, had spent time discussing the Isotemp hot water heaters with us.

Based on its all stainless steel construction and excellent insulation, we chose to go with a 6 gallon unit.  Kathy had a show model with an invisible dent that she let us have for a bargain price:  no brainer!  The Isotemp will be able to hold the water temperature for up to 35+ hours.  This will allow for Beth and me to each have a shower and there to be water left over for other purposes.

The Isotemp hot water heater installed on Harmony

The Isotemp in its Port side nook in the engine room

The installation of the Isotemp 6 gallon unit couldn't have been easier.  I used 4 through bolts through its solid base.  All I had to do then was connect the plumbing hoses and a by-pass for winterizing.  It fit perfectly in the engine room.

For one of the few times in my life, I am perfectly content to be in hot water!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

The Newport Boat Show - Decisions Made

Boat shows are usually a mixed bag for us.  Yes, we really enjoy being among boats of all kinds, but we are not big fans of aimless wandering.  Our most anticipated boat shows are those at which we need to do either major research for a project or serious buying for a boat project.  However, as much as we gear up for getting something done, our boat shoe experiences fail to live up to the excitement we often feel to get into the detail.

Most of this disappointment involves vendors who tend to just show up at the show.  With rare exception, they have a pretty face in their booth, but have either no desire or ability to really field serious questions or transact serious business.  This is a shame, because some of us come to boat shows to do more than drool over the nautical eye candy.

For us the 2012 Newport Boat Show was targeted as a serious purchase venture.  We were in position to buy major systems and wanted to take full advantage of boat show discounts.  Our helpful counsel, Greg Flederman, The Boat Doctor, offered to help up select and negotiate system prices.

Obviously, Greg was going to really help out with our selection of navigational systems including radar, chart plotter, auto pilot, etc.  We were going to avail ourselves of his expertise regarding lighting, refrigeration, and anything else he offered.  He had other clients at the show, and we agreed to meet up at the Raymarine booth.

With Greg's counsel, we had chosen Raymarine as our suite of electronics.  While Garmin was a serious contender, the interfacing capabilities of Raymarine, as well as their quality in the autopilot category swung the deal.  However, the Raymarine booth was NOT selling at the show.  WHAT!?  Well, we were at least able to select each component with the help of their show folks.  We would purchase it all later.

We then went to Frigoboat to discuss refrigeration.  We have both a reefer and a freezer to install.  Frigoboat sent us to Kathy Groh at Great Water Marine Systems to chat about systems.  We found Kathy to be incredibly sincere and helpful.  With her help, we were able to select the components for Harmony.  She also helped us out with selecting water heaters.  She wasn't able to make any sales at the show, but she noted our needs and we scheduled a follow-up chat/meeting to finalize what we would actually purchase.  A huge advantage for us is that Kathy's facility is just 30 minutes from Harmony.

We evaluated a new rigid inflatable dinghy for Harmony, as our current inflatable is beginning to suffer from inflatile dysfunction, and may not be up to the task of shepherding us back and forth to the boat.  If we get the air leaks fixed, our current dinghy may prove to be a better dinghy dock resident:  we use our dinghy dock dinghy as an emergency access boat in case the Barden's Boat Yard launch is not available.

We were able to evaluate various LED lights for Harmony's interior.  The tough task with these lights is that is hard to really understand how much light they emit and how their light looks when on.  While we didn't buy any lights, we were able to make a clear selection of what to put where.

We were able to meet up with Mack Boring and purchase the new engine:  a Yanmar 4JH4-HTE.  This decision was covered in a prior posting, but at the show we inked the deal to buy it.  Well, one purchase made!

Our last experience at the 2012 Newport Boat Show came after Greg scurried to find us.  He had seen a very interesting water making system (i.e. reverse osmosis) that was not only very affordable, but really easy to install and operate.  We spend over a half an hour at the DIY Watermakers booth listening to Raymond and Amanda Fosdick explain their concept.

Beth and I had not considered adding a water maker to Harmony.  This was primarily due to the cost of the systems offered by the major players on the market.  However, the simplicity of the DIY Watermakers' system, the relatively low cost to install, and ease of operation made us put this consideration in the high interest column.

So, after a long day of buying, selecting, and considering, we felt we had a decent boat show experience.  While we didn't want away carrying big boxes, we did achieve a lot of what we wanted to do.  Heck, I couldn't see how we were going to carry the new engine back to the car anyway!  Yes, we had a good day at a boat show, finally!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!