Fridge Maintenance

[Midnightsun]

Our boat came with a Nova Kool side by side fridge freezer which we really like however my wife noticed it does not cool as well as it first did when we purchased the boat 4 years ago. I kept a close eye on it on our last trip and did notice it had a hard time getting things really cold even on the highest setting of 7. I pulled fridge and inspected visually, no dirt or dust bunnies and the compressor and cooling fan are working well. No obstructions at the ventilation holes and it is not exactly scorching hot nowadays.

So my question is what needs to be checked or looked at to tweak the unit to perform better? I assume checking r134 status is probably the most likely culprit.

[darrenlife]

Great post, Hans. I'm also curious in this topic. I have a NovaKool as well and do find it performs better after performing a full defrost.

I have also researched this topic and some have success after installing an auxiliary fan aimed at the compressor to help improve airflow.

[Midnightsun]

Been researching a little and mine has an optional resistor that can be added to the unit. No resistor is low rpm on the compressor which is the least output and the positive here is less draw. Inceasing the resistance will increase the rpm and allow for increased cooling capacity which also increases amp draw.

That being said I need to get to the boat to see what if any resistor is installed. Here is the pdf describing the compressor speed. http://www.novakool.com/support/documen ... 007PDF.pdf

[vineyardgray]

There was a system called a "stainless lobster" that used to include monitoring and fans to circulate air etcetera etcetera but it looks like their url is dead and so they must also be. Too bad because I had intended to install one with my new fridge when my 30+ year old Norcold finally gave up the ghost. Norcold looks like you outlived another competitor lol

[tomschauer]

Hans, before digging into resistors, refrigerant charge etc. Is the compressor running continuously and never stopping?
If it stops, either the the thermostat is telling it the fridge is cold enough or something may be wrong with the inverter board.
Try it on 12v only and see if it gets colder..

[Midnightsun]

I did give Nova Kool a ring as this is unfamiliar territory for me. They answered on the second ring and was transferred to someone who could help me immediately. I spoke with a gentleman who really knew his stuff as we chatted regarding model, year, boat type, issues and so on. Told me to call back when I was on the boat to trouble shoot with him. Should be tomorrow or later today.

[Viper]

Making sure she's properly defrosted will certainly increase efficiency, the more ice on the evaporator the less efficient she'll be. Along with what's already been mentioned, check your door seal, if it's not a tight seal, she'll work more often and have a hard time keeping up. As Tom mentioned, the t-stat is a common consideration as well.

Keep us posted

[g36]

yep keeping the fridges from building up to much ice makes a world of difference

[Midnightsun]

I do agree, defrosting is a must on a regular basis however not much frost in there. Remember, she was on the dry for 6 weeks, all power off. Only been in the water and connected for a couple of weeks now.

[bud37]

Source of the post I do agree, defrosting is a must on a regular basis however not much frost in there. Remember, she was on the dry for 6 weeks, all power off. Only been in the water and connected for a couple of weeks now.

Is it possible that you have installed something that is dumping some extra heat into the air space the fridge relies on behind .....can't imagine what but .........how they are loaded can affect them as well...

I have noticed with our boat, that the way it faces the sun/docked really affects the inside wall temps on either side.