Using A/C refrigeration (e.g. Norcold)

[Dad Joke]

The 3207 I bought does not have the original AC/DC frig, it has a small dorm frig in that space.

My question is, how necessary is it to have an AC/DC fridge, instead of AC only? We're going to replace the dorm fridge,
but I don't want to spend $1400-$1800 on an AC/DC unit when an $300 AC unit will suffice.

Thanks.

[Viper]

It's good to be able to operate on both AC and DC especially if you spend time on the hook/away from the dock. If you get an AC only fridge, you can install a small inverter dedicated for the fridge only. That way it will operate off battery power when you're away from the dock. Depending on what you currently have, you may need to increase your house battery bank but you should still come in under $1400 by the time it's all done.

[Rocketman]

All depends on how much you go away from the dock. If you never actually leave the dock, then AC would be fine.
We spend days (this weekend we will be gone for 5 days) out on our boat and running the generator all the time would cost a lot in fuel and hours/maintenance on the generator.
In my mind, you definitely want to get the AC/DC fridge if you are replacing anyway.

[g36]

Unfortunately they are expensive and I will agree with the others. If you do ac only and inverter your also going to need a larger amp battery charger to replace the used amps quicker or genset run time would be long..ac fridge will probably be around 1.2amp draw on ac and that's about 12 amps dc when running. Those can add up quickly on a house bank if small.so that is another thing . are your going to be plan on an inverter for the boat anyway or future? It really is dependent on time away from dock and gen usage. I will also not recommend a norcold if you do decide on ac/dc unit.

[tomschauer]

something else to consider is that the "home " units are not designed to keep low and freezing temps in a high ambient environment, such as the 90 plus degrees inside the boat without the a/c on. A 120v outdoor refrigerator is designed for this, as well as marine and rv refrigerators. But do not get an RV refrigerator designed for LP gas / electric. They are made to use LP as the main source and will not last long running the 12 or 120v as the main source.

[km1125]

We used one of those compact fridges for a few years, after we went through TWO of the Norcold marine AC/DC fridges. I was not really interested in spending $1400-$2000 on a replacement. I was leaning towards the Ventifrigo which was more expensive than the replacement Norcold.

One thing we did with the compact fridge was use several of the 'blue ice' packs in the freezer. That helps keep the whole fridge colder when you're out for a cruise. We didn't use the freezer for much else, I I always did have a couple frozen dinners in there in case we needed a quick meal. You could easily augment the AC-only fridge with an inverter especially if you're only on the hook for a partial day. It will keep the fridge cold all the time you're cruising and even for a few hours easily just on the battery. If you're planning on overnights then I'd really look at the house bank, as just the fridge alone could draw down a Group 31 battery over 24 hours.

I'm curious which fridge you have? We were originally using a small one a friend had laying around, but it was only about 3' high. I ended up buying a larger one off Cl for $50 that was nearly the size of the original and that worked out great.

[CaptDenny]

I had the same thoughts when I was replacing my fridge in my boat a couple years back. It came with an AC/DC one but we rarely leave the dock and I have a more than ample generator. I could save money buy purchasing the AC ONLY fridge. After talking with other boater friends I decided to pay the extra and get the AC/DC.
UPDATE: After 2 years with this fridge it suddenly stopped working (after warrantee of course) BUT found if I unplugged it from AC it would work FINE. Spoke to my repair guy and he said it’s hardly worth replacing the part that CONVERTS to AC or DC because the VITRIFRIGO 3/4 size fridge that we have does not draw that much anyway. Just keep an eye on our power supply so our charger is maintaining the house batteries.
So..... I guess I did all the over-thinking of AC or DC for nothing. Stuck now on DC.