www.iFourWinns.com

Just got off the phone with Nova Kool as my main Galley fridge does not work on 12 volt, we trouble shot it to the power module. These factor reps are great to deal with. Feel free to chat with them about any fridge issue's.
They also tell me Four Winns was bad for not having a big enough 12 volt wire on my year of boat it is only 14 Gauge and should be 10 Gauge. He said enough batteries is not the problem as with the size of wire it kicks the low voltage on even with batteries with around 12 volts. Has anyone ever changed there 12 volt feed to the fridge and if so how tough was it. The tech with me said no way would he try it.
I will still go from 1 to 2 house batteries and feel this will give the fridge a half a fight before kicking of, he also said it is very hard on the fridge to kick off on low voltage protection.

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Terry
2005 Vista 348
5.7 Volvo I/O

It wouldn't be a quick job but it wouldn't be horrendously complex either.

I believe the wiring for it runs down the starboard gunwale, outboard of the shower, back to the engine compartment, then over to the port gunwale and back up to the breaker panel. The wood cabinet shelf above the sink in the head can be removed to allow access. I know, I had to go in there to run a new wire for the holding tank sensor. This is also how I know it might be possible to 'cheat' and run it down through the center bilge and up to the breaker panel. There's enough gaps in the right places to allow running some wire. Either way, just make sure you secure the wire so it doesn't flap around. Loose wire tends to eventually crack internally and that can be a real pain in the ass to troubleshoot.

I'll have to look at mine to see what gauge is there. I think mine's not running on 12vdc either. Haven't had the time to be sure.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Thanks bill I was hoping you would chime in, both my waste water and fresh water indicators do not work I assumed it was the sensors and was going to order new ones. How did you trouble shoot the wire and do you know how to remove the indicator to check it? As for the fridge I will start by adding one more battery and see how it works , But again the fridge rep said even with batteries almost full the fridge low voltage protection would kick out at 10.2 due to the length and size if the wire and he said once it does that a few times it takes the ac/dc converter out.
Your suggestion of taking it across the floor may even make the run shorter, I will try and take the cabinet out and have a look.

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Terry
2005 Vista 348
5.7 Volvo I/O

Start by pulling out the fridge. There's a dozen or so screws around the face of it (behind some covered holes). You'll need to remove the hinge pin at the top to remove the door (to gain access to the screws on that side). The fridge the slides right out of the cabinet. Take care, the fridge is L-shaped along the back. Don't let it drop down onto your foot, the gelcoat or the coils in the back of it. There's enough slack in the wire to make it. Once out you'll have total access to the area under the galley cabinet. From there you'd also have enough access to run underneath to the center bilge. You can probably get to the shower sump hatch. You might also be able to use some electrician's fiberglass poles to feed a wire all the way back to (or probably easier from) the engine compartment. Otherwise you might have to remove the cabinetry in the mid-cabin berth (a job I've not had to tackle).

As for the tank sensors, that's fodder for a whole other message thread. My boat came with the Xintex style senders and they're garbage. I replaced mine with some Dometic units supplied by FW. I don't know that I'd use them again. There's a rather expensive type of sender that works from the outside of the tank. I would probably go with that kind the next time around. Better to have no added holes in the tanks when possible.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Bill: The Marina that sold me the boat has agreed to supply new sensors I am afraid they will be giving me the same ones the boat came with. You had said you pulled the cabinet in the head to look at or fix a wire for you water sensor I was just wondering if my problem might not be the sensors as both are not working but might be in the Head indicator, Is the indicator hard to get out and is there a way to test if it is working properly?
Once again thanks for all your help and please excuse my ignorance to the boat systems, this is our first boat and we have only had it in the water for 3 weeks.

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Terry
2005 Vista 348
5.7 Volvo I/O

I did not pull out the whole cabinet in the head. I only removed the shelf portion just above the faucet (but below the port hole). This to let me install a new, rectangular shaped, sensor panel and run it's wire downward to the tank. I never liked the position of the sensor back in the shower/toilet part of the head. It's harder to see. Instead I put the new panel on the left side of the shelf that has the rest of the switches. This makes it easier to see from out in the cabin. I did not remove the old sensor gauge as that would have left a hole. I think that might be a bit harder to remove as access to it might require pulling out the plexiglass wall there. I don't know how to test it, but the vendor might be able to provide some help there. I have little faith in the Xintex vertical tube style sensors. The waste one constantly clogged and both of them leaked.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Once again thanks Bill, I like what you did with the guage.

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Terry
2005 Vista 348
5.7 Volvo I/O