What is this

gulls@play · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:24 pm

Still trying to figure out our fridge mystery. Can someone tell me what these 2 boxes are?

Paul I. · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:43 pm

The box on the left, looks like breakers. The one on the right, looks like a battery isolator : http://www.boatersland.com/arcbi-1203.h ... 4AodnV9Ezw

jsimon · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:44 pm

The blue one is the battery isolator. The black one is the breaker from each alternator I believe.

Iamwildman · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:57 pm

I have a fridge problem aswell. What are your symptoms?

Alan_G_298Vista · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:06 am

Iamwildman wrote:

I have a fridge problem aswell. What are your symptoms?

If it's a Nova Kool fridge go to the below link. They shut off becasue of a voltage drop which can be very easily cured. Tweaked mine and it's been perfect ever since

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9315

Paul I. · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:36 am

Alan_G_298Vista wrote:

Iamwildman wrote:

I have a fridge problem aswell. What are your symptoms?

If it's a Nova Kool fridge go to the below link. They shut off becasue of a voltage drop which can be very easily cured. Tweaked mine and it's been perfect ever since

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9315

How did you tweak it? Did you by pass the isolator? Just wondering, I don't have that problem, but isolator will produce a small voltage drop.

Alan_G_298Vista · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:02 am

Paul I. wrote:

Alan_G_298Vista wrote:

Iamwildman wrote:

I have a fridge problem aswell. What are your symptoms?

If it's a Nova Kool fridge go to the below link. They shut off becasue of a voltage drop which can be very easily cured. Tweaked mine and it's been perfect ever since

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9315

How did you tweak it? Did you by pass the isolator? Just wondering, I don't have that problem, but isolator will produce a small voltage drop.

The voltage drop is caused because the standard wiring from the panel to the fridge is to small. I ran a proper sized fused line directly from the systems battery bank to the fridge to minimize voltage drop. Also, Nova Cool fridges by default shut down at 10.9 volts to prevent battery draninage, which is not what you want. On the website you can learn how to over ride this feature by simply creating a small jumper wire over two terminals on the fridge back panel, which I did. This allows the fridge to shut down at 9.6 volts.

Paul I. · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:07 pm

Makes sense, more on the wiring.

Iamwildman · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:41 pm

Well I'll tell you my issue.
When we bought our boat last year the fridge only seemed to work on shore power. You could hear the compressor trying to start up but it would never stay going. The dealer agreed to fix it and they replaced the power supply. I just assumed it worked ok but never tested it. This year on our first outing everything got warm in the fridge and we were getting the same symptoms, every few second the fridge would try to start but never stay going unless I switch it back to ac power.
I pulled out the fridge to look for myself. I used a volt meter to test the power to the fridge and I got a solid 12v +, even as it was trying to start. I even did the jumper trick but it didn't help. I assumed that the ac power sypply just converts to 12vdc but I checked it out anyway with the meter. Nope, I get a strange reading. I didn't really understand it but it said 1. on it.
So now when we go out we just make sure to switch on the 3000w inverter so the fridge is always on ac power. I do wish it was working properly though.

Paul I. · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:53 pm

Iamwildman wrote:

Well I'll tell you my issue.
When we bought our boat last year the fridge only seemed to work on shore power. You could hear the compressor trying to start up but it would never stay going. The dealer agreed to fix it and they replaced the power supply. I just assumed it worked ok but never tested it. This year on our first outing everything got warm in the fridge and we were getting the same symptoms, every few second the fridge would try to start but never stay going unless I switch it back to ac power.
I pulled out the fridge to look for myself. I used a volt meter to test the power to the fridge and I got a solid 12v +, even as it was trying to start. I even did the jumper trick but it didn't help. I assumed that the ac power sypply just converts to 12vdc but I checked it out anyway with the meter. Nope, I get a strange reading. I didn't really understand it but it said 1. on it.
So now when we go out we just make sure to switch on the 3000w inverter so the fridge is always on ac power. I do wish it was working properly though.

It sounds like the same problem, you need heaver wire. As a test, 2 things, what is the voltage under load. Try running heaver wire, as a test, from one of your batterys to the fridge. Just lay the wire on the deck though the door way. If it works than you can rewire it.

noexcuses · **Posted:** Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:56 pm

Iamwildman wrote:

Well I'll tell you my issue.
When we bought our boat last year the fridge only seemed to work on shore power. You could hear the compressor trying to start up but it would never stay going. The dealer agreed to fix it and they replaced the power supply. I just assumed it worked ok but never tested it. This year on our first outing everything got warm in the fridge and we were getting the same symptoms, every few second the fridge would try to start but never stay going unless I switch it back to ac power.
I pulled out the fridge to look for myself. I used a volt meter to test the power to the fridge and I got a solid 12v +, even as it was trying to start. I even did the jumper trick but it didn't help. I assumed that the ac power sypply just converts to 12vdc but I checked it out anyway with the meter. Nope, I get a strange reading. I didn't really understand it but it said 1. on it.
So now when we go out we just make sure to switch on the 3000w inverter so the fridge is always on ac power. I do wish it was working properly though.

While you were checking DC voltage were you still hooked to shore power with the battery charger operating?

I get a "1" on my multimeter when I am checking for continuity / open circuit.

jsimon · **Posted:** Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:48 pm

Most if not all of the dual voltage fridges run on 45vac. The power supply converts the 120 vac down to 45 vac and inverts the 12 vdc upto 45 vac.

This is if you are checking at the compressor terminals. If you were and had the meter set on vdc then that could explain your strange reading cause it should be on vac

Paul I. · **Posted:** Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:55 pm

noexcuses wrote:

Iamwildman wrote:

Well I'll tell you my issue.
When we bought our boat last year the fridge only seemed to work on shore power. You could hear the compressor trying to start up but it would never stay going. The dealer agreed to fix it and they replaced the power supply. I just assumed it worked ok but never tested it. This year on our first outing everything got warm in the fridge and we were getting the same symptoms, every few second the fridge would try to start but never stay going unless I switch it back to ac power.
I pulled out the fridge to look for myself. I used a volt meter to test the power to the fridge and I got a solid 12v +, even as it was trying to start. I even did the jumper trick but it didn't help. I assumed that the ac power sypply just converts to 12vdc but I checked it out anyway with the meter. Nope, I get a strange reading. I didn't really understand it but it said 1. on it.
So now when we go out we just make sure to switch on the 3000w inverter so the fridge is always on ac power. I do wish it was working properly though.

While you were checking DC voltage were you still hooked to shore power with the battery charger operating?

I get a "1" on my multimeter when I am checking for continuity / open circuit.

GOOD point!

Iamwildman · **Posted:** Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:02 pm

Yup I may have been on the charger. I'll try it off next time.

Geotempo · **Posted:** Sun May 17, 2015 8:05 am

I have the same problem on my 2004 vista 268. I connected a spare battery I have for a trolling motor directly to the fridge and it started running perfectly out of the battery. When I connected the fridge again to the boat battery the compressor would run for a few seconds and stop. While inspecting the wiring I observed that the battery Isolator was heavily corroded and the alternator breaker was tripped and would not reset. Could this cause a voltage drop enough that the fridge compressor would not run? I have a Norcold NR751.

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