Need refrigeration data........

I would appreciate any feedback from other owners who have the
Technautics, DC only refrigeration unit in a stock BCC ice box. I think,
based on my Link 10 readings, that I am using way too many
Ah/day. Technautics is being very helpful and I don’t wan’t to put them
through alot of hoops if I am seeing normal use for a BCC.

My test runs on 80 degree days and 65 degree nights show 50-55
Ah/day with the box unopened for 24 hours. I would expect that in the
tropics with normal daily use but not in Lake Michigan. Roger seems to do
better with a slightly modified box. Anyone else using this system?

Thank you…Tom (118)

Tom Harrer
S/V Whitewings III

When I installed the Technautics Cool Blue system in my boat I ran a similar
test. I found it used 40 amp hours in 24 hours. This is in Hawaii with temp
range 85-75. I have used the system for 3 years and found it uses about 50
amp hours per day in actual use.
Ron Thompson
Ho’okahiko #97
----- Original Message -----
From: “Tom Harrer” <whitewings@charter.net >
To: <bcc@yahoogroups.com >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 5:02 AM
Subject: [bcc] Need refrigeration data…

I would appreciate any feedback from other owners who have the
Technautics, DC only refrigeration unit in a stock BCC ice box. I think,
based on my Link 10 readings, that I am using way too many
Ah/day. Technautics is being very helpful and I don’t wan’t to put them
through alot of hoops if I am seeing normal use for a BCC.

My test runs on 80 degree days and 65 degree nights show 50-55
Ah/day with the box unopened for 24 hours. I would expect that in the
tropics with normal daily use but not in Lake Michigan. Roger seems to do
better with a slightly modified box. Anyone else using this system?

Thank you…Tom (118)

Tom Harrer
S/V Whitewings III

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Based on my conversations with sailors who have refrigeration units from other manufacturers, the 50-55 amps per day is low.  Most units use ~5 amps per hour.  Of course, as you already know the higher the insulation valve of the "ice box" and the smaller the cubic foot capacity of the box the lower the amps used.
 
I am interested in your experience with the Technautic unit and how many years has the unit been installed?
 
Rod
S/V IDUNA
 

Hi Rod,

I was just wondering if there were any attachments to this e-mail? If so,
what was the file name?

Denis N Ripley
S/V Bristol Cream
----- Original Message -----
From: “Rod Bruckdorfer” <seagypsy@att.net >
To: <bcc@yahoogroups.com >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data…

Based on my conversations with sailors who have refrigeration units from
other manufacturers, the 50-55 amps per day is low. Most units use ~5 amps
per hour. Of course, as you already know the higher the insulation valve of
the “ice box” and the smaller the cubic foot capacity of the box the lower
the amps used.

I am interested in your experience with the Technautic unit and how many
years has the unit been installed?

Rod
S/V IDUNA

Denis:
 
There were no attachments associated with the posting.
 
If there was a problem with the posting, please let me know.
 
My current project:
 
I am installing tile on a bulkhead before I mount the Dickinson P9000 propane heater.  I am hoping to borrow a friend's digital camera and "photography"  the installation when I am finished.  I will post the images at the BCC forum.  The difficult part is finding a valve for the propane service.  I want to mount the valve in the propane locker forward of the cabin.  The valve stem will pass through a gas-tight seal into the cabin.  This will enable us to turn the gas ON or OFF, hence we will not use amps (0.7 amps per hour for a solenoid valve) to control the LPG service.
 
Fair Winds,
 
Rod
S/V  IDUNA
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data........

Hi Rod,

I was just wondering if there were any attachments to this e-mail? If so,
what was the file name?

Denis N Ripley
S/V Bristol Cream
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rod Bruckdorfer" <seagypsy@att.net >
To: <bcc@yahoogroups.com >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data........


Based on my conversations with sailors who have refrigeration units from
other manufacturers, the 50-55 amps per day is low.  Most units use ~5 amps
per hour.  Of course, as you already know the higher the insulation valve of
the "ice box" and the smaller the cubic foot capacity of the box the lower
the amps used.

I am interested in your experience with the Technautic unit and how many
years has the unit been installed?

Rod
S/V IDUNA





— Tom Harrer <whitewings@charter.net > wrote: >
I would appreciate any feedback from other

owners who have the
Technautics, DC only refrigeration unit in a stock
BCC ice box.

ZYGOTE (BCC116) has a Technautics refrigeration unit
and a standard BCC ice box (ie not Roger’s
super-insulated box). The major difference from BCC118
is that our Technautics installation has both the
engine-driven and 12VDC compressors - but the two
compressors have independent circuits, so that’s not
relevant. The installation is 2 years old, just a
little older than yours, Tom. We have a Link 2000 that
monitors the 12VDC circuitry. We have a sheet of
non-skid matting that sits on the chart table, but
it’s additional insulation value is not material.

We’re in the equatorial tropics, with air temps
ranging (recorded over two years) from 34C to 24C (a v
cold night for us!), but usually everything (ie air
and water) is a fairly constant 31C. I assume that’s a
lot more comfortable than Lake Michigan.

We usually use the Technautics with the thermostat set
to 3. That gives us a freezer temp that ranges from
-5.8C to -2.4C (temperatures measured by a Radio Shack
probe placed in the bottom of the freezer
compartment). I don’t monitor the refrigerator
compartment temperature, but it’s usually below 10C (a
fairly standard temp for a refrig compartment).

I’m not as precise with my measurements of current
draw, because (1) I use other 12VDC appliances; and
(2) the Technautics cycles on and off.

But based on an earlier attempt to be precise when
drawing up an electricity budget, I allocate an
‘average’ consumption of 48 Amp hours a day to the
reefer. I’ll try to do a more precise evaluation and
report back to you, Tom.

Note that:

  1. as a general rule, when we are docked and connected
    to shore power, we have the reefer running 24/7,
    whether we need to use it or not (ie shore power is
    connected, the Link 2000 is set to charge, and the
    Link 2000 reports a trickle of 0.0 to 0.3 amps going
    into the battery bank, while the reefer is on and a
    few other appliances, such as the gas sniffer, are
    alive). That means the 12VDC reefer is fighting
    against heat intrusion, not trying to cool down the
    insulation etc.

  2. when I’m using the 12VDC reefer, I always have the
    inspection hatch (set into the bench running along the
    aft cabin bulkhead) open (ie the hatch cover is
    removed, so air drawn from the engine compartment,
    across the 12VDC reefer compressor radiator fins,
    exits into the cabin). So that hatch is almost always
    open.

Tom, I assume that you have checked either or both of
(1) the refrigerant gas pressure and (2) the absence
of bubbles in the sight gauge?

Cheers

Bil
Penang, Malaysia

http://www.yahoo.promo.com.au/hint/ - Yahoo! Hint Dropper

  • Avoid getting hideous gifts this Christmas with Yahoo! Hint Dropper!

Thanks for the prompt reply Rod. I probably should have included more info in
my last e-mail. My Outlook Express is configured to only receive text and I
guess if the e-mail is in HTML, the program prevents access to that part of
the e-mail that it thinks may contain a virus e.g. the HTML section. As a
result, it makes a copy of the e-mail and that is what appears as an
inaccessible attachment. I just found this out yesterday when I quizzed
another list that I belong to. I had no problem with reading the text
portion. So, thanks again for the reply and fair winds.

Denis
----- Original Message -----
From: “Rod Bruckdorfer” <seagypsy@att.net >
To: <bcc@yahoogroups.com >
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 1:56 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data…

Denis:

There were no attachments associated with the posting.

If there was a problem with the posting, please let me know.

My current project:

I am installing tile on a bulkhead before I mount the Dickinson P9000 propane
heater. I am hoping to borrow a friend’s digital camera and “photography”
the installation when I am finished. I will post the images at the BCC
forum. The difficult part is finding a valve for the propane service. I
want to mount the valve in the propane locker forward of the cabin. The
valve stem will pass through a gas-tight seal into the cabin. This will
enable us to turn the gas ON or OFF, hence we will not use amps (0.7 amps per
hour for a solenoid valve) to control the LPG service.

Fair Winds,

Rod
S/V IDUNA
----- Original Message -----
From: Denis N Ripley
To: bcc@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data…

Hi Rod,

I was just wondering if there were any attachments to this e-mail? If so,
what was the file name?

Denis N Ripley
S/V Bristol Cream
----- Original Message -----
From: “Rod Bruckdorfer” <seagypsy@att.net >
To: <bcc@yahoogroups.com >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: [bcc] Need refrigeration data…

Based on my conversations with sailors who have refrigeration units from
other manufacturers, the 50-55 amps per day is low. Most units use ~5 amps
per hour. Of course, as you already know the higher the insulation valve
of
the “ice box” and the smaller the cubic foot capacity of the box the lower
the amps used.

I am interested in your experience with the Technautic unit and how many
years has the unit been installed?

Rod
S/V IDUNA

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— In bcc@y…, bil Hansen <bilh2001@y…> wrote:

— Tom Harrer <whitewings@c…> wrote: >
I would appreciate any feedback from other

owners who have the
Technautics, DC only refrigeration unit in a stock
BCC ice box.

Tom: Hi!

I’ll work on a 24 hour test.

Here’s the data from a ‘Cruising World’ test of a Technautics 12VDC
system. CW tested two Technautics systems, an engine-driven Islander
and a 12VDC Coastal 12 (aka Cool Blue) in two situations: 1. running
a freezer; and 2. running a refrigerator.

Note that Technautics holding plates come in two sizes: the 4" thick
holding plate is rated at 4500 BTUs; while the 2" plate is only rated
at 2500 BTUs (both at 0 deg F). My plate is 4" thick.

Here’s the CW data from their test report of the just the 12VDC
Technautics (temps in deg F):

quote

SYSTEMS TESTED:
Two Model #0011012 12-Volt Compressors; Two Large-Capacity Stainless
Steel Holding Plates. Holding Plates Solution: Antifreeze, Propylene
Glycol.
Refr. Size: 13"x 24"x 4" Stainless Steel. Rating: 4,500 Btus.
Freeze Size: 13"x 24"x 4" Stainless Steel. Rating: 4,500 Btus.
Refrigerator Holdover: Temp. Range: 35° - 45°. Time: 23:10 hrs.
Freezer Holdover: Temp. Range: 10° - 20°. Time: 4:40 hrs.

12-VOLT COOLING SYSTEM:
Time to cool refrigerator from 65°: 10 hrs. Current used: 59.2 amp-
hrs.
Time to cool freezer from 65°: 14:45 hrs. Current used: 83.2 amp-hrs.

Refrigerator performance: Average condenser temp.: 78°.
Time to cool from 45° to 35°: 5:50 hrs. Consumption: 32.8 amp-hrs.
Daily (24-hr.) current required: 27.2 amp-hrs.
Average condenser temp.: 100°
Time to cool from 45° to 35°: 6:15 hrs. Current used: 38.1 amp-hrs.
Daily (24-hr.) current required: 31.1 amp-hrs.

Freezer performance: Average condenser temp.: 78°.
Time to cool from 20° to 10°: 4:15 hrs. Current used: 21.0 amp-hrs.
Daily (24-hr.) current required: 56.4 amp-hrs.
Average condenser temp.: 100°. Time to cool from 20° to 10°: 9:50
hrs. Current used: 46.6 amp-hrs. Daily (24-hr.) current required:
77.1 amps.

DAILY REFR/FRZ ENERGY REQUIRED: With condenser temperature 78°: 83.6
amps. With condenser temperature 100°: 108.2 amps.

unquote

I’ve lost track of the date of the CW test report, so I cannot refer
you to the printed issue. Sorry. The report may be on the CW website
(I suggest you look in the archive section of the ‘old’ version of
the website, not the snazzy new one), but I’ve not browsed it for
several months.

Cheers

Bil
BCC116

Hi Tom, We’ve been using the 12VDC for the past 4 years almost
exclusively at anchor in the Med and the Carib, quite a temp range.
We keep pretty close track of our amps and use only a fridge, no
freezer. The ice box is standard with a little extra insulation added
by us. Average amp hr/day is 45-50 with the thermostat set around
“3”. On really hot days we throw a folded blanket on the chart table,
which helps a great deal. Our compressor location is not ideal and
would benefit from a move, another job on the list. Hope this helps
and BTW, we’ve had no problems with the system at all. Good sailing,
Ray “Whisper”