Refrigerator ( Reefer ) Problem

[Buck]

Grady Owners,

I have a 2001 Sailfish with a reefer in the cabin that has totally stopped working after a recent trip. On that trip I made a long run from the mouth of the Mississippi River to some floating oil rigs 50 miles offshore through some pretty high sea states. I had the reefer on while we were underway.

During that trip, the reefer made an alarm-type beeping noise a couple of times and when I checked it there was a green light illuminated where the thermostat/on-off switch is located inside the reefer itself and the compressor had stopped running. By cycling the thermostat to off and then on, the compressor would restart, the light go away, and the alarm-type sound ended.

At the end of the day however, I noticed the reefer was not working at all and I can't get it to restart now. Any suggestions before I pull the whole thing out?

Buck

 

[fishingFINattic]

I believe the alarm is low voltage-

Check the fuse - not just for being blown, but also for not making a good contact-

I thought that the fridge on 2000 Grady 265 was bad because I measured twelve volts at the fridge, but when I turned it on it didnt work -

Come to find out - I had 12 volts at the fridge, but when I turned it on and drew current, the voltage dropped to three volts- corrosion on the fuse panel was to blame-

Tim

 

[Buck]

Thanks for the hint Tim. But what fuze? Is it located behind the fridge? I have checked the circuit breakers at the battery panel but they are all good. Besides, no other electrical equipment is giving me trouble.

Buck

 

[fishingFINattic]

My fridge ONLY ran on 12V - when on shore power it still ran on 12 volts - is that how yours is or do you have a "Fridge" breaker on your shore power panel?
My 2000 265 Express has a fuse panel under the helm that powers the fridge - when I pulled that fuse it was good, but had sizable corrosion-
Tim

 

[SilverLining]

The fridge on my 2000 Sailfish is 12V only, powered from the house battery. Ran that battery down using an electric downrigger and saw that the fridge was not operating and that the green light was still on. Think the light just says that the fridge rotary switch is on and that there is enough current to power the light. Charged batteries overnight and the fridge works. You might check the battery voltage before pulling out the fridge.

 

[Buck]

Okay. I have a fridge that is 12v only. It functioned all day once in calm seas while did ran out at speed and trolled in calm seas. This time, the fridge alarm came on while we were running with 4000 rpm a side. The only difference is the waves. Wonder if that hurt the compressor?

I have the battery charger on at all times and the fridge won't run once I turn the house circuit after days of charging.

Buck

 

[fishingFINattic]

Here is the test for sure -
When the fridge is not working- pull it out -
Turn it off - check for 12Volts at the suppy connection
Leave the multimeter connected - verify that it has 12 volts with it off- then with the meter connected turn it on -
At this point it dropped to 3 volts for me - bad fuse panel in my case-

If you have a constant 12 volt supply it most would be something else
TIm

 

[Buck]

Just to close this out for purposes of completeness: My problem turned out to be a loose connection at the bus. Thanks to all who offered suggestions and advice!
Buck

 

[FriZer]

I do the same. I often travel carrying my portable refrigerator in my van. The last time it was damaged, I called a technician immediately.

 

[annvin]

how long did your refrigerator use?