There was some interest expressed recently in the Isotherm unit so I thought the following might be of some interest:
I just returned from a three week cruise to the Bahamas (Abacos) and I thought I would share my experience with the Isotherm 4201 magnum refrigeration system installed in my CD 30C. The 4201 has a sea water cooled compressor and a control panel which can be set to operate manually (when shore power is being used), or automatically, when the engine is running or boat is under sail or at anchor. The shore power setting lets the unit use all the power it wants to while the automatic setting is supposed to minimize power consumption.
First, the unit works well at the dock. I have two ice trays which hang on the holding plate, and I never want for ice at the dock. In other words, the freezer does freeze and will keep frozen foods as long as I am at the dock. When I leave the dock, however, and switch to the other setting, the ice begins to melt, and it no longer works well as a freezer. It does, however, continue to work very well as a refrigerator and keeps the beer very cold. I did not bring any frozen food, but packed things that only needed refrigeration, e.g., pre-cooked meats or smoked sausage, fresh vegetables, etc. A head of lettuce in a ziplock bag lasted two weeks.
I was very pleased that I did not notice a significant power drain from my batteries. On several occasions,I spent as long as three days and three nights on the hook, with no recharging effort at all, and my house bank was still measuring 12.5 volts. I have no solar panel or wind generator and I did not run my engine during the three day period. My house bank consists of three group 31 AGM batteries wired in parallel to give me 315 amps. I have a separate group 31 as a dedicated starting battery. I should add that during my time on the hook, I was not using other electric power consuming items such as cabin lights, depth sounder, GPS, etc. I did not have to use the masthead anchor light since I have one of those low-amp lights which plug into the cigarette lighter outlet. I did use my VHF for varying periods to monitor traffic although I did very little transmitting.
Since I have no experience with Adler Barbor or other systems, I can't really compare except on a hearsay basis. On this basis, I believe the Isotherm compares favorably with the A-B for power consumption but not as well as freezing unit (unless dock power is being used). At any rate, I am very happy with the unit, since I don't really need fresh meat or frozen foods when I'm cruising. If I do I can always dinghy in to a restaurant.
I'll be happy to respond to any questions.
Will
"Jambalaya"
whildenp@flinet.com
Isotherm refrigeration
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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charlie palumbo
Re: Isotherm refrigeration
WILLWill Parker wrote: There was some interest expressed recently in the Isotherm unit so I thought the following might be of some interest:
I just returned from a three week cruise to the Bahamas (Abacos) and I thought I would share my experience with the Isotherm 4201 magnum refrigeration system installed in my CD 30C. The 4201 has a sea water cooled compressor and a control panel which can be set to operate manually (when shore power is being used), or automatically, when the engine is running or boat is under sail or at anchor. The shore power setting lets the unit use all the power it wants to while the automatic setting is supposed to minimize power consumption.
First, the unit works well at the dock. I have two ice trays which hang on the holding plate, and I never want for ice at the dock. In other words, the freezer does freeze and will keep frozen foods as long as I am at the dock. When I leave the dock, however, and switch to the other setting, the ice begins to melt, and it no longer works well as a freezer. It does, however, continue to work very well as a refrigerator and keeps the beer very cold. I did not bring any frozen food, but packed things that only needed refrigeration, e.g., pre-cooked meats or smoked sausage, fresh vegetables, etc. A head of lettuce in a ziplock bag lasted two weeks.
I was very pleased that I did not notice a significant power drain from my batteries. On several occasions,I spent as long as three days and three nights on the hook, with no recharging effort at all, and my house bank was still measuring 12.5 volts. I have no solar panel or wind generator and I did not run my engine during the three day period. My house bank consists of three group 31 AGM batteries wired in parallel to give me 315 amps. I have a separate group 31 as a dedicated starting battery. I should add that during my time on the hook, I was not using other electric power consuming items such as cabin lights, depth sounder, GPS, etc. I did not have to use the masthead anchor light since I have one of those low-amp lights which plug into the cigarette lighter outlet. I did use my VHF for varying periods to monitor traffic although I did very little transmitting.
Since I have no experience with Adler Barbor or other systems, I can't really compare except on a hearsay basis. On this basis, I believe the Isotherm compares favorably with the A-B for power consumption but not as well as freezing unit (unless dock power is being used). At any rate, I am very happy with the unit, since I don't really need fresh meat or frozen foods when I'm cruising. If I do I can always dinghy in to a restaurant.
I'll be happy to respond to any questions.
Will
"Jambalaya"
VERY INFORMATIVE MESSAGE. I HAVE A CD36 WITHOUT REFRIGERATION.
I HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN ADDING A REFRIGERATION UNIT (no freezer).
i DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT BOAT REFRIGERATION. AS A COASTAL CRUISER, WOULD I BE BETTER OFF WITH AN ENGINE DRIVEN UNIT ORT NOT? IF NOT, AS THE MAJORITY OF OPINIONS RECEIVED SEEMS TO THINK, WHAT UNIT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND. THANKS, CHARLIE.
jcp1347@gateway.net
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Will Parker
Re: Isotherm refrigeration
Charlie,
I have no experience with an engine driven unit, but I expect the first question you should ask is whether you have the horsepower in the engine to (1) move the boat at hull speed, (2) charge your batteries, and (3) still have enough to drive your refrigeration system. I like the Isotherm because of its apparent robust construction and the ability to set it to minimize battery drain.
Will
"Jambalaya"
There was some interest expressed recently in the Isotherm unit so I thought the following might be of some interest:
whildenp@flinet.com
I have no experience with an engine driven unit, but I expect the first question you should ask is whether you have the horsepower in the engine to (1) move the boat at hull speed, (2) charge your batteries, and (3) still have enough to drive your refrigeration system. I like the Isotherm because of its apparent robust construction and the ability to set it to minimize battery drain.
Will
"Jambalaya"
There was some interest expressed recently in the Isotherm unit so I thought the following might be of some interest:
charlie palumbo wrote:WILLWill Parker wrote: I just returned from a three week cruise to the Bahamas (Abacos) and I thought I would share my experience with the Isotherm 4201 magnum refrigeration system installed in my CD 30C. The 4201 has a sea water cooled compressor and a control panel which can be set to operate manually (when shore power is being used), or automatically, when the engine is running or boat is under sail or at anchor. The shore power setting lets the unit use all the power it wants to while the automatic setting is supposed to minimize power consumption.
First, the unit works well at the dock. I have two ice trays which hang on the holding plate, and I never want for ice at the dock. In other words, the freezer does freeze and will keep frozen foods as long as I am at the dock. When I leave the dock, however, and switch to the other setting, the ice begins to melt, and it no longer works well as a freezer. It does, however, continue to work very well as a refrigerator and keeps the beer very cold. I did not bring any frozen food, but packed things that only needed refrigeration, e.g., pre-cooked meats or smoked sausage, fresh vegetables, etc. A head of lettuce in a ziplock bag lasted two weeks.
I was very pleased that I did not notice a significant power drain from my batteries. On several occasions,I spent as long as three days and three nights on the hook, with no recharging effort at all, and my house bank was still measuring 12.5 volts. I have no solar panel or wind generator and I did not run my engine during the three day period. My house bank consists of three group 31 AGM batteries wired in parallel to give me 315 amps. I have a separate group 31 as a dedicated starting battery. I should add that during my time on the hook, I was not using other electric power consuming items such as cabin lights, depth sounder, GPS, etc. I did not have to use the masthead anchor light since I have one of those low-amp lights which plug into the cigarette lighter outlet. I did use my VHF for varying periods to monitor traffic although I did very little transmitting.
Since I have no experience with Adler Barbor or other systems, I can't really compare except on a hearsay basis. On this basis, I believe the Isotherm compares favorably with the A-B for power consumption but not as well as freezing unit (unless dock power is being used). At any rate, I am very happy with the unit, since I don't really need fresh meat or frozen foods when I'm cruising. If I do I can always dinghy in to a restaurant.
I'll be happy to respond to any questions.
Will
"Jambalaya"
VERY INFORMATIVE MESSAGE. I HAVE A CD36 WITHOUT REFRIGERATION.
I HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN ADDING A REFRIGERATION UNIT (no freezer).
i DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT BOAT REFRIGERATION. AS A COASTAL CRUISER, WOULD I BE BETTER OFF WITH AN ENGINE DRIVEN UNIT ORT NOT? IF NOT, AS THE MAJORITY OF OPINIONS RECEIVED SEEMS TO THINK, WHAT UNIT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND. THANKS, CHARLIE.
whildenp@flinet.com