Nova Kool fridge won't run off house bank

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folieadeux

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The hot summer weather is slowly moving away so when we were on the hook Saturday we were not running the genny for the first time in about 5 months. Weather was nice enough to open all the vents and enjoy the fresh air. The Admiral noticed after about 2 hours that the ice in the galley freezer was starting to melt.

Seems that the Nova Kool double-door galley fridge is not cooling when on the house batteries. The light is on in the fridge but no cooling.

Any ideas on what & where to check? Unit works great on shore power and genny power.

Is there some 120V to 12V switch inside the fridge that may be not allowing the unit to switch to 12V operation.

House bank batteries are large AGM, only 90 days old, voltage is reading 13+
 
I think Robski had the same issue with his.
Forget the cure, but it was posted here.
 
I believe these dual voltage units, use DC compressors. Check the manual to see if yours has a fuse in the DC circuit.
 
It is probably the fuse or a connection in the 12VDC circuit back to the breaker or ground. Start at the frig control board and work your way towards the DC breaker.
Bill
 
Didn't check the links, but in the past I've e-mailed with the NovaKool tech support guys -- very fast, BTW -- and they confirmed the compressor is DC. The "AC" feed is only an automatic converter from AC input to DC to run the compressor. There are some fuses you could check, but in any case I'd expect their tech support could answer in a heartbeat.

-Chris
 
quote:
Originally posted by folieadeux

The hot summer weather is slowly moving away so when we were on the hook Saturday we were not running the genny for the first time in about 5 months. Weather was nice enough to open all the vents and enjoy the fresh air. The Admiral noticed after about 2 hours that the ice in the galley freezer was starting to melt.

Seems that the Nova Kool double-door galley fridge is not cooling when on the house batteries. The light is on in the fridge but no cooling.

Any ideas on what & where to check? Unit works great on shore power and genny power.

Is there some 120V to 12V switch inside the fridge that may be not allowing the unit to switch to 12V operation.

House bank batteries are large AGM, only 90 days old, voltage is reading 13+

Click to expand...


I'm assuming you mean the refrigerator will run on AC power but not run on DC battery power, right?

The first thing to check is the circuit breaker on the 12 volt electrical panel that protects the refrigerator circuit. Depending on the boat, it's possible that someone accidentally turned it off. It happens on my boat from time to time with various breakers.

OK, assuming that the 12 volt master switch is "ON" and the refrigerator breaker is also "ON", you need to find out if you have 12 volts DC (both positive and negative) available at the refrigerator where it connects to the boat wiring.

If you don't, the problem is with the boat's wiring or batteries. If you have 12 volts DC between the positive and negative wires where the connect to the refrigerator but it doesn't work on DC, the problem is with the refrigerator. If there's a fuse, check it. Otherwise, contact the manufacturer or a qualified service person in your area.
 
Ron-you are correct, it will operate fine on AC power but not on DC power. Breaker is ON.

I had a service tech on the boat last week , he found only 11.5 volts at the fridge compressor. The house bank meter at the power panel is reading 13+. House batteries are 90 day old AGM's installed this summer.

Suggestions ?
 
Well check the voltage starting at the fridge and move up stream to the panel . Look for loose or corroded connections
 
Interesting that there is 11.5 at the compressor. How about the voltage into the reefer? I would expect a lower voltage if the current being pulled while in DC mode was high. It might be interesting to see what the panel meter does when the reefer is turned off and on in DC mode. Make sure the AC breaker is off when you switch the DC to the reefer on and off.
 
quote:
Originally posted by folieadeux

Ron-you are correct, it will operate fine on AC power but not on DC power. Breaker is ON.

I had a service tech on the boat last week , he found only 11.5 volts at the fridge compressor. The house bank meter at the power panel is reading 13+. House batteries are 90 day old AGM's installed this summer.

Suggestions ?

Click to expand...


Does the house bank voltmeter still read 13+ volts when the refrigerator is trying to run?

I'm surprised the tech didn't look for the voltage drop or at least connect the refrigerator directly to the batteries to see if the problem is with the refrigerator or the boat.

From what you've posted, I would look for a corroded connection somewhere between the battery and the refrigerator. Remember, it can be in the positive side of the circuit or the negative side.

First though, I would use a pair of #10 wires and connect it directly to the battery (after disconnecting the other wires). See if it runs and check the voltage.
 
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