I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the Oze Fridge system of refrigeration versus the Engel / Waeco type of fridges, which is better?

I'm not really interested in discussing the loyalties around Engel v Waeco. As we all know, it would turn into a lengthy discussion such as Ford v Holden or Nissan v Toyota!

My yacht I recently bought has an 80 litre Oze Fridge set up which I haven't as yet had time to fully test out because I am in WA and the yacht is in SA - this situation will change very soon.

Let's assume that what has been installed has been done correctly as per the manufacturers instructions, how would it compare to an equivalent size Engel / Waeco? It seems much more complicated than an Engel / Waeco.

If anyone has any informed opinions on the matter they would like to share, I would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

G'day nowandzen
most of these fridges use the danfoss bd 35 or 50 compressors providing your insulation is to the right specs you should not have to many problems.
I don't have a waeco or a engel for my freezer instead I have a Italian designed Vitrifridge which seems not much comparison.

One great item I have just found on my Adams 42 is a computer fan in the locker below the sink where the compressor lives....
over the weekend in 42 degree weather I decided to give it a test.
Surprisinly now my water bottle is just about freezing and the compressor start ups and run times seem to be minimal!

regards

Yes Danfoss compressors are pretty much standard except for Engels which I think still have their own reciprocating piston compressor. The technology has come along over the years and they are all pretty good.

One thing I like about the Oze fridge is that they usually have a stainless steel eutectic tank evaporator (cooling element) which should reduce the frequency of compressor run times.

Another advantage of the stainless eutectic tank is they are hard to puncture which is not the case with the light aluminium cooling elements found in most other fridges.

I have a Waeco fridge in MB. It has been in for 6 years now and works fantastically well. Havefun noted that it was freezing stuff in the bottom if it was set higher than about 3, out of 8 settings. It runs for about 15-20% of the time when full, about 0.75-1.0 amp/hour.
I put a small computer cooling fan in when the fridge was installed and it improves the efficiency markedly.

Sometimes ago 4by4 magazine completed very professional test on all common fridges on the market.
Belive your fridge has a Damfoss unit, no complaints or issues there.
If you wont to know how your fridge is performing , measure current, internal and ambient temperature .

My experience I have Waico compressor fridge 11 l, o few years old as well as 46 l Engel.
Engel went through bit test after cyclon Marcia, no electricity 5 days. Superior Engel, Waico run under same condition
probably more than 80% time, just chew electricity, had to disconnect.
My guess, it's not compressor problem but ambient temperature was day & night over 30 degrees .

On the subject, any advice on the best way to refrigerate two galley ice boxes would be appreciated.

In my gallery there are two compartments, maybe 0.5 cu m each which were intended by the boat builder to be a fridge and freezer.

I investigated a locally made fridge assembly that came pre gassed and plugged together, really good but very big $$$ so I didnt buy it. Since then been using a peltier cooler esky which is high on current, 25A and low on cold, lucky to get to 15Deg C. I did manage to get it to 5 Deg C once at home. I put a heat exchanger on the peltier device and ran tap water through the heat exchanger. My idea at the time was to use sea water on the boat to help the peltier pull down the temperature but it was all too complicated. And it still needed 25A.

I bought a used 240VAC/12V bar fridge and chopped it up in an attempt to make a decent 12V fridge but all the parts were too well integrated to separate and install in boat. The evaporator/compressor/motors etc all locked in one big piece of plastic. But that came close to working. I was looking for an idea that would be useful to all boaties on a budget.

So suggestions on a way that's not to exe to refrigerate my ice boxes would be appreciated. Giving up on the engineering of that at the moment. Warm beer not good.

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NowandZen said...
I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the Oze Fridge system of refrigeration versus the Engel / Waeco type of fridges, which is better?

I'm not really interested in discussing the loyalties around Engel v Waeco. As we all know, it would turn into a lengthy discussion such as Ford v Holden or Nissan v Toyota!

My yacht I recently bought has an 80 litre Oze Fridge set up which I haven't as yet had time to fully test out because I am in WA and the yacht is in SA - this situation will change very soon.

Let's assume that what has been installed has been done correctly as per the manufacturers instructions, how would it compare to an equivalent size Engel / Waeco? It seems much more complicated than an Engel / Waeco.

If anyone has any informed opinions on the matter they would like to share, I would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

One of the advantages of the oze system is its abity to freeze the eutectic cooling bank using daylight solar power then by morning the ice bank would have enough cooling capacity for over night
Two things that id fit in that system is extra good quality ibsulation and. A pc fan to circulate the cold air inside the fridge unit

I have an Ozefridge in my boat with two compartments, one has the eutectic plates the other is an icebox. I keep the things that need to be kept cool in the icebox and the stuff that needs to be cold in the other compartment, switching around as necessary. I haven't been on any long passages but the previous owner used to store frozen goods in the eutectic box and move across to defrost as required. As previously mentioned the benefits of a electric eutectic allow the plates to freeze when solar power is available and stay cold overnight so the fridge only skims off excess power, I leave the fridge permanently on. What I also like is that they are built in Melbourne by a family company, when I first got the boat I rang the owner Peter Mackay for a copy of the owners manual and he sent it through immediately. Not likely to see that level of customer service from Waeco. Both of the Waeco fridges I've used have been unable to last long in the back of vehicles, the compressors are good but cases and control units aren't robust. Engels are indestructible but can be hungry on power, the new ARB units are pretty good too but need plenty of battery power.

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Trek said..

On the subject, any advice on the best way to refrigerate two galley ice boxes would be appreciated.

The first and most important thing with a refrigerated compartment is to ensure you have the absolute best insulation possible in your available space.

If you have that you may be able to run on block ice for up to a week or more. Spend the money on getting your ice box right first.

Then calculate the size of the refrigeration unit you will need to keep it cool and buy the next size up.

As others are saying, ensure your compressor and condenser unit are mounted in a well ventilated position. The law of physics that refrigeration works on is "Heat Gained = Heat Lost" or vice verca. The condenser and compressor need to lose heat. The amount of heat they lose pretty much determines the amount of heat you evaporator (cooling element) will lose.

The next thing to consider is placement of the evaporator. I fail to understand why most fridge installations have it mounted against the side of the box. One side of it is trying to cool the product and the other side is trying to cool the rest of the world through the insulated side of the box.

Logically speaking why would you not place the cooling element at or near the middle of what you are trying to cool so that it absorbs heat from both sides???

If your two galley ice boxes are basicly one box with an insulated dividing wall and two lids I would cut out a section of the divider big enough for the evaporator to fit, reseal the edges of the cut out and mount it there.

If you want the option of running different temperatures (ie freezer one, fridge the other), you will need two evaporators, two thermo expansion valves, possibly up to four isolation valves and the services of a very good refrigeration mechanic.

The isolation valves will give you the option of running either box but not the other.

Going that way is probably going to cost you $2,000+.

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HG02 said..

One of the advantages of the oze system is its abity to freeze the eutectic cooling bank using daylight solar power then by morning the ice bank would have enough cooling capacity for over night
Two things that id fit in that system is extra good quality ibsulation and. A pc fan to circulate the cold air inside the fridge unit

+1 on all of that HG.

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Wander66 said..
I have an Ozefridge in my boat with two compartments, one has the eutectic plates the other is an icebox. I keep the things that need to be kept cool in the icebox and the stuff that needs to be cold in the other compartment, switching around as necessary. I haven't been on any long passages but the previous owner used to store frozen goods in the eutectic box and move across to defrost as required. As previously mentioned the benefits of a electric eutectic allow the plates to freeze when solar power is available and stay cold overnight so the fridge only skims off excess power, I leave the fridge permanently on. What I also like is that they are built in Melbourne by a family company, when I first got the boat I rang the owner Peter Mackay for a copy of the owners manual and he sent it through immediately. Not likely to see that level of customer service from Waeco. Both of the Waeco fridges I've used have been unable to last long in the back of vehicles, the compressors are good but cases and control units aren't robust. Engels are indestructible but can be hungry on power, the new ARB units are pretty good too but need plenty of battery power.

All good with your installation. The previous owner was a perfectionist.

The likes of Waeco etc are designed for use in camper type vehicles and be run off the vehicle electrics while travelling and plugged into 240v at caravan parks or solar and auxiliary batteries in remote areas.

Engels are great but they have steel cases and therefore no place on a yacht.

The best stand alone fridge/freezer I have seen is the Evakool. My mate John with his Adams 31 got sick of his engine driven eutectic system breaking down all the time and got a deal on a 60 litre Evakool (fibreglass box, the best insulation), chopped half of his old fridge box out and mounted it there. It runs all the time off his house battery and solar panels and he is as pleased as punch with it. Never short of a cold beer on Kindred Spirit.

http://www.evakool.com/fridges/rf-fibreglass-fridges/60-litre-evakool-fibreglass-fridge-freezer

Cisco said Engels are great but they have steel cases and therefore no place on a yacht
that may be so for the 4 x 4 models mine are drop ins and have aluminum boxes

My apologies HG, but you know what I was getting at.

I have one of the old two tone green 40 litre Engels that came off the VDS 34 that I had. The steel case had started to rust and water had got into the insulation foam. I lifted the whole fridge mechanism and plastic liner out and my mate resin sealed the foam after it had dried out. Then I buffed the rust off, treated it with anti rust (forget what exactly), painted it with enamel tinted to original colour and put it back together and fitted handles to each end.

It works like a charm and will freeze a couple of ice cream buckets of water overnight. On 240 v it just humms away but a bit hungry on 12 v. We just use it for camping road trips and as a spare beer fridge at home.

It must be 30 years old.

Thanks for all the great responses men!

Southace, I also have a two door Vitrifrigo unit onboard also, are you saying you are not too happy with yours?

HG, the Engels you have onboard are a new product I see, they look pretty good. I have two of the more common type I use for camping, a 40l and a 60l with the built in compressor Sawafuji swing motor. They both sit inside an Engel insulated bag and I can't praise them enough. Perhaps a little noisy when trying to sleep sometimes, but if you have emptied enough beers out of it before going to bed, you don't notice it too much!

With the PC fan, are you talking about putting it inside the fridge next to the food and drinks to circulate the cold air?

I guess I'll just have to wait and see how well the Oze Fridge goes - I'm just really happy with my Engels I use for camping I thought if the Oze Fridge isn't very efficient, I could replace it with the 60l Engel when not camping...... February I am heading over from the west to SA to spend sometime onboard and take her around to Bateman's Bay - I can't wait!

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NowandZen said..
Thanks for all the great responses men!


Southace, I also have a two door Vitrifrigo unit onboard also, are you saying you are not too happy with yours?

HG, the Engels you have onboard are a new product I see, they look pretty good. I have two of the more common type I use for camping, a 40l and a 60l with the built in compressor Sawafuji swing motor. They both sit inside an Engel insulated bag and I can't praise them enough. Perhaps a little noisy when trying to sleep sometimes, but if you have emptied enough beers out of it before going to bed, you don't notice it too much!

With the PC fan, are you talking about putting it inside the fridge next to the food and drinks to circulate the cold air?

I guess I'll just have to wait and see how well the Oze Fridge goes - I'm just really happy with my Engels I use for camping I thought if the Oze Fridge isn't very efficient, I could replace it with the 60l Engel when not camping...... February I am heading over from the west to SA to spend sometime onboard and take her around to Bateman's Bay - I can't wait!

Im happy with my Vitrifrgo I use it as a freezer only (filled currently with 4 kg of fresh u10 Spencer gulf prawns)....... And yes I'm happy with it I was just trying to say it's not much different than the other brands.

As for fitting fans.....I fitted a computer fan to my last boat inside the fridge Strangely when I closed the lid it stopped I guess due to a good seal ?

As I posted earlyer a fan running over the compressor seems far more effective.

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NowandZen said..
Thanks for all the great responses men!

Southace, I also have a two door Vitrifrigo unit onboard also, are you saying you are not too happy with yours?

HG, the Engels you have onboard are a new product I see, they look pretty good. I have two of the more common type I use for camping, a 40l and a 60l with the built in compressor Sawafuji swing motor. They both sit inside an Engel insulated bag and I can't praise them enough. Perhaps a little noisy when trying to sleep sometimes, but if you have emptied enough beers out of it before going to bed, you don't notice it too much!

With the PC fan, are you talking about putting it inside the fridge next to the food and drinks to circulate the cold air?

I guess I'll just have to wait and see how well the Oze Fridge goes - I'm just really happy with my Engels I use for camping I thought if the Oze Fridge isn't very efficient, I could replace it with the 60l Engel when not camping...... February I am heading over from the west to SA to spend sometime onboard and take her around to Bateman's Bay - I can't wait!

www.ozefridge.com/?page_id=28
In the link above it shows a fan set up
The fans basically flow air over the eutectic plate from a freezer compartment
If the compressor is water cooled on your boat not fan cooled you could use the water to pre heat your hot water system after it has flowed through the fridge cooling system. Its amazing how much energy it would save just by preheating your hot water system love to see a partial solar set up like that in miniature for a boat as a add on to preheat a boat hot water system.
I used to preheat a 20 thousand gallon swiming pool just by passing my filter pump onto the house rof using back poly pipe coiled on the roof 3 days when its warm and the pool would be 23 c here in Vic