Fridge woes

[StefanSG]

Hi I have a Frigoboat compressor fridge set up In a coolbox in a locker on my boat. It’s a Frigoboat, Roma BD35F (Danfoss) coupled with an 80F evaporator. I bought it second hand (from a user here) and it stopped working shortly after installation. Engineer diagnosed a leak on the plate. Which wasn’t too surprising since my long refit meant the plate and associated pipes were moved around for nearly two years before installation. I bought a new plate and had the engineer fit it for me. Worked well for a month or so then I had some electrical issues which meant insufficient voltage was getting to the compressor. I recently sorted that out, now the compressor runs but the plate doesn’t get cold at all. I am assuming that the refrigerant has leaked out somewhere. I would rather not keep throwing money at the setup, engineer wants £175 to come and look at it, are there any tests I can do on the compressor/plate myself, first thing I’m trying is voltage at the controller in case somehow the compressor part isn’t working somehow, (I heard the fan running and assumed it was) then if there are no suggestions I’m going to pull the compressor out and take it to Penguin for them to test ? Because getting the plate out without breaking it will be a massive headache. Or do I just bite the bullet and get the engineer back in with the kit to test it ? Because it seems the gas has escaped somewhere ?
Thanks for your patience…

SSG

 

[lustyd]

Emily and Clark’s adventure on YouTube have a few videos on troubleshooting fridges. In your case check that the compressor runs, not just the fan. Also you can bypass the thermostat for testing.
If your engineer is a good one you’re better off having them fix than buying new as new kits have quick connect pipes which can leak. You can’t buy refrigerant in the Uk without f-gas certification any more so you’ll need to call him in to fill it if that’s needed. The refrigerant is getting quite pricey too as it’s been replaced (again) for climate change reasons.

 

[vyv_cox]

There is troubleshooting information on this page of my website Recharging marine refrigeration systems