Remove Waeco fridge

[dgadee]

I have a front opening Waeco MDC 65 fridge. I'd like to remove it for access to plumbing which it blocks, and also to clean out dust which has built up.

Can't see how to do it or find an installation manual. There appears to be something on the left hand side holding the fridge to a bulkead but no idea how it might be unfastened for removal.

Any ideas?

 

[Neeves]

We have a Dometic RWX 110 (and I think Dometic and Waeco are the same company). Our fridge replaces an older model of an indentical size. Like yours it is front opening. Ours has the compressor etc in a recess at the top of the fridge (outside but within the 'cube').

This new fridge has 2 grommets roughly middle of each side which are intended to allow the fridge to be secured to a bulkhead - to stop it falling out in big seas. The intention is you simply screw through the fridge carcass into the bulkhead and replace the grommet. The grommets are pretty obvious, on ours. Our previous fridge wa retained with a screw through the lower door hinge - all pretty crude stuff.

There must be something to retain the fridge - or it would 'walk', with simple vibration.

I suspect this is of no help, best I can offer

 

[dgadee]

This new fridge has 2 grommets roughly middle of each side which are intended to allow the fridge to be secured to a bulkhead - to stop it falling out in big seas. The intention is you simply screw through the fridge carcass into the bulkhead and replace the grommet. The grommets are pretty obvious, on ours. Our previous fridge wa retained with a screw through the lower door hinge - all pretty crude stuff.

There must be something to retain the fridge - or it would 'walk', with simple vibration.

I suspect this is of no help, best I can offer

Just discovered the two screws - simply threaded into the sides of the fridge. Pretty crude stuff. I was looking for something high tech!

Thanks.

 

[Neeves]

Just discovered the two screws - simply threaded into the sides of the fridge. Pretty crude stuff. I was looking for something high tech!

Thanks.

You are most welcome

Crude.....My thought exactly.

The compressor etc assembly on ours is pretty standard, looks like a 'normal' Danfos unit (but is not branded as such). We added an extra computer fan to increase airflow (our compressor is in the recess at the back and top of the 'box') as the only ventilation is any space round the box. So we force air across the top (where the space is largest on ours) into the galley. The extra fan is wired to the existing fan - so only cycles on when the compressor runs and consumes 0.1amp.

A you have the fridge out - now is a good time to think about it

But you might not have room and fridge efficiency might not be a priority.

I recycled a fan from an old computer, but similar devices, 12v dc, are available from lots of electronics - and you can buy them (or you can here) from electronic component shops. They come in many sizes from about 30mm x 30mm x 8mm to bigger than the one in your fridge which i probably about 100mm x 100mm x 20mm

We have also ducted air (fresh) from the anchor locker to the back of our fridge (so we have fresh, cool, air coming in and then force feed any warm air out) - but that is not such an easy fix on most yachts. It easier on a cat.

Good Luck

Jonathan

edit

When you take the fridge out you might find the cable is a bit 'short' and the cable might be too short to allow you to drop the fridge to the cabin sole. Either disconnect the cable - or have a box you can put the fridge on a this will need the least length of cable. You can then worry about the next step without having to prance about with a fridge in your embrace.

They look both small and light until you need to hold them for longer than you thought!

close edit

 

[dgadee]

Yes, there is already a computer fan in place and luckily when I brought the fridge out there was plenty of cable. Plumbing done and everything back in place, now.

Thanks.

 

[vas]

The compressor etc assembly on ours is pretty standard, looks like a 'normal' Danfos unit (but is not branded as such). We added an extra computer fan to increase airflow (our compressor is in the recess at the back and top of the 'box') as the only ventilation is any space round the box. So we force air across the top (where the space is largest on ours) into the galley. The extra fan is wired to the existing fan - so only cycles on when the compressor runs and consumes 0.1amp.

Jonathan,

interesting that you managed to run it with two fans.
Mine is also a Waeco something (80lt job) with the motor/pump/controller/fan on a recess on the top.
Worked fine until I got it in place, v.tight spot no fresh air coming in, smallish port to vent out (to the salon unfortunately)
Anyway, got a 75mm dia flexhose, fitted a computer fan drilled a hole to get fresh air from outside, routed it all up there (approx 1.2m long) but with two 100mm square comp fans fridge wont fire up. Remove the one, all's fine. Read that the load has to be less than something (1A?) which shouldn't really be in my case, but didn't work.

What fans have you used exactly?

cheers

V.

 

[Neeves]

Vas,

No idea - exactly

And even if I did - I doubt you would find the exactly the same fans.

Ours are either Taiwanese or Japanese - I suspect newer ones will be Chinese.

Australia, or Sydney, used to have a programmed household collection recycling scheme whereby we all had our redundant items collected and disposed of (I think much went to landfill). Knowing that computer fans had a use I used to pickup old PCs remove the fans and re-dump the PCs. There were 2 fans commonly used. Older lap tops used small fans (newer one might also - if so they are very quiet)

PCs used quite large fans 100mm or 120mm square and little ones maybe 30mm square. We have a 100mm square fan in our ducting (from the anchor locker to the fridge location) and another on an extension off the ducting to our 'under cabin sole' deep freeze. These are wired into the fridge and deep freeze power - so when the fridge is switched on the fan comes on, when the deep freeze comes on the other fan comes on. They are not controlled by the fridge or deep freeze circuitry - the fridge fan run 24/7 - when the fridge is on (we only use the deep freeze on a long cruise and it would also then be on 24/7). With the old Danfos unit we did ue a 100mm x 100mm fan to exhaust into the saloon, wired into the applied fan. There was never an issue but that unit was 20 years old - and specifications might have changed.

Some of the fan I recycled were more noisy than other and we soon worked out to try them first and we discarded the noisy one in favour of silence or an almost inaudible hum. Choice was thus dictated by noise rather than any other factor.

Like you we have ducted and the duct is focused at the compressor assembly. We used normal domestic oven extractor fan ducting.

The small fan were located over a heat sink in the PC, they are about the size of a small, thin matchbox. still 12v

The small fan we have to exhaust hot air from the fridge, same issue as you - inadequate flow - over and from the compressor - is very low power usage 0.1 amp (might be less) and is wired into the supplied fan wiring. The wiring is identical to the wiring of Danfos units - it looks the same, same alphabetic codings. Whereas our old fridge, which had an independent Danfos unit was branded Danfos - the new unit has no branding - its just exactly the same.

I think maybe your fans are a bit big to wire into the compressor circuitry but like you I don't see that the bigger fans would use 1amp.

These computer fans come in a whole range of sizes, 100mm or 120mm square are very common but I have seen fans intermediate in size from the 100mm/120mm down to the 30mm versions (I have also been bigger ones). So there are fans say 50mm and 70mm square (I have some - never know when they might be useful!). The power usage appear to be related to physical size - see if you can find one of, say, 60mm x 60mm. You might find that 2 fans each 50mm square wired together one feeding to the comparer and one exhausting from the assembly might work. The ratings of the fans are on labels on the back of the fans.

I'm not answering your query - except we have never had an issue with adding an extra fan. Iff you are buying fans it is more difficult - because I collected them, free, I ended up with a few and could sort on the basis of noise (and size).

I'm not on the boat now and cannot guess what the exact dimensions off the fans are nor their power ratings, except they are 12v.

Jonathan

 

[Neeves]

Vas,

I've just dug out 3 computer fans. They are simply similar to the ones we are using

60mm x 60mm x 25mm 12v 55ma, Elina Fan made by Sangyo, Japan

60mm x 60mm x 15mm 12v 0.1a, Panaflow made by Matsushita, Japan

80mm x 80mm x 25mm 12v 0.13a Craft Fan made by Aeolus (maybe also Japan)

They are described as 'Brushless'.

We are using, wired into the existing fan, currently 2 of the first 2 listed, not sure if the bigger or smaller, and we have used a single one (maybe 100mm or 120mm square and maybe 0.2 amp) bigger than the 3rd listed on our original fridge with a branded Danfos compressor. I would have said the supplied fan was 100mm or 120mm square and max power usage would have been less than 0.5amp (I'd have to check to be precise - and that would mean taking the fridge out!) - so adding a a small fan (le the same as or smaller than 80mm square listed) would not exceed that 1a limit.

As I mention computer fans come in all sorts of sizes and (low) power usage - you should be able to find something that will work.

Jonathan

 

[vas]

thanks a lot Jonathan!

ok, you've done it slightly differently and since I'm getting a lot of noise as the fridge now has a vent by the side of the sofa (no other place!) I may have to resort to something similar, one 80-100dia on the hose pumping fresh air to the void with all the pump/matrix assembly and a smaller one sucking hot air out.
Wire the small one on the danfoss controller (so comes on and off with the compressor), and leave the bigger one pumping fresh air in permanently on as long as the fridge is on (could even go a step further and link it to the boat BMS and turn it off at night (heat gain is little then, air is cooler and possibly save 1A over the whole night...)

cheers

V.

PS. I've got a decent DC amp clamp and used it but values were silly low, cannot remember now...

 

[Neeves]

Try to have the fresh air pumped in focused at the compressor assembly - maybe at one end and then pull (or push) out at the other end (and take note of the direction of the supplied fan - keep the flow in one direction and add to it). The space round each side, top, bottom of our fridge is minimalist - and generating a 'circular' flow seems advantageous. I put baffles, or vanes, in to direct flow. We seem to have some success and we have good flow over the top - exiting into the galley (which is well ventilated).

I don't have a clamp meter and the amperage quoted is that on the label of each fan. I rely on a Xantrec battery mon - I'd not rely on it for the usage rates of these smaller fans.

Good luck

Jonathan