Fridge replacement

[wpc691]

20yr old GE fridge finally gave up the ghost. Searching old threads here and on the interweb yields 3 candidates that will fit down the companionway without taking the doorframe apart ( why is everything else on the boat assembled with screws, but not that doorframe??): Avanti, Igloo and maybe Criterion (Menard’s house brand). I guess these might all be classed “disposable”, but does anybody have recent experience, good or bad, with any of these brands? Thanks.

 

[bobk]

If you could get it through a window, that might give you more options. It's not as bad a job to pull a window as it might seem, especially for a yard that has the experience.

Bobk

 

[Pascal]

I have a small avanti, it works... nowadays all that stuff is pretty much disposable.

Check smallappliances.com they have things you wont find in regular stores.

I ve never undertood why counter depth fridges are so expensive... i hate standard fridges that are so deep you forget what s hidding in the back!

 

[Walter P]

I have a small avanti, it works... nowadays all that stuff is pretty much disposable.

Check smallappliances.com they have things you wont find in regular stores.

I ve never undertood why counter depth fridges are so expensive... i hate standard fridges that are so deep you forget what s hidding in the back!

I thought the stuff in the back was left over high school biology homework.....

Walt

 

[wpc691]

Thanks, guys. If I had a 53, I would pull a window. The fridge space in my 43 is really pretty small, so pulling the window would only get me a slightly larger fridge. As somebody said in another thread, “I hate pulling a window that doesn’t leak”.

 

[Pascal]

There ar no windo to pull to get a fridge in with a 53... they fit fine thru the aft deck door, the problem are the stairs going down to th galley.

 

[wpc691]

There ar no windo to pull to get a fridge in with a 53... they fit fine thru the aft deck door, the problem are the stairs going down to th galley.

Oh well...just one more reason to regret not having 10 more ft of waterfront.

 

[HahnR]

We replaced a non working sub zero with a combo unit made by Summit. Commercial quality, reasonably priced, lots of sizes.

Randy

 

[billwilletts]

For whatever it's worth... when our galley was remodeled a 30 inch tinted hatch was installed in the ceiling which is where the front lounge area is forward of the helm windshield. This allowed us to move in and out with ease any appliance at all. The bonus is that is made the galley so much more lighter and we can open it for fresh air while under way or on nice days. I highly recommend it depending on your vessel. We have a 56 MY Wide body.

 

[wpc691]

We replaced a non working sub zero with a combo unit made by Summit. Commercial quality, reasonably priced, lots of sizes. Randy

Thanks for the Summit recommendation. Found a model that will slip right through the door.

 

[HahnR]

Thanks for the Summit recommendation. Found a model that will slip right through the door.

They have a latch option too, was about $80 per unit as I recall. Not the best looking latch but it keeps the doors from swinging open under way.

 

[wpc691]

They have a latch option too, was about $80 per unit as I recall. Not the best looking latch but it keeps the doors from swinging open under way.

Excellent, thanks. We’re quiet water cruisers, but do encounter the occasional 6 ft wake from 60 ft sporty’s on plane in the ICW.

 

[DCMY #92]

I also have a Summit with door latches. Not only did it fit in our 41 DCMY well, it was the only smaller unit I could find available with an ice maker.

 

[wpc691]

Following up: bought the Summit CP961 fridge from appliancesconnection.com. Got the latch option -the latches were shipped installed, and they do not really fit in the standard shipping carton. One of the latches had poked through and gotten slightly bent. Called Summit, and they immediately shipped a replacement latch. Appliancesconnection emailed me the next day and gave me a $50 discount and 10 yr extended warranty for the problem; pretty happy with that resolution. This is a small fridge, probably not suitable for a liveaboard, but OK for cruising. Wire shelves are very weak, I’m already looking for replacements. Door bins are shallow, just hold a 12 oz can, and retainers are short, won’t hold a tall container -I’m thinking I can find “keepers” on some other appliance to fix that. When I pulled the old fridge, I found the power cord butt spliced to the supply wire with shaky automotive crimps wrapped in electrician’s tape -I guess I’m glad the old one died just to uncover that unsatisfactory condition.

 

[SEVEN]

What model did you order?

 

[HahnR]

We got ours through a local restaurant supply business I've known for a good 20 years. He said they've had really good luck with the Summit line as far as reliability and longevity so we went with his recommendation. I did notice some of the shelving and drawers weren't as heavily built as I expected, but like yours it fit like a glove in the hole left by the sub zero. I guess we'll have to see how it holds up ourselves. The sub zero made it 15 years, the Summit was less than a third the price of a Sub Zero replacement. I sure don't want to be replacing it in 5 years though! Otherwise it's a very quiet running unit, cools down fast & looks great , so far no complaints.

 

[wpc691]

What model did you order?

CP961; I had to call appliancesconnection to get the latch option - it was in their system, but no way to order it online. Left-hand opening also required the call, website said RH opening, and not reversible, which was wrong; that was a $25 adder. I ran the fridge a few days in the house before moving it to the boat. Got plenty cold, very quiet, the compressor didn’t seem to come on very often - it’s about the same footprint as my old GE, but 1 cu ft less inside, the result of thicker insulation, especially in the freezer. Slid right through the salon door with the fridge doors off, just needed to rotate at the end to accommodate the ledge at the top that holds the freezer door pin - so technically, their 19 1/2” published measurement with doors off isn’t exactly correct, that ledge sticks out about 1 1/2” beyond that...as long as you have room to rotate inside, it’s not a problem.

 

[jebhat]

I put a Vitrifrigo into our 52 CY and chose it primarily because it made it through the aft salon door and filled the space almost identical to the old unit we took out. Latch version, two fridge drawers and one freezer drawer. Very quiet and supposedly reliable, so far so good. Also changed the microwave as that was the only chance to accomplish it with the fridge out. Range is next.

 

[wpc691]

CP-961 installed. Couldn’t find 18 to 12 step down butt crimps for the hardwire connection (does anybody make them?), so I used the push through method with a straight 12. The crimp worked fine, but I was unhappy with the shrink on the 18 side - the adhesive flowed, but I’m OCD about 120V connections, and it didn’t seem solid. I recut the conductors to stagger the crimps over 6 inches, put 3/8 shrink over each crimp, then 8” of 1/2” shrink over the whole thing. Those crimps aren’t going anywhere.

 

[Top Hatt Craig]

CP-961 installed. Couldn’t find 18 to 12 step down butt crimps for the hardwire connection (does anybody make them?), so I used the push through method with a straight 12. The crimp worked fine, but I was unhappy with the shrink on the 18 side - the adhesive flowed, but I’m OCD about 120V connections, and it didn’t seem solid. I recut the conductors to stagger the crimps over 6 inches, put 3/8 shrink over each crimp, then 8” of 1/2” shrink over the whole thing. Those crimps aren’t going anywhere.

Step Down Butt Connectors .. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/anco...ulti-wire-connectors--P015982408?recordNum=30