Sail Life - Installing an Isotherm cooling system (Classic 2006), Part 2 of 3

I get to finally turn on my brand new Isotherm cooling system. Having a "fridge" aboard instead of just an icebox is going to make living aboard the boat so much more comfortable. With a bit of luck part 3 should be up tomorrow :)

[@kenmerrifield233]

Mads, I have been watching your videos for quite some time now and have to say that you and your KZbin channel are one of my top 2 sailing / personality's and channels. Your approach for tackling a job on your boat is amazing. Your attention to detail, fit and finish and patience is second to none. Your calm, pleasant personality is so refreshing these days and I look forward to your videos which are very detailed, humorous, and professional. I am Canadian, living on Lake Huron of the Great Lakes where I used to sail my Catalina 27. I loved the surprise when you flew to Vancouver to visit with Alfie and I am glad you enjoyed your stay there and in the US. Thanks for introducing me to the young couple who have just started their video channel showing their journey on their Westsail 32. I also follow Curtis Westsail on his Westsail 32 who is also out of Victoria BC. Thanks for brightening up my days with your entertaining videos. Ken Merrifield

[@SailLife]

ken merrifield Wow! Thank you so much, Ken! What a wonderful way to start the day (it's morning here). My back is acting up a bit but reading such an awesome comment but a big smile on my face! I loved the time I spent in Canada. I could easily see myself living in Canada! All the Canadians I meet were absolutely wonderful and amazing! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos from James and Angela. I'm very excited to see how their channel will develop. I think the two of them are destined to have one of the best sailing channels on KZbin :) I hope they get to do some videos with Curtis. That would be cool! Thank you for putting a big smile on my face! Mads

[@dianes4858]

Mads, I watch you because you aren’t afraid to tackle any job, even if you’ve never done it before. You give me courage! Thanks!

[@MaverickSailing]

You always do nice work. I'm glad to see you using the proper tools for crimping the terminals on the wires too.

[@SailLife]

Maverick Sailing Thank you so much, Adam :) Now, get off the computer and go dive! ;)

[@MaverickSailing]

OK, OK you talked me into it I'll go diving! LOL

[@hugofry6818]

You Could have used a coffee can to coil that tube. The bend would be spread out over the curve of the can. You can make smaller or larger coils with different size round cylinders. Great work Mads !!! You have done a very good job refitting that Ballard. Fine job indeed !!!! David:

[@SailLife]

David Wales Thank you so much, David :) That is a great tip! I'll remember that for next time :)

[@jforsman10]

Standing the test of time LOL! wanted a refresher looking forward to a fridge refit and while I was actually searching for the custom build you did on Athena, came across this sequence of videos. You have come a long way, sir, but even then you were a DIY boss!

[@50707821]

Hi Mads, Thank you for your video. It has been a great help to me. Sure it was one hell of a job. I had to create the cool box as well. Small tip. I have run the pipes through pipe insulation. It will protect them ware due to vibration. Finally I am very pleased. It runs smoothly and only draws 3amps. 🙂

[@unclejake154]

Nice job! A great demo video on Isotherm install, and heat shrink on the electrical connectors is a real nice touch. Thanks.

[@SailLife]

unclejake154 Thank you so much :) So far I'm very pleased with this little unit :)

[@wilsnich02]

Hi Mads..... I really enjoy your uploads... both you and Alfy cover lots of things I have either done or need to do, so I always find it interesting. My boat has a big double Ice Box (Freezer and a Fridge) with Eutectic tanks that were never hooked up. So I am closely watching these uploads because I wish to retro fit with a more modern electric unit like yours..... A friend of mine had a Seawind 1000 Cat and his Fridge Freezer ran all the time with only his two 120 Watt Solar Panels charging his Batteries - mind you our sun here really packs a punch. Keep the uploads coming. Nick

[@USMCCGAGNG]

Mads, even though this is an older video I used it to install my second fridge sine it is actually the old one there were no instructions. Thank you very much. I love your presentation style and video prowess. 🐬

[@powerelectronicsguyl306]

Hi Mads; What Norman Boyes suggested is not OCD. I am a bit surprised that nothing was mentioned in the Isotherm instructions regarding copper tube chafing. Instead of using nylon or rubber lined stainless clamps that are sized for the tubing diameter and stacked so that each of several coils are spaced apart to avoid chafing, I believe a much simpler remedy would be to wrap the entire coil and fittings with 3M brand #130C (or equivalent) rubber tape, then tie-wrap the bundled coils together and clamp them to the wall so they won’t vibrate. Your choice of flexible conduit clamped in place is excellent and is preferred to a similar cheaper type that is split along its overall length. Congratulations on using proper stripping/ratcheting crimping tools and heatshrink tubing over the exposed wire strands and terminal barrels. These tools help to eliminate nicked and/or missing strands. However, it is highly recommended that you keep a tube of Dow Corning DC4 www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Electrical-Insulating-Compound/dp/B000LEX8TA pure silicone grease aboard and liberally coat each quick-connect terminal before plugging them in to the fuse block/compressor. Corrosion at terminations is a major maritime concern and this grease is the best on the market. Obtaining and using clip-on wire markers www.panduit.com/wcs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Panduit_Global%2FPG_Layout&cid=1345565612156&packedargs=classification_id%3D2450%26item_id%3DPCA07-0%26locale%3Den_us&pagename=PG_Wrapper similar to the Isotherm markers are very important. The MOST VALUABLE component of any electrical system are the drawings!!! Creating a detailed drawing of labeled wires, fuse position, fuse value, termination points, etc. will save you several thousand future man-hours of troubleshooting and several thousand Danish Krones for future repairs. As a programmer, maybe you already have Autosketch or similar cad software that could make quality drawings. Guard the drawings with your life, store them with ships papers, and keep a pdf copy on your laptop. Update them as necessary and keep track of revisions. Also, your electrical compartment is beginning to look a wee bit scary. Remember: Economaintainabilitiness and your friend Doug’s Westsail42 engine room layout. Neat and workmanlike labeled, combed, and secured wire bundles, a well thought out layout of fuse blocks/grounding bus bar blocks, as opposed to a rat nested nightmare, will keep things working longer and require less overall maintenance. Hope this helps. Jack, aka electricalpowerguy

[@stephenharriau1406]

That is a nice system. I didn't know how easy it was to install, (relatively). Its nice it came precharged and how small the compressor/condenser turned out to be.

[@By_YHWH.Gal47]

wow your wiring is real nice.

[@passmeby9398]

Mess? I hope you don't have a heart attack when you see my electrics! Mine are a mess. Yours look like a professional installation.

[@SailLife]

Pass Me By Haha :) Thank you so much :)

[@05Cat28]

Great tiny compressor for the tiny fridge. Good install. Because the box tapers to the bottom the cold air will settle there and cause unwanted items to freeze. I had this same issue with my ice box. A very easy and cheap solution is to make yourself a fan tube to pull the cold air up and over the rest of the space. I did mine with a 5cm 12v cpu fan you could go smaller. I sandwiched the fan between a couple of pvc plumbing fittings on the bottom with inlet vents cut and attached a pipe with a 90 degree elbow on the top to push the air over the top. My fan was $8 cdn and plumbing bit were $5 cdn. The fan runs constantly at a low volume, speed (mine is on a rheostat). The temperature in my box stays even though out and amp draw is negligible. I'll try and send you a pic.

[@SailLife]

05Cat28 That is an awesome solution :) Of course, if I put a 5 cm fan in there I won't have room for anything else ;) I will certainly keep you tip in mind for when I get a bigger boat (and icebox). I had the thermostat on it's lowest possible setting yesterday and measured 3.5 degrees C in the bottom of the box. I have a feeling once I cram it full of stuff I might see stuff at the bottom freezing. I'll test the next time I spend an entire weekend aboard the boat. Next weekend I'll be doing epoxy stuff but the weekend after that I should be able to bring Jökull along again :)

[@05Cat28]

***** We were off sailing this week and it was hot 30c ish, my 2 year old 'tube fan' was getting noisy so I turned it off at times the difference was very noticeable to the point were the top was getting above 4.5c. Off to the electronics shop this week for another fan. I don't think they are designed to run constantly at cold temps but the price is right. On another note you being a youtube guy can probably relate to my disappointment today, we headed out into the notorious Haro strait today, not far from your Georgia strait crossing with Alfy and got caught up in 25-30 knot winds agains tide, we were running with a sliver of sail out and our dinghy was passing us surfing down the waves. I thought I had it all on video but something went amiss with the record button and was to busy to check. A real bummer as I will hopefully never be in that situation again.

[@05Cat28]

05Cat28 And on another note. We have a permanent 80watt solar panel with an older larger reefer compressor we have no issues in the summer with our batteries. A short occasional run or power sail with the engine is all that is needed. Go 135watt and you would have more than enough.

[@dgourdine50]

Excellent Work Mads! Again, I'm learning a lot thanks to you.. Keep your fingers crossed, I'm looking at an Alberg 30 for possible my first purchase

[@SailLife]

D Gourdine Thank you so much! :) Alberg 30 is an awesome boat! On my way from Houston to New Orleans, I had the chance to visit an awesome guy that's fixing up an Alberg 30. He is doing a big refit and also needs to deal with soft decks. I wish I could have stayed longer, but we needed to be in New Orleans later that night. What condition is the boat your looking at in? :) And, of course, I'm crossing my fingers! ;)

[@dgourdine50]

***** It is located in New England and I am in South Carolina. I will have to take a trip north and take a look. It looks as though it will not be a extensive refit, hopefully more cosmetic than anything else. Only a survey will tell. But, it could be a great deal if all works out. Thanks For The Support! .. fingers crossed and prayers as well on this side :)

[@syhelge4048]

Great shooting. I have the same system (Waeco though) in my 23 footer. I am very happy with it. I can run for 36 hours on the 80 AH consumption battery.

[@MickScarborough]

I think I would have used the yellow Teflon tape in those couplers. The yellow tape is for gas fittings and seals it better.

[@SailLife]

Mick Scarborough Oh, I didn't know that. I'll remember that the next time :) There was no mention of Teflon tape in the manual so I hope won't have any issues with leaks :)

[@theislandpackrat]

Great job Mads!

[@SailLife]

theislandpackrat Thank you so much :) Having the option of bringing real food aboard (meat and vegetables) is going to make life so much better aboard. It's funny how a fridge aboard makes my boat feel much more... erhm.. fancy ;) Who knows what luxury item is next pressurized water, running hot water... the sky is the limit ;)

[@normanboyes4983]

Hi Madz By split conduit, I meant similar to what you have used for your electrical work but smaller diameter and bought split or you can cut through yourself with a craft knife. Split to allow you to pop it over pipe (or cable) rather than thread same through. By clipping to the unit I meant the wooden unit where the compressor is contained - I would have lead the pipes around the unit clipping as I went then came back to the compressor to make the connections no again clipping to the unit (wooden structure).

[@ktobias63]

Great job! Wonderful editing as well!

[@SailLife]

ktobias63 Thank you so much :) I'm always a bit worried if the editing is good enough. I'm still kind of new to all of this video stuff :)

[@davidcannamela]

awesome job!!!! Josephine say "call the guy!!!" but you made it look easy!!!! (hey you can be the "guy" on your next visit!!!!

[@SailLife]

David Cannamela For you my friend I'd love to be the "call the guy"-guy ;) If you've got something you want a hand with the next time I'm in the city I'd be glad to help! :) You wouldn't believe how much I miss the awesome burgers we had! Nothing back home comes close.

[@normanboyes4983]

Nice work Mads. If I may make a suggestion and it will seem very OCD - you need to do something with the gas circuit coils to prevent them 'chattering' against each other as over time - engine and compressor vibration can cause these pipes to chafe through and you will lose the charge. You could use split electrical plastic conduit, a bit fiddly but worth the effort. personally I would have clipped to the unit with cable clamps and 'avoided or reduced crossovers'. Just saying. Please do not let this detract from your excellent work.👌

[@SailLife]

Norman Boyes Thank you so much, Norman :) I plan on securing the tubes with zip ties that should keep them from chafing. What is the difference between the conduit you mention and the stuff I use (6:53)? :) What do you mean by "clipped to the unit with cable clamps"? I'm sorry it's early here so my brain might just still be half at sleep ;) Your comments are always very insightful. Thanks for all your help :)

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Sehr gut, danke!

[@jonas2000]

Looks very good!

[@bobhope781]

Great Job!

[@petertip2593]

Thanks. Good video.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

I mounted my thermostat fridge controller inside the box itself. Saw no other way to mount it given the dimensions of the box, capillary tube etc. My evaporator is the large "O" version

[@liquorice3610]

Nice work Mads, are you adding another fuse box there? Might be a good idea to label the cables too in case of an emergency.

[@SailLife]

Li Quorice Thank you so much :) I'll add another fuse box by the nav station. I'll definitely consider labeling the cables when I'm rewiring the nav station :) Good suggestion!

[@moejaime2654]

Very nice work Mads!! guess you did not need any of that old fashion sealant ?

[@SailLife]

Moe Jaime Thank you so much, Moe :) I've only just seen your other comment now. I hope I won't have any leaks! The manual mentions nothing about sealant. Fingers crossed! :)

[@MrJonmuir]

Great video Mads. Does you cool box have a seal on the lid like a fridge door? This could help with efficiency?

[@SailLife]

MrJonmuir Thank you so much :) Keen eye! It doesn't have a seal right now, but it will have. I purposely made a lip for that :) All I need to do is find a seal in the correct thickness :)

[@caribbeansailing4110]

Excellent job, you can explain where you buy the cooling system and the price?

[@miketadlock1904]

Hello, I enjoy watching your videos and I am learning some new things. I just purchased a Alden - Wellington 47 and I will start working on her in September. I have some crimping pliers, but I really like yours. What brand and model are your crimping pliers and stripping pliers?

[@lifeislikesailing]

Looks great Mads! Now can you come over and install one on my boat. ;)

[@SailLife]

LifeisLikeSailing - Vancouver, BC I would love that Alfy! The two of us should live closer to each other. I vote you come over here cheaper slip fees and no insane forest fires ;) I hope those fires will be under control soon!

[@lifeislikesailing]

***** OK, I will sail over there....if I leave in 12 years, then I should see you in about 13 years....boy will it ever be nice to have refrigeration by that time! lol

[@jormanarraiz9664]

I would like to know if you have to charge the system with gas I mean fill the pipes up with refrigerant????

[@Garryck-1]

The unit comes pre-charged.

[@offplanetevent]

Nice . Is part 3 going to be drinking ice cold beer ?

[@SailLife]

offplanetevent Thanks :) Haha almost ;)

[@boazjoe1]

Well, it has been over 3 years. How has this held up?

[@sailingspokojny7014]

Since you are using heat shrink for insulation why not use bare terminals?

[@SailLife]

Dennis Cline I could have, but the ones I used in the video are much more commonly available over here :)

[@cardinhamkilligrew9712]

what gauge wire did you use? I have about a 10 foot run?

[@vikingrchronicles]

hello! What is the wire size for power?

[@lunaticfade4044]

Every time you ask the viewer to please excuse the mess I'm forced to face the fact that I live like a slob given your definition of "mess".