Refer life on the batts

Nehalennia

Nehalennia

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2007
10,006
Marysville, WA
Boat Info
2001 310DA twin 350 MAGs, Westerbeke 4.5KW
Engines
Twin 350 MAG V-drives
This weekend we'll be at a State Park Island with no shore power. It's also the first overnight on this boat with a refer and no shore power. So, for those that have refers and have spent a couple nights on the hook, how long can I expect my Little Norcold with a group 27 Batt. I have 2 batts but obviously will only have one on.
 
I never have had any problems with mine running all night. But with mine hooked up to shore power all week, when I get on the boat the fridge is already cooled down. When on the hook without any power I usually turn the fridge down a notch so it doesn't cycle as often. When I make the morning ice run it charges the battery enough to sit on the hook the rest of the day on bat. power.
 
Todd,
Alot depends on your cruising plans. If you plan to sit anchored all those days is one thing and will make it more difficult, but if you plan on cruising during your stay here and there you'll be able to charge your batteries. As RiverRat said, turn it down a bit and I would cycle a bag of ice to help keeping things cool and giving you more time to keep the fridge off. Last year we took our 240DA for island camping on Lake George and there was no shore power or water supply as well. A marina was not far, so all worked out well.

Have fun,
Alex.
 
Get it good and cold and then close it up and switch it off for the night. I've done that the last few times out. It's still good and cold in the morning and I don't listen to it hum all night either. It will stay nice and cold as long as no one opens it. When I get up in the morning, I power it back up. It helps if you can cool it down the night before or even for a few hours before heading out. Crank it down to "F" for Freezing and then switch it off. Make sure it's full!
 
Last edited:
I usually just go with a cooler if I'm going to be away from shore power for any length of time.
I use the 12 volt capability of my fridge for keeping things cold when I'm running, and for short periods of time on the hook.
You might want to use the cooler for the first day, then switch over to the fridge when you start to lose the ice the next day. The ice cubes will be pretty well melted after the first 24 hours, but the stuff in the cooler will still be ice cold. You might need a larger cooler for block ice, but it will last the whole weekend if you need it to.
That way the battery will be fresh when you turn the fridge on for the second part of the weekend, or whenever you decide you need it.
Don't forget that you will need to reserve some power for cabin lights too.
 
Todd,

Our battery easily lasts overnight on the hook, but we haven't spent more than one night anchored before we either run the boat or go to a marina, so I can't help beyond that. Shutting it off at night seems like a good idea, though, just make sure it's nice and cold when you turn it off.

Jeff
 
Well we tested it out and I just left it on I wanted to see how long.
It lasted slightly over 24 hours.

So I either need to add a battery (or 2-6V) on the house side or do a few tricks others have suggested above.

I know the portable genny would work great and many have done it successfully but it seems to be a huge debate factor here and I just want to be safe.
I still don't understand the risk differences between a "built-in" genny and portable Honda(other than don't store the thing in the engine bay").
 
Nehalennia said:
Well we tested it out and I just left it on I wanted to see how long.
It lasted slightly over 24 hours.

So I either need to add a battery (or 2-6V) on the house side or do a few tricks others have suggested above.

I know the portable genny would work great and many have done it successfully but it seems to be a huge debate factor here and I just want to be safe.
I still don't understand the risk differences between a "built-in" genny and portable Honda(other than don't store the thing in the engine bay").
Click to expand...

24 hours is pretty good! How did you determine that? Was that based on the voltage or could it have gone longer if you needed too?

As far as the portable genny, that has changed a lot in the past 3 - 4 years. On another forum years ago they would jump on anybody that even mentioned it. Now so many people are doing it, you don't get the resistance that you once had. It's turned to making sure you have working CO detectors, test them and make sure you are swinging in the breeze to move the CO away from the boat at night or whenever you need to run it. I agree, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the built in and portable. It's easier to push a burning portable in the drink than it is with a built in! Not that it would ever happen, but the portable can be used on those rare occasions when you would need it. Then leave it at home the rest of the time.

I have an eu2000 that we use on the travel trailer, but I haven't used it on the boat. If we went to Priest Lake and spent a week on the island, we might take it. I'd just run the shorepower cord to shore and run it from the beach. With our 250, we usually had to make an ice run every other day or so. That would charge the batteries, but we only had lights and the water pump. We could stay 3 - 4 days without moving the 300 DA. The limiting factor would be the size of the holding tank.
 
I new because I got a couple of chirps out of the new CO detector that indicated a low battery, so I shut the batteries off. It was an experiement but I wanted to know so the upcoming trip is planned well.

We'll see about the portable generator, but I'm leaning to getting one and using it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,256
Messages
1,429,454
Members
61,135
Latest member
Gregger
Back
Top