New Fridge/freezer...doors? Drawers?

[Baker]

I will be replacing my current NovaKool RFS7501. It is an under counter unit with doors. It sucks by the way but that is beside the point. I will not be buying another one but am looking at the Vitrifrigos as well as Isotherms. I would be willing to hear opinions on those brands as well as any others. I would not likely consider Norcold as I have never really been impressed with the oens I have owned in the past.

I have heard the Vitrifrigos are pretty much the top of the heap. Their price tag certainly is. But I don't mind paying if the thing works well. I will be honest, I have never owned a boat that had a properly working refrigerator. Freezer always works fine. THe fridge is usually in the mid 40s at best. Anyway, my maon purpose for this post is the Vfrigos that I have found that will fit are drawers only. I am not going to remodel my entire boat just for an upright fridge. So do any of you have drawers for your fridge/freezer and how do you like them or dislike them. Remember, this is an under counter unit and I have to get down on my knees to be able to see anything in the back anyway. It seems drawers might be advantageous in this application as you can see everyting without even bending over?

Models in consideration:
Vitrifrigo DRW180A

Advantage-it is considered "all in one" and each drawer can be configured to
be freezer or fridge or both of each....pretty damn cool actually!
Disadvantage- price...it is the most expensive of the bunch. ANd it also gives up space. So high price per square foot ratio. Stainless only

VitrifrigoDW210

Advantage-This is basically the direct replacement as it relates to dimensions. It can also be ordered with an icemaker but that model eliminates the DC option...so AC only with icemaker.
Disadvantage-still high price. Again, I have no qualms about the money if the damn thing will keep my beer ice cold. Also drawers only...not sure if that is a plus or minus. Stainless only.

Isotherm Cruise 200 Classic
Advantage: It truly is the direct replacement as the dimensions are the same as current one and it has doors instead of drawers. Comes in black or stainless.
Disadvantage: while cheaper than the VF, it is still not cheap. Also I have no clue as to their reputation.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Comodave]

I don’t know about the Isotherm, never had one. We have a Vitrifugo in our current boat. It worked ok when we bought it, however not great. I looked at the venting on the cabinet and it was essentially useless. The vent in the cabinet was against the side of the refer and therefore no air could flow through it at all. I added a vent down by the compressor and one at the top of the box. Then added a 50 mAmp fan blowing air into the box at the new lower vent. The Vitrifugo had a terminal F that supplies 12 volts and .5 amps when the compressor is running. Now we are very satisfied with the refer. It freezes ice cream which it would not do before. So my point is that you can have a really good refer and a bad installation and it won’t work well. Buy the good refer and do a good install and you will be happy. Good luck.

We bought this fan from Amazon.
Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown)

 

[Baker]

I don’t know about the Isotherm, never had one. We have a Vitrifugo in our current boat. It worked ok when we bought it, however not great. I looked at the venting on the cabinet and it was essentially useless. The vent in the cabinet was against the side of the refer and therefore no air could flow through it at all. I added a vent down by the compressor and one at the top of the box. Then added a 50 mAmp fan blowing air into the box at the new lower vent. The Vitrifugo had a terminal F that supplies 12 volts and .5 amps when the compressor is running. Now we are very satisfied with the refer. It freezes ice cream which it would not do before. So my point is that you can have a really good refer and a bad installation and it won’t work well. Buy the good refer and do a good install and you will be happy. Good luck.

We bought this fan from Amazon.
Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown)

I fear that may be the issue....and likely the issue on previous boats. I will indeed put in some 12v fans while I have the thing out. Strangely, the freezer works just fine on the current NovaKool. It would definitely freeze ice cream. I had my air conditioining and refrigeration guy come out and take a look at it and he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

 

[Mako]

Can you fit a domestic drawer style unit?

 

[Bacchus]

I have a Vitrifugo fridge / fridge and like it. Wish it had a freezer but IMO the drawers make access very easy.
My install is not ideal and have installing fan(s) on my to do list... just hasn't gotten to the top yet. Shouldn't be too hard to do right when installing new. As Dave indicated the terminals are there so pretty easy.

 

[Baker]

Can you fit a domestic drawer style unit?

I haven't really researched that but something I should look into.

 

[Frosty]

When I compared Isotherm,Vitrifrigo, and NovaKool, it looked like most of the difference was in what you see. In other words, sizes, doors, flanges, interior materials. Most seem to use the Danfoss BD35 or BD50, which is its own beast (I like them).

That's not to say those things aren't important. You want it to fit, have good door seals, a freezer door that doesn't break off, etc.

I ended up with two Vitrifrigos because the size and shape worked out the best. Also, the remote compressor option on one of them made a big difference. Not a big fan of the rounded-end door shelves, but that's a nitpick. Also wish the remote compressors had quick connects.

I really wanted one of the Vitrifrigo or Isotherm drawer units, but the size didn't work out. That said, I did kind of wonder about cleaning. I mean, is there anyone who never has anything inside spill, get moldy, or etc.? In the drawer units you have drawer slides, ball bearings, tracks, etc. Can you imagine cleaning all those? In a door model it's basically just a hole lined with plastic once you take the shelves out.

There is also a bit of inefficiency in some of them because in order to get to the bottom of the drawer, the top section slides back and forth (so half wasted). That's only some sizes though. They are also quite heavy, but probably no big deal on a trawler. One more note is that they list the same cubic liter capacity as their "doored" counterparts, meaning they don't subtract for the space lost to the drawer slides.

I still want one though!

 

[Baker]

One more note is that they list the same cubic liter capacity as their "doored" counterparts, meaning they don't subtract for the space lost to the drawer slides.

I still want one though!

I do think VF accounts for the knock in space. The same externally sized unit is 6.3 cubic feet versus 7.2 for the NovaKool and 7(I think) for the Isotherm.

 

[O C Diver]

This won't fit under the counter (unless you turn it sideways like the picture), but it's frost free, more efficient than what you're considering, works great in the hottest climates, and has 10 cuft. of space. Also available with an ice maker to cool the Flor de Cana. Best part is it's probably half the price of the ones you're considering.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s31/new-refrigerator-without-ice-maker-40301.html

Ted

 

[Bendit]

We've had an Isotherm CR130 for 16 years and it has been the best of the three fridges on the boat. Only issue was the light switch failed, so that the light was on continuously.
Since the incandescent bulb (hot) was adjacent to the thermostat, the fridge operated continuously and froze everything solid.
Ashamed to say I still haven't fixed the switch - just replaced the bulb with an LED!
Great fridge alround but good ventilation is very important.

 

[Frosty]

I do think VF accounts for the knock in space. The same externally sized unit is 6.3 cubic feet versus 7.2 for the NovaKool and 7(I think) for the Isotherm.

This is what I'm referring to. Here it is a pair of Vitrifrigo 90 liter models from their catalog, one "door" and one "drawer" -- but it's the same for a few of their other door vs. drawer models. Not saying it's a massive difference but there can't be the same amount of available space when you consider the drawer sliders and associated hardware. It's some inches off the sides. It may not matter as much in larger units where you have more to work with. Just something to consider.

And the drawer form factor is nice.

 

[rsn48]

I have a smaller Novakool fridge. During refit I had one inch of foam added around the unit. Prior to the foam, the freezer often was on the border of freezing and was a pain. Now the refrigerator works great and the freezer actually freezes. In another area of the boat I added a Novakool freezer and did the same thing with the foam, it works great.

 

[Frosty]

Totally agree on the foam, if one has the space. I treated my Vitrifrigo like an ice box shell in ye old days, and added as many inches of foam as possible on all sides.

That's actually a nice feature of the remote compressor units. The refrigerator/freezer is a box that you can insulate on all sides, with no thought to air flow. Then the compressor sits elsewhere, and you can give it good ventilation. Granted, there is less of a selection in remote compressor units, but it's nice if possible (I have the C130, which is the same as the C115 when it has an internal compressor).

To the OP: Some of Vitrifrigos drawer units do have an external compressor, such as the 70 and 100 stainless drawers. They also have nice stainless dividers inside. They were too deep for my space (front to back) or I would have been very tempted.

 

[Datenight]

Totally agree on the foam, if one has the space. I treated my Vitrifrigo like an ice box shell in ye old days, and added as many inches of foam as possible on all sides.

That's actually a nice feature of the remote compressor units. The refrigerator/freezer is a box that you can insulate on all sides, with no thought to air flow.

We had the Isotherm in the green boat with remote compressor. Added 2" foam on top and 1" on the sides. Worked great and the lines were quick connect.

This was around 2003.

Rob

 

[FF]

Its easier and faster to load or unload the drawer style.