Carver Owners Forum

Our Carver 455 has the original refrigerator, which is still working after 22 years but may need replacement in the near future. Anyway, First Question: we are away from the docked boat (near Tarpon Springs, Fl) a couple of months at a time, and we are wondering if it is better for the refrigerator to leave it on, or turn it off, wipe it out and leave the doors open. We're worried that if it is off for a long period, it might do more harm than good, but we know nothing about this either way. Advice??? Second Question: how the hell would we get the old one out and the new one in? We have a fully enclosed bridge and aft deck with glass windows and solid sides, and the doors of the aft cabin are too small for a refrigerator to fit through. The only opening that appears big enough is the center windshield glass section. HELP!!!

If you're not going to be using it for months at a time, I would turn it off, wipe it out and leave the door open. Compressors do get hot (or warm), as do the electronics, and that's what usually does them in over time.

Thanks for the reply!

Welcome to the forum.

I agree to shut it down and leave open, no sense leaving what is not needed running.

On the other hand that requires always planning for it, by having the fridge MT at the right time. We do leave our fridges running at home when we go for a couple months down south, just that the power supply is much more reliable from the grid at home I think.

Shut if off. Those of us who live here in the north shut them down every winter layup. Now, in season I leave mine on all of the boating season from beginning to end.

Turn it off, clean it out and leave it open as others have said.

There's always a way of getting a fridge out. Removing the door on the unit, the cabin door and trim, a window, etc. are common requirements. I've had to go as far as removing the condenser off the back of the unit without disconnecting the lines so it can go in separately from the fridge but at the same time. I just don't remember what model boat it was. When it comes time to replace it, look for a manufacturer's replacement cross reference chart. These usually give you the info you need to replace theirs and competing brand models based on the unit you currently have.

Most of us are away from the boat for sometime. I find it is easer to leave it on, that way you don’t have to empty and restock your fridge every time you come down. I must be lazy.

I always turn mine off. The old unit bit the dust 3 years ago, and the new one is way more efficient and quiet. It also recovers to cool really quick so I leave anything in that does not need constant refrigeration. I turn off all power to the boat when I am not there. Extends life of components. The bilge pumps will run for a while if a leak starts, even if your batteries are in the off position. The #1 reason for boats starting on fire is a component, like battery chargers, crapping out while a boat is not attended. er

We leave our 20+ year old fridge on all season long. We of course, shut it off when laid up for winter.
I believe if we were going to be away for a month or more, we would shut it for that period also.

Have always left the fridge/s on all season long on all my boats. Only time it/they get shut down is for winter lay up or defrosting. A good cleaning and propping the door ajar is all that is required for layup.