Nova Kool CHAPTER 10 Removal, Additional Ventilation, Intake, American Tug 34 Owner Experiences

American Tug 34 Owner Experiences

ventilation – 40 at the top and 40 at the bottom. To make matters worse, if you subtract the restriction from the grills (as the manual suggests), the actually ventilation is about half that. In addition, they recommended that the ventilation be towards the back rather than at the front, as it is in our installation.

Tomco added now added more ventilation on more recent boats. I found that “HeartTug” hull#95 has narrow slots routed into the cabinetry below the microwave as well as a vent above the microwave. Later boats have a rectangular grill installed on the side of the refrigerator cabinet, by the steps.

NovaKool suggested that we perform the following test to see if venting was the cause of our poor performance.

•Get a fridge thermometer so that you can see exactly how it’s doing. (We keep one in the fridge as well as the freezer.)

•Make sure the fridge has been recently defrosted so that there is no heavy frost build-up on the cold plate at the top of the fridge. (We defrost the fridge weekly in warm weather and every 2-3 weeks in cooler weather, depending on the frost build-up.) The NovaKool rep mentioned that if you consistently have a heavy frost build-up, then the problem may be the seal around the door.

•Remove the fridge from the cabinet, set the thermostat to #4 and leave it out in the salon area overnight. (It generally takes about 8-12 hours to see a noticeable difference in internal fridge temp when you make any changes, such as changes to ventilation, defrosting, or changes to the thermostat).

•If the fridge cools down to an appropriate temperature, then the problem is ventilation. If not, then it’s time to start looking for a NovaKool technician.

Removal

1.Remove the quarter-round trim strip on the left hand side of the fridge - closest to the steps. (8 long screws)

2.Remove the cabinet door closest to the freezer. This makes it easier to get the fridge out without dinging the door in the process. (4 screws in the 2 hinges).

3.Remove the 6 short screws holding the fridge in place.

4.Pull the fridge aft a short distance, then lift it up over the short wood base trim piece.

Additional Ventilation

Intake

We purchased a ‘Seateak’ 9in x 16 in teak vent cover from West Marine to use for a new intake vent.

We cut a hole in the side of the cabinet sized to fit the vent over, just above the top step, starting about one inch above the carpet and one inch back from the corner molding.

This put the intake right next to the compressor, which is in the space between the fridge and the freezer.

Chapter 10 Galley Page 10-2