So today came and went and at 3:45 I rang Ely Boat Chandlers
to ask where my fridge was, “I’ll check and ring you straight back”, five
minutes later “I am really sorry but it isn’t coming until Wednesday next week,
we will refund you the delivery charge if you still want it or you can cancel
for a full refund”. So, I was very unimpressed, but I kept calm and said I
would wait, if I didn’t I would have to find another place willing to accept
delivery.
Armed with that information I walked up to the pub to let
them know, “oh your fridge came this morning, we were expecting you to collect
it”, different staff on who did not know they should ring me, never mind, it’s
here, so back to the boat get my sack barrow and collected it. Before ringing
Ely I thought I would open it and check it.
Before ordering the fridge I did a fair amount of research
online to make sure I got the right one at the right price and used the correct
wiring etc. During that faze of what was turning out to be a very frustrating
fridge changeover, there were a couple of questions I could not find definitive
answers to.
I needed a fridge with the door hinged on the left as my
fridge is in a corner of the galley. I checked this on both the manufacturers
website and the suppliers website, both said the door was reversible.
I needed to know what fuse to use for the supply. I also
needed to know what plug was on the cable from the fridge, so two queries and
one which was answered by the websites (the door is reversible).
So before ordering it I asked, what fuse? “20amp” what plug? “it does not have a plug,
just a lead like your home fridge but no plug, connect it to a switch to
isolate it”.
OK, so with it open, look at the back, no lead, just tails
about 150mm long, so now I have a switch in the recess and no lead to reach it,
I am short by about a metre, having thought the “lead” would be at least that
long. I read the instructions, “use 15amp (max) fuse”, ok so I have a 20amp
fuse, all going quite well, I am glad I asked the questions, no instructions on
reversing the door but I can work that out myself.
So I ring Ely and the chap says “the couriers have just told
me they delivered it and I was about to ring you back”, a communication problem
somewhere I guess, I queried the information I was given earlier on the fuse “
the manufacturer must have changed that, it’s always been 20amp”, great, and
the lead, “no, you only get a couple of tails”, great, “at least it’s with you
now” my response “yes but I can’t connect it or use it because I was given duff
info”.
Well I rehung the door on the other side, a very frustrating
job when you are not in a good mood, and put the fridge in position, opened the
door and realised that now I could not open the door to the ice box, yes the
main door is reversible but not the ice box door and if you can’t open the main
door to about 135 degrees then you can’t open the icebox, mine is in a corner
so only opens just past 90 degrees, hmmmmm..... breathe,
in....pause.....out.....pause......now swear! So no point complaining and
having re-checked the Shoreline website they don’t do this fridge in a left or
right door, just this ‘reversible’ one. I rehung the door back the other way, it's inconvenient but I’ll have to live with it.
I then bodged up some wires strong enough to test it and it’s in
and working, tomorrow I will ‘try’ and find some wires of the correct size to
extend the tails to the switch, buy a new fuse and hopefully all will be well
but I already know locating the wire will be difficult, nobody seems to stock
it.
It’s on test for now, it has to be left for six hours to reach the correct temperature before you stock it but it's working ok and early indications are
it’s not using much power J always good to finish on a positive!
Sorry that was long and probably boring but I needed to get
it off my chest.
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