At 6 AM I was having coffee and toast
thinking about the agenda for my last full day in the marina. I
then flipped on the refrigerator breaker, then checked and found that
the compressor had not started. My initial reaction was to start
laughing. After roller coaster ride over the unit all week I refused
to take it seriously any more. I figured that the worst that could
happen is that I would sail out without a fridge and the meat would
stay chilled for 2, maybe 3 days, giving me enough time to cook some
of it.
When my mirth died down I fiddled
around with the wire connections to the compressor and noticed the
same pattern that I had noticed at the beginning, where every few
minutes the compressor would start up, run for about 5 seconds, then
shut down. I probed the power lines and the voltage was down to
12.1v, down from the 12.6 on the first day of the problems. This was
not surprising given that I had been running the refrigerator 16
hours per day and the solar panels could make only a limited
contribution under the often cloudy skies.
I had noticed earlier that the external
fan was not starting up without a helpful finger. On the next 5
second window of the compressor running I flicked the fan with my
finger and the entire system started to run normally. I thought that
the problem was solved in that whenever I threw the breaker I would
also give the external fan a flick. Unfortunately after 15 minutes
the compressor shut down again.
I had to make a decision on what to do
because once I packed the stern area for sailing access to the
compressor would become extremely difficult. I decided to remove the
external fan to if nothing else simplify the problem. I dropped the
fan then cut the leads at two different lengths as Arnold had showed
me so that the two wires could never cross. I then folded each wire
back and taped the lot. With the external fan removed I flicked on
the breaker and the compressor started immediately. As I write this
the unit has been running for over an hour with no apparent problem.
I'm no electrician but I'm wondering if
there is a voltage issue. The external fan draws 350 mA, but perhaps
it is faulty and drawing more.
I've begun to wonder if there was
anything wrong with the thermostat to begin with. Maybe bypassing it
increased the voltage just enough to allow the compressor to run.
This is all speculation from an electrical amateur, but if the unit
runs OK for the next 24 hours I'll probably reinstate the thermostat
to see if it works OK.
In spite of that 2-hour detour with the
refrigerator I managed to pack the stern of the boat for sailing.
Into the starboard quarter berth area went the tools, equipment, and
materials. That being done I brought down the four 20-liter water
jugs from the deck and put them in the space between the quarter
berths. I then filled up the two 10-liter containers and put them
there too. I will be throwing the boat fenders and mooring ropes
into that area to prevent the water containers from sliding around.
I then did small but essential things
such as making fast the cord restraints for the book case and storage
containers on the port side of the cabin and putting the old Toshiba
computer into a drawer to be shared with some spare dishes.
I am very pleased with the result,
which is better than I had expected. I have fast access to my tools
at the stern and the forward V-berth area looks remarkable
uncluttered, given that I have used it as a dumping ground for the
booze, staysail and trysail, clothes, bedding, and electronic
equipment and media (e.g. CD's, DVD's).
---
I'm a little concerned about the tide
predictions for Mar del Plata. An hour ago the water should have
been 1.5 meters above datum, yielding plenty of depth for the boat,
yet the sounder was recording a depth of only 1.8 meters and looking
at the water level along the wall confirms that the tide is low.
Yesterday Salvador looked at his tide chart and told me that high
tide tomorrow would be at 8.00 AM, which corresponds more or less to
what my software predicts, so I'm pretty sure that I am reading my
data correctly.
If the tide behaves the same tomorrow
then I may have to delay my departure until late afternoon. This is
one reason why I plan to see the Prefectura late this afternoon, to
make sure that if I do leave tomorrow afternoon I'll still be within
the 24 hour constraint.
---
I was so concerned about the tides that I dropped by the marina office while on my way to the grocery store to find out what was going on. I was told that it has to do with the winds. A northerly wind tends to push the water out and drop its level. I knew that there was a huge wind effect in the River Plate estuary but was surprised to learn that there is a similar effect here on the coast. It means of course that the tide chart cannot be the sole tide planning tool.
The wind is expected to be from the west tomorrow, which will have a neutral affect on the tide, so maybe I'll be able to depart on schedule.
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