Simple Repairs
I've created this page to document a few of the simple repairs I've done on Sarah and the onboard equipment.
Grill Mount
In 2010 I replaced the Force 10 propane grill on Sarah with one from Magma (the Cabo).  Apparently Magma has taken over the boat and RV grill market in the US and Canada.  Force 10 no longer makes a BBQ grill.  Initially I was very happy with the Magma.  The rectangular shape gave more grill space than the Forec 10.  The grill bars are in 3 sections, which can be easily removed for cleaning.  The other components in the grill (grease deflector and burner tube) are also easily removed for cleaning or replacement.  The whole thing is made of stainless steel so corrosion is not a major problem.
After a year I did finally come up with something I didn't like about the grill - the rail mount.  The rail mount is sold separately and attaches to a bracket on the underside of the grill.  The bracket also holds the grease tray in place.  The rail mount is actually a very sturdy piece of equipment.  However the bracket it attaches to is fastened to the bottom of the grill with six (6) very small spot welds.  

The Rail Mount Bracket for the Magma Cabo		 The first time I accidentally leaned against the (cold) grill while it was mounted on the rail those welds failed and the grill came loose from the bracket.  I attempted to re-fasten the bracket using JB Weld,  but either the grill generates a lot more heat than I thought or JB Welds lies about their product working in up to 600F.  The first time I used the grill after re-attaching the bracket with JB Weld the bracket came loose once again.
The final solution was to through-bolt the bracket to the bottom of the grill.  Fortunately Magma  provided a nice lip on both sides of the bracket through which I  drilled holes for the bolts.  This is about 1/16" thick SS, so it took a little time to drill the four holes for the machine screws.
Bracket Through Bolted to Bottom of Grill

Nuts and Washers on Inside of Grill		 On the inside of the grill the machine screws were secured with small fenders washer and nuts.  I probably ought to add lock washers as well.
My only concern about this fix is that the screw holes might leak a little grease.
Water Blockage in SeaFrost SA-3 Refrigeration
For several years I've notice a gradual reduction in the water flow through the SeaFrost SA-3 (Shore Assist) refrigeration.  This unit has a water cooled condenser and an automatic switch that will shut down if the water flow is stopped.  The water is fed by a 120VAC March Centrifugal Pump located under the cabin sole in the main cabin.  The condenser and compressor are installed in a single cabinet which  is located beneath the foot of my berth in the aft cabin.  There is a long (12') 5/8" water hose that runs from the pump to the cabinet.  Water is fed to the pump from a manifold that also serves the A/C  and galley sea water faucet.  The manifold is fed from a 1-1/2" through-hull and ball valve.  So there is plenty of feed water to satisfy all of the water circuits.  The A/C shows more than adequate water flow from the same size pump.  In 2010 I replaced the valve to the water pump on the manifold, and I replaced the pump in 2011.  Neither of those actions helped the water flow.
So clearly the problem is in the SA-3 water circuit.  For the past two years I've berthed Sarah is some pretty skunky waters - Trent River, NC and Ortega Rive, FL.  I suspected the water hose was getting clogged from the all the junk that was being pulled in from those rivers, in spite of the fact the manifold has a Groco water strainer to catch any debris that may be sucked in and a scoop strainer on the outside of the through-hull.
Finally on August 3, 2011, after two years of watching the water flow decrease, the flow stopped and the SA-3 shut down and would not restart for more than a minute before shutting down again.  Now I would have to fix the clog.  This was a major problem as my Engine-Drive compressor was also out of commision at that time.

In the picture on the right is the side of the SA-3 cabinet that contains the ports for water and refrigerant.  The vinyl hose goes to the discharge through-hull.  The water hose from the pump is on the far right side of the picture under the violet wiring.  It is just barely visible even when you click on the picture and load it at full resolution.   The only part of the that hose that is really visible is the hose clamp.  I was not looking forward to trying to get that hose off and putting a new hose on.  Fortunately my installer also had the same problem, so he put a 3' pigtail hose on the unit before mounting the cabinet in the locker.  Then he connected the pigtail to the main hose with a Male-Male adpater.
Ports on Side of SA-3 Case

Running Dock Hose to the SA-3		 The pigtail also gave me the idea to test the water flow through the condenser before starting on the hose replacement.  I ran a dock hose from a spigot on the dock into the aft cabin (as shown on the left).
Then I connected the dock hose to the pigtail hose.
Dock Hose Connected to SA-3

Good Water Flow From the Dock Hose		 When I turned on the dock spigot, some really ugly black water came of the through hull.  After a few seconds it turned clear as shown on the left.
So it does not look like there was a blockage in the condenser unless it was cleared by the dock water pressure.
I turned on the compressor to see if the system would detect the good water flow.  The compressor ran for several minutes with no problem.  Then I realized this was a mistake.  When the compressor came on it also turned on the water pump, but the valve from the manifold to the pump was closed.  With no water flow to the pump I may have damaged it.
The next step is to replace the main water hose,  which will not be a pleasant task as it has a long run under the cabin sole.
Up until today, 9/7/2011, I've had nothing but good things to say about the installer of my SA-3 refrigeration.  Today I was cursing him.  I'd finally gotten down on my hands and knees to pull the old water hose out from under the cabin sole.
It was then that I discovered that the installer had taped the hose and the electrical wire together every 6' before he fed them both under the sole.  Now I just wanted to remove the hose, not the wiring, but some of those taped spots were nearly inaccessible from above the sole.  Fortunately I added two more hatches in the cabin sole in 2010, and I was just able to get one hand on those tape spots and cut them blindly.  If I had not put in those hatches I  would have had to remove the wiring with the hose.
Once I'd freed the hose I hooked it up to that dock hose I used to test the condenser and turned on the water.  On the right you can see the gunk oozing from the hose.  No doubt where the blockage was.
Gunk in Refrigeration Water Hose

Normal Water Flow Through New Hose		 It was a lot easier to run the new hose than to remove the old one.  Within a couple of hours the new hose was hooked up and the frig was turned on.  The picture on the left shows the water flow produced by the frig water pump.  Looks pretty much like the flow with the dock hose, shown above.
I  got lucky and did not damage the water pump by running it dry during my test with the dock hose.
Engine-Drive Refrigeration Shut Down
Shortly after Hurricane Irene passed close to Sarah's berth off the Patuxent River I was back on board Sarah getting ready to repair the rub rail damage from the storm.  Shore power had not been restored, so I used the SeaFrost ED compressor to cool down the box.  A few days later shore power was restored and I switch back to the SA3 compressor.  All seemed well until the SA3 shut down due to the waster blockage problem described above.  Then I switched back to using the ED compressor.
After a few minutes of operation the clutch on the compressor released and the compressor stopped.  I  tried to restart the compressor, but each time it would shut down after a minute or less of operation.  Now both of my refrigeration system were not operating.
I checked the manual and the usual cause of this situation is low refrigerant pressue on the high pressure side of the system.  Normally this would mean a refrigerant leak.
Anything more than the most simple trouble-shooting of the refrigeration is beyond my knowledge and tool set.  I attempted to get my original installer to work on the problem, but they are backed with the effects of Hurricane Irene and will not be able to work on it for several  weeks.  In the interim I cleared the blockage in the SA3 and restored my refrigeration with that compressor.

SeaFrost Engine-Drive (ED) Compressor
My suspicion was that the compressor (shown  on the left) is leaking and will have to be replaced.  In 2005, when returning to Florida from the Abacos I discovered that the sea water pump on the engine was leaking and showering the engine compartment with salt water.  Much of this sea water landed on the compressor.  I could not seal the pump leak so the compressor got a shower for another hour or so when we motored  through the Ft. Pierce Inlet.  I washed the compressor and the rest of the engine compartment with fresh water, and it lasted for another 6 years.  I suspect that salt water bath finally caught up with the compressor.
On Sep 12, 2011 I moved Sarah to Zahnizer's Boatyard to fix the problem.  The technician confirmed that the refrigerant level was very low.  I started the engine and turned on the compressor while the technician re-charged the system.  The compressor seemed to running normally.  However the holding plates were already frozen from the SA3 compressor running.  a better test was to let the plates thaw and then run the ED compressor.  So I decided to stay overnight at Z's with the SA3 off and then run the compressor in the morning.  No real answer on where the refrigerant leaked.  The technician could not find any evidence of a leak in the system and surmised that it could just be a normal leakage in the 9 years since the system was installed.  I am sceptical of that explanation, I'm also not anxious to spend $400 for a new compressor.  $400 will buy a number of re-charges.
The next morning I ran the ED compressor to re-freeze the holding plates with no problem.  I was still skeptical that the re-charge was sufficient, so I moved to an anchorage for 5 days and ran only the ED compressor to maintain the freezer and frig.  No problems found.  It looks like I have a slow leak in the system that currently cannot be detected.  As long as the ED continues to run for another year or two without needing another re-charge, I'm satisfied.