Our 575 has 3 Vitrifrigo drawer units in the galley.   A double refrigerator unit and a single freezer drawer above it. 

My wife accidentally left the freezer drawer open an inch or so when we were leaving the boat a week or so ago.     When we got back to the boat a few days ago, we found that the drawer had frosted over (high heat and humidity in early August here).   We could not close it, and we could not open it.    We started chipping away at the ice/frost to get the drawer to open.    Mistake of astronomical proportions. 

Apparently on the Vitrifrigo drawer units, the interior is cheap plastic and the refrigerant lines run just inside the cheap plastic.    Sure enough,  there was a discharge of coolant and the unit no longer worked.   I was told that they see quite a few of these problems each year.    NOTE to other Vitrifrigo owners:   DO NOT DO THIS!  Just turn off the power and let things thaw slowly.  Yes.. there will be water/melt to deal with, but better than the alternative. 

Upon examination we were told that you cannot repair the freezer (if you could) without basically paying the cost for a new unit.   A new unit is NOT inexpensive.    Giving even more pause,   the dimensions of the currently recommended replacement are different than the original.    This means some carpentry work is required. 

Has anyone had to replace their freezer drawer unit?   If so, what did you replace it with?

Wouldn't it (the wine cooler replacement) just have to be smaller than the existing opening?   You can always trim it off if needed.

If your boat is like mine,   the Mastervolt inverter/charger is 230V and there is a separate stepdown for the 110V post inverter.     Your wine cooler isn't hooked to the 230V inverter output somehow?    Strange.

So I took things to the next level in terms of measuring and research.    A few discoveries I am still working through. 

1.   The complicating factor is the tight fit between the closet to the left of the freezer drawer and the cabinet wall on the right.    See picture.     Any increase in width makes things difficult if not impossible. 

2.   I really don't understand what the difficulty is in replacing the evaporator.   The evaporator unscrews easily,   its detached from the compressor, and - outside of reconnecting the tubing and replacing the coolant - I don't get the difficulty.  

3.   Working with NorEast Marine on the strategy here, but just replacing with a new unit seems difficult given the new units are a 1/2" wider (and that really matters on a 575). 

This week we should have some kind of a strategy.    I will *NOT* be doing some kind of kludge or cabinetry mutilation.  It has to be right.

There is both an AC compressor *AND* a refrigeration compressor in the same compartment on the 575.  At least on our boat.      You access the compartment via an access panel for cleaning the air filter, etc..

I've already decided that my preferred option is to replace both the evaporator and the compressor.   I'm worried about contamination of the unit after the leak.   By replacing the whole cooling kit,  I avoid the soldering of the tubing and hopefully just deal with new fittings.