RESIDENTIAL REPLACEMENT RECOMMENDATION FOR 4 DOOR NORCOLD

[garygalla]

Has anyone replaced a 4 door Norcold fridge with a residential fridge and would like to share the brand and model of the residential fridge along with the approximate cost for the entire job including the new fridge -- would appreciate any input and info as I'm getting estimates from $3,000 to $21,000 which seems to me to be very unusual.

Thanks, Gary

[wolfe10]

Gary,

Suspect part of the wide range of estimates is that in many cases the battery and electrical system must be upgraded to accommodate the residential refrigerator.

So, let's start by your telling us:

Battery bank size (in amp-hrs @ 12 VDC).

What inverter or inverter/charger do you have?  Is it MSW or True Sine Wave?

Another cost variable is what cabinet modification is needed to accommodate the new refrigerator.  This may include closure of the outside access door area.

Also, one of the other cost variables is how you will get the old refrigerator out/new one in-- removing a windshield, for example is more expensive than if it will go through the door.

So, until more detail is known, I would expect a wide range of quotes.

[kaypsmith]

What type inverter do you have and how many watts? The newer coaches usually come with a pure sine wave (PSW) inverter and older ones came with a modified sine wave (MSW) inverter. Many of the residential fridges will not work well, if at all with a MSW, hence this is an important question. I currently am using a Samsung with a MSW and it works very well. In preparing for a residential you will need to find a fridge that will fit into the space that the old no-cool is in, or with any modification necessary to make that happen. Another must is to look for a fridge that will require as few amps as possible to work for you, this is because the higher the amps required, the larger inverter and the larger the battery bank you will need. I know that some of this is redundant to Brett's post, but I was typing while he was posting.

This is not a plug for homedepot, but this is the newest updated version of the fridge that I am using. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-33-in-W-17-5-cu-ft-French-Door-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-and-Counter-Depth-RF18HFENBSR-2/302577277

[hermanmullins]

As has been stated. Size on all fronts.

Measure your opening, height, width an depth. Then find a unit that fits within those measurements. I would suggest looking at a Samsung since they work on both pure and modified sine wave inverters and draw very little amps.

Next check the size of your inverter. You will need a 2,000 watt min. 

Then check the available amps in your battery.

As I said it's all about size.

Good luck and ask if you need more help. 

Herman 

 

[richard5933]

If in fact you need all the work necessary for the higher quotes, or even the $3000 quote, you might consider replacing the current fridge with a 12vdc/120vac compressor fridge. My experience is that they work well, can fit into the opening left by removing your 3-way, and cost less than the $3000 you're being quoted. A couple of companies make really nice 12vdc/120vac units, including Vitrifrigo, Nova Kook, and even Norcold. If you already have the necessary electrical upgrades to run the residential fridge, than all this wouldn't necessarily apply, but if you are looking at having to upgrade battery bank, inverter, etc. then I'd suggest at least taking a look.

[rrlowther]

Just a quick 2 question on this. I had a flood in my 2008 Newmar Kountry Star.  As a result all of the flooring (ceramic tile) has had to come out along with the four door Norcold fridge.

I have been looking at the Samsung fridge mentioned above.  I have full hook ups at home, and I run my generator going down the road.

That said, there is an outlet in the fridge area already, I won't use the propane connection any longer, any reason I need an upgraded inverter if I am running my generator?

[f433921]

You will only need the inverter if 120 V AC is unavailable from either shore power or generator. 

I replaced my Norcold with the Samsung, I plugged the Samsung in the receptacle that powered the ice maker in the Norcold.

The Samsung runs just fine on modified sine wave inverter. 

Jim

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, rrlowther said:

I run my generator going down the road.

Why?

[jleamont]

1 hour ago, rrlowther said:

Just a quick 2 question on this. I had a flood in my 2008 Newmar Kountry Star.  As a result all of the flooring (ceramic tile) has had to come out along with the four door Norcold fridge.

I have been looking at the Samsung fridge mentioned above.  I have full hook ups at home, and I run my generator going down the road.

That said, there is an outlet in the fridge area already, I won't use the propane connection any longer, any reason I need an upgraded inverter if I am running my generator?

Depends on your refrigerator choice. We mostly run the generator while traveling as well for the roof top AC units if it’s hot out. There are occasions where it’s running on the inverter. The GE I selected will operate on our original Inverter and battery set up.

[hermanmullins]

I replaced our Never-cool with a Samsung RF18. It runs just fine on the modified sine wave inverter.  The Never-cool has two seperate outlets. One is 120 volt from shore power while the other is 120 volt from the inverter. I moved both of the outlets so if I could plug into power supplied by either the inverter or shore power. However I have had it plugged into the inverter since the day I installed the unit, 4 years.

Herman

[jleamont]

1 hour ago, hermanmullins said:

However I have had it plugged into the inverter since the day I installed the unit, 4 years.

Same here. Our inverter when on generator or shore power passes through and goes on standby, i'm betting yours is the same since we have almost the same coach built around the same time.

That outlet seemed to be the best choice since its not actually running off of the inverter while on shore or generator and all three power sources are available. 

[richard5933]

I can see running the generator while on the road if you need it for a/c, but when the a/c is not needed what would be the reason for running it? Same goes for when you're dry camping if a/c is not needed.

If this were me, I'd want to know that my battery bank & inverter could run the refrigerator on their own for at least 12-18 hours to carry things between hook-ups. If your house battery bank charges from the engine while on the road, then your potential time on inverter will be even longer.

[hermanmullins]

Richard,

I agree with you statement. However when we dry camp I will run the generator for a couple of hours then shut it off when we go to bed. Then I will start it up to run the Microwave and coffee pot. Maybe not needed but that's just how I do it.

By the way I like your coach, looks good.

Herman

[jleamont]

38 minutes ago, hermanmullins said:

However when we dry camp I will run the generator for a couple of hours then shut it off when we go to bed. Then I will start it up to run the Microwave and coffee pot

YUP, that's how we do it also. I have the Auto Generator start/stop set as a back up should the batteries drop to a certain point. I have found the need for electric enough that the batteries get replenished while I am doing other stuff with the generator on.

[tbutler]

This is an old post but it gives details for the replacement process we went through as well as information on the refrigerator we used  Electrical considerations, and more are discussed in the following comments.  We found a standard 4x6V battery set-up to work well for us over the years.  We can go through the night without needing generator unless we're using the furnace heavily.

[manholt]

Tom, you been off the grid for a long time...great to  know your back! 

[manholt]

Linda's died while we was in Europe...Discovered 6 hours ago! 🤮 That No Cold will be gone, when  we return from Canada! 

[jleamont]

Too bad you are so far away. I swapped ours out in an afternoon for well under $1000. 

[manholt]

Joe, thanks for the thought...we can wait.  Thankfully, there was only one pork tenderloin in Freezer, yes Linda said it was moving!!!