Residential Refrigerator Installation

[rorr1821]

I have a 2008 Monaco Diplomat 36PDQ motorhome. We are not full timers. This motorhome came with a Norcold 12 Cu Ft 4 door gas absorption refrigerator. Like many owners of this type refrigerator I have been less than satisfied with the performance of this unit especially in hot summer months when temperatures approach 100 deg F. I had considered replacing the unit but the thought of removing the windshield to do the replacement was unacceptable. I read an article “Out goes the Norcold in with the Maytag†on www.iRV2.com which provided a ray of hope that I could get the old Norcold out the entry door. I measured my door and found that it was 26 3/8†wide. Wow! The Norcold according to the specification sheet is 24†deep and according to the article it would fit though the door.

My next step was to determine which residential refrigerator might work for my motorhome. Keep in mind my Norcold is in a tight area and I have no room to increase the width or depth. I can increase the height with some minor cabinet work. The only refrigerator I could fine that will work for me was a Samsung model RF197ACBP which is 18 cu ft. The Samsung is 32 ¼†wide which will provide a ¼†clearance on both sides. It has a depth of 24†which will provide a 2†clearance between the back of the refrigerator and the motorhome wall. This unit comes in four finishes including stainless steel, white, black, and stainless platinum. We choose Black finish. I was able to buy this unit through AAFES for $949 delivered. My next consideration was the inverter.

I currently have a Magnum Energy ME2012-20B modified sine wave. I concluded after investigation that the modified sine wave would most likely work. However, I like thing to work the best, therefore a pure sine wave is the way to go. I decided to purchase a Magnum Energy pure sine wave model MS2012-20B unit. I found this unit on the internet for $1410. The install will be a plug and play operation. I had considered a larger unit but the rewire was more than I wanted to deal with at this time. I had also talked with Magnum Energy tech support and they said this unit will work find for my application.

I read an article “Residential Refrigerator Power Requirement†on the www.happy-wanderers.com. In his article he provided some enlightening information on power requirements for his OEM installed refrigerator. I currently have 4ea 6 volt flooded batteries at 232Ah per battery. My total Ah at 12 volts is 464 Ah. I concluded that 6ea batteries would be better but I am going to try this conversion with the 4 batteries. My reasoning is that adding two more batteries would require a major rework of my battery compartment and I would need to buy 6 new batteries because you never want to mix new and old batteries.

As of this writing I have removed the Norcold from the opening and now I am waiting for some help to carry it out of the motorhome. My plans are to sell this unit and the inverter at a deep discount to help recover some of my conversion cost.

My next concerns will be removing the old support floor and lower it about 6 ¼â€. The only thing that I have not resolved is whether to seal off the back opening and the roof opening. I talked to Steve at Texas Custom Coach, Pipe Creek, Texas and he said when they do a conversion they seal off the roof and side opening. Regardless of my decision to seal off the opening I will be adding some rigid insulation to the roof ceiling above the refrigerator. This was a modification I was going to do with the Norcold before I decided to remove it. Even thought the ceiling in my motorhome is approximately 8†thick there is a 6†air space between the ceiling and the top of the Norcold. I had read an article where someone had insulated this area and it made a significant improvement in the performance of his Norcold.

As I progress through this adventure I will try and provide updates as they occur. Since the motorhome is parked in a building next to my house and not currently in use I tend not to get in a big hurry. I appreciate any constructive comments concerning my unresolved issue of whether to seal off top and side vent. Thanks.

[wolfe10]

Where are the new residential refrigerator condenser coils located? Do you have adequate air flow to it?

Brett

[Guest BillAdams]

Our unit had been converted to a RR before we bought it and the roof and side openings were not sealed. This did not appear to be an issue for many years until we spent a Christmas weekend in Flagstaff, AZ. It was close to 0 degrees at night and when we got up the morning we were due to leave we heard the water pumps running but could not determine why so we turned them off. When we went outside to disconnect the waterfall of ice down the side of the coach quickly let me know that the ice maker water line had burst due to the cold. Had the side opening been sealed the warmth of the compressor would have kept the area nice and toasty warm. I am not sure if the roof opening would have needed to be sealed but I don't believe it would be necessary and I like the idea of the heat venting through the roof instead of into the coach.

[garykd]

Hi rorr1821,

If you go to http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/out-goes-th...ytag-81685.html and scroll through the thread, you'll see many pictures and a narrative of a coach owner who replaced the Norcold with a 23 cubic foot Maytag. The installation was done really nicely.

[bthomforde]

If/when mine dies I'd take a good look at this,

http://rvcoolingunit.com/1200LR-Norcold-Br...sh.-P13259.aspx

Some of the reviews I've read say it cools MUCH better and looks a lot cheaper than more batteries, a new inverter, taking out windows, reworking the woodwork around the fridge, etc.

[Guest BillAdams]

Unless you are a dedicated dry camper, once you've had a RR you will never go back!

[rorr1821]

If/when mine dies I'd take a good look at this,

http://rvcoolingunit.com/1200LR-Norcold-Br...sh.-P13259.aspx

Some of the reviews I've read say it cools MUCH better and looks a lot cheaper than more batteries, a new inverter, taking out windows, reworking the woodwork around the fridge, etc.

The Amish replacement unit has gotten some very good press. If I were going to stay with a gas absorption unit I would replace the Norcold cooling unit with the Amish version. However, since these units, as I understand, have not been on the market very long they do not have a proven track record. All reports I have read indicate they are heavier which suggest they are made of thicker metal. The leaking of the coolant fluid which can lead to a fire seems to be the big safety issue. Taking that out of the equation the efficient of these gas absorption units in my experience has been less than satisfactory. I pulled my Norcold refrigerator and checked back wall spacing, looked for obstructions, verified the Norcold cooling fans were functional, checked the thermistor which turns the fans based on temperature, and etc. Everything checked out to be OK.

This is not my first motorhome or Norcold unit. In every case they have operated the same. I am convinced it is the nature of the beast. Now that being said the Amish unit, so I understand, have some redesign features which may prove to produce a colder unit. When I did the math I was able to purchase a Samsung unit for around $950 . The Amish unit cost a little over $1,000. So the refrigerator cost compared to the Amish cooling unit is a wash. I did buy a new pure sine wave inverter which cost $1400. I had planned on doing that at some point anyway. I do not plan on buying more batteries. However, I am considering solar and will continue to investigate this option. I plan on trying to sell the Norcold which is only 3 years old and looks like it has never been used and the inverter. So my point is that this entire project when all is done should be a wash in cost. In should also be noted I am doing the work myself so the normal labor cost is not factored in. I would suggest to anyone considering a Residential Refrigerator conversion to do the math, research and weigh the options, but foremost determine what do you want to achieve as an end result?

[rorr1821]

Where are the new residential refrigerator condenser coils located? Do you have adequate air flow to it?

Brett

This unit was just delivered. I checked for condenser coils which are located on the bottom of the unit. The air flow moves through the front bottom vent and up the back. I have the manufacture suggested 2" clearance between the back wall. I have over 6" clearance at the top. I am probably going to put 1 1/2" of foam sheet at the top ceiling which will give me additional R factor of about 15. I have alway had a concern of heat from the roof even with the Norcold refrigerator. There will be a clearance of approximately 3/8" between the cabinet facing and the refrigerator side and top walls. However, the clearance between the side walls increases to 2" pass the cabinet front facing edges. I will probably install two small 120 mm fans in the roof vent with a manual switch. These fans will serve to remove air out of the back on extremely hot day when the sun is on that side of the motorhome. I plan on insulating and sealing the side wall vent (it will be constructed so I can remove it to access the back of the refrigerator) which should help to prevent the solar heat built up on the back wall. I am still looking at other options for the air flow. One option I have considered was to install a rectangular vent in the cabinet facing above the refrigerator but that would defeat the purpose of the fans I plan on installing. I want to move air through the bottom refrigerator vent up the back of the refrigerator and out. I am still open to options.

Project update. I have removed the Norcold unit and it is out of the motorhome. I just completed moving a shower drain and water pipes which were installed wrong from the factory. Until I removed the refrigerator and platform I could not get to it. I am working on designing the new platform which will be lower than the old platform. Under the platform will be wires, water and drain to the adjacent slide. As you probably can tell I am not in a hurry.