akadeadeye Report post Posted June 24, 2015 Joe, Now that you have your Ice Cream readily available you might need that 125 lbs. savings. You may just shift the location of that weight elsewhere. Herman My waistline is safe until Blue Bell returns to the shelves. Don Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted June 24, 2015 Joe, Now that you have your Ice Cream readily available you might need that 125 lbs. savings. You may just shift the location of that weight elsewhere. Herman To late, I avoid the Ice Cream. We keep it for the kids, I am happy the beer is ice cold in the refrigerator, almost slush is the way I like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted June 25, 2015 I tried a dorm style refrigerator in one of my trucks and used a non sine wave 1750 watt inverter. It was nice while it lasted, but it didn' t last long. Perhaps the old fashioned inverter did it in? The sine wave units seem to have really dropped in price. Our Dometic is still doing a great job and the ice maker is really nice to have, but if it fails before me, we will probably also do the residential replacement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted June 26, 2015 ObedB, If I had a Dometic I probably would still have it. Our last coach it worked perfect and it was 16 years old. I just kept up on the maintenance and it kept our food cold or frozen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Regarding the heat dissipation issues, I was wondering if any of you that have installed an RR, removed the insulation on the interior walls of the cabinet prior to putting the new unit in. Since the RR units are meant to be free standing, and are built with insulation, would I be better served removing the coaches insulation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted July 27, 2015 Bear, I did not remove any insulation, in fact some was falling and I stapled it back into place. I spray foamed over the roof vent after installing a smaller screen over the existing screen, I installed a screen over the side wall opening (on the back side of the removable access panel) and spray foamed over the screen. The unit I purchased is not a double door, more like a standard household refrigerator (fridge on the bottom freezer on top). I decided on this specifc unit due to the lack of technology it was equipped with (I figured it would last longer without the gadgets) and its size, no modifications were needed to the cabinet. It just slid (after I removed the wheels on the bottom) in and I took standard cabinet brackets (L Shaped) and screwed them to it so it will not move on the top and bottom of the front and just the bottom on the rear. The most difficult part was locating the correct color stain to trim off the interior so it looked good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted July 28, 2015 Like most residential, off the showroom floor type Fridges, ours states that it is not designed to be in a cabinet of any type. It emphatically that there needs to be "5 inches" between the sides of the unit and any walls. I know a few folks have left the roof vent open and added a a removable solid access door with some venting to allow for air flow around the unit. I've ordered a PSW 600 watt inverter, and the fuse block, to be dedicated to the fridge. Even though our inverter is a PSW, the wife feels more comfortable with this set up. Who am I to argue? I've added a 1/2 inch sheet of plywood to the floor and supported it with four 2 x 4's, I was thinking that since this unit has it's cooling unit and heat exchanger coils on the bottom, I might add a vent under there as well. It sits over the rarely used furnace, I doubt a bit of heat will affect it much.... I did have to pop off one piece of side trim and remove 1/4 inch of material from the width. being somewhat OCD , I used a bit of iron on oak edge banding left over from my cabinet making days, to cover the raw edge. I don't care if no one will ever see it, I'll know it's there.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted July 28, 2015 My condenser coil is wrapped around the motor, nothing under and the fan is right there also. when you remove the outside panel everything is right in your face. When its on if you place your hand under the fridge you can feel the warm air blowing into the interior from the condenser, I origionally left the wall and roof open and sealed off the lower portion of the fridge, i figured it would have adequate air flow, I never thought about when its cold outside. The unit wouldnt operate when it got below 40 degrees outside, its a safety feature to protect the compressor against cold oil. So after sending TBUTLER a message he explained that his was closed off, so I removed the bottom seal i had fabricated, sealed the wall opening vent and roof vent. Its been almost 1 year and so far so good. I also fabricated a door lock that I copied from a 2015 Fleetwood Excursion (they run residenital units from the factory), I cut it with my plasma cutter and mounted it to the unit in the existing holes that are used to mount the hinges on the left side. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted July 28, 2015 Double checking, mine vents out the back. I'm thinking if I cut vent spaces on the access panel I'm planning on installing behind the exterior vent cover for the old unit, I can always cover them in frigid temperatures.... I noted on Terry McKnight's install PDF, he left his roof vent open and enlarged his original vent... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted July 31, 2015 Well, it's in. No vents on the back panel right now. I can add them later if need be. After trimming 5/8 of an inch off of the original trim molding on the left side, and reinstalling it, the unit looks like it was made for that space. The doors protrude a couple inches, however, it's negligible. Seems to be working fine. All the coach modifications are done for the year with two weeks to spare. We head south in two weeks.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted August 3, 2015 Enjoy your trip! Cold and frozen food while traveling is a wonderful thing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted August 4, 2015 Bearandmoon, Be sure to look at the label inside your GE residential refrigerator Model # GTS16GSHSS for max amps. Most RR's in this size range have draw of 7 to 10.5 amps. The 600 watt that you stated for the fridge, allowing for a 20 percent usage requirement will leave only 480 usable watts divided by 120 volts = only 4 amps to actually run the fridge. A better working unit for the application needs to be the actual amp draw stated on the label times 120 volts plus at least 30 percent. Just a tidbit to help make sure that your fridge and or inverter are not damaged, or their life shortened. Good luck with your new toy. Kay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted August 4, 2015 We went with the Vissani 9.9 cubic foot model. It slid right in to the space, it also has a much lower amp draw. Everything seems to be running fine so far, however it's only been in for a week now: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted August 5, 2015 Looks good! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearAndMoon Report post Posted August 5, 2015 Thank you! I decided this morning, after consulting with Marti of course, to replace the oak louvred vent for the furnace under the fridge with a black acrylic frame and a decorative copper mesh we found at Home Depot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted December 21, 2015 I keep returning to this posting as others consider changing over to a residential unit. We couldn't be happier with our refrigerator. We gave it the acid test for rough roads this summer, Newfoundland and Labardor, almost all the major roads in Labrador including over 400 kilometers of gravel roads (read motor home abuse - guilty). It's still running great. I'd never go back! We are still using the 4x6V battery set-up, now with AGM batteries for the last two summers, all is well with that set-up. For us, the boondocking is always supplemented with generator so we recharge the batteries on a regular basis but they will go through the night without a problem. On the coldest nights the generator auto start will kick in to recharge batteries shortly before sunrise but otherwise things are good until DW starts the coffee pot!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 21, 2015 Tom, I couldn't agree with you more! Thank you for the post on your swap, it was the inspiration for ours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Tom, does your alternator keep up while driving. It says in my coach owners manual that running appliances on the inverter including microwave is hard on the alternator and will damage it. I had to replace a 160 amp Leech Neville alternator and I don't even have a residential fridge just three ladies that wanted to plug in their cell phones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Those must be some industrial grade cell phones. I did some reading on loads on your Leech Neville alternator and I can't find any warnings about loads causing damage. They even have a section on their web site talking about plugging in spot lights and other heavy loads. Yes if you ran near max capacity all the time and in high temperatures I can see it being a problem. I don't see your refrigerator being that big of a load. Don't most draw less than 5 amps? I would get a good amp gage in the right range and see what the draw really was. Hear is a link http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_support/alt_install.php Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Bill, I would question that a residential refrigerator would run on 5 amps @ 13.5 VDC. Under 5 amps of 120 VAC-- sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Bill, I would question that a residential refrigerator would run on 5 amps @ 13.5 VDC. Under 5 amps of 120 VAC-- sure. You are right several have posted that their refrigerator was rated at or under 5 amps of 120 VAC. I don't think this should be that big of a load even considering the inefficiencies of the inverter. I think say 6 amps 120VAC will cost you about +/- 66 amps DC. I don't see it as that big of a load on a 160 amp alternator. What do you think? Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Bill, I agree, as long as you are not driving at night with the high beams on and dash HVAC fan on high OR have been dry camping and the batteries are low. We have a remote sense thermometer in our residential refrigerator: http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/39174495. It is a non-issue to drive 4-5 hours with the refrigerator off (meaning the refrigerator temperature does not go over 41 degrees F). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted December 22, 2015 I have these warning in my coach owners manual under the section alternator. CAUTION: Long-term use of the inverter to operate the microwave while in transit damages the alternator. Use the generator to operate the microwave while in transit. CAUTION: Standard is 160 Amp. NOTE: Excessive loads applied to the inverter can actually drain both the chassis and house batteries during operation. NOTE: The alternator is not a battery charger, but designed to maintain proper electrical system voltage. A battery with a low state of charge, or a dead battery, may overheat and damage the alternator. I can bet that it may include residential refrigerator since it was not common when my coach was built in 2006. Also the amps stated on the residential refrigerator does not include compressor startup and defrost cycle. Therefore the electrical load of a residential refrigerator is more than you think. It is best to drive with it off or not hooked to inverter circuit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Those must be some industrial grade cell phones. I did some reading on loads on your Leech Neville alternator and I can't find any warnings about loads causing damage. They even have a section on their web site talking about plugging in spot lights and other heavy loads. Yes if you ran near max capacity all the time and in high temperatures I can see it being a problem. I don't see your refrigerator being that big of a load. Don't most draw less than 5 amps? I would get a good amp gage in the right range and see what the draw really was. Hear is a link http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_support/alt_install.php Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bill Bill this is the alternator my coach takes and supposed to be very reliable. The one on the right that is pad mount. http://www.prestolite.com/literature/alts/FL1155_110-555_Long_Brush.pdf Merry Christmas and Happy New Years also Ray Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 22, 2015 Puff, I cannot speak to the model alternator that is in our coaches as far as reliability goes in the RV industry. My experience with Leece Neville in the trucking industry and emergency vehicles has not been good, they were always prone to premature failures. After saying that it is on my list to upgrade to a Brushless 170 or 240 Amp Delco (36SI or 40SI model) before it dies and leaves me stuck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
