Residential Fridge Vs Rock&Rolls & Rough Roads

[chp007kd40]

My Norcold 1201LRIMSS in my 40 ft. DP needs replacing. There is information on some sites that caution against switching away from rugged RV refrigerators to residential type because of sitting unused (off) for 30 or more days at a time and the jarring effect of some very bad roads.

Also, I will need extra batteries and a second inverter/charger set-up if I do this. Can anyone guide me that has some knowledge and experience, please.

[kaypsmith]

I use a residential fridge, been using about four years now. I chose a 19 cubic foot 3 door Samsung because of the low amperage draw (3.9) max. This was next to the lowest on the market at that time, LG had one that was rated at (3.5), but Samsung was my choice because at that time I had modified sine wave inverter, the Samsung even stated that it would run on MSW.

I live on a pretty bumpy road, about one quarter mile of bumps, and I park the bus at home, make about 25 exits per year. Although I never turn the fridge off, my inverter is on an ATS, as well as the generator on one also, and when I arrive home it is plugged in, or when arriving at a campground, therefore I can't attest to the turning off for prolonged periods. But the unit pulls very little draw.

Good luck with the change if you do so, I personally will never go back to an absorption type fridge.

Kay

[rlbarkleyii]

I used a residential fridge back in 2009 while doing gate guard work in Texas and my Norcold died on me. I did not use a inverter because I was plugged in most of the time. However I discovered that a residential fridge will stay cold much longer than a absorption type fridge. When on the go we discovered that just two to three hours a day would keep ice frozen and food cold. Even in Texas heat it did a good job,

I think the myth that residential reefers don't hold up was probably put out by Norcold to keep their throw-away product selling. As i am sure you know, a number of quality motor home lines are now offering "Full Electric" coaches. The primary brands used I believe are Maytag and Whirlpool, but don't hold me to it. I did find out the most of the other brands do not specifically warranty their products in a motorhome. Some specify use in a "house" only and have been known to deny warranty coverage on a trailer or motorhome.

Check out the "fine print" warranty coverage of your pick before you buy. One more thing, make sure the brand you use has the cooling fins on the back and not in the skin, sides and top. The units with cooling in the sides and top tend to overheat in the typical RV enclosure, they require clearance for air to circulate.

To hold door closed I used commercial velcro self adhesive straps that you can get at Wally World for about $16.00, good stuff!

[chp007kd40]

Great information on the experience, durability issues, venting and warranty from both of you, thank you.

My understanding is that the manufacturers putting residential units in new coaches will have them with a separate charging/inverter and batteries. I found this out in Redmond, Oregon convention, but did not need the info then so I didn't pay to much attention. I overheard them saying that a fast charging lithium ion battery would be ideal for this set-up. Anyone have a solution or a coach with the set-up that I'm wanting to duplicate?

[kaypsmith]

Be sure to look at the amp draw affixed on the inside of the reefer, the lower the amperage the longer it will work on an inverter.

And yes you will need some room for air to circulate, but if you will be putting the frige where the Norcold is already installed, a wise choice is to leave the vent on the roof and the vent in the sidewall, that should plenty if not more than you will need.

[hermanmullins]

If you make the swap be sure and keep all the trays and drawers from you old unit. They help contain items in the new unit. Another thing to use are spring loaded curtain rods. They are also good to restrain items.

Herman

[Daveht]

In my rig is a Whirlpool 18 cu. ft unit. As a 35+ yr retired appliance man you will have no problems with bumpy roads. As long as you don't make a habit out of it! The compressor internal motor is suspended by springs in oil. If you hear a loud clanking on start up or stopping of the compressor you broke a spring. (not replaceable)

Hope this helps!

[lmsooter]

We installed a 20 cubic foot French Door Samsung in June 2015 and have traveled a little over 5,000 miles with no problems. And some of those roads were rough. Just be sure you have a really secure way of keeping the doors closed while traveling. We use strong but non-abrasive bungee cords so they won't mar the finish. Label on our unit states "Maximum amperage 1.1". Twice as much space as the Norcold we had and nice solid ice cream.

When we travel, I turn on the inverter (modified sine wave) and when we get where we are going, the temps are still right where they should be.

As Herman said, spring loaded curtain rods work great to hold everything in place inside.

I can't really comment on the need for additional batteries. I have 6 6 volt and 2 12 volt batteries. Two 6 volt are for the inverter, the remain four are house batteries and the two 12 volt are chassis. We do not boondock so we don't have any experience in that area.

[tbutler]

Here is a link to my posting here on the FMCA Forum from several years ago (May 2011). We replaced our Norcold 1200 (aka No Cold) and have been extremely happy with the results. We don't boondock extensively. When traveling we'll go several days at a time without plugging in, generator and driving only. We have the original 4x6V battery set-up and have never had a problem. The household unit functions just as I would expect with a home unit, no problems with power usage. We did install a 3000W sine wave inverter prior to the installation of the refrigerator in anticipation of replacing the refrigerator. The unit we installed was for sine wave only. The Samsung is frequently cited as one that can run on a modified sine wave inverter. You may get by with a modified sine wave inverter but I think a sine wave inverter will still give the refrigerator a longer life even if it will function with a modified sine wave inverter. We do use a small bungee on the handles to keep the doors closed as there is no built-in lock as in the Norcold. We have a much larger unit in almost the same space and much better service, cold ice cream, no worries about fire, etc.

Our driving experience with the refrigerator has been no problems in what I would describe as extreme driving conditions for a motor home. Read my blog for our experience in Newfoundland and Labrador this past summer here on the FMCA Blogs! Some would accuse me of motor home abuse! We've traveled 56,000 miles since the refrigerator was installed! With the exception of the holidays when the refrigerator functions as a second freezer, the unit sits unused through the winter.

[chp007kd40]

Thanks for the very informative replies. Dave, great info and Tom (aka no cold, had to reread it to "get it"), as always with lots of experience. Read your article from '11 and nice that you had a good outcome. I have the same battery configuration as you. Thanks for the venting advise kaysmith because that escaped me as one of the issues in a modification swap-out.

[jc21014]

Additionally, one of the things that I believe would be "important" for this thread would be comments/descriptions from users on how their residential fridges were secured when placing inside the area previously occupied by a rv fridge. You should not put them in an area without good anchoring.

[rossboyer]

I have used a Samsung RF197 for 3 years on modified sinewave inverter and did not increase battery bank of 4-6 volt batteries. We don't usually boondock, but have stopped overnight at a Walmart a few times. We run the generator in the evening, but shut it down about 10 or 11 pm. I do turn off the ice maker. My only other load is a CPAP machine all night long. We have never had a problem. Rough roads, not a problem, just turn off ice maker to prevent water splashing out and freezing a big block in your ice bin. Also, the frig you select may have door heaters to reduce humidity, turn that option off, too. The heaters will use more power overnight than the frig cooling.

[kaypsmith]

For anchoring, I used two strips of aluminum 1 inch by 1 inch by 1X16 aluminum angle about 18 inches long. These are attached on each side by 3 half inch #8 sheet metal screws, through the aluminum angle into the outside side panels of the refrigerator, then 3 wood screws right into the cabinet face frame.

Hasn't moved yet except for an annual inspection of the rear and vacuuming to get rid of any dust build up. I do have an icemaker with 1/4 flexible pipe that has a coil in it for moving purposes. Also, my unit is directly on the floor of the coach, so I screw down the leveling legs when the unit is in place so that it isn't resting on the rollers.

Good question jc21014

[jleamont]

I removed the wheels under the unit prior to installation and I used "L" brackets for the installation to keep it in its place. I closed off the roof vent and the side wall vents and that's it. I have a Trace RV20-12, 2000 watt inverter with an auto start generator feature, so if the batteries go low boondocking the generator will take over. The system is controlled by a remote XC7 control panel and (4) 6 volt house batteries. Coach Alternator is a 160 AMP Leece/Neville My entire interior of the coach is all LED lighting so I do not have much draw other than two power Maxxfans and the refrigerator. We have 8000 miles on the fridge swap and it works great. I cheeped out and bought the most energy efficient lowest price unit which was a plain refrigerator, old school design freezer on top, fridge on the bottom, no ice maker. I have less than $700.00 on the entire project including wood trim I had to stain to match the interior. The unit is boxed in with the exception on the bottom is open and the trim on top is notched to allow for air circulation around the unit. I fabricated a door latch I copied off of a 2014 Fleetwood Excursion, that incidentally had the same refrigerator I purchased as standard equipment.

So far so good, I think the total installation took me 4 hours, the hardest part was getting the Norcold out since it is at lease four times heavier than the GE. I do love the performance of the residential unit compared to the 1200LRIM that was removed. If it only last half of the time the Norcold did I am ok with that.

[caflashbob]

Some late model high capacity refers have a horizontal mounted compressor motor and as the coach brakes allows the oil and refrigerant to slosh around and run oil into the compressor motor it was not designed to have in it.

My guru buddy mentioned hearing the pump in the house refers trying to compress the oil and hearing the pump chatter.

Refer was not designed to be in a moving vechile. He said the older refers had a more conventional mounted compressor versus a laid down design that is mounted right to left. Which is front to back mounted sideways in a coach.

Average use age reported seems to be 100 amp hours minimum per day to run a household refer.

As My normal overnight aqua hot and lights seem to average around 150 amp hours dry camped so adding an additional 100 would total 250 amp hours out of 675 I have.

That perecentage discharge done daily will shorten my battery life by a large fraction.

Large solar on roof or having a pedestal to plug in nightly makes the residential refer an easy install.

We prefer quiet dry camping so the additional gen run time is something we do not want.

As sort of preppers the additional gen run time greatly shortens our time on internal fuel only.

Every thing is related

[chp007kd40]

Good reply. Things are changing rather quickly with regards to fridge designs (compressors, ex.) and also batteries (lithium) being promoted by companies like AM Solar in Oregon. The small RV's, with articles showing up using Lithium batteries are getting some traction. If a manufacture can put a 32 cell Lithium battery in a 22ft. class "B" motorhome then the possibilities for larger coaches is huge.

I have an appointment with AM Solar this month to review the entire solar, lithium, inverter/charger set-up in my Itasca 40KD. I presently have "4" 6 volt Trojans, 2800 Magnum and it is not cutting it dry camping. They did say that lithium location is huge for protection against extremes (hot/cold) so a suggestion by AM Solar, they are looking to place this battery system inside the coach. Wow and REALLY?? Okay, I'm on board to learn.

The residential fridge that would fit in my coach without a lot of modifications is the Maytag 18.7 cu in bottom freezer, MBF1958DEM.

Like the previous article by caflashbob, our family (two adults and three weenie dogs) do a lot of dry camping in the beautiful "seven" Western states so

this is my new adventure.

[dickandlois]

Good reply. Things are changing rather quickly with regards to fridge designs (compressors, ex.) and also batteries (lithium) being promoted by companies like AM Solar in Oregon. The small RV's, with articles showing up using Lithium batteries are getting some traction. If a manufacture can put a 32 cell Lithium battery in a 22ft. class "B" motorhome then the possibilities for larger coaches is huge.

I have an appointment with AM Solar this month to review the entire solar, lithium, inverter/charger set-up in my Itasca 40KD. I presently have "4" 6 volt Trojans, 2800 Magnum and it is not cutting it dry camping. They did say that lithium location is huge for protection against extremes (hot/cold) so a suggestion by AM Solar, they are looking to place this battery system inside the coach. Wow and REALLY?? Okay, I'm on board to learn.

The residential fridge that would fit in my coach without a lot of modifications is the Maytag 18.7 cu in bottom freezer, MBF1958DEM.

Like the previous article by caflashbob, our family (two adults and three weenie dogs) do a lot of dry camping in the beautiful "seven" Western states so

this is my new adventure.

chp007kd40!

Remember to ask about the charge limits for the Lithium batteries !!

This type of technology is used in the new hoverboards and if over charged can cause fires, as many have viewed on the news reports.

Rich.

[wildebill308]

My Norcold 1201LRIMSS in my 40 ft. DP needs replacing. There is information on some sites that caution against switching away from rugged RV refrigerators to residential type because of sitting unused (off) for 30 or more days at a time and the jarring effect of some very bad roads.

Also, I will need extra batteries and a second inverter/charger set-up if I do this. Can anyone guide me that has some knowledge and experience, please.

I have read a lot of post about converting to a residential refrigerator. I have never seen a post that was negative about the change over. I have never see a negative post about longevity of the residential refrigerators. I was thinking about it and I think that is quite remarkable. We hear about the bad negative things first on the forums before good things.

I am wondering about the need for a separate battery bank and a second inverter/charger set-up. How many batteries do you have now? I am guessing that you have 4ea 6 volt batteries now. With the low draw of the new refrigerators and they don't run all the time why you would need a separate smaller battery bank.

Bill

[jleamont]

I have read a lot of post about converting to a residential refrigerator. I have never seen a post that was negative about the change over. I have never see a negative post about longevity of the residential refrigerators. I was thinking about it and I think that is quite remarkable. We hear about the bad negative things first on the forums before good things.

I am wondering about the need for a separate battery bank and a second inverter/charger set-up. How many batteries do you have now? I am guessing that you have 4ea 6 volt batteries now. With the low draw of the new refrigerators and they don't run all the time why you would need a separate smaller battery bank.

Bill

Bill, agreed! I will admit I felt better when I saw one installed by Fleetwood when the coach was built and the dealer explained to me that this is the way of the future and then again when so many made the change on here to existing units. You are correct ours only runs a lot on the initial cool down, and not often after to maintain a cold box even in the hottest of days last summer. I have made no changes to the amount of batteries or inverter on our coach. It all seems to work just fine. 4, 6volt batteries and 1, 2000 watt inverter. My net gain was frozen or properly chilled food and $2700.00 I saved on replacing the existing unit.

[huffypuff]

The weak point to residentials refrigerator is the compressor. The op asked how well does a residential refrigerator rock and roll. I believe one of the reason absorption refrigerators was used in was longevity. How long will a residential refrigerator compressor take the beating going down the road. I haven't yet to see anyone claim that their residential refrigerator lasted 15 years going down the road. If a Norcold died in a 12 plus year old coach it's a piece of junk. At least replacing a cooling unit is a easy fix but not so for a compressor.

When to operate and cost is another factor. Most don't operate their refrigerator down the road and only in campsites or running the generator. On propane a absorption refrigerator can run for months on a tank of propane and what little battery used is charged when driving down the road. When I go to a campground that requires me to pay for meter electric I keep the refrigerator on propane. The reason why it's cheaper than running on meter electric. A residential refrigerator don;t have that option.

When my 10 year old coach Norcold dies and it may in the near future as I heard others going at 14 years or more or less years. I don't see the benefits of going residential. Not because others are doing it or new wave of builders going all electric. The one good thing about the competition is there is more focus of building the absorption refrigerator better.

[chp007kd40]

Great discussions and some great points for me to consider. Fridge types, batteries, inverter/chargers draw so much "attention" they will probably end up being included in some of our profiles. LOL

[manholt]

07' Tour, came with a Nocool and had it replaced with a 20 cu. ft. Samsung, no problems for 4 years! 11' Allegro Bus came with a Samsung French Door and the only problem I had was the plastic door tabs that kept on breaking...had metal tabs made, no more problem! The current Coach has a 19 Whirlpool 2 door...no problems!

I have 2 good friends that I visit several times a year. One in NE Texas on a ranch, 2 miles of dirt road from gate to house! The other in La. Hwy 35 from I-10 to Kaplan has to be driven to believe and then a mile of dirt road to his house, also a large ranch!

Then think of any bad road between E coast & W coast etc.

I LOVE Residential Fringes!

[thetdguy]

We installed a 20 cubic foot French Door Samsung in June 2015 and have traveled a little over 5,000 miles with no problems. And some of those roads were rough. Just be sure you have a really secure way of keeping the doors closed while traveling. We use strong but non-abrasive bungee cords so they won't mar the finish. Label on our unit states "Maximum amperage 1.1". Twice as much space as the Norcold we had and nice solid ice cream.

When we travel, I turn on the inverter (modified sine wave) and when we get where we are going, the temps are still right where they should be.

As Herman said, spring loaded curtain rods work great to hold everything in place inside.

I can't really comment on the need for additional batteries. I have 6 6 volt and 2 12 volt batteries. Two 6 volt are for the inverter, the remain four are house batteries and the two 12 volt are chassis. We do not boondock so we don't have any experience in that area.

Can you please tell me which model Sumsung you installed and how difficult was it to get it in the RV and did you bring it through the door or did you have to take it in through a window.

Thank you.

Lawrence

[hermanmullins]

Lawrence,
Welcome to the Forum.

I installed a Samsung RF18.It runs 24/7 on my Modified Sine Wave Inverter. Got it at Lowe's. My only problem was the ice maker wasn't plugged in from the factory. Got it plugged in and not only am I pleased but the DW is very Happy.

It came through my front door. I stripped all doors and hindges. I then made a light weight frame the exact size of the unit. I was able to see that I could indeed bring it through the front door. I found that I had to remove the passenger seat and the TV. If you will PM me with a phone number I can call you if you need more help.

Mission accomplished.

Herman

[jleamont]

Lawrence, I replaced ours with a GE unit, I put it through a side window to get it in and the old 1200LRIM out. Same as Herman here, the GE runs great on the standard 2000 watt standard inverter. The selling point for me was the cost and all of the mechanical stuff is right at the side wall opening when you pull the exterior panel off the coach.

• I closed off the roof vent
• closed off the side wall vent (screened it in and applied foam insulation to seal it off)
• screwed it into the floor on the front back and top front with angle brackets from Home Depot.
• Bought trip from Home Depot to finish around the unit, I stained the trim to match the rest of the interior.
• capped off the gas line at the closest fitting in the cabinet below the fridge and leak tested it with soapy water.

My entrance door must be smaller than Herman's, the new one wouldn't fit in through the opening, heck I can barley fit through the door, lol

We love it!