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Topic: Help with Refrigerator Decision
Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/06/23 03:14pm

I've totally HAD IT with my propane refrigerator. Camping at the beach last week where the temperatures at night got down to mid 50s and during the day into the high 80s, the propane refrigerator temperature in both the freezer and main unit was all over the place. Melted Ice Cream in the afternoon and frozen vegetables in the morning! I bought an internal fan system and a rheostat temperature control from JC Refrigeration and it didn't help at all.....Soooo...

 I've decided to go with a compressor refrigerator.....8 cu ft

The choice is a $1500 12V DC unit or a 120v residential unit for $400 and an inverter.

My trailer has a 1000w Xantrex inverter, 520watts of solar and 200aH of Lithium

If the inverter and residential frig needs more battery bank, I can buy a bunch of battery Ah for the $1100 difference!

What say the board? Any experience with the residential/inverter situation?

The residential refrigerator I'm looking at has a rating of 6a @ 120v.
The DC refrigerator is 3a at night -9a during the day at 12V



Thanks in advance!

RoyB
Dartmouth, MA
2021 RAM 2500 4X4 6.4L
2011 Forest River Grey Wolf Cherokee 19RR
520 w solar-200ah Renogy Li-Epever MPPT


Posted By: spoon059 on 08/06/23 05:05pm

First consideration is how you're gonna get it inside the camper. The 12v unit will likely fit through the door and fit the existing opening. A residential style might require removing a big window and some retrofitting to your existing spot.

2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS

Posted By: Walaby on 08/06/23 05:14pm

Agree on thinking through the physical remove and replace aspect first. But I would venture to say probably not much difference dimension wise on the various options. I looked at a 10 cu ft fridge yesterday and it was just a tad smaller than my current Dometic. Heck you may have just as difficult a time getting the old one out as getting the new one in.

I've been thinking over the past year or so of doing the same. I've been leaning residential, but paying attention to this thread to see what others recommend.

Price point wise, it's an easy decision. $400 vs $1500.

Mike

* This post was edited 08/06/23 05:25pm by Walaby *

Im Mike Willoughby, and I approve this message.
2017 Ram 3500 CTD (aka FRAM)
2019 GrandDesign Reflection 367BHS


Posted By: rk911 on 08/06/23 05:26pm

providing you can get it inside residential is the way! get a bigger inverter or one dedicated only to
the fridge. same with the battery bank.

Rich
Ham Radio, Sport Pilot, Retired 9-1-1 Call Center Administrator
_________________________________
2016 Itasca Suncruiser 38Q
'46 Willys CJ2A
'23 Jeep Wrangler JL
'10 Jeep Liberty KK
& MaggieThe Wonder Beagle

Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/06/23 05:37pm

Quote:

First consideration is how you're gonna get it inside the camper.


My trailer is a Toy Hauler...No problem whatsoever getting old out and new in...

Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/06/23 05:41pm

I'm reading a bunch of Q and A on Home Depot and Lowes sites about using residential refrigerators in an RV.....Two issues jump out. The manufacturer says to not store, unused non operating, in freezing or over 100 degrees. This might be an issue when not using the trailer....Second issue is manufacturer says these residential refrigerators are not meant to be bounced down the road while operating....voids warrantee

Posted By: rk911 on 08/06/23 05:47pm

we stored our class A with a Whirlpool resi fridge in the heat of summer
and cold of winter. only trbl was auto ice maker. get some ice cube trays…pblm solved.

Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/06/23 05:51pm

Quote:

we stored our class A with a Whirlpool resi fridge in the heat of summer
and cold of winter.


Thanks...You'd think they are warehousing these units and shipping them in standard trailer trucks with no temperature control......And trailer trucks bounce the s$%t out of stuff.....Maybe the whole caution is just a CYA on the part of the manufacturer?

Posted By: TenOC on 08/06/23 06:11pm

Since I am stuck in one place with full hookup, I replaced my refrigerator with a Hotpoint 9.7 cu ft residential -- $400 from Lowes. I had to trim about 1/2 inch off of the left side of the opening to allow it to fit. Very happy now.

Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

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Posted By: Walaby on 08/06/23 06:50pm

Rbertalotto wrote:

Quote:

First consideration is how you're gonna get it inside the camper.


My trailer is a Toy Hauler...No problem whatsoever getting old out and new in...

Yeah, I don't think you'll have an issue there.

OTOH - for me, I'd have to probably move my island and take out the pantry wall, or remove window. That's why I haven't done it yet.

Mike

Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/06/23 06:56pm

Quote:

Since I am stuck in one place with full hookup, I replaced my refrigerator with a Hotpoint 9.7 cu ft residential -- $400 from Lowes


That is the EXACT refrigerator I'm looking to use.....

Posted By: valhalla360 on 08/06/23 07:22pm

With a toy hauler, probably a no brainer.

One item to check into (probably won't change the outcome) but the running wattage (amp * volts) by itself doesn't tell you which is more efficient.
- I suspect at least for the 120v AC unit, they are providing the max amps. I doubt it's pulling 720w while running.
- The other big question is what percentage of the day the compressor is running. The higher wattage unit may be more efficient if it runs less time each day
- On a related note, how well insulated are the units. This can heavily impact how much the compressor runs each day.

Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV


Posted By: LouLawrence on 08/06/23 07:57pm

Go residential and you will never go back!

Posted By: Grit dog on 08/06/23 08:54pm

LouLawrence wrote:

Go residential and you will never go back!


You forgot the rest of your statement which reads, “only if you’re hooked to shore power full time or have a battery and inverter system that could light up a small town.”
If neither one of these is true then a resi fridge is somewhere between a hinderance and a nonstarter.

2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Posted By: Lantley on 08/06/23 09:14pm

If you don't travel long distances or boondock much it's a simple decision.
However if you want to keep the unit running while traveling down the road.
Or want to use the fridge off the grid it gets more complicated.
Adding an inverter into the mix is straight forward and easy enough to do if you're handy. But is does add to the cost.
I figured and inverter, battery and wiring would add $500.00 or so to overall cost.
An new scratch and dent absorption fridge cost me $1,100.00.
A residential Fridge from Home Depot was $400.00. But I needed an inverter and battery. So I estimate $900.00 vs. $1,100.00.
With the cost being close enough I saw no need to change.
I have been using absorption lp/electric fridge since 2005 and this was my first issue.

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Posted By: Veebyes on 08/06/23 11:50pm

I was thinking about going the domestic fridge route also. The big issue was finding one to fit without major carpentry surgery to make it look good.

The bottom line came out that replacing the refrigeration unit of my ten year old Dometic four door was less than a new seventeen cu ft plus carpentry. Another consideration is how much dry camping does one intend to do? We do a fair amount of dry camping and for that, using a domestic fridge, one needs to be running a generator frequently or having a massive battery bank and pure sine wave inverter. Not very practical.

If you are a FHU camper then the domestic fridge will work just fine, provided it fits.

Boat: 32' 1996 Albin 32+2, single Cummins 315hp
40+ night per year overnighter

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Posted By: Campinghoss@51 on 08/07/23 04:34am

I have had several different rv's and all but the one I have now was elec/propane. My current one has a 23 cubic foot Frigidaire in it and I will never go back to propane. My stays plugged in year round and since my batteries charge while hooked to the truck long distance travel has never been an issue. We don't boondock so that is not an issue either. However if we did need to boondock I could hook the pigtail up to the truck and keep the batteries charged. I never expect to do that though.

Camping Hoss
2017 Open Range 3X 388RKS
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Lucie our fur baby
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Posted By: wa8yxm on 08/07/23 04:35am

If you find yourself "Off the grid" as I did last Thu/Fri for 13 hours that 12 volt draws 30 t0 90 watts the 120 volt a whomping 720.. WOW.

I've used those high effiency 12 volt compressor jobs. In fact though the one I have now runs on a converter..... part way through that 13 hour blackout while I was "Concerned" it was going to take too long (8-12 is the limit) I hooked up a 12 amp hour LiFePO4 battery to a 300 watt MSW inverter and powered it up. Still below freezing (Just) per the display and quickly cooled off.

The main Fridge (A smaller residential one) Got plugged into the 2KW inverter with 1,500 watt hours of battery behind it.. All food saved.

But had it been longer.. I'd have needed recharges.

So the 12 volt unit.... Your batteries will last longer if you need to live off 'em over night.

Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
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Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/07/23 05:59am

Thanks for all the great replies. I'm still totally undecided on Residential with inverter or a true RV 12V refrigerator. Because I near 100% boondock, and do a lot of traveling, I'm leaning toward the RV 12v solution. I got the price for a Dometic 8 cu ft down to exactly $1000 which seems reasonable considering I'm hoping to get at least 10-12 years out of it. And my absorption refrigerator is like new and works as a 2 way refrigerator is supposed to so I might be able to sell it for a few hundred dollars and offset the cost.
We shall see.....Tax Free Weekend so I can save $60.50 if I buy it on Saturday...

Posted By: valhalla360 on 08/07/23 07:21am

Rbertalotto wrote:

Thanks for all the great replies. I'm still totally undecided on Residential with inverter or a true RV 12V refrigerator. Because I near 100% boondock, and do a lot of traveling, I'm leaning toward the RV 12v solution. I got the price for a Dometic 8 cu ft down to exactly $1000 which seems reasonable considering I'm hoping to get at least 10-12 years out of it. And my absorption refrigerator is like new and works as a 2 way refrigerator is supposed to so I might be able to sell it for a few hundred dollars and offset the cost.
We shall see.....Tax Free Weekend so I can save $60.50 if I buy it on Saturday...


If you are into boondocking, my comment about max draw vs kwh is important. I would do more research into actual running amps and what percentage of time you can expect it to run.

My bet is you listed max not typical running amps...720watts is crazy for a modern fridge. My 12v fridge is rated for up to 11amps to set the wiring and fuse size but typically draws 4amps when running.

The 12v will probably win on total kwh consumed...the critical issue for boondocking....but probably not by a lot. Don't forget to account for the inverter losses.

Posted By: rhagfo on 08/07/23 07:45am

Well I might be a bit late to the party, but have you considered a a 12 volt cooling unit replacement from JC Refrigeration. We lost our cooling unit last year and did the 12 Volt compressor unit. Best move we made for refrigeration, refer cools quickly, refer temps are always between 32 and 35 degrees, freezer just above zero.

Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 Aisin DRW 4X4 Long bed.
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

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Posted By: cummins2014 on 08/07/23 07:47am

LouLawrence wrote:

Go residential and you will never go back!



I would agree ,although never had to replace an RV fridge .

Posted By: LouLawrence on 08/07/23 09:26am

Grit dog wrote:

LouLawrence wrote:

Go residential and you will never go back!


You forgot the rest of your statement which reads, “only if you’re hooked to shore power full time or have a battery and inverter system that could light up a small town.”
If neither one of these is true then a resi fridge is somewhere between a hinderance and a nonstarter.

Thanks, I didn't need your incorrect correction. My statement was clear and correct. I have had a residential fridge in my RV's since 1999. Yes, I have an inverter and some large batteries but no solar. The engine alternator keeps the batteries charged while driving so no issues there. When I dry camp I have to run my generator a few hours per day but I am going to do that anyway for cooking and assorted morning and evening activities. If I chose to dry camp a lot, solar would solve that but very few are off the grid for extended periods of time.

Posted By: Grit dog on 08/07/23 09:40am

Campinghoss@51 wrote:

I have had several different rv's and all but the one I have now was elec/propane. My current one has a 23 cubic foot Frigidaire in it and I will never go back to propane. My stays plugged in year round and since my batteries charge while hooked to the truck long distance travel has never been an issue. We don't boondock so that is not an issue either. However if we did need to boondock I could hook the pigtail up to the truck and keep the batteries charged. I never expect to do that though.


The last part of your reply is incorrect. Don’t test that theory as stated. It won’t “keep your batteries charged” even if you leave it plugged in and the truck idling 24-7.

Posted By: Grit dog on 08/07/23 09:46am

Rbertalotto wrote:

Thanks for all the great replies. I'm still totally undecided on Residential with inverter or a true RV 12V refrigerator. Because I near 100% boondock, and do a lot of traveling, I'm leaning toward the RV 12v solution. I got the price for a Dometic 8 cu ft down to exactly $1000 which seems reasonable considering I'm hoping to get at least 10-12 years out of it. And my absorption refrigerator is like new and works as a 2 way refrigerator is supposed to so I might be able to sell it for a few hundred dollars and offset the cost.
We shall see.....Tax Free Weekend so I can save $60.50 if I buy it on Saturday...


In your first post you complain of your fridge NOT working as it’s supposed to, and now you claim it does….
Idk why you’d do a thing if it works, “for free”. If it’s like the first post though, it may just need some more attention. I’m not that well read on absorption fridges so unfortunately can’t help there. But the fact it works is a good thing. And your first experience posted I’ve not experienced with the old 3 way fridges I’ve had.
This is sounding now like a mission to fix something that ain’t broke.

Posted By: Grit dog on 08/07/23 09:48am

LouLawrence wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

LouLawrence wrote:

Go residential and you will never go back!


You forgot the rest of your statement which reads, “only if you’re hooked to shore power full time or have a battery and inverter system that could light up a small town.”
If neither one of these is true then a resi fridge is somewhere between a hinderance and a nonstarter.

Thanks, I didn't need your incorrect correction. My statement was clear and correct. I have had a residential fridge in my RV's since 1999. Yes, I have an inverter and some large batteries but no solar. The engine alternator keeps the batteries charged while driving so no issues there. When I dry camp I have to run my generator a few hours per day but I am going to do that anyway for cooking and assorted morning and evening activities. If I chose to dry camp a lot, solar would solve that but very few are off the grid for extended periods of time.

Thanks for the clarification. Which I gave consideration to, as it was. With enough battery capacity and the right inverter, you are making it work to your satisfaction.
But not an unqualified one size fits all solution as you first alluded to.

Posted By: Rbertalotto on 08/07/23 11:04am

OK, More research (and confusion).....It appears a major energy user with these 12V RV refrigerators is the "Defrost Cycle"....Heating up the freezer and then quickly cooling it back down uses a bunch of energy. And as far as I can tell, there is no way to shut it off. So today I went to Home Depot / Lowes / Best Buy and looked at small college dorm type refrigerators that do not offer any type of defrost cycle. But they are quite small. Since I always camp alone, and I never have a full 6 cu ft refrigerator, one of these 4 cu ft units might be the ticket for me. On the rear info card it says they draw 1.5 amps! And at around $250, heck, if it doesn't work out I can use it out in the shop....I have a call into Dometic to see if the defrost function of the 8 cu ft unit they offer can be deactivated.....stay tuned for more RefrigAdventures!

Posted By: Cptnvideo on 08/07/23 03:02pm

We had the same issues as the OP since DAY 1 OF A NEW 2022 fiver. After 2 months and 4 mobile techs not finding a problem, we decided to go residential. After many careful measurements, we went with a 20cf Whirlpool from Home Depot to replace the 18cf Norcold.
The fridges had to go down to the end of the island on their way in and out the door.
We couldn't be happier with our decision AND we boondock regularly.

Bill & Linda
Arizona
2019 Dodge Ram Laramie 3500 dually 4x4 diesel
Hensley Trailer Saver BD5 hitch
2022 Grand Design Solitude 378MBS
1600 watts solar, Victron 150/100 MPPT controller, GoPower 3kw inverter/charger, 5 SOK 206AH LiFePo4 batteries for 1030 ah

Posted By: wa8yxm on 08/07/23 03:38pm

If you boondock alot the 12 volt is the hands down winner

As I said when I was "in the dark" overnight the Residental fridge got the big inverter with the big batteries... The little 12 volt only chest freezer that hits -4ºF making it a "Deep freeze" got a 12 amp hour LiFePO4 and a 300 watt msw to feed it's brick as I could not find the 12 v cord (I think I know what happened to it)

3 amps at 12 volt beats 10 or 20 or 30 (For 120 volt appliances take wattage and divide by 10 to estimate 12 volt amp draw... that covers conversion/inverter loss.. Works well up to around 100 amps/1000 watts.. Tested myself).

I say again go with the 12

Posted By: TechWriter on 08/07/23 10:04pm

Cptnvideo wrote:

We had the same issues as the OP . . . we went with a 20cf Whirlpool from Home Depot to replace the 18cf Norcold.
We couldn't be happier with our decision AND we boondock regularly.


Cptnvideo's power setup:

- 1600 watts solar
- 5 SOK 206AH LiFePo4 batteries for 1030 ah

2004 - 2010 Part Timer (35’ 2004 National RV Sea Breeze 8341 - Workhorse)
2010 - 2021 Full Timer (41’ 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire 4095 DP - Cummins)
2021 - ??? Part Timer (31’ 2001 National RV Sea View 8311 - Ford)
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Posted By: Cptnvideo on 08/07/23 10:12pm

Yes, TechWriter, my power setup makes it easy to boondock with a residential fridge. And we can even run A/C for a couple hours. [emoticon]

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