Replacing refegerator with household type

[fandjturman]

I am have a lot of problems with my Norcold 1210 gas electric fridge and am thinking about replacing it with a household type. I would like to know if anyone has done this and how it worked out. We currently have a 2008 Dutch Star 43 foot so I think we have the capacity in the battery system to support the new fridge as well as an inverter large enough to supply the power. I may need to add a auto start to the generator but would like that anyway.

If you have looked into this change what model number and manufacture of fridge did you find? Did you have any additional problems?

[BryanL]

The newer EnergyStar refrigerators make it quite feasible depending upon how you use your RV. Over at the WindSun forums there is quite a discussion about the pros and cons. It is possible to get a refrigerator, a couple of batteries, inverter, and a solar system to keep them going for about the price of a typical RV refrigerator.

Do check the energy consumption ratings. The EnergyStar rating only gets you in the ballpark. Sometimes the published ratings are a bit 'optimistic' so check places like Consumer's Reports or on some of the off-grid forums for direct experience if you can.

Keep in mind also that you have to get a refrigerator that will fit. That can be a challenge, too.

[Iron Man]

We have an all electric 2007 Essex. We have a Frigidaire house refrigerator (do not know model#) and the wife loves it. We have a 3100 watt pure sine wave inverter and eight house batteries. Make sure you use a pure sine wave inverter, Newmar had issues with all electric coaches in 2006 using a modified sine wave inverter. The biggest issue I see is physically making the change. I do not know if a house fridge will fit thru the door or will have to go through a window or front windshield. Good luck.

[GaryKD]

Hi fandjturman,
Welcome to iRV2 and the Newmar owners' forum. Is your current refrigerator in a slide? If so the residential will be okay for space. If your current refrigerator is not in a slide, consider making some measurements before making the purchase. If I put a residential refrigerator in my coach, the main aisle would have only 12 inches of width. This did not meet with the wife's approval.

[saydiver]

When Newmar built our coach, they installed a Maytag MFI2067AES 20.9 cu. ft. counter depth residential refrigerator, along with 8 AGM batteries. No problems to date after 28K miles, including a trip to Alaska and back.

Maytag: Refrigerators MFI2067AES

Sue

[fandjturman]

Thanks that was the information I was looking for.

[fandjturman]

First of all we are full timers. Our Newmar number is 19004. We have had this coach for 2+ years and had the cooling unit replaced once 1 year ago. Now we are looking at having it replaced again. We are not happy with Norcold and the way the product preforms.

Our fridge is not in the slide and has been properly installed. It appears that every time we are on 30 amps the fridge starts to have problems. This is especially true when we also have to use the hydronic heating system while on the 30 amp power. Both time the fridge has gone out this has been the situation. I am thinking that the household fridge would function much better than the gas electric in this or any situation. I am currently willing to spend some money to resolve the current failures if I can find the unit that will function best for us and our current lifestyle. We do not dry camp ofter ( mainly at rallies). We do have 4 6 volt batteries and an inverter, not sure that it is a true sine wave. We have a 19 KW gen that works well powering the coach during the dry camping adventures. We make every effort to stay at parks with 50 amp power supply and all of the amenities.

I am looking for someone who has made this conversion and has had success. I would also like someone who has had repeated problems with the Norcold 1210 series to make a reply.

frank

[saydiver]

The following link on replacing a Norcold may help:

Norcold 1200 replacement

Sue