Fridge replacement 2007 Tuscany 4072

[Pietropan]

Hello, I want to know if somebody had experienced fridge replacement by a residential one. What model can fit in the hole, did he pass by the entry door and what kind of modification will need to do to install in his place ?

Thank you

[rickdavis]

why are you replacing it

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by rickdavis

why are you replacing it

Because, evidently, you MUST always replace your rv fridge with a residential. Don't waste your time on a cost-benefit evaluation. Replace it and money be damned!! Even if it means removing your windshield to get the new one in, and the extra cost and weight of extra batteries and the cost of replacing an perfectly fine inverter with a bigger inverter, evidently, only knuckle-draggers still have an RV fridge.

I still have my RV Fridge and it works great! I added fans to the exhaust stack, and I have cold beer and frozen ice in any weather. I also have all the money I'd have wasted on a residential conversion, fridge, batteries, inverter and labor, still in MY account. I like money. I don't chase fads. I laugh at those who do.

[winniman]

Hold on, let me get a comfy chair, and some popcorn. This is gonna be a good one. Knuckle draggers vs. big spenders. ding ding.

[rickdavis]

well just as an FYI, The Amish make replacement cooling units for just about any rv fridge. 2004 Dometic side by side. my service company ordered it, pulled out my unit, replaced the cooling unit, put it back in. I got to keep my Original look, awesome and works great

[Pietropan]

The Norcold 1200 now is a Nocold and the ammonia leaked in the back rusty tubing

[rickdavis]

research the Amish rv replacement site. theirs is thicker material and is honestly a lot colder that the original was

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by rickdavis

well just as an FYI, The Amish make replacement cooling units for just about any rv fridge. 2004 Dometic side by side. my service company ordered it, pulled out my unit, replaced the cooling unit, put it back in. I got to keep my Original look, awesome and works great

That is EXACTLY what I'd do, but mine still works.

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by Pietropan

Hello, I want to know if somebody had experienced fridge replacement by a residential one. What model can fit in the hole, did he pass by the entry door and what kind of modification will need to do to install in his place ?

Thank you

we put in a samsung..i searched all websites to find one that could be broken down small enough to fit through the 24" front door on our tuscany

it was two door model bottom freezer
#RB195ACBP
removed the doors and plumbing and re assembled it on the floor of the kitchen then put it in place



i did have to make the shelf above the furnace lower by 2" but it works well

[NumberThree1950]

Did a similar replacement two years ago. Never looked back. I think ours was a Samsung rf-18 counter depth unit. I had stack fans and defrost fans in the OEM unit but it just was a pain.
This weekend I ran across a diy pos t where a guy bought a compressor based replacement for the adsorption unit on his norcold. It was made by a business in Indiana I think which also sold regular replacement modules. His diy was straightforward and was done in the coach by he and his wife. So it kept the original look and feel of his norcold and even reused the controls. If that is your desire it offers another option. Good luck.

[NumberThree1950]

Here is the link to the YouTube I referred to above. Personally I might have tried it if I wanted to save money. The compressor draw is quite nominal.
https://youtu.be/Yte1V3CkDrw

[astrnmrtom]

I just finished the conversion. What fits and how hard the job is really depends on your coach. Is it a front entry, or center entry? How wide is your front door? Where is your existing refrigerator?

In my case my '98 Safari Serengeti placed some pretty tight restriction on my options. I have a front entry, narrow front door and my Norcold is right against the bathroom wall with a very narrow door. This really limited the depth of whatever residential unit I wanted to install. The very popular Samsung RF18 wouldn't work because it would protrude into the narrow doorway and you'd almost have to turn sideways to enter the bathroom. The only good thing about my refrigerator cabinet is there's almost nothing below the refrigerator, just a 3" tall hydronic heat register/fan - no conventional furnace.

That left me with only three options - An expensive 3 door Fisher Paykel, a Haier four door, or several models of two door refrigerators. After doing a lot of measuring and experimenting I decided to cross off the two door as an option because with the slide in, we wouldn't be able to open the refrigerator doors more than about 45 degrees before hitting the kitchen cabinets. The Haier four door would fit, just barely, because it was the tallest of the bunch, so really, the Fisher Paykel was my only real choice - of course it's also the most expensive option - ouch!

I was lucky enough to spot one at a local Home Depot scratch/dent/return section for less than 50% off. I jumped on the deal and the conversion was a go!

The hardest part of the install was removing the Norcold. Not from the cabinet, that was easy, but from the coach. It's a heavy beast! It wouldn't fit through the door without removing the doors and the cooling unit, and even at that it was a tight fit. The Fisher Paykel was easier getting in because with the doors removed it wasn't as deep nor as heavy.

Here's my posting explaining the install with some photos: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/out-...-386374-5.html

In my case, the Norcold was working fine after I added some fans inside, and in the back, and properly baffled the top vent. My wife really wanted to go residential because the thought of a refrigerator fire really worried her. Plus she read so many posts from people saying they had made the change to a residential and loved it. I already have 600 watts of solar, and the Fisher Paykel will run off the existing modified sign wave inverter. I will be upgrading to a pure sign wave inverter this summer because I have one that I used in another previous rig. Our house batteries are due to be replaced, so I'll upgrade to larger ones for not much more cost.

I considered the job to be pretty easy. The only modification required was lowering the refrigerator cabinet floor, capping the propane line, sealing off the vents, and securing the new refrigerator in place - all easy with basic tools and skill. I did all the work myself with the exception of my wife helping push the new refrigerator up the steps. I'm a pretty small guy and we are both in our early 60s. I'm pretty handy though.