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Mody n Domy · 05-17-2016, 05:08 AM

We are looking at buying a new motor home. We told the sales rep. we would like a residential refrigerator. They advised not to get one because of all the movement going down the road. They explained that all owners manuals stated to leave the refrigerator set after moving before turning on. What are the pros and cons of a residential refrigerator in a motor home and do they have a point?

homeless · 05-17-2016, 05:17 AM

In my world an all electric home should be setting secularly on a concrete foundation.

WYRon · 05-17-2016, 05:18 AM

I've heard objections to a residential for various reasons, but never what your sales rep said. We have a residential and wouldn't be without it, but there are some trade-offs...just not in terms of operation and performance. The pluses are vastly superior performance (cooldown time, holding temperature, etc), increased storage capacity, and no propane tank (if you also have an induction cooktop). The downside is primarily the reliance on electrical power. We have quite a bit of solar and a bank of 8 AGM batteries, but that was a choice so we could dry camp whenever we liked.

PanJH · 05-17-2016, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mody n Domy

. They explained that all owners manuals stated to leave the refrigerator set after moving before turning on. What are the pros and cons of a residential refrigerator in a motor home and do they have a point?

Letting a refer sit is only needed if it has been on it's side for a length of time. In that case, the compressor oil can migrate and if you turn on the unit before it has moved back to the compressor, you can ruin the compressor. That is not an issue in the motorhome, unless you happen to go around a corner too fast and flip the coach on it's side.
We have a residential unit in our coach and it works fine. I like the room we have for fresh and frozen foods. Pro's - interior size, temperature control, rapid cooling. Con's - more batteries, a bit of a pain when boondocking.

I think the salesman you were dealing with wanted to sell something they had on the lot vs. getting you what you want.

exgman · 05-17-2016, 05:26 AM

The residential refer in my coach has performed great for the 2 years I've owned my coach. The Norcold in my last coach always made me a little nervous with the possibility of a fire due to their design. If there were problems with res refers they would be talked about on these forums and I haven't heard of many. I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, but I wouldn't hesitate to get one again.

Tha_Rooster · 05-17-2016, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mody n Domy

We are looking at buying a new motor home. We told the sales rep. we would like a residential refrigerator. They advised not to get one because of all the movement going down the road. They explained that all owners manuals stated to leave the refrigerator set after moving before turning on. What are the pros and cons of a residential refrigerator in a motor home and do they have a point?

That is somewhat true if you lay one on its side to move it. I would think a MH is stable enough to keep the oil in the bottom of compressor.

twinboat · 05-17-2016, 06:52 AM

I have been running a residential refrigerator, rocking and rolling in my boat, since 2008 with no problem.

6 of those years were full-time crusing the East coast. The paint is showing some salt water issues but it is still going strong.

Mody n Domy · 05-17-2016, 08:04 AM

Thanks for all the replies.

DeWat · 05-17-2016, 09:37 AM

Typical salesman... I bet his lips were moving

. Ask that salesman if there is a problem with residential refers in RVs, then why does Westinghouse have a RV section that deals with problems in their refers in RVs? The only disadvantage of a residential refer that I can think of is boondocking will consume more battery. Outside of that, some of the pros include proper refer/freezer temp stability, more capacity, and the biggie for me... a whole lot more forgiving to not being level. In fact, outside of the previous mentions about laying on the side, you don't have to consider leveling anymore when it comes to the refer.

Scarab0088 · 05-17-2016, 09:58 AM

Whirlpool has "authorized" several of their Fridge line as RV complaint.
They are in many brands of RV's in many price points (with Samsung, Westinghouse, Whirlpool, etc.).

The BIG difference to the RV maker is cost...a Dometic 8CuFt 2 way is about $1,400 retail. The 11CuFt Whirlpool is about $500 retail...it's the wave of the future.

The usability for the owner is obviously better with the residential (size and accurate cooling) - But the trade-of is the demand on the 110VAC power system...that's ShorePower, Generator, or Inverter Power (on the batteries).

This video is an interesting peak at this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLiRZqNErSg

Notice they run their lights the whole time filming (and maybe other electrical stuff)...but don't include it in the measurements. Better than nothing.

Safe travels