Community Forums

veraken · 01-20-2017, 07:27 AM

I am in the process of replacing my Norcold with a residential refrigerator. The manual call for a side clearance of 1", back 2", and top 12" for air circulation. The question is whether I should close the bottom and top outside vents and let the unit recirculate in my motorhome, or should I seal (as best I can) the refrigerator inside (like the old unit was) and leave the outside vents open? What have other done? Pros and cons of each would be appreciated.

Triker56 · 01-20-2017, 07:48 AM

Quote:

and top 12" for air circulation

It must be a very small one to get that 12" top clearance.

veraken · 01-20-2017, 09:00 AM

Sorry to mislead you. It's a 10 cu. ft. unit. They suggest 12" on top. I only have @ 3"-4". That's why I was thinking of leaving the back and top vents open.

jleamo1 · 01-20-2017, 09:21 AM

Ken, I closed off the roof and side wall, trimmed of the sides and top. Left the bottom open to circulate the air into the coach. I tried it the way the Norcold was designed at first but in cold temps the refrigerator wouldn't cool well as the oil in the compressor was too cold to operate.

select55 · 01-20-2017, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veraken

I am in the process of replacing my Norcold with a residential refrigerator. The manual call for a side clearance of 1", back 2", and top 12" for air circulation. The question is whether I should close the bottom and top outside vents and let the unit recirculate in my motorhome, or should I seal (as best I can) the refrigerator inside (like the old unit was) and leave the outside vents open? What have other done? Pros and cons of each would be appreciated.

I left (ended up with) about 3 inch side clearance, 4" top and about 1" rear
my fridge vents out the front bottom
Leave your rear vent system as is and it will vent very well through there
this is how mine is and works very well in cold and hot temperatures

8TiresRollin · 01-20-2017, 11:01 AM

Also another thought to ponder is with an rv style fridge one can cruise down the road running the fridge on propane. If the residential refrigerator uses (say) 6A at 120v then simple calculation says 60A at 12v cycling on and off of course. This is what the fridge will draw while you are driving along or anytime you are not plugged in or no generator. My mention of this is to simply ask if you have given thought to how your alternator and house batteries can handle this and taken any remedial necessary action in this department?

select55 · 01-20-2017, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8TiresRollin

Also another thought to ponder is with an rv style fridge one can cruise down the road running the fridge on propane. If the residential refrigerator uses (say) 6A at 120v then simple calculation says 60A at 12v cycling on and off of course. This is what the fridge will draw while you are driving along or anytime you are not plugged in or no generator. My mention of this is to simply ask if you have given thought to how your alternator and house batteries can handle this and taken any remedial necessary action in this department?

I doubt they use 6 amps ? I know mines 1/2 that ;; alternator charges the batterys quicker than any fridge could ever deplete them while travelling
Battery condition and size of the battery pact comes into play when sitting while boon docking, just simply stopping overnight is not a big deal for most

veraken · 01-20-2017, 03:30 PM

We only travel @ 5-6 hours a day and usually have the generator on for the AC which should also power the refrigerator. I would rather not draw down the batteries. If not running the generator, the fridge should stay cold enough and if not we will intermittently turn the generator on.

Waterview202 · 01-20-2017, 03:57 PM

You will not draw down your batteries .my 18 cu runs on less than 2 amps

Darwin · 01-20-2017, 06:29 PM

I changed my ref. out about 3 years ago, I closed the vents on the side and left the top open. I have not had a single problem, the alt. keeps the batteries charged while traveling. We do not dry camp. I like the res. frig much better. My new frig fit in the space with very little space on the sides, the back and top have space.

Dutch Star Don · 01-20-2017, 06:43 PM

"veraken".......I've done three residential installs in motor homes and this is what I like to do. On the exterior access panel, I covered the inside of it with some thin foam insulation, sealing up the vents. On the roof, I removed the vent cover and covered the opening with a screen mesh to prevent bugs from entering and then reinstalled the cover. I used screen door mesh and hot glued it down.

Gary RVRoamer · 01-20-2017, 07:26 PM

Residential units are nearly always designed to bring air underneath, up the back, and out over the top. If you try to include outside air ventilation, you have to deal with intrusion of hot & cold air when you are trying to heat/cool the RV. Also bugs & critters of various kinds. That means you have to seal around the fridge somehow and still maintain air flow per its design. That can probably be done, but it's far simpler to seal off the wall & roof openings and let the fridge work as designed.

**CountryFit** · 01-20-2017, 07:34 PM

i just finished my install. i sealed off the top vent - with styrofom from the under and a metal sheet (flushing) on the top, then the plastic cover from the original. i had found out when it was open, in a stormy day, particularly when windy, some water would come down from it. trust me, it did. a few days ago after i removed the old fridge, there were a few days rainy with wind. i have seen some water splashed into inside so seal that off!!

the side access is a different story - i couldn't seal it for the only purpose - to secure the back side of the new fridge. in front, after removing the adjustable legs, i used two bolts holding them down from the floor board. at rear, i drilled two holes on the bottom plate under the compressor. to secure these two holes on to the floor, the only place i could do it was through the side access door. so, now the access panel self is sealed by aluminum foil (have yet added any insulation materials but will do later), but the whole thing can be removed and put back in. i have noticed the gaps around its edges and the side wall opening, surely not tight enough. i would need to think about how to do it next. if you have other ways to secure the fridge, by all means, seal it.

Stevegd007 · 01-20-2017, 08:06 PM

A year ago I had a Samsung installed to replace the 8 year old1200 Norcold.
The Norcold exhaust vent showed signs of burning and extreme heat, not good! Side note this unit is in a sideout behind the driver seat! It would blow out when driving, I could hear it trying to relight, foomph foomph and most times it failed! Scary!
Really happy with the Samsung👍. Did nothing with the venting, it's in a slide, with a vent high & low. Plenty of vent for the residential refer. Then wow lots of more room, bigger freezer & makes ice like crazy! Had to get a few plastic containers to help keep stuff from moving & a large flex plastic "wire" to keep the doors closed when turning the RV!
Then I made sure the refer was wired into the inverter, to provide power while traveling, works great! Plenty of power. Engine alt provides 12v to the house batteries, inverter uses this power then for the refer.
We don't dry camp so this is OK for me, for now! If I were to dry camp would need more batteries & a bigger inverter. But I good for now.