Community Forums

h60mo · 02-18-2013, 10:53 AM

Does anyone know what travel trailers in the 32 to 36 foot range come with Residential Refrigerator options? I am tired of dealing with all of the issues with my Dometic 1350 and am considering changing out the refer or just trading the trailer to correct several other deficiencies as well. This has been our first travel trailer and we have learned a lot, especially when it comes to a nice big double wide refrigerator that the manufacturer or dealer can't make work.

tuffr2 · 02-19-2013, 06:45 AM

I have never seen a residential refer in a travel trailer...yet anyway.

The fact that you are posting this in Feb makes me wonder if you are using it in real cold outside temps. RV refers don't work as well in real cold temps.

What trailer do you have?

GospelWagon · 02-19-2013, 11:14 AM

You will find FEMA trailers all the south now that have residential fridges and toilets. They also have no holding tanks.

GospelWagon · 02-19-2013, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GospelWagon

You will find FEMA trailers all the south now that have residential fridges and toilets. They also have no holding tanks.

They also lack many other travel trailer amenities an are useless for self contained use.

h60mo · 02-19-2013, 02:57 PM

I have a 2012 Prime Time Lacrosse 301 RLS, the refer is not in a slide out and I have been camping most recently here in Florida. I have not camped in any temps below 30 degrees.

SmokeyWren · 02-19-2013, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h60mo

Does anyone know what travel trailers in the 32 to 36 foot range come with Residential Refrigerator options?

Travel trailers? No. Residential refrigerators are 120 volt only, no 12 volt and no propane. But the refrigerator needs to work while on the road, so most are 2-way 120/12 volt or 3-way 120/12 volt plus propane.

Some park models may have a 120 volt only "apartment size" 16 cubic foot reefer, but they are 38' or longer and probably too wide to tow as a travel trailer.

One time I saw an RV trailer set up in a trailer park and the owner had replaced the expensive RV reefer with a cheap residential reefer. That cheap one worked fine on 120 volt juice, but it wouldn't work when on the road.

Lee C · 02-19-2013, 07:40 PM

There are quite a few posts on this and other forums such as rv.net concerning residential refrigerators in rv's. We saw several new "5th wheels" with residential fridges at the Ocala RV show a couple of weeks ago and motor home manufacturers have been making all electric rigs for years. All those factory installs have inverters and extra batteries to power it going down the road however unless you boondock the inverter may not be necessary. At home, we've lost power for 24 hours and didn't loose any food by leaving the doors closed on the fridge. I don't understand why it wouldn't stay cold for 5 or 6 hours between campgrounds.
Do a search or 2 and you will find plenty of reading material and pics.
Good luck.........

h60mo · 02-20-2013, 07:32 AM

We do very little dry camping where we would be without power. I fully intend to put a couple of deep cycle 6 volt batteries tied to an inverter if I ever convert to a residential refer. This would keep the refer cold going down the road. I have found that there are a lot of fifth wheels now switching over to residential units but had heard that some travel trailers were going to start using them also. Was just hoping to find someone with some first hand knowledge of some of the new trailers or someone who had actually done a conversion of one of the double wide refrigerators in an existing trailers.

Caveman CBB · 02-20-2013, 09:03 AM

If your going to try the conversion make sure you can get the fridge in through the door of the TT.

I wonder why your having problems with your gas / electric? Mine has always been perfectly reliable. Maybe you should try a different dealer.

KD4UPL · 02-20-2013, 06:38 PM

If your LP ref. won't work you need to find someone qualified to fix it. Apparently whoever has been working on it doesn't know how to fix it.
My 6 cu Ft Dometic is very reliable. It's always cold, always working, the flame doesn't blow out, etc. I wouldn't have any reason to swap it out.
I would try asking a company that makes FW with res. ref. if they would custom build a TT with one. It seems more likely they would than a company that doesn't deal with that at all.

mowin · 03-21-2013, 07:32 PM

Lots of Park modles have resi refrig's in them.

Keystone 38BHDS, Jayco 36BHDS are two tt's that I know have Resi refrig in them.. Looked at both of them last week, Pick up the Keystone next week.

Neighbor has a 2013 Layton 40' park modle with one.

perrybass · 03-30-2013, 05:50 AM

I have a full size 21 cf fridge in my 32' fema unit down here in sunny fl. the fridge works great but you'd probably not want the unit. As was previously posted it is a park model (as were they all ) with no tanks, no 12v and no creature comforts. I bought it at auction for 3k and it 's at a permanant site for a fish camp. Ya get what ya pay for.