I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the Norcold fridges and ARP recently, and my take-aways are below. This is probably longer than it needs to be, but a valid criticism of me is that I talk too much.
As none of this is from personal experience and is all from just perusing multiple web sources, I’m sure there is plenty to debate. This is just the side of the coin I came down on.
1. RV Absorption type fridge are at increased risk of fire due to combination of flammable gasses used in the closed system, and an open flame present if the closed system springs a leak. (+ other contributing factors, like vibration and ventilation impediments)
2. Absorption fridge requires it to be level for the closed system of pipes and reservoirs to work properly. Too much of a tilt in the wrong direction and it will impede the ability of the gasses to complete their cycle through the cooling fins, which results in much higher internal pressure and temperature compared to optimal function.
3. Norcold fridge pipe system is not particularly robust, and repeated cycles of #2 can lead to eventual failure and possibly fire.
4. There is an after-market direct replacement for the OEM pipes (the “Amish” pipes) which are reportedly more robust than OEM (preventing possible failure down the road but also providing better cooling under normal use.) They can be expensive, running $700-1200ish depending on your model.
5. ARP, as stated by others already, will prevent an abnormal condition from getting too out of hand. This will mean the fridge is not subjected to potentially repeated and severe ‘out-of-spec’ temp swings, and might keep a stress failure from happening down the road.
6. If you typically use hookups or are a boondocker with a substantial battery/solar system, then you can sidestep all this mess by installing an energy efficient household compressor fridge and forget the whole ordeal.
7. If you only run the RV fridge when it is level (so not when driving,) then you won’t experience #2
8. If you inspect regularly and keep your back and roof vents open and free from debris, then you’ll prevent heat buildup and ‘out-of-spec’ heat stressors or “vent fires.”
Personal conclusion: Neither my current setup nor my normal rig use will support a residential fridge, so I’m always going to run the fridge level, turn it off while driving, inspect the vents regularly, keep a fire extinguisher handy, and call it a day. I’ll add ‘buy and install ARP’ to my list of to-do’s, but I’ll be surprised if I actually ever make it happen. If I end up on the evening news, y’all can tell my family to engrave “I was just about to get to that....” on my tombstone.
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