2003 HR Scepter 40PDT fridge height issues

[RedLamar]

Hi all, new member here. Finally dealing on a 2003 Holiday Rambler Scepter 40 foot PDT (mid-door) that has a Norcold 1200. My apologies if this question belongs somewhere else.... just direct me there and I will be grateful.

I would like to replace the Norcold 1200 with a Samsung RF18HFENBSR. The MH interior ceiling height is only 78 inches, the Norcold measures 65 inches high, the Norcold sits on top of the furnace, and the Samsung height is almost 6 inches taller than the Norcold at 70.9 inches.

My questions are:

Is there enough room for the Samsung if the platform on which the Norcold sits can be lowered?

What other residential refrigerator options are out there?

All comments / assistance is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Cusn Edy]

We had the same issues. A Samsung just would not fit without moving the furnace. We went with the Fisher & Paykel which fit very nicely after dropping the floor to within 1/2" of the furnace. We have had zero problems with the furnace cycling due to overheating. Absolutely love this refrigerator. So much more room than the old Norcold, stunning looks, and it works perfectly on the modified sine wave inverter. We have done a lot of upgrades and this is by far the best one. It is an expensive refrigerator but it was exactly what we wanted and we didn't have to mess with the furnace. The ease of installation justified the extra cost for us.

[2 Stroker]

My daughter installed the same frig in there 05 Monaco, same problem low roof line. Went over the furnace, just dropped the frig floor down.
https://www.goedekers.com/Fisher-Paykel-RF170ADX4.html
2 stroker

[onechaddude]

I have an 07 Neptune. Mine has the raised ceiling but still would have been tight getting the Samsung in with the furnace underneath. We are not full timers and for some reason the DW did not like the French door design. I ended up going with a Whirlpool WRT316 that I found at Lowe's. It fit perfect for my situation and 16cf if storage is way more than the old Norcold.

Chad

[Rburian]

I have a 2005 scepter with a Samsung over furnace, not sure about the 2003 Scepter difference.

[RedLamar]

I hadn't found Fisher & Paykel in my searches. Good looking fridge, and probably what I'll end up putting in if we can make the deal on the MH. Thank you.

[RedLamar]

Thanks Onechaddude and RJburian. I don' know yet how far the fridge base can be dropped. The low ceiling height seems to be somewhat unique to this 2003. According to the brochures it has a 78" interior height compared to the 2005 at 81". I appreciate all the input, Thanks.

[cruzbill]

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/aj...170ADUSX4.html

[barmcd]

I found these three--I've written all three manufacturers to find out if they will run on a modified sine wave inverter. Hopefully, one of the three will.



https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/B



HRF15N3AGS Haier 28" French Door 14.9 Cu. Ft. Counter Depth Refrigerator with Adjustable Tempered Glass Shelves - Stainless Steel



Summit Appliance 27 in. 12.6 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator in Stainless Steel, Counter Depth-FF1511SS - The Home Depot

[barmcd]

Haier is out:

"Much to our regret, we do not recommend the refrigerator to be installed in such location as the unit is designed for home use only. Also, the unit needs to meet the required ambient temperature of 55-80 degrees Fahrenheit to properly operate. It needs to be connected directly to dedicated wall outlet to suffice the electrical requirement. Doing so may void the warranty."

[barmcd]

Looks like the summit won't work on it either:

"Thank you for your email. This unit will not operate on a sine wave inverter. This model unit is based on 2.4 running Amps with a possible 7.2 start-up Amperage when the compressor turns on. The wattage on this unit can fluctuate based on that, & therefore does not work well with sine wave inverters."

[digNbubbs]

Originally Posted by barmcd

Looks like the summit won't work on it either:

"Thank you for your email. This unit will not operate on a sine wave inverter. This model unit is based on 2.4 running Amps with a possible 7.2 start-up Amperage when the compressor turns on. The wattage on this unit can fluctuate based on that, & therefore does not work well with sine wave inverters."

I'm not one of the smarter ones on here, but I really don't understand the reasoning behind this. What difference would it make if the amperage fluctuated? You can run a microwave oven, which has fluctuating power demands, on a modified sine wave inverter and it does fine.

All inverters are sine wave inverters - pure sine or modified sine wave. From what I understand, a piece of electronics wouldn't know the difference of an incoming signal if it was from the power grid or a pure sine inverter.

Do you think the person just left out "modified sine wave inverter"? Or is this just a CYA response? I suppose if it was mentioned that the unit has a thyristor or an SCR, I would believe the explanation a bit more. But because of "wattage fluctuation"?

[bamarider]

Another vote for the whirlpool WRT316. I didn't have to lower the base, just removed the trim piece that was between the norcold & ceiling and it fit with no problem.

[Mutt]

I have the 2002 Diplomat that has the same height ceiling as yours. My Norcold went out and due to the cost of replacement and other factors I decided to go with the household type fridge. I installed a GE Model GIE16GSHSS which is a top freezer with ice maker installed. It doesn't seem to use nearly as much power as the Norcold. My amp meter reads around 3 amps when the unit is running. It stays cold even when the temp in the MH gets up to 80 plus. I did opt to leave the side vent open as well as the roof vent. I use mesh screen wire to ensure no bugs enter the compartment. It has been operating about 45 days so far with two separate-week long trips. Just my experience.
Take care. David