Community Forums

Brad W · 05-27-2017, 08:22 PM

Hi

I'm looking at going the 5'er route for retirement. Started looking at class A's, but the floorplans in the 5'er seems much more attractive and comfortable

I'm curious about how the fridge stays cold while underway or boondocking?

It seems residential fridges have made their way into 5'ers as well. How do they stay cold?

Thanks

Ray,IN · 05-27-2017, 08:38 PM

RV refrigerators operate on propane gas while driving, or any time you select that method of heating the boiler in the cooling unit. This frig operates from a 120VAC source also. It is thoroughly explained in that hot link.
Residential refrigerators only operate from a 120VAC electric source. Most Motorhomes use an inverter to change 12VDC into 120VAC to supply power to the frig.
This can be a problem when dry camping for more than a day unless you also have a solar panel setup large enough to keep the batteries charged during the daylight hours.
I have owned some sort of camping unit for over 40 years, never have had any more than a minor problem with an RV refrigerator. I think the most expensive item to replace was a control panel in a 16 yr old frig.; which I performed myself.

Brad W · 05-27-2017, 09:09 PM

thanks Ray,

Why is everyone moving to red fridges?

Does the standard RV fridge keep stuff cold and make ice?

How much propane does it go through?

Any idea what would happen if I were in Mexico and filled the bottles with butane?

Sorry if these answers are in the link, I haven't looked yet.

thanks again

bluepill · 05-27-2017, 09:16 PM

Why is everyone moving to red fridges?

Many folks spend almost all their time at campgrounds with electric hookups. The res. refers generally give more consistent interior temperatures and have a larger freezer compartment.

Does the standard RV fridge keep stuff cold and make ice?

RV refers can have ice makers, and usually keep everything cold, but with larger temp. swings.

How much propane does it go through?

Very little. LP refers are very efficient in LPG mode.

Any idea what would happen if I were in Mexico and filled the bottles with butane?

Might require an air mixture adjustment.

Mr_D · 05-27-2017, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepill

Any idea what would happen if I were in Mexico and filled the bottles with butane?

Don't do it.

Years ago my parents got their bottles filled in TX, as they came north the temps got lower and we had no heat in the TT as the gas wouldn't "boil" off.

Ray,IN · 05-27-2017, 10:38 PM

Propane may be used down to -30 deg F IF the container has a liquid surface area large enough to vaporize what is required to supply the burners.
Butane may be used down to 40 deg F for the same reasons.
Propane Butane Mixures - Evaporation Pressures
The main reason for the move to residential refrigerators is initial cost. You may purchase a residential frig in an RV for ~$400, an RV absorption frig close to the same size is near $4,000.
An RV absorption frig can run over a month on one 20# cylinder.
Cold? My Norcold 1200LRIM makes over 3 pounds of ice daily, and maintains frig temperature at 36 deg F or at whatever set point I choose, I can freeze milk in the frig if I desire.
Do not hesitate to ask questions, it is the main purpose of irv2.com to exchange knowledge.

theoldwizard · 05-27-2017, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad W

I'm curious about how the fridge stays cold while underway or boondocking?

It seems residential fridges have made their way into 5'ers as well. How do they stay cold?

First, a good residnetial 'fridge will keep things cold and frozen for 12+ hours IF THE DOORS ARE KEPT SHUT !

Second, modern 'fridge don't take that much power unless you are going to get a huge double door one. Learn to read and understand the specifications.

Third, a big battery bank and a good inverter can easily keep a 'fridge overnight. Daily charging with a good 3 stage charger is required, either from a shore power hook up, solar or generator.

Do NOT think that you can use your truck to recharge your battery bank while you are driving the following day. Even after 8+ hours on the road, your battery bank will NOT be at 100%

theoldwizard · 05-27-2017, 11:02 PM

What we call LP is a blend of gases at varies during different times of the year and fill locations. It typically include both propane and butane. A mentioned, butane is a problem is COLD weather.

AtomicRT · 05-28-2017, 04:17 AM

An interesting discussion from a dealer:

Haylett RV - Residential vs RV Refrigerators

JDT · 05-28-2017, 07:10 AM

We got away from the gas/electric rv fridge some time ago. We had a Norcold 1200 in our motorhome we had prior to the Winslow and it was a problem from the beginning. Improper installation could have been the problem but temperature swings were the norm even though I installed more ventilating fans plus a few other things trying to make it work consistently. Finally replaced it with a Samsung and no more problems. Our Winslow also has the Samsung and never a problem in 6 seasons of use, about 3 months a year.

I watched the Haylett RV video and can't say I agree with everything he says but his point is good about how you use it. We are not off the grid campers and the most we are without shore power is during our travel day. If we did more dry camping I would probably have to add solar and maybe a generator. I can only speak from my experience, but his comments about a residential fridge not holding up during travel is not the case for us, at least so far. We have at least 35K miles on our Winslow and have been literally all over the country, including Canada, on some pretty rough stuff and so far so good.

His comments about loosing power also can be overcome somewhat. Our inverter runs the fridge only, nothing else, off 2 6 volt batteries. It has an automatic transfer switch which switches to shore power when we hook up and back to the inverter when we unhook. I have never tested the fridge to see how long it will run off the batteries but hopefully it would be long enough to get the shore power up again. We did have one experience where we lost power for about 8 hours at an rv park and it was still going strong. I think the Samsung's in the 18 cubic foot models are pretty darn efficient power wise.

We have never had the need for service, but I'm not sure about his comments about finding someone to work on a residential. It would seem to me there should be a whole lot more appliance repair type businesses for residential stuff than there is for the gas/electric types.

We are not in the market to make a change but when we are I will be interested in how the new 18 cubic foot Norcold's perform. We tend to travel 5 to 6 weeks at a time and have found that range of size is about right. If they do well I would have no problem going back to one.

nothermark · 05-28-2017, 07:48 AM

FWIW - it seems the real issue was the Norcold 1200. That is a double door unit the big RV crowd was sold. It proved to be a poorly designed box with multiple problems. Some bright soul figured out that they could slide a small compressor unit in it's place and started the boom with residential refrigerators to fix a real problem with that model.

The rest of us don't have the problem and are fine with a gas/electric model that sucks propane when boondocking or on the road. In fact many of us won't buy a residential because we occasionally boondock and do not want the additional battery load. For us the presence if a residential is an automatic no sale just like for some other people the presence of a gas unit is a no sale. You have to decide how you plan on using your unit and work accordingly. Even the very power thrifty residentials suck a battery down in a day or less. The same battery will keep a propane refrigerator going for a few days.

Bob_C · 05-28-2017, 08:57 AM

Have heard that the fridges mounted in a slide don't cool nearly as the ones that aren't....seem they don't vent well.......ice cube trays work good in my rear mounted fridge with the vent in roof

memtb · 05-28-2017, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

FWIW - it seems the real issue was the Norcold 1200. That is a double door unit the big RV crowd was sold. It proved to be a poorly designed box with multiple problems. Some bright soul figured out that they could slide a small compressor unit in it's place and started the boom with residential refrigerators to fix a real problem with that model.

The rest of us don't have the problem and are fine with a gas/electric model that sucks propane when boondocking or on the road. In fact many of us won't buy a residential because we occasionally boondock and do not want the additional battery load. For us the presence if a residential is an automatic no sale just like for some other people the presence of a gas unit is a no sale. You have to decide how you plan on using your unit and work accordingly. Even the very power thrifty residentials suck a battery down in a day or less. The same battery will keep a propane refrigerator going for a few days.

+1. I have no doubt that the newer,quality refrigerators are quite efficient...... But we'll stay with propane/110. We have solar, 6 batteries,and inverters, but I prefer to use minimal additional electricity when possible/practical. Also, same for us if it has a residental..... " move along, there's nothing to see here"! memtb

ralphie · 05-28-2017, 09:10 AM

I was never satisfied with RV fridges because of the length of time to get cold, size, and repair costs. New residential fridges cool down fast and can easily stay cold on a travel day. Most are hooked to an inverter anyway, but you need at least two 12 v batteries or a battery "bank" else you'll run them down quickly.