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Old 10-25-2024, 06:23 PM   #1
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Need help choosing a new fridge

Hello! My wife and I are relatively new full-timer's as we move a lot for her job. This last week our refrigerator stopped working, I've done a lot of troubleshooting and talked to a repair shop and everything is pointing to needing a new cooling unit or rather a new refrigerator all together. Since we are always with full hookup spots I was thinking residential would be the way to go because they seem a little safer and the extra space would be great. I think I found the perfect one for what I'm doing but I feel like I could mess something up easily below I'll link my current Dometic Americana and then the New refrigerator for comparison. Am I making the right decision? I don't expect it to last forever but we need to save a buck where we can for right now.
Broken Absorbtion:
https://www.dometic.com/en-us/outdoor/rv-and-van/refrigerators/rv-refrigerators/americana-double-door-dm-2852-74986
New Prospective Fridge:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hotpoint-9-7-cu-ft-Counter-depth-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-Black/5014075367
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Old 10-25-2024, 07:07 PM   #2
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If it were me, I would definitely go with the largest residential fridge I could fit in.
It would also be a good idea to fill in your signature line at the bottom so people would know what you are talking about.
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Old 10-26-2024, 03:59 AM   #3
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Before giving up on old fridge try this… burp it. Yep, take it out and flip it over. Do this a couple times and it may solve your problem. I have a Dometic RM1350 and was giving up on it because it would not get below 40. As a last ditch effort I burped it. Now the freezer gets to 0 and the fridge gets to 34. It’s been working for months and hopefully continues for years.
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Old 10-26-2024, 04:05 AM   #4
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It hard to give ideas without knowing what kind of camper you have i.e. make year that kind of things.

The cooling unit in my Norcold went bad about 3 years ago. I had to make somewhat the same decision you are trying to make.

Its easy to remove the old unit from your camper. Installing a new one could be harder. I would have had to remove the windshield to bring in a new frig. That was not going to happen. If I went with a standard residential frig I would have had to make room by cutting / building a new cabinet for it to set in. I am not a carpenter so that was out. The end result of that would have been horrible.

As my camper is plugged in all the time, we never boondock so a totally 120v frig made sense. The frig in my camper is a four door Norcold so it gave us enough room. After thinking about the different solutions I went with a new cooling unit.

JC Refrigeration out of Shipshewana In had just what I wanted. I was able to remove the old cooling unit and install the 120v unit. JC Refrigeration is a great company to work with. The new unit was a very easy DIY project and the support for JC was excellent. I would at least look into this option.

https://jc-refrigeration.com/


Good Luck
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Old 10-26-2024, 09:30 AM   #5
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Sorry about the confusion with the make and model of my camper. I think I've got my signature saved now
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Old 10-26-2024, 10:06 AM   #6
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After looking at the pictures of a unit, I take it yours is a 5th wheel. You would have to do alot of carpentry to make it look good. You may also want to think about resale value if new frig. does not look like it belongs.

I go back to my first post, check out JC Refrigeration before making your finial decision.
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Old 10-26-2024, 04:25 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SavnTheWales View Post
Before giving up on old fridge try this… burp it. Yep, take it out and flip it over. Do this a couple times and it may solve your problem. I have a Dometic RM1350 and was giving up on it because it would not get below 40. As a last ditch effort I burped it. Now the freezer gets to 0 and the fridge gets to 34. It’s been working for months and hopefully continues for years.
My wife and I are definitely trying this before giving up. I can't find any recommendations on how long to leave it flipped and try again though, any suggestions?
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Old 10-26-2024, 06:46 PM   #8
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Click on this LINK. The article on that webpage explains how to determine if burping will help and how to do it.
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Old 10-26-2024, 07:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnieLivin
My wife and I are definitely trying this before giving up. I can't find any recommendations on how long to leave it flipped and try again though, any suggestions?
Burping, if it works, simply dislodges the blockage but does not remove the stuff that caused the blockage. When the coolant flows again the blockage can recur in hours or years. If it works all it really tells you is that the cooling unit is defective.

Ray
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Old 10-26-2024, 09:39 PM   #10
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I think the burping process did indeed help. We're going to make sure it cools completely during the next 24 hours and always keep it monitored with thermometers, but hopefully this gives us time to shop and save for a refrigeration unit that works best for us!
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Old 10-27-2024, 02:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnieLivin View Post
My wife and I are definitely trying this before giving up. I can't find any recommendations on how long to leave it flipped and try again though, any suggestions?
The key is to flip it multiple times. I layed mine on its side for about 30 minutes, then flipped it on its top and rocked it back and forth for a couple minutes. Then I let it sit on its top for another 30 minutes. I repeated this process 3 times. Finally I reinstalled (which took an hour) and let it sit overnight before turning on.

I have been very happy with the results since I did mine.
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Old 10-27-2024, 10:01 PM   #12
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If you buy a new residential refrigerator ask them if the warranty is good when used in an RV.

Some residential refrigerators specifically say their warranty is not good in an RV.
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