 |
10-25-2024, 06:23 PM
|
#1
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 4
|
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
|
|
|
 |
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
10-25-2024, 07:07 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Fulda, MN
Posts: 1,879
|
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.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Adventurer 32v, P32 Workhorse
2005 Winnebago Adventurer 38J W24 Workhorse 8.1l, 5 Speed Allison MH2000
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 03:59 AM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 603
|
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.
__________________
2012 Bounder 35k
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 04:05 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 497
|
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
__________________
2007 Itasca Meridian 36SE
Great Wife & Max the boarder collie
Branson MO the best place to live
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 09:30 AM
|
#5
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 4
|
Sorry about the confusion with the make and model of my camper. I think I've got my signature saved now
__________________
2019 Winnebago Minnie Plus 27REOK
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 10:06 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 497
|
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.
__________________
2007 Itasca Meridian 36SE
Great Wife & Max the boarder collie
Branson MO the best place to live
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 04:25 PM
|
#7
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 4
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by SavnTheWales
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?
__________________
2019 Winnebago Minnie Plus 27REOK
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 06:46 PM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 2,464
|
Click on this LINK. The article on that webpage explains how to determine if burping will help and how to do it.
__________________
2003 34' Georgetown on W20 Workhorse Chassis. UltraRV power mods. Doug Thorley Headers and MagnaFlow 12589 mufflers. Front Sumo Springs, Rear P32 Sumo Springs, UltraRV Track Bar.
1998 Jeep Toad.
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 07:13 PM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 6,907
|
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
__________________
2020 Forest River Georgetown GT5 34H5
2020 Equinox Premier AWD 2.0L/9-speed
|
|
|
10-26-2024, 09:39 PM
|
#10
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 4
|
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!
__________________
2019 Winnebago Minnie Plus 27REOK
|
|
|
10-27-2024, 02:36 PM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 603
|
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?
|
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.
__________________
2012 Bounder 35k
|
|
|
10-27-2024, 10:01 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Clovis, CA, USA
Posts: 13,720
|
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.
__________________
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD, W22, 8.1, 7.1 MPG
2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
The train is off the tracks.
|
|
|
 |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|