Community Forums

Nvfireman · 04-18-2020, 01:02 AM

Hi! Not necessarily a newbie as I have been lurking here for a couple years and have gained many new insights on Alfas. This is the first time I needed direct input from you all. I known this has been discussed before about converting from the rv fridge to a home model. I have an Alfa 35' 5th wheel with the double Dometic refrigerators. As I seem to be in a constant battle to keep the temps where they need to be and losing, I am ready to get rid of them and finally do a real upgrade.
My question is any suggestions/ problems I need to be aware of to do this? Also suggestions on makes or models that will fit in the space where the doubles used to be. It would be nice if I could retain the 2 drawers at the bottom but have a feeling they will have to go as I don't think they will support the weight of a full size fridge.
Any thoughts regarding freezer on top or bottom, ice/ water in the door, etc I'm all ears! Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

WTB · 04-18-2020, 02:05 AM

We replaced ours about a month ago. Best decision we ever made. The DW is absolutely thrilled with it, especially in this day and age because she can pack four times the meat in the freezer than she used to be able to do. We installed a Samsung 17 cubic foot. We had a Norcold double door. Width wise not an issue. Depth no problem. Height we had to do a bit of modification. In terms of weight I would say it is lighter than the old refrigerator. One other thought, check out JC Refrigeration, they have a kit that can convert your existing unit to a residential refrigerator. We were going to do that at first but since our existing refrigerator was over ten years old we decided not to.

Bigd9 · 04-18-2020, 06:11 AM

Last August I replaced our Norcold with a 20.4 cf Frigidaire from Lowes and we then set out on a 3 month trip. It was Great!

Fast forward to this time of the Coronavirus. We purchased several days of frozen foods and refrigerated items and stored them in the RV. Then the unthinkable happened. One day a few weeks ago the freezer compartment was at 28 degrees, and refrigerator compartment was at 50 degrees.!

First technician declared a leak in the freon system but he wasn't qualified to repair it. Second company fixed the leak and recharged the system and it ran perfectly for 5 days then failed again.

Third visit with the technician, showed the interior thermostat has gone out! The replacement thermostat is stuck in this coronavirus slowdown, and isn't supposed to be here for several weeks!

If nothing else, I am persistent and I will prevail and get this thing up and running. Is the residential refrigerator worth the troubles? You bet it is. I would never go back to the Norcold. But sometimes I reflect back to my father who used to always say "if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all"!

Nvfireman · 04-19-2020, 12:38 AM

Thanks for the info! As mine is a 2006 and I also noted there was a recall on it I think going to something like the Samsung would be the best way to go too.

Bigd9 · 04-19-2020, 05:49 AM

Just a thought:
One of the big concerns about going to residential refrigerators is how to run them when you are not plugged into shore power. I have mine running from the modified sine wave (MSW) inverter when driving down the road. I purposely choose a non electronic refrigerator model due to the MS inverter, since some electronics don't "play well" with MS electricity.

PABO05 · 04-21-2020, 06:56 PM

About a year ago I convert my norcold 1200 to the JC Refrigeration system
was a good move. Did not have to do any cabinet work system woks great.
I use the 120V system,but they do have a 12V system also.

Darwin · 04-21-2020, 07:08 PM

About 5 years ago we replaced our frig with a residential. I looked on the internet and found one that fit my space perfectly which was a Haier 10 cu ft.. I located a Pure Sign Wave straight threw inverter at a good price and installed. I have two batteries which will run at least 8 hours, that is the most I have attempted. Best upgrade so far.

BruceDeville · 05-15-2020, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nvfireman

Hi! Not necessarily a newbie as I have been lurking here for a couple years and have gained many new insights on Alfas.
Any thoughts regarding freezer on top or bottom, ice/ water in the door, etc I'm all ears! Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Well I will admit up front that I am opinionated about this subject. Your success will depend on how you go about the changeover. RV refrigerators are designed to run, usually, on one of three power sources, 120 Volts AC, Propane and lastly 12 Volts DC. A residential refrigerator is designed to run on commercial 120 Volt, +/- 10% AC power. The compressor in a residential refrigerator is not designed for the beating that road travel generates.

Why does this matter? If you travel to a nearby lake or campground it will probably work without any problem. Just unplug shore power when you hit the road and plug back in once at your destination. The 30 - 45 minutes without power will typically go unnoticed.

However if you full time and on the road for long trips, then another set of problems come up. Power, 120 volts to be specific. You can run a generator, that is the easiest and less complicated. Secondly, an inverter is an option. With any option you always seem to end up with more than you anticipated. With an inverter you need batteries to power them and/or 12 volts from the vehicle alternator. Both of those items need to sized for your specific application.

The last problem is the pounding that the residential refrigerator compressor is enduring (remember it came packed for shipping). That problem is beyond my scope of knowledge. Some never have a problem, others crash in a few months.

Whatever decision just thing it out completely and what will fit you RV style.
Bruce Deville

**hamm2018** · 05-16-2020, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nvfireman

Hi! Not necessarily a newbie as I have been lurking here for a couple years and have gained many new insights on Alfas. This is the first time I needed direct input from you all. I known this has been discussed before about converting from the rv fridge to a home model. I have an Alfa 35' 5th wheel with the double Dometic refrigerators. As I seem to be in a constant battle to keep the temps where they need to be and losing, I am ready to get rid of them and finally do a real upgrade.
My question is any suggestions/ problems I need to be aware of to do this? Also suggestions on makes or models that will fit in the space where the doubles used to be. It would be nice if I could retain the 2 drawers at the bottom but have a feeling they will have to go as I don't think they will support the weight of a full size fridge.
Any thoughts regarding freezer on top or bottom, ice/ water in the door, etc I'm all ears! Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Before you do this may I suggest you find somebody with a residential fridge installed and look at their setup. Our fridge is a residential with an inverter and a dedicated transfer switch so we can push a button and turn on the inverter.
This will give you a good ideal on how to install the inverter, transfer switch and what to expect of what you need.
As far as ice maker, is the fridge in a slide? If so how do you plan to winterize if the water line is under the slide and exposed? Where will you get your water line connected to the fridge from?