GAS REFRIGERATOR Vs Domestic (AC) REFRIGERATOR

Be prepared for reduced value of your camper when time comes to let it go.
Good Luck, Mike

I don't have an answer for your situation, other than an A/C refer will probably narrow the field of potential buyers should you decide to sell your rig.
If I may make a selfish request... I, too, have an NDR 1292 side by side in my rig... If any of your door shelves are salvageable, I would be willing to buy them from you and pay shipping to NYS..........mine is a 2001 model.........

BNG Trust wrote:
Dilemma: My gas frig (Dometic Side-by-Side, NDR1292) is shot and it will take $3,000+ to replace. So maybe now is a good time to switch to a regular 10cu-ft Vissani or Whirlpool Brand house refrigerator you can buy at Home Depot/Lowes for just $300-$450? So I'm wondering what the pro vs cons are?

My situation/use requirements: I'm just an average RV'r that goes out on 2-3 week trips and ends up in an RV park 75% of the time.

Relative questions:

1) Can 4 deep cycle house batteries and a 3000W inverter handle this job?
2) Do I need a "line conditioner" or some other gizmo to protect against low and high voltage spikes?
3) Is there any advantage to adding a separate "Pure Sine Wave" inverter just for the refrigerator?
4) Will a store bought refrigerator handle the vibration and work while I am driving?

Thank you for your replies and advice. This really should not be such a contested issue unless we are talking about a revolutionary change that is coming to the RV industry and people are just fighting change. Or are there real concerns and/or reliability issues? ...because one thing is certain: A residential refrigerator is not a fire hazard like the Ammonia gas burner refrigerator is and it's so much cheaper!

I did the switch several years ago. I will address each point you presented
1. yes. I had that set up for the first year but I dry camp often so I added two 120Watt solar panels and added two more batteries. If you are plugged into shore power or running off your generator the batteries are not an issue since they will not be the source of power.
2 and 3. 3000 modified sine wave is generally not the best for any high draw electronics. I switched over to a 3000 Pure sine wave. Nothing special needed for spikes if you have a surge protector. If you do not have one get one asap.
4. I made my own door locks using 30lb closet door/drawer locks. Works great, just do not store heavy items in the door while on the road. You will need to turn on your inverter (or generator) while driving for the fridge to work.
Reduce resale value? Yes if the buyer is a newbie, no if they are a veteran of the RV lifestyle.

1- yes
2-no
3- yes
4- yes

I believe having converted to a residential fridge will add value to your rig, not detract from it.

I have had both kinds in my RV's. There are tradeoffs to both. I don't know if trade-in value is a concern for you or not, it doesn't really affect my choice. As to your questions:

1) No-one on a forum can give you a good answer. You need to do your own research and test the refrigerator model you intend to buy. Take a clamp-on ammeter and measure start-up and running draw. Figure out an average duty-cycle figure for your operating environment. Look-up the efficiency of your inverter. Calculate a daily amp-hour figure and match that against your available capacity and recharge capability. The start-up draw frequently causes problems with this set-up.

2) I don't use one.

3) I would use a pure-sine wave inverter for the reefer and electronics.

4) I've never had any problems.

Miles

To start, you're more likely to get a higher trade in value for a residential fridge. Those who state the opposite must not have looked at what almost EVERY new diesel or high end gas coach comes with.

Your batteries will be sufficient for 24 hours of use.

The Samsung RF197 is the residential refer of choice for RVer's swapping out absorption units. The Samsung uses the least amount of power, runs on a MSW inverter without issue and is just six inches taller than the refer you're replacing. Most rigs have a cabinet either above or below their current refer which can be modified for an easy installation.

I've installed two of the Samsungs and they have been great. They have a huge ice tray and it's easy to turn the ice maker on and off while traveling. I installed a second inverter on my coach to power just the refer. It was a 600 watt Magnum. This gave me a backup in an emergency.

If you're handy, you can do the entire install yourself for about $1400.00, including the Samsung

1. Yes
2. yes
3. yes
4. yes

BNG Trust wrote:
1) Can 4 deep cycle house batteries and a 3000W inverter handle this job?
2) Do I need a "line conditioner" or some other gizmo to protect against low and high voltage spikes?
3) Is there any advantage to adding a separate "Pure Sine Wave" inverter just for the refrigerator?
4) Will a store bought refrigerator handle the vibration and work while I am driving?

0: Consider a new cooling unit rather than an entire new fridge. The Amish Built cooling units normally play to good reviews here in the forums, IN fact, the count is MANY-1 good reviews, one bad one. (Every company no matter how good turns out the occasional lemon,, Read that some where, reverse it true too, No matter how bad, the occasional gold nugget).

1: Depends, 4 GC-2 inseries/parallel gives you about 2.25 KWH of usable power at the 20 hour rate, Less if you suck it faster.. How much does the fridge need?

2: Should not.. at least no more so than for the air conditioner and microwave. Plus a GOOD in-line inverter...... Does that.

3: Yes, but, to be honest, it is not great enough to warrant the cost.. Most inverters have a "Sweet spot" which is a load level at which they are most efficient, Normally this is near full load.. However,, That is the only advantage of a seperate unit.

The flip of this is you would have TWO inverters sucking control power so it might well NOT be an advantage.

There is an advantage to true sine wave however in any case where there are Audio/Video/Radio/Television units nearby.. And in other cases as well.

4: If it survived the semi ride from the factory to the store. It will survive riding in your RV....... Unless, that is.. Yours is the next RV to be featured in "BAD WRECK ON..." and I'd not wish to see that happen.. Even then it MIGHT survive.

DSDP Don wrote:
To start, you're more likely to get a higher trade in value for a residential fridge. Those who state the opposite must not have looked at what almost EVERY new diesel or high end gas coach comes with.

Your batteries will be sufficient for 24 hours of use.

The Samsung RF197 is the residential refer of choice for RVer's swapping out absorption units. The Samsung uses the least amount of power, runs on a MSW inverter without issue and is just six inches taller than the refer you're replacing. Most rigs have a cabinet either above or below their current refer which can be modified for an easy installation.

I've installed two of the Samsungs and they have been great. They have a huge ice tray and it's easy to turn the ice maker on and off while traveling. I installed a second inverter on my coach to power just the refer. It was a 600 watt Magnum. This gave me a backup in an emergency.

If you're handy, you can do the entire install yourself for about $1400.00, including the Samsung

The reason why most new coaches come with AC powered only refrigerators is because they are cheap in comparison to a refrigerator that can use both. They call it cutting corners by the manufacturer.

Answer to the OP is if you are hooked up to AC power all the time in an RV park, they work just fine. But if you dry camp for extended periods they need solar panels, pure sine invertor and six house batteries.
I do not believe it has any effect if you ever trade it in at a dealer. You might have problems selling it outright.