NeverCold out.... going residential.

You asked about warranty...Frigidaire will void the warranty if installed in a RV. It didn't occur to us to plug in the new fridge BEFORE installing it in the RV to see if it worked. Turns out we had a one-in-a-million defective fridge. Big PITA to remove it and get another installed. We've since installed a Samsung RF18 in our present coach. Samsung has no problem if installed in a RV. Wouldn't have another RV fridge...residential is the only way for us. If you don't get a Samsung, then check with the manufacturer about the warranty, but stay away from Frigidaire!!!

dons2346 wrote:

Big Katuna wrote:
I' don't consider myself a naysayer. But in my case, I could do the cooling unit replacement myself for about $1200 in a day in my driveway vs taking it to a dealer, taking out a windshield with associated risks and lots of labor; at least a thousand more plus maybe weeks of waiting and iffy trim work.

And it still works on gas and performs better than stock perfectly well.

Well, you are a naysayer. I had a residential refer installed for less than $1200 and it took less than a day to do it. Plus I had it done and didn't have to worry about and the windshield wasn't removed either!

To the OP, don't listen to those that haven't had the exchange done. If they haven't done the dance, they don't know the music.

A residential refer install is one of the best mods you can do to make your coach a more fire resistant coach.

Oh by the way,after having a residential refer, I wouldn't have a Dometic/Nocold unit up my shorts if I had room for a sawmill

I never said dont do it. If you want a residential fridge; go for it.

I wanted to go with a residential. Already have a 2000 W inverter and four GC-1 batteries.

It just didnt make sense to me. I measured twice; would not go through the door which means I would have had to take out a window or windshield and I would have to pay somebody to do that and take the RV somewhere.

Meanwhile, I could do the new CU mice elf.

Glad yours worked out.

As stated, it is a personal preference thing and for me a propane fridge is a big negative when RV shopping. I replaced a perfectly functioning Norcold with a Samsung RF197 and believe it was one of the best mods we made. On my rig a friend helped me pass the Samsung thru the door (it is actually lighter than the Norcold) and I did everything else myself in about two days. Good luck with your mod.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

mowermech wrote:
Well, of course, you can do what you want, it is, after all your rig and your money.
However, keep in mind that there are those of us that, if we are shopping and you are selling, and your rig is perfect for us in every way, when we see the 110VAC frig, we will walk away.
I have done it several times before, and I will do it again!
It just isn't something that I want!

I get that. Every has preferences. But the other side of that is I suspect anyone who has ever had a residential would lookat a coach without one as a project as the first thing that that would have to be changed of course would be the fridge. The propane jobs are pretty much half the size, generally don't work as well and are expensive to repair. I also think it will be hard to find a propane job in a new unit within the next few years in larger class A's or fivers. But the RV life is a personal thing. Do what works for you.

Well, of course, you can do what you want, it is, after all your rig and your money.
However, keep in mind that there are those of us that, if we are shopping and you are selling, and your rig is perfect for us in every way, when we see the 110VAC frig, we will walk away.
I have done it several times before, and I will do it again!
It just isn't something that I want!

dons2346 wrote:
I had a residential refer installed for less than $1200 and it took less than a day to do it. Plus I had it done and didn't have to worry about and the windshield wasn't removed either!

To the OP, don't listen to those that haven't had the exchange done. If they haven't done the dance, they don't know the music.

A residential refer install is one of the best mods you can do to make your coach a more fire resistant coach.

Oh by the way,after having a residential refer, I wouldn't have a Dometic/Nocold unit up my shorts if I had room for a sawmill

Along the same lines, we also had our Norcold replaced with a Haier residential fridge. We gained space, never have to worry about keeping the temps "normal" and it also gave us a chance to install an inverter (which our 1998 Sunflyer didn't come with.)

It fit through the side door and was almost identical to the size of the Norcold being replaced so no woodwork needed to be done and the replacement was done in less than a day. The only thing I had to do afterwards was add some insulation under the new fridge because in cold weather we had a nasty draft coming in under the new fridge from the outside vent behind it.

This is definitely a winner as far as we are concerned, and any future coaches will also either come with a residential or we will modify to add one.

With that said, I can understand if anyone wants to keep their Norcolds... I just don't want to be limited in how I park and which side the sun shines on. And runny ice cream is just not satisfying...

Big Katuna wrote:
I' don't consider myself a naysayer. But in my case, I could do the cooling unit replacement myself for about $1200 in a day in my driveway vs taking it to a dealer, taking out a windshield with associated risks and lots of labor; at least a thousand more plus maybe weeks of waiting and iffy trim work.

And it still works on gas and performs better than stock perfectly well.

Well, you are a naysayer. I had a residential refer installed for less than $1200 and it took less than a day to do it. Plus I had it done and didn't have to worry about and the windshield wasn't removed either!

To the OP, don't listen to those that haven't had the exchange done. If they haven't done the dance, they don't know the music.

A residential refer install is one of the best mods you can do to make your coach a more fire resistant coach.

Oh by the way,after having a residential refer, I wouldn't have a Dometic/Nocold unit up my shorts if I had room for a sawmill

Look for an apartment refrigerator. We found a 14.5 cf GE/Hotpoint at Home Depot that fit in the opening of the Dometic it replaced. We had to remove the trim above the Dometic and there was about an inch to the ceiling. I installed trim plate down each side as the new refrigerator was narrower.

The new refrigerator came in through the living room side window.

I am very happy with the conversion. The energy cost went from $150 a year to $20.

We did ours and two other with whirlpool. The models have changed since then so get what fits. (It was 4 or 5 years ago)

Ours came in through the front window. No biggy and the windshield guys handed it in to us. Easy peasy.

Warranty, don't know, don't care. It continues to run after a lot of miles.

There are no downsides to the residential if you do a proper install. If you are going to dry camp a lot (sometimes us) make sure you add a robust solar system. Solar is cheap.

Good luck. You'll never regret it.

I am also very happy with my Dometic refrigerator. It keeps things frozen in the freezer and cool in the refrigerator. I hope it lasts for many more years.