Don, it sounds like you have obviously had very poor luck with absorption refrigeration but your experience is not typical. Of the 5 absorption units I have had on boats and RV's not one has performed as poorly as you describe. Every one of them would freeze meat as hard as a rock (which makes it tough to stick a thermometer into), and the refrigerator space easily maintained 32 to 37 degrees. I often have to move items in my current Norcold to the lower shelves, away from the cooling unit to prevent them from freezing.
I believe that some of the larger residential units may outperform a comparably sized absorption model but my 6.5 Cubic foot Norcold matches the performance of the large residential unit I have at home. Given your history I understand your frustration with the older large model absorption units but even they have been improved dramatically in the last few years.
My point remains that RV's that are designed from the get go to be as non AC dependent as possible (DC lights, fans and pumps), are not the optimum location for a residential unit. A previous poster touts his but admits that he has to run a 7.5Kw generator an additional 90 to 180+ hours a year just to accommodate a unit that was never intend for that application. Yes, you can make them work but at a cost that can easily overcome any initial savings. If you are running a AC/LP refrigeration system you are consuming milli amps at most and and virtually never have to run a generator.
Run whatever works for you and I'll continue to deal with the biggest problem my Norcold provides.... the darn thing often just gets and stays too cold.
:C
