Desert Captain wrote:
Don and Moisheh, no my comments are not 20 years out of date. I realize that the the big DP's are leading the charge into the land of all AC electric, more's the pity. The same trend has been taking place in power boats for a number of years as well. What I am trying to bring to this discussion are some of the realities of the average Joe converting his AC/LP to a residential unit thinking it solves all of his problems and creates no new ones. My compliments, by the way, to those who are skilled enough to handle the carpentry and make the conversion look good.
RVs, all RVs, will continue to be equipped with 12 volt systems because they are simple, reliable and efficient. When an RV manufacturer puts in a residential unit it is designed, built and installed specifically for that application. There will be a large battery bank feeding a good sized inverter, the charging system and all of the cabling will be enlarged as well. That residential frig will come with a full factory warranty and if the new owner can live with the reality that the AC consumed by the frig has to come from somewhere then all is well.
Now Take average Joe who rips out his old AC/LP unit and installs a residential unit. Yes he saved about half over the cost of an AC/LP model..... or did he? :h His battery bank will need to be large and in top shape, a 2,000 watt +/- (if not already in place), inverter will need to be installed, perhaps a more powerful charger/converter, some cables enlarged and his generator run time will go up. If he is lucky it will be a break even proposition and over time will probably cost more. The factory warranty on his new frig will in all probability be null and void for having installed it in his RV (read that pesky fine print regarding the requisite installation parameters). :E
Again it comes down to how you use your rig. If being plugged into AC every night is your thing than going to a residential frig has some merit. If you enjoy the option of being off the grid then they really don't make as much sense. As Erma Bombeck once noted "The biggest lie in the English language is: One size fits all." :B
and once again.... Opinions and YMMV.
:C
I have to agree with you on one point. If a coach has no solar I have seen no cost savings in converting to a residential as any residential conversion in a coach where the user expects to dry camp must include a robust solar system. The solar system will return the ability to dry camp for the average RVer but will easily cost as much as the fridge. For the conversions I was involved in I made it very clear that the fridge was only half the equation if they wanted to dry camp. Both were okay with it as it was worth it to them to go to a 22 cubic foot fridge with ice and water in the door. One initially cheaped out a bit on the solar capacity and the following year he finished it the way I suggested.
For those who never dry camp it's a much different story.
