I'm looking at 2 identical units, except one has a residential frige and the other has typical camper style frige. Dealer told me residential frige still works while traveling down road, because it will run off inverter. Does this mean it will run for a time while unhitched until it kills the battery? How long would it run like this? Also, what are the benefits/drawbacks with going with the residential instead of camper style?

Also, can the residential one handle being turned off for several months and then used for a weekend and then turned off again? I've always understood that normal house refrigerators need to be running and not just sitting. Which one would cost more to replace if needed?

Couple resi posts in TThousehold refer and inverter2009 Household refer Class A 2009residential fridge- boondocking 09

plasticmaster wrote:I've always understood that normal house refrigerators need to be running and not just sitting. If that were true, how could they ever manufacture one and then let it sit unused until purchased? A new refrigerator would, then, be inoperable or at the least damaged, since it has not been running since manufactured! Common sense should tell you that you are wrong!

That is true, they do sit unplugged on the show room floor until they're purchased. However, they aren't normally fired up for only 3 days at a time, 7 times a year. That's the part I was questioning.

A large inverter would be required. If you don't open the door, the fridge and freezer will be good for 6 to 8 hours depending on ambient temperature. Depending on the battery and room temp, the fridge is unlikely to reach operating temperature from room temperature while disconnected from SP.I'm fairly certain the fridge can survive long periods of no use.

Residential refrigerator? | Good Sam Community

1L243
Explorer II
Feb 18, 2016
pianotuna wrote:
Bottom Line is have sufficient solar and battery bank if you wish to have a residential fridge.

That would be "Top of the line"
austinjenna
Explorer
Feb 18, 2016
Check out the General section. The same topic is going on over there. One fellow says he can go for 5 days but he has 6 12-volt group 31 AGM house batteries and a 2800 watt inverter.
westend
Explorer
Feb 18, 2016
pianotuna wrote:
Bottom Line is have sufficient solar and battery bank if you wish to have a residential fridge.

True this!
pianotuna
Nomad III
Feb 18, 2016
Bottom Line is have sufficient solar and battery bank if you wish to have a residential fridge.
1L243
Explorer II
Feb 18, 2016
Bottom line is if your going to do much dry camping don't go with the residential fridge.....
mikebte
Explorer
Feb 18, 2016
austinjenna wrote:
The fridge should run about a week on 2 battery's.

From what I read on the other topics about this, there is no way its going to run for a week

That's what RV company's claim, but I agree it won't run that long. Maybe if you never opened it.
carringb
Explorer
Feb 10, 2016
tatest wrote:
"Residential" is usually a misnomer when talking about use of compressor refrigerators in RVs. What is usually being installed is a compact to mid-size refrigerator made for apartment, dorm, motel room, mini-bar use.

Small compressor fridges built for these uses will consume much less power than big "frost free" models most of us buy for home use.

I found the opposite to hold true, as Energy Star requirements for big fridges made them pretty efficient. My 24 cubic foot side by side has a lower total energy consumption than the 4 cubic foot dorm fridge I keep around as a spare beer fridge. Average consumption of the big fridge is something like 70 watts/hr. The little fridge is double that. Partly because the big fridge has variable speed compressors, and or course from better insulating.

BTW - Many larger trailers are offered with both full-size compressor fridges and RV ammonia refrigerators. I've only seen dorm style fridges used in outside kitchens (my outside kitchen came with a 3-way RV fridge).
2oldman
Explorer II
Feb 10, 2016
How is the defrost cycle handled? Doesn't that put water in the bottom tray?
austinjenna
Explorer
Feb 09, 2016
The fridge should run about a week on 2 battery's.

From what I read on the other topics about this, there is no way its going to run for a week
westend
Explorer
Feb 09, 2016
I have a standard, small, compressor fridge in my trailer. It consumes about 40-60 AH daily at moderate ambient temps and use. Beyond the start up draw, it operates at about 80 watts consumed. A full sized residential model with typical features will consume about 1KWH in moderate use and ambient temps.

I have 300AH of battery capacity, a 1000W PSW inverter, and 235W of solar panel. If the sun shines, no worries. If it is cloudy/stormy for three days, my eyes are on the battery monitor for amount of charge remaining. I've never had to shut it off but an overnight shutdown would still keep everything cold until daylight. Of course, a generator obviates any critical brown outs.