Converting Dometic To Residential

[RV_CONUS]

Removal and Install should be finished today!

Out with the Old, or not so old:








In with the New:

[Mootpoint]

We travelled this spring with a small chest freezer. Kept the lid closed as much as possible, made sure we could run genny when dry camping and pulled in to a FHU site once or twice a week. It wasn't a problem and never really thought much about. Had a friend of ours do the same when his fridge's propane bellied up. He ran for 2 1/2 weeks like that on a trip in Arizona, no problems.

[RV_CONUS]

It's been almost 3 months since converting the Dometic to Residential.

Haven't noticed any difference, except there is more room, and ice cream stays the way it should.

Recently spent 4 days on the road without hookups, running the generator when we stop for lunch, and in the evening while stopped until bedtime. We don't use an inverter. At this point, the way we travel, an inverter is not needed.

Everything stays cold and frozen, and the ice doesn't melt during the time the generator is not running, about 8-9 hours.

This looks like a win-win for us. Don't think we will ever go back to the ole dometic style refrigeration.

[Almot]

GordonThree wrote:
Maybe there's a few 100 watts of solar on the roof, who needs propane 🙂

With 500w solar on the roof, no rain or fog, and 9 sunny days out of 10 where I spend winter, I'm still not sure that can afford even a smaller and more efficient 12V fridge, so I'm still using propane. Unless you draycamp 3 days max, with a 120V fridge of that size you would need around 1,000 watts of solar. 400-500w to feed the fridge alone, plus another 400-500w for everything else.

[MrWizard]

I saw the subject heading and thought he was asking about physically converting the fridge

but the topic is switching from one fridge to the other
which is replacing the fridge

[ronfisherman]

gatorcq wrote:
We installed a Whirlpool Cu Ft residential in place of our Norcold 1200.
This took place over a year ago. System works great, even had a warranty service call while in Fla.

Do you have a model #? Are you using a inverter to power when traveling? Modified sine wave or pure sine wave?

[gatorcq]

We installed a Whirlpool Cu Ft residential in place of our Norcold 1200.
This took place over a year ago. System works great, even had a warranty service call while in Fla.

[RV_CONUS]

ScottG wrote:
I bet someone would like to have those nice cabinet panels you had on your old fridge.

Great minds think alike, they are going into storage for possible future use. Some more mods planned, and they may just come in handy.

[ScottG]

I bet someone would like to have those nice cabinet panels you had on your old fridge.

[Dog_Folks]

RoyB wrote:
There goes your PROPANE backup...

And there goes your fire looking for a place to happen.

[ronfisherman]

Here is link to RV Volunteers CONUS original post.
Dometic RM2862 Bit the Dust

[RV_CONUS]

Here is the Whirlpool that replaced the Dometic RM2862

Whirlpool

A real good fit, sides trimmed, height had about an inch to spare.

[RV_CONUS]

RonWSl wrote:
I can't blame you for replacing the rv fridge with a residential - I thought about doing it myself last fall when I had to replace the cooling unit on my Norcold (twice cause the first one was defective). Issue I was running into was finding one that had the correct dimensions so as to avoid any cutting of the cabinets/wood. Any cabinet work in your future on this project?

3/8 inch on each side of the cabinet was trimmed. Nice fit.

[RV_CONUS]

Jim-Linda wrote:
Don't know about his, but our Whirlpool drains into a pan under the compressor which evaporates the water, no need to drain outside.

Jim

That's exactly the way it is laid out.

[RV_CONUS]

RoyB wrote:
There goes your PROPANE backup...

Interesting, the propane backup went when the two cooling units bit the dust. Again, no worries,,,


The Pink dorm compressor style mini fridge saved the Beer,,,cheers!