Replace Norcold with residential fridge

[trawler10]

We have a one-year old Big Horn fiver with a Norcold 1210IM fridge which has been giving us cooling problems (still under warranty and dealing with Norcold not a pleasure). Am seriously considering replaceing it with a decent residential fridge. Any suggestions/advice/comments?
thanks, Bob

[crosscheck]

Gdetrailer wrote:

doughere wrote:
If you put a residential refrigerator in, there are many like myself who wouldn't consider buying your unit (maybe consider it at a very deep discount). We dry camp often, and a residential refrigerator would be a deal-breaker

Doug

There are MANY MORE folks than you that have no problem with a residential fridge in a RV..

For some reason folks like you can't just get the old brain retrained to accept newer modern day technology which is far more energy efficient than the good old fire breathing apparatus called a RV fridge.

Our home fridge can run 24 hrs at a clip on ONE pair of 6V GC batts without the need for recharging. Most folks when boondocking take a gen anyway so really I can not understand this issue. Basically amounts to either running a gen a little longer per day or adding some solar. Neither is impossible to do.

I would not trade my home fridge and go back to the stone age of a RV fridge. My home fridge so far for 5 yrs has been flawless. Cost half the price of a new cooling unit and 1/8 of the cost of a new fridge.

Keeps the food in the fridge section at a nice chilly 34 degrees day and night from outdoor temps of 60 to 100 degrees.

This reminded me of a story I heard many years ago.

" Once upon a time in a far off land, dwelt a man who's house sat under a tall and rugged mountain. Early one sunny morning, he sat rocking in his chair on his porch looking up at the mountain top.

Along came a fit looking man who said" Excuse me, do you know the way up to the top of that mountain?" to which the rocking man replied" Can't be done, no way, don't even try it." The fit man asked him if he had ever tried to go up to the top and the reply was the same" There is no way that you will be able to go there."

The fit man thanked the house owner and went off down the road.

10 hours later as the man sat rocking in his chair gazing up at the mountain top he could see the fit man come towards him and as he got closer it was obvious that he was in a bit of disrepair. Dirt was on his pants, his jacket was torn and some blood was on his face from scratches.

"What happened to you?" to which the fit man said,"I hiked to the top of the mountain and lost my way a few times and ended up scrambling through bushes and it was the same coming back down but I made it to the top and and the views are incredible.

"No way you went up to the top. I can't be done." "Do you want to see my pictures?"

"No I don't because It can't be done."

The fit man thanked the man and whistling a sea shanty,turned and walked away with a bit of a swagger and a smile on his face and he could still hear the man on the porch muttering away about the mountain."

I'll leave everyone to interpret the moral of the story in their own way.

Dave

BTW, I have been that man rocking on the porch many times.

[John___Angela]

There's also the power saving aspect of a residential fridge for us full timers. A residential fridge uses a 1/4 of the power of an absorption unit. I don't think residentials are the right fit for everybody but in the larger type RVs with room for additional battery's and solar they can be the right solution. We will continue to use an RV fridge in our little C and a residential in our A. Surprisingly in our tent trailer we use a compressor type (dometic with Dan Foss compressor) and it runs from a smaller AGM battery charged exclusively by solar. Of course it's much smaller.

[Gdetrailer]

doughere wrote:
If you put a residential refrigerator in, there are many like myself who wouldn't consider buying your unit (maybe consider it at a very deep discount). We dry camp often, and a residential refrigerator would be a deal-breaker

Doug

There are MANY MORE folks than you that have no problem with a residential fridge in a RV..

For some reason folks like you can't just get the old brain retrained to accept newer modern day technology which is far more energy efficient than the good old fire breathing apparatus called a RV fridge.

Our home fridge can run 24 hrs at a clip on ONE pair of 6V GC batts without the need for recharging. Most folks when boondocking take a gen anyway so really I can not understand this issue. Basically amounts to either running a gen a little longer per day or adding some solar. Neither is impossible to do.

I would not trade my home fridge and go back to the stone age of a RV fridge. My home fridge so far for 5 yrs has been flawless. Cost half the price of a new cooling unit and 1/8 of the cost of a new fridge.

Keeps the food in the fridge section at a nice chilly 34 degrees day and night from outdoor temps of 60 to 100 degrees.

[az99]

John & Angela wrote:


I think this is a possibility, but there are also those of us who would consider a Norcold fridge a liability

As does Geico. I had to email them a photo of the frig serial number sticker before they would insure it. Even though it was a 2012.

[John___Angela]

doughere wrote:
If you put a residential refrigerator in, there are many like myself who wouldn't consider buying your unit (maybe consider it at a very deep discount). We dry camp often, and a residential refrigerator would be a deal-breaker

Doug

I think this is a possibility, but there are also those of us who would consider a Norcold fridge a liability and would be building in the cost of changing it out as soon as we got it. We are avid dry campers and having a residential fridge hasn't changed that. We do have solar and a robust battery bank which is all part of a proper residential install. I would guess that within a decade most large fivers and motorhomes will be available with RV absorption type fridges as special order only.

JMHO

[doughere]

If you put a residential refrigerator in, there are many like myself who wouldn't consider buying your unit (maybe consider it at a very deep discount). We dry camp often, and a residential refrigerator would be a deal-breaker

Doug

[2oldman]

Welcome. Lived here much of my life.

[trawler10]

Thanks, Chris, very helpful (and our kids teach in Moses Lake... ) Bob

[2oldman]

household refer and inverter2009
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