Norcold 1210 to Residential Fridge

[netjam]

I'm giving up on my Norcold 1210 and thinking about replacing it with a residential fridge. I travel 40-50 times a year but never go more than 5 hours so I think the fridge would stay cold. (no generator or inverter). Found a guy familiar with the swap and he thinks by taking the doors off the Norcold, we can get it out the door. Getting a new residential in might be harder....might have to remove the big window or the slide. I've looked at a bunch of appliance stores and can't find anything that would fit the Norcold 1210 space. Looks like I will need to get a carpenter to modify the cabinets around the fridge to fit.
Anyone done this swap? Did you find any residential unit close to the same dimensions? (what type & model) Looks like it won't be cheap, maybe a better idea to stack a couple of bar fridges in the old space?
I don't need an ice maker or water in the door, just a fidge and freezer that works. No advise on repairing the 1210....been there, done that....won't do it anymore.

[RVTravler]

We are replacing our Norcold 1210 at the end of the month. Wife does not want a bottom freezer, so we are going with the Frigidaire PLHS37EESB Pro Series 22.8 Cu. Ft. Refrigerator. We also will have to do away with the 2 small drawers that are below the refrigerator. Once those are removed we will have about a half inch clearance, As far as side clearness, we will have to take off about a half inch there. We will be having the NuWa factory service department installing it. And yes they will be removing one of the windows to get the old 1210 out and new ref in. BTW, our Norcold 1210 lasted us 1 month short of 6 years.

[JTrac]

Our Samsung RF197 is factory installed and is enclosed on both sides. I'm sure there isn't 2" clearance but it runs like a champ.

[docj]

netjam wrote:
Looked at the RF197. Looks good if I can remove about 7-8 inches of cabinetry and the local appliance place can special order it. I have some concerns. Installation manual says top and sides must have 2" of clearance between fridge and any walls or cabinets. Not something I think I can do. Did you guys leave this space? On ones I have looked at the old fridge vents in the back rv wall and roof have been sealed. If I left them open, do you think the ventilation to the fridge would be adequate? Good thing is that the fridge will go through my rv door with the fridge doors removed.

We do not have quite the required side or top clearances (although I had thought that the top requirement was 2" and the sides a bit less) but it hasn't bothered our fridge in the slightest. We did seal the roof and rear vents, otherwise we were concerned that the icemaker water line might freeze.

[Tyler0215]

I replaced our 3 way fridge with a small household fridge several years ago. We freeze a tightly covered bowl when connected to shore power and it keeps everything cold while traveling. I have gone up to 10 hours without power and everything is still cold. We don't carry a lot of fresh meat, that's the only thing I would be careful of.

[netjam]

Looked at the RF197. Looks good if I can remove about 7-8 inches of cabinetry and the local appliance place can special order it. I have some concerns. Installation manual says top and sides must have 2" of clearance between fridge and any walls or cabinets. Not something I think I can do. Did you guys leave this space? On ones I have looked at the old fridge vents in the back rv wall and roof have been sealed. If I left them open, do you think the ventilation to the fridge would be adequate? Good thing is that the fridge will go through my rv door with the fridge doors removed.

[routemaster]

I put a Samsung RF197 in our 5er as well.

[netjam]

docj...thanx, I'll check it out.....

[docj]

The Samsung RF197 is very popular for this sort of remodel because width-wise it is nearly the same as the Norcold and it is "cabinet depth" so with its door off it is only 24" deep and probably will go through your door. It is about 5-6" taller than the Norcold so some carpentry is needed. We ended up eliminating two shallow drawers that had been below the Norcold.

We love our Samsung and consider it to be the best improvement we've made to our MH. I'm sure the food will stay cold for several hours of travel or you can always consider getting a modest-sized inverter.

[2oldman]

There are tons of resi fridge posts, but none replacing your exact model in a 5th wheel.