Residential Refrigerator

[CWSWine]

I'm looking at 5er that has a residential refrigerator with two batteries and 1000 watt inverter. I have a couple questions that were answered by the dealer but now I looking for closer to real world experience.

First he said the batteries would run the double door Samsung fridge for 24 hours - is that in the ball park?

He also said while traveling that TV would charge the battery but maybe not fully but enough to last 12 hour over night stop for several days. True of False?

Thanks...

[John___Angela]

Calicajun wrote:
Most all the new units we are looking at are coming with a residential units too. So why not extend the battery life by putting a block of ice in the fridge and freezer. I fridge would run at least half as much so you should be able to do two Walmart overnight stays before getting to the camp site and shore power.

I'm sure that would help but the power coming from the truck on the charge line is more than adequate to run the fridge through the inverter. They don't use that much power.

[Calicajun]

Most all the new units we are looking at are coming with a residential units too. So why not extend the battery life by putting a block of ice in the fridge and freezer. I fridge would run at least half as much so you should be able to do two Walmart overnight stays before getting to the camp site and shore power.

[ford_truck_guy]

Veebyes wrote:
FTG, group 31s are decent sized batterys. Had a pair of gel cell in an earlier boat which worked well as starting, together, & house switched individually. Had 5 group 31 gels arranged in 3 banks for a later boat.

Too bad RV dealers don't supply good sized batterys such as the group 31s instead of the low capacity group 24s that usually get put in.

When we ordered the fridge upgrade , Redwood automatically adds the dual 31's and the pure sine wave inverter as part of the upgrade...

[MNRon]

Don't think you want to run your batteries down to 11.6V, that's basically fully discharged and you won't get to do that too many times. Most recommend not allowing batts to get below 12.1 or 12.0V so that you get years of cycles out of them.

[Michelle_S]

Residential fridges have been in MHs for years, just recently have they moved into the towable market, but have been available in higher end 5ers for a while.
Our Whirlpool draws 11 amps from the batteries when running. I did a test on the OEM two group 27 batteries and ran the fridge for 36 Hours and battery voltage was still at 11.6/11.5, now during this test, nothing else was in use drawing 12V power.

[broark01]

GrumpyandGrandma wrote:

broark01 wrote:


Or are residential refrigerators designed for residences?

Wouldn't the same apply to microwaves and televisions? Many upscale units use GE & Frigidaire 30" over the stove micros and have for years.

The only residential refrigerator warranty that I have read states "This limited warranty covers manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship encountered in normal, noncommercial use of this product, and shall not apply to the following, including, but not limited to: damage which occurs in shipment; delivery and installation; applications and uses for which this product was not intended..."

Good luck with warranty work.

[Veebyes]

FTG, group 31s are decent sized batterys. Had a pair of gel cell in an earlier boat which worked well as starting, together, & house switched individually. Had 5 group 31 gels arranged in 3 banks for a later boat.

Too bad RV dealers don't supply good sized batterys such as the group 31s instead of the low capacity group 24s that usually get put in.

[ford_truck_guy]

am using my first residential fridge now and really like it...

I run 2 group 31 batteries with a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter..

I have had zero issues , I do keep it in my driveway for storage , so pre cooling is not an issue.

We usually run 8 hrs. a day on the road , but depending on time and vacations, run harder to get home.. We left Sarasota Florida this summer and drove straight up to Doswell VA.. (about 15 hrs/900 mile run) Once there , the bats were at 100% from the truck.

We already decided that the pros FAR OUTWEIGH the cons , and will get another one when the time comes..

[Veebyes]

I am about 90% decided on going residential next time around. The available space works. The residential costs about 1/3rd of the RV fridge I have now.

For that kind of savings I can easily double my battery bank capacity. I am an AGM battery fan & already have 220amp. With an AGM I can shove another wherever there is space & not worry about leaking or gassing. Already have a 2000W Pure Sine Wave programmable inverter charger.

All I would need is the extra battery cabling & perhaps install a marine type battery switch for bank #1, #2 or both together.

True, you don't hear of many problems with residentials in RVs. Putting residentials in RVs is relatively recent & found in RVs more likely to be found long term in resort type CGs, CGs where there is power, than the RV used for extensive travel & some drycamping.

[John___Angela]

austinjenna wrote:
I would like a residential but it would not work out for me. I generally fire up the fridge the night before in the storage lot so its cooled down the next day when I pick it up. I don't think a residential one could run that long on the battery.

Good morning. Two things.

1. Residential fridges don't need much power so a couple of batteries would have no problem running your fridge overnight for your morning departure.

2. A residential fridge needs a maximum of about 30 minutes for full cool down so instead of turning it on overnight just turn it on when you pick it up.

Happy camping.

[Fulltimer50]

austinjenna wrote:
I would like a residential but it would not work out for me. I generally fire up the fridge the night before in the storage lot so its cooled down the next day when I pick it up. I don't think a residential one could run that long on the battery.

The nice thing about residential fridges is that they dont need that much time to cool down.

[austinjenna]

I would like a residential but it would not work out for me. I generally fire up the fridge the night before in the storage lot so its cooled down the next day when I pick it up. I don't think a residential one could run that long on the battery.

[John___Angela]

Veebyes wrote:
I have had one Dometic side by side door fail. Have a 4 door now. A residential such as the Samsung is under consideration for if/when the current Dometic fails.

It comes down to available battery bank amperage & the ability to replace that amperage. Having a high output alternator in the truck helps but that can be quickly lost through VD (voltage drop) due to the long run from alternator to trailer battery bank & thin charge wire to the trailer. Think single lane country road vs multi lane.

The truck may be able to maintain battery voltage with the inverter on & fridge running but any charging is likely to be slow. No big deal if you are running from one CG with power to another.

The serious consideration comes in if you are people who like to do multi day dry camping spells such as various festivals where it is dry camping. solar would help but will be slow. Useless if in the trees.

A genny & high output inverter/charger connected to a large battery bank will be the solution. 2 group 24 12V batterys or 2 6V GC won't get very far what with all of the other 12V loads drawing on them besides the fridge.

Nobody likes to listen to a genny run for hours but what is taken out of a battery bank must be put back in.

My biggest concern about a residential fridge, being an extensive traveler, is all of the bouncing around it will get in the RV. Houses don't move.

To keep the fridge running whole the compressor is running will take about 15 amps DC at 13 volts or so. But it only runs about a third of the time. But you are right. Make sure you have the maximum gauge possible for the charge line from the truck to the fifth.

Happy trails

[RustyJC]

Veebyes wrote:
My biggest concern about a residential fridge, being an extensive traveler, is all of the bouncing around it will get in the RV. Houses don't move.

How many complaints have you seen of residential fridges in RVs failing due to vibration (or any other causes, for that matter?)

Rusty