Residential vs Absorbtion Refers (Pros and Cons)

I suspect the residential refers are made of sturdy stuff, but going quickly down washboard roads could be a problem. The main issue I think some have with residential units is the increased size of a battery bank required while boon docking.

If it were me and only used it 4-6 times a year, I'd not bother.

If you always go to a place that you are plugged into AC go for it, if you go to the boonies and run off of battery power you will need a LOT more batterys and a 2000 W converter. Remember, residential refrigerators only run on AC not DC

I am going on 2 years with a Samsung residential and will NEVER have another RV fridge. I have a 1k watt inverter and 2 6 volt batteries and an 160 watt solar panel. Nearly 8k miles and no issues at all. I do not boon dock so power is not an issue. I've only recently added the solar due to being in a storage lot between trips and wanting to keep batteries topped off at all times. You can purchase 2 or 3 residential units for the price of 1 rv unit. Plus the weight is the same for an 18 cu ft Samsung vs a 12 cu ft Norcold. I hated the Norcold and love the residential. Good luck.

Yes, lots of RVers who are hanging onto the the old absorption-type RV fridges get on forums and gnash their teeth over the likelihood of failures of residential fridges in RV service. Now, how many posts do you see from those of us who HAVE residential fridges bemoaning failures of these refrigerators, especially as compared to failures of the absorption-type fridges? How many RV fires have been started by residential fridges? How many complaints do you see of residential fridges not cooling sufficiently in extremely hot or cold conditions?

All of our previous 5th wheels had absorption-type fridges, and I've had cooling unit failures within the first 6 months of ownership (2 months in one case) of both Norcold and Dometic cooling units. Having moved to a residential fridge in our current 5th wheel, I'll never go back!! We power the residential fridge with 2 each 6VDC batteries and a 1500 watt inverter when traveling, but remember that the coach batteries are also being charged through the 12VDC connection coming from the truck's alternator and batteries while we're on the road. We've never had a problem with refrigerator cooling or low batteries when we arrive at our destination and run the leveling system and slideouts when we set up.

Rusty

We installed a Samsung 197 3years ago and are full-timers we drive between NM, AZ in winter CA summer time,load it up with food ok, strap the doors so far so good.
Very pleased the way it runs of the batteries I do have solar which helps. Even at night I may loose 2% of battery power then the sun comes up and it is back to 100%. We did this because of losing food in the extreme heat with the propane fridge.

I'm guessing people who install residential fridges are rarely camping without hookups, and if you rarely camp without hookups you probably rarely travel down bad roads that would tend to beat up a fridge.

I rarely camp with hookups and rattle down a lot of bumpy roads, so I personally need a durable fridge that also runs on propane.

So as with many things, it depends on your intended use.

IdaD wrote:
I'm guessing people who install residential fridges are rarely camping without hookups, and if you rarely camp without hookups you probably rarely travel down bad roads that would tend to beat up a fridge.

I rarely camp with hookups and rattle down a lot of bumpy roads, so I personally need a durable fridge that also runs on propane.

So as with many things, it depends on your intended use.

Best answer yet.

My Norcold's cooling unit lasted 20 years before it failed. I put in an Amish cooling unit and it should be good for another 20, with luck. The Amish unit is beefier than the Norcold original.

As they say, to each his own, your mileage may vary, batteries not included, member FDIC.

Interesting that so many people worry about failure of a residential refrigerator due to vibration over a poor road surface. But they seem to believe that an absorption refrigerator is immune to the same stresses. Granted, the absorption unit should be designed with that in mind, but based on their failure rate. I would question that logic. Additionally, we have all ridden in our motorhomes, how much "rough and tumble" do you experience? How negative is that experience to any refrigerator?

I would consider one of the super-efficient 12V compressor models, too. Prices vary quite a bit but there are several brands out there. You would need 2 separate units to function as both a fridge and a freezer. Using 12 V appliances would let you avoid adding a larger inverter. Of course they use some power, and many people who use them also have a good bit of solar. But they ARE designed to take rugged use.