Standard vs Residential Refrigerator

[cgaskins]

We are considering a new 5th wheel Rv and the one we are looking has the big residential refrigerator with ice maker and water in the door.

I have many questions that I can't seem to get answered and would love some input:

This particular unit has 2 batteries - how long will the fridge run on 2 batteries?

How hard is it to drain the water from the fridge (water lines and ice maker) when I put the unit in storage for a few months. We don't use it full time and where I keep the unit in storage, I don't have power so I have to turn everything off.

I would love to hear from people who have these new residential fridges in their RV's, especially people that are more weekenders vs full-timers.

Thanks,
Chris

[time2roll]

Two batteries would be marginal at best for an overnight cooldown before a trip. Four would probably make it if 100% charged. Solar 60+ watts would keep the battery pack fully charged and ready for the overnight cooldown. Running for several days you will need way more solar.

Honestly I think you can turn on the fridge as you roll out of storage. I do this with my propane fridge and it does OK. Compressor fridge should have faster cooldown. Load it with cold food and you will be fine. Just do not load a case of warm beer along with your yogurt and milk.

From my experience there is just a single solenoid to control the water up to the icemaker. You could disconnect the line and let it drain. Might need a wet-dry vac to get standing water out of the icemaker itself or let it evaporate. Or discover what power is needed to open the solenoid and blow it out like the rest of the RV. Just some random thoughts, I have not done this.

[CA_Traveler]

Climate is also a consideration. It's currently 57F here on the Oregon coast. But it may be 90F+ in many other areas during the summer which increases power consumption.

Might need a AC/120V source for the ACs or head for cooler areas. Easy for me to do in the areas I travel but then I no longer live or own property in Florida.

[CA_Traveler]

Anyone considering a res refer should consider all of the requirements which include: Wiring, battery bank size and recharging, inverters which might have to be PSW, solar and boondocking. It's certainly an option but might involve much more than just installing the new refer.

Consider one boondocking poster that has 8 GCs. That's over 900AH and the rig was likely built for the batteries, refer, inverter and alternator. Conversion to this setup may not be practical for many rigs. But a smaller setup might be very doable or basically use a gen or drive to a power plug.

[CA_Traveler]

John & Angela wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:

rsbabson wrote:
Im looking to buy a Columbus 320rs with the residental fridge also. So you cant load the fridge up and roll down the road with your groceries?

Never is that a good idea. The contents will warm up before they cool down in the warm refer and that is asking for bacteria problems.

Using a 300W refer draw for example you would need to supply 300W/12V = 25A so use 30A to allow for losses including the inverter. Your alternator may/may not have that extra capacity. Typically a truck and trailer wiring will not have the capacity to carry that amperage without significant voltage loss. One option is to have an inverter in the truck and run a 120V line back to the refer.

Almost any option includes a precooled refer. This also allows the refer to cycle on/off which reduces the overall power over a period of time. Plus once cooled you may be able to turn it off for a period of time while driving.

Your power usage estimate is off. Typically they draw about 1 amp at 120 volts. They will run for about 5 to 7 minutes and then cycle off for 10 to 12 minutes. No problem for an alternator in a truck. I agree with earlier comment insuring that the charge line to the trailer be of sufficient gauge. The running lights on the trailer will draw as much or more than the fridge.

It depends upon the actual model which the poster did not specify. One model of the previously mentioned Samsung RF197 indicated it draws 15A at 120V which may well include the worse case scenario. But I gave the poster the formulas he can use for his application.

Refers do cycle on and off which certainly helps reduce power. But this poster wanted to start with a warm refer which won't cycle until it cools. However I certainly hope no one does that as bacteria develop quickly with warm food.

[kakampers]

Add a single 100-125 watt solar panel with controller....that should easily keep the batteries topped up and give you the hours needed prior to hooking to shore power.

We will be replacing our Norcold with a Samsung RF197 in the future. We have 300 watts of solar and will add a 3000 watt inverter. We have onboard generator for backup and plan on lots of boondocking once we quit working

[dapperdan]

Chris,
We have what you're looking into. We LOVE the bigger fridge, while we never experienced any troubles with the propane/electric fridges in the past I will say having the extra room is nice. The residential seems to keep the temps more constant.

Like you we have no power where we store our RV. Before a trip I usually run the generator for a few hours while cooling down the fridge then shut down the generator and let the batteries take over. We have two 6 volt batteries, they seem to do well. I was told by the salesman the batteries should be able to keep the fridge running for two to three days. I'd say it's more like a day (24 hours) or so.

My advice get the residential, you'll love it, just know you'll have to start out with batteries full to get any kind of cooling time, once hooked up the the truck you'll be fine.

BTW, I'm right now researching solar power to keep the batteries "full" while parked at the storage lot.

Dan

[John___Angela]

CA Traveler wrote:

rsbabson wrote:
Im looking to buy a Columbus 320rs with the residental fridge also. So you cant load the fridge up and roll down the road with your groceries?

Never is that a good idea. The contents will warm up before they cool down in the warm refer and that is asking for bacteria problems.

Using a 300W refer draw for example you would need to supply 300W/12V = 25A so use 30A to allow for losses including the inverter. Your alternator may/may not have that extra capacity. Typically a truck and trailer wiring will not have the capacity to carry that amperage without significant voltage loss. One option is to have an inverter in the truck and run a 120V line back to the refer.

Almost any option includes a precooled refer. This also allows the refer to cycle on/off which reduces the overall power over a period of time. Plus once cooled you may be able to turn it off for a period of time while driving.

Your power usage estimate is off. Typically they draw about 1 amp at 120 volts. They will run for about 5 to 7 minutes and then cycle off for 10 to 12 minutes. No problem for an alternator in a truck. I agree with earlier comment insuring that the charge line to the trailer be of sufficient gauge. The running lights on the trailer will draw as much or more than the fridge.

[CA_Traveler]

rsbabson wrote:
Im looking to buy a Columbus 320rs with the residental fridge also. So you cant load the fridge up and roll down the road with your groceries?

Never is that a good idea. The contents will warm up before they cool down in the warm refer and that is asking for bacteria problems.

Using a 300W refer draw for example you would need to supply 300W/12V = 25A so use 30A to allow for losses including the inverter. Your alternator may/may not have that extra capacity. Typically a truck and trailer wiring will not have the capacity to carry that amperage without significant voltage loss. One option is to have an inverter in the truck and run a 120V line back to the refer.

Almost any option includes a precooled refer. This also allows the refer to cycle on/off which reduces the overall power over a period of time. Plus once cooled you may be able to turn it off for a period of time while driving.

[Trackrig]

A couple more batteries would help. While your TV may be set up to supply charging power to the TT, I'd replace the original wire from the engine with a lot heavier gauge wire to get more amperage back to the TT. I also wouldn't worry about getting the water out of the line to the ice maker until you put it away for the winter.

Bill

[John___Angela]

The residential fridge will happily run from the onboard inverter while you are travelling down the road. The truck will recharge or keep charged the batteries in the coach as per normal. A pair of 6 volt batteries will have no problem running your fridge overnight if you choose to dry camp in a Walmart or casino overnight. Residential fridges don't use a lot of power when they are on and they only cycle on about 20 minutes out of the hour. Yes you can use solar to offset the use of the fridge. 2 x 200 watt panels will pretty much completely offset the power use of the fridge in sunny weather. Solar is cheap and should be considered a part of any residential fridge install.

For what it's worth we are avid dry campers and we have a residential fridge. If you intend to be a frequent dry camper I would recommend a couple extra batteries and robust solar system. You will never, NEVER regret getting a residential fridge.

[dan-nickie]

cgaskins wrote:

dan-nickie wrote:
YOur problem will not be travelling between RV parks, but your plan to leave the fridge on overnight to cool down before a trip. With only 2 batteries, it looks like 4-5 hours would be max before your batteries get discharged below a safe level.

Yeah, I am beginning to realize that.

Couple of other questions:

1) Will my alternator from my truck charge the batteries in my RV?
Yes
2) What if I use a small solar cell to trickle charge the batteries, I wonder if this will get me to my 18 to 20 hours of usage while in storage?
I don't know much about solar
3) I assume that the cooling of the fridge is the same no matter if it is on 110volt or 12volt right? Meaning that the compressor and cooling system operates the same.
Yes

Like others, we do love our residential fridge and think you will too.
You just need to understand the limitations and rethink the cool down procedure.

[cgaskins]

I really appreciate the opinions and comments. I am getting more comfortable with the residential fridge. Sounds like I would probably want to install a couple more batteries to fit my usage profile.

Thanks everyone.

[Racine96]

Ours is a Columbus, came with residential fridge, and we love it. It came with a 1000 inverter that keeps it running between campgrounds when connected to our truck. Our only had the original one-battery, and it works fine. It is big and we can keep lots of food without needing to go groceries shopping every couple days as when we had a small gas/electric one in our previous TT. As I said, I love it. Don't know much about winter prep as we are snowbirds. Wish you well

[TXiceman]

We are done with the sorry Norcold and Dometic RV frigs. We have a 22 cu.ft. Frigigaire with ice and water in the door. It is powered by a 2000 Watt inverter, 4 - 6 volt batteries, and a solar charger.

When on the road, the charge line back from the truck keeps the batteries topped off. It travels better when the fig and freezer are pretty full. Things don't get tossed around as much.

With the residential frig, the Blue Bell ice cream is frozen and the wobbly pop is cold...all of the time.

Ken

[Travlingman]

Have a Fridgedaire in our Landmark and love it. No matter how long our pull has been during the day, our fridge is always 0 freezer, 37 degrees fridge for the whole trip. Like said above, about 2-3 hours to cool down depending on how hot when you start. Ours has a 1000 watt inverter and two 12 volt batteries. Ours has a drain to empty the lines to the fridge, but you have to use air to blow out the frige. Have the water/ice in door and it is great. Also nice to not have to thaw out freezer on extended stays, and the ice cream is always frozen.