Convert RV fridge to residential
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โFeb-27-2022 10:48 AM
We will be adding 1200 watts of solar, 3kw inverter and 3 SOK Lithium batteries. We plan to boondock at least 50% of the time (probably a lot more).
The Solitude has a 18CF RV fridge in it and we think one of the new residential fridges would be better - after reviewing all the pros and cons of each.
We have no idea what this would cost or where to have the conversion done.
Thoughts?
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โJun-14-2022 04:10 PM
Cptnvideo wrote:
"Electric isnโt even needed except for water pump and furnace. Get priorities straight."
Your 3 way fridge won't run without electric (battery). Neither will lights. Without electric from either solar or generator, your batteries will eventually become useless and at that point, nothing will function in your RV.
I've got my priorities straight.
Electric not needed for lighting.
Amp draw for 3-way ref/frz is minimal.
Only furnace fan & water pump (which could be manual) have enough demand to warrant battery use.
Have a look at 1950s trailers. The difference here from car-camping pre-war is the propane system built-in to service stove/oven, water heater, lighting, furnace, and refrigerator/freezer.
Need & Desire arenโt the same.
Priority is Propane System (and capacity) first, with Water System (and capacity) a very close second (as it could be re-filled from stream or well).
**What limits self-sufficiency over time (X-nights aboard) is the determinant.**
Solar is โniceโ. Thatโs it.
Besides high expense (and limited life) it has too many points of potential failure.
No one stops you from having the additional system at its higher-cost, despite lower reliability and a shorter life if thatโs the way you want to do it.
Iโve solar on mine. Keeps a pair of batteries charged. But wonโt change the time factor in needing re-supply.
That said, Iโm all in favor of maximizing each system. If I hadnโt shore power, then what? If I lost propane, then what? Lost even 12V, then what? A worthwhile exercise to avoid or delay having to abandon the RV for other lodgings (at the heart of why Iโm no fan of motorhomes as the drivetrain/chassis โ alone โ does this regularly).
โ An example of this is retro-fitting an electric furnace to utilize the existing fan & ducting (CheapHeat, by Rvcomfortsystems).
Solar has its place in the mix.
Separate gensets really donโt (bandaid). Ones TV might be so equipped, but thatโs not the RV itself (as one can lose its services separately from the RV).
Propane gensets were once fitted to TTs (maybe still are), but their performance was lacking, to say the least. As a fallback itโs an expensive, limited-use component and likelier to shorten self-sufficiency even sooner.
.
1990 35โ Silver Streak
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โJun-06-2022 04:56 AM
Cptnvideo wrote:
Why is it that I have not seen one person that regrets going from a propane fridge to a residential fridge?
Solar is extremely reliable but if ours should ever fail, we have a backup generator. Solar allows us to boondock practically indefinitely in peace and quiet. The only limitation is dumping and water. We can even go without propane if we don't mind waking up a little chilly.
If I could I would switch to propane in a heartbeat. My current RV does not have side or roof vents to permit that.
My small (4 cuft) refrigerator has a very efficient Danfoss compressor. Depending on ambient temps, my unit can easily pull well over 50 AH/day. The bigger unit I replaced pulled well over 100 AH and a residential refrigerator is likely to pull twice that amount. Fifty, 100, even a couple hundred AH/day does not sound like much if you have a large battery bank and a large solar array. That changes instantly if you camp in the forest because it is beautiful or too hot to camp in the sun or if you have some rainy days, or if you camp in the winter with the sun very low in the sky. Anyone who has depended on solar knows how poorly solar panels work with even just some partial shade. Personally I hate the need to run a generator for hours when a propane refrigerator can work for a month or months on a tank of propane.
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โJun-05-2022 06:23 PM
Your 3 way fridge won't run without electric (battery). Neither will lights. Without electric from either solar or generator, your batteries will eventually become useless and at that point, nothing will function in your RV.
I've got my priorities straight.
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โJun-05-2022 06:08 PM
Solar is extremely reliable but if ours should ever fail, we have a backup generator. Solar allows us to boondock practically indefinitely in peace and quiet. The only limitation is dumping and water. We can even go without propane if we don't mind waking up a little chilly.
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โJun-05-2022 05:38 PM
None of which can be said for solar electric.
Solar panels are nice when they work. Sort of like wind turbines. Iโve had them thirty years. Great marginal addition.
3-way reefer in current trailer is 20-years old this year. High hours of use.
If one has problems, search for answers (badly-built trailers feature bad installations).
Maximize each system to work well with the others. And, to a goal of being without re-supply up to X-nights-aboard with Y-people and Z-gallons fresh water. There is no point in overdoing that system which doesnโt matter when other supply causes one to have to move or to go to town.
Fit the pieces together. Thereโs plenty one can do IF he wants to provide EVERY service via ONLY propane, or 12V or 120V (Upgrades & additions).
Propane & Water are the essential systems in a camper. They are at the defining point of what is meant by โself-sufficientโ.
Electric isnโt even needed except for water pump and furnace. Get priorities straight.
Thereโs nothing โsimpleโ about solar electric. It has multiple failure points built-in. (When that happens, your 3-way will switch over to propane).
1990 35โ Silver Streak
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โMay-12-2022 07:48 PM
But we were at 100% SOC by 9 am MST this morning.
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โMay-12-2022 02:24 PM
Safe Travels,
Mike
2019 VanLeigh Vilano 320GK 1200w Solar, 400aH Battleborn, 3kw Magnum Hybrid Inverter/charger, Disc brakes, Sailun G rated tires
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โMay-10-2022 05:35 PM
We've been boondocking for 5 days (and the first time since the residential fridge install). Batteries went into absorb charge at 2:30 MST. We wake up with about a 50% charge. Main TV only draws 3 amps when on, but that microwave sure does draw the current. When my wife turned it on to heat lunch, the system went from 55 amps going into the batteries to 55 amps going out.
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โMay-01-2022 12:05 PM
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โMar-09-2022 09:01 AM
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โMar-09-2022 08:54 AM
ajriding wrote:
Bad idea for boondockiing. Those who install resi fridges tend to drive from outlet to outlet and are always plugged into hookups. This is just not a good solution for an RV.
Running an inverter to run a fridge is just not a good use of available battery power. You will be replacing batteries more often due to cycling them regularly.
There are electric DC fridges that will run more efficiently and could work for boondocking.
Are you not wanting the propane fridge because of high outside/ambient temps? That makes sense as the propane absorption fridges do have limitations and needs at higher outside temps.
The best solution is to address the weaknesses of the propane fridge or to install a DC fridge that uses a Danfoss -style compressor. The chest fridges are the most efficient, but there are front opening fridges also. There are also kits to convert a propane fridge to a compressor DC fridge, but this is only for a few select models and requires some know-how and time.
My advice is that you will be glad to have spent extra money to do it right than to have dying batteries constantly from trying to run a resi fridge off grid
Sorry, I disagree. Converting to a residential fridge was the single best thing we did on our rig. We boondock exclusively and have a setup almost identical to the OP's proposal. It works great and it certainly does not draw down the battery bank. We typically make very free use of the available battery capacity (600 AH Li) and wake up to 70-75% available, which is topped up before noon. Our batteries have never been below 50%.
1 DW, 1 DD, 1 DS, 2 HD (Hyper Dogs)
1200w solar, 600AH LIFePO4, Yamaha EF2000 gen, Samlex 3000w Inverter
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โMar-09-2022 08:31 AM
Running an inverter to run a fridge is just not a good use of available battery power. You will be replacing batteries more often due to cycling them regularly.
There are electric DC fridges that will run more efficiently and could work for boondocking.
Are you not wanting the propane fridge because of high outside/ambient temps? That makes sense as the propane absorption fridges do have limitations and needs at higher outside temps.
The best solution is to address the weaknesses of the propane fridge or to install a DC fridge that uses a Danfoss -style compressor. The chest fridges are the most efficient, but there are front opening fridges also. There are also kits to convert a propane fridge to a compressor DC fridge, but this is only for a few select models and requires some know-how and time.
My advice is that you will be glad to have spent extra money to do it right than to have dying batteries constantly from trying to run a resi fridge off grid
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โFeb-27-2022 08:53 PM
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โFeb-27-2022 05:52 PM
ScottG wrote:
Are you certain that 18 cu/ft fridge isn't residential? I think that's normally what it comes with as shown in the link below.
Link to floorplan
Well, vents on the outside and a Norcold name convinced me.