My 2006 Phaeton has a Norcold 4 door that I expect is nearing the end of its life expectancy. When it does quit, I will go with a residential type but have a couple of issues that I need to address. I have a 2000 watt Xantrex MSW inverter, which I'm not sure would be friendly to the compressor in a home unit. Should I get a separate PSW unit to avoid issues with the refrigerator?The second issue is batteries. I now have only 4 golf cart batteries and would have to do some difficult modifications to find room for more. I doubt we would ever be dependent on batteries for more than 8 hours at a time. I see that most people on this forum with residential refrigerators go with 6. Is it necessary to add batteries under these conditions? I know that solar panels would help but we don't do much boondocking without running the generator.

Never boon dock? Go for it! Worst case you might need a new inverter. 4 batteries should be no problem.

The four GC batteries should be enough while in transit or a short over night as long as the batteries are in good condition and hold a charge. Long term off the grid without either solar, running the generator or even the engine to recharge might be a problem. A residential fridge is very power efficient because of the consumer driven demand for appliances that use as little power as possible which helps. Plus the fridge should stay cold for several hours without power as long as you limit opening the doors. Also, if your coach supports, you might have DC from the engine alternator feeding the house batteries which the inverter can use when the fridge compressor is running while going down the road.Inverter needs are going to depend on which fridge you choose to replace the Norcold with. Owners have report good performance with a certain Samsung model but I can't recall which one it was. I would budget for it just in case. Certainly won't hurt going pure sine wave.

I never boondock and get by just fine with four house batteries and a MSW inverter. I installed a Samsung RF197 residential fridge, which the manufacturer has published will operate on a MSW inverter. The only issue I see is the RF197 is no longer in production, so I do not know what is currently available that will fit in a similar opening and operate on a MSW. One addition point, many people have stated the reason the RF197 operates on a MSW is because the compressor is a DC motor. This is not true. The two internal fans are DC, but the compressor is most definitely an AC motor on my fridge. The only difference I've noticed is that it's not as efficient when operation on the MSW inverter and actually draws slightly more current vs. clean AC power (generator or shore power). Good luck and the change is well worth it.Lou05 Travel Supreme Envoy

Like sailor lou, I get along fine with the same setup. We do boondock occasionally but not usually for more than 4-5 days. We run the genset in the morning for a couple hours and again at night while watching TV. We've had no issues. My golf cart batteries are new as I would assume yours are nearing the end of their life as well....I have pictures of my install which I did myself at a campground if you'd like....let me know...Dennis

"milestock".....Most conversions from a Norcold or Dometic to a residential unit are done with just the four batteries. New coaches that come with a residential refer have six and all electric units go with eight. You'll be fine with four. When I did the change over on my Diplomat, I went with the Samsung RF197, which is MSW friendly, but I really didn't want my big inverter running all the time. I added a smaller Magnum MSW 600 watt unit that worked great. As I was looking for smaller inverters, it was hard to find certain features, especially in the PSW models. If you add a second inverter, you need to find one with a 110 volt pass thru. This is a feature that allows your inverter to automatically change over to 110 volts when on shore power.You might want to look at just replacing your Xantrex unit with a new 2000-2500 watt PSW unit.

Couple of questions about switching to residantial fridge

donn0128
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2015
Never boon dock? Go for it! Worst case you might need a new inverter. 4 batteries should be no problem.
Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2015
The four GC batteries should be enough while in transit or a short over night as long as the batteries are in good condition and hold a charge. Long term off the grid without either solar, running the generator or even the engine to recharge might be a problem. A residential fridge is very power efficient because of the consumer driven demand for appliances that use as little power as possible which helps. Plus the fridge should stay cold for several hours without power as long as you limit opening the doors. Also, if your coach supports, you might have DC from the engine alternator feeding the house batteries which the inverter can use when the fridge compressor is running while going down the road.

Inverter needs are going to depend on which fridge you choose to replace the Norcold with. Owners have report good performance with a certain Samsung model but I can't recall which one it was. I would budget for it just in case. Certainly won't hurt going pure sine wave.
sailor_lou
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
I never boondock and get by just fine with four house batteries and a MSW inverter. I installed a Samsung RF197 residential fridge, which the manufacturer has published will operate on a MSW inverter. The only issue I see is the RF197 is no longer in production, so I do not know what is currently available that will fit in a similar opening and operate on a MSW.

One addition point, many people have stated the reason the RF197 operates on a MSW is because the compressor is a DC motor. This is not true. The two internal fans are DC, but the compressor is most definitely an AC motor on my fridge. The only difference I've noticed is that it's not as efficient when operation on the MSW inverter and actually draws slightly more current vs. clean AC power (generator or shore power). Good luck and the change is well worth it.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy
Executive45
Explorer III
Jun 29, 2015
Like sailor lou, I get along fine with the same setup. We do boondock occasionally but not usually for more than 4-5 days. We run the genset in the morning for a couple hours and again at night while watching TV. We've had no issues. My golf cart batteries are new as I would assume yours are nearing the end of their life as well....I have pictures of my install which I did myself at a campground if you'd like....let me know...Dennis
DSDP_Don
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
"milestock".....Most conversions from a Norcold or Dometic to a residential unit are done with just the four batteries. New coaches that come with a residential refer have six and all electric units go with eight. You'll be fine with four.

When I did the change over on my Diplomat, I went with the Samsung RF197, which is MSW friendly, but I really didn't want my big inverter running all the time. I added a smaller Magnum MSW 600 watt unit that worked great. As I was looking for smaller inverters, it was hard to find certain features, especially in the PSW models. If you add a second inverter, you need to find one with a 110 volt pass thru. This is a feature that allows your inverter to automatically change over to 110 volts when on shore power.

You might want to look at just replacing your Xantrex unit with a new 2000-2500 watt PSW unit.
Executive45
Explorer III
Jun 29, 2015
Mike, here is the link.

Samsung Install
The_Texan
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
Another with the Samsung rf197 conversion and 4 6v house batteries. We have gone 3 days on the batteries which also power my 12v CPAP and have had no problems. If you shop around, there are still a few rf197 left in stock.
Triker33
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
My 2006 Phaeton has a Norcold 4 door that I expect is nearing the end of its life expectancy.

It may last longer then you think.

I have been waiting for my side by side 12 cu ft Dometic to quit for 17 years this Aug. :B
It's has hung on so long that the residential I had researched and picked out to replace it, is no longer made. :(
GMandJM
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
Cool install info, Dennis. It turned out really perfectly.

What made you decide to do a raised flooring support?
Executive45
Explorer III
Jun 29, 2015
GMandJM wrote:
Cool install info, Dennis. It turned out really perfectly.

What made you decide to do a raised flooring support?

Thanks for the kind words.

The Samsung is a bottom freezer unit. Having it set directly on the floor would've been an easier install and would've allowed a useless compartment above. By raising it up, it's easier to get things out of the freezer and the fridge box is eye level....Dennis