Dometic or residential refrigerator?

[huntdooly]

I am seeing a lot of newer coaches with residential style fridges that run on an inverter. I assume that they cannot run on propane.

Are these or the Dometic 4-door fridges that run on propane/electricity better for boondocking? And overall, in general?

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Bill_Satellite]

As a true fulltimer (no home) I would never be without a residential fridge. First of all, I would be divorced.... so that's pretty much all the story I need. However, the simple convenience involved and the large amount of space available just makes much more sense than any propane fridge on the market.

[Mile_High]

oldave wrote:
All things being equal I suspect most all of us would prefer a propane
refrigerator but things are not equal .
For what ever reason propane friges today are fire hazards
There has been way to many fires to ignore .
I personally haven't heard of a single residential frig fire .

Sorry for the loss of your coach, but I would disagree with your statement. You imply folks "settle" for residential fridges out of fear of fire, but would prefer propane. In my opinion, after having propane for decades I have no desire to go back to one. They are great for trailers with limited power sources, but with the modern all electric coaches and diverse power plants, the residential fridges are a good match to a motorhome. Add the outside compressor driven refrigeration/freezer unit and you have a rig capable of the long haul or the short weekend. Not once do we worry about uneven temperatures, fail to light, air in the line, level parking, or I guess... fire.

[oldave]

All things being equal I suspect most all of us would prefer a propane
refrigerator but things are not equal .
For what ever reason propane friges today are fire hazards
There has been way to many fires to ignore .
I personally haven't heard of a single residential frig fire .
Each one of us makes our own decision about whether we want to take
the risk of a frig fire .
We took the risk until our coach burned , we were not in it thank the lord ,
the sight of or coach burned completely to tha ground changed our minds
Nothing left but frame , engine and wheels .
The first thing I did on this coach is to install a Samsung refrigerator
We have not been sorry one moment and I sleep well
I don't have to worry about sitting level , recalls or safety devices .

[tropical36]

Branson N Tucson wrote:
Seen two Dometic refrigerators catch on fire during the night.
People were lucky to escape.
Like my Ice Cream in my four door residential one. O ya, I sleep better all night knowing it's safe.

Just off the top of my head, I'm betting that neither were sitting level, had the recall installed or better yet, an ARP unit.

[2manytoyz]

Ivylog wrote:

2manytoyz wrote:
I've had both, and without a doubt, an absorption (propane) type is more efficient. It's slow to get going, but once it does, it sips propane and can run for weeks. Ideal for boondocking.

When you put heat in to get cold out I would not say it’s “more efficient” but it does use less electric power.

When I say efficient, I'm talking about taking enough energy to run the fridge while boondocking. It's easy to take enough propane to run the fridge for several weeks. But how are you going to supply 120VAC for the same period of time?

Might do it with solar. That's a LOT of solar panels and batteries, which require mostly clear days to replenish, OR, a LOT of gasoline for the generator. I have 1KW a solar setup on my home, and a 1000AH AGM battery bank. Here's how two of my fridges compared:

Refrigerator in garage: Not running but on: 0 Watts. Compressor running: 114-140 Watts. Total per day: 1.15 KW, 47.92 Watts per hour average.

Refrigerator in house: Compressor running: 146 Watts. Defrost: 572 Watts. Total per day 2.15 KW, 89.58 Watts per hour average.

During a major power outage (hurricane), neither of my home fridges will be powered. I'll put items in my 40 quart Engel fridge instead.

If you're at a campground, with unlimited AC power, there's no comparison, but that's not boondocking. 😉

[steved28]

FWIW we would not accept an "in stock" unit with a residential fridge when we purchased our new A. We ended up ordering from the factory, with a Norcold 4dr. Plus, we did not want a front bed over the driver/passenger seats. Seems like everything we saw had those 2 options on them. It's a personal decision I guess.

[Branson_N_Tucso]

Seen two Dometic refrigerators catch on fire during the night.
People were lucky to escape.
Like my Ice Cream in my four door residential one. O ya, I sleep better all night knowing it's safe.

[DrewE]

huntdooly wrote:
Do the RV fridges have a certain lifespan? And does it depend on how much it is used? For example, if someone has been living in it full-time, does it shorten the lifespan due to constant use, as opposed to an RV that is used recreationally?

There isn't really an inherent limit to the life of an absorption refrigeration unit; the fluids involved don't wear out or anything. The main things that cause them to fail are corrosion (either from the inside or the outside) and overheating due to operating too far out of level for too long of a time. There are absorption fridges that keep working for decades. I would not expect the lifespan to particularly depend on how much use it gets over time, vs. sitting unused.

[Wire_Man]

Our Norcold 4 door fridge started giving us trouble this year with the doors not sealing good. Tried shimming them and didn’t have much success. Norcold doesn’t sell replacement seals so anyone have any suggestions on a cure? It works great other than that.
Thank you

[tropical36]

huntdooly wrote:
Do the RV fridges have a certain lifespan? And does it depend on how much it is used? For example, if someone has been living in it full-time, does it shorten the lifespan due to constant use, as opposed to an RV that is used recreationally?

It depends I guess, but do make sure to keep them level.
Our last coach was 18yrs old when we sold it with an OEM Dometic intact and only used it when needed.
Our present is original as far as I know and since we've had it, have been running it 24/7 on the road and in the driveway....

[Mile_High]

huntdooly wrote:
Do the RV fridges have a certain lifespan? And does it depend on how much it is used? For example, if someone has been living in it full-time, does it shorten the lifespan due to constant use, as opposed to an RV that is used recreationally?

That's a good question. I know of many that have quit that were less than 6 years old in our last 5er group, but it was a mix of use. Some full time and some vacationers. The price of the fridges are grotesque, so many opted for replacing only the cooling unit and others just dumped it in favor of a residential style.

[mike_brez]

Mine is going on 21 years old and keep it running 24/7 for six or seven months per year.

[huntdooly]

Do the RV fridges have a certain lifespan? And does it depend on how much it is used? For example, if someone has been living in it full-time, does it shorten the lifespan due to constant use, as opposed to an RV that is used recreationally?

[doxiemom11]

Constant defrosting is usually because of poor door seals, or having the temp setting way colder than you need.

We are full-time and we like our Norcold 12cu ft 4 dr. We do have an older one ( 18 yrs old) though and I think the older ones perform better than the newer models. We do not want a residential unless we decide to park somewhere permanently.