Cooler Unit Replacement - New or Refurbished?

[93ToyTruck]

My refrigerator went out. Propane and 120v produce heat but it doesn't cool. There is no sign of a leak.

I think my cooling unit went out due to heat and lack of ventilation. I keep my RV in the California desert and run the refrigerator about 8 months out of the year. My RV is level and stays in the same location so I don't think it being level was a contributing factor. The temp is often 90 to 100+ degrees and I didn't have any fans installed. When I get a new unit, I plan on installing a few 5" fans at the top of the vent in addition to one of the fan kits that mount to the refrigerator. It's still going to be hot outside but I'll keep the air flowing through.

I'm trying to decide between a new or refurbished cooling unit.

I don't think I would benefit from the new units that are thicker because leaking and operating the refrigerator off level isn't the issue I need to overcome. They don't do anything extra to address the cooling which is my problem.

My concern about a refurbished unit is that it seems like the condition of the unit they refurbish is random luck. How do they know that it doesn't have a weak spot because a leak was developing but didn't surface?

Any recommendations on vendors?

[LarryJM]

I just had to replace my 8 year old absorption frig and at the same time I added the "ARP Control" with fan control to try and prevent future problems due to what I believe is the real killer and that is excessive boiler temp. I really like the ability to set both the boiler temp and the fan temp limits from inside the trailer and with the addition of one LED I can now monitor when the condenser fan is on.

Larry

[mikestock]

Helium charged is advertised to work better than the hydrogen charged, besides being fireproof. The fireproof feature is enough for me.

[Big_Katuna]

Four door model. 1200 RIM.

I dont think helium; had never heard of it until this thread.

I did it in one day with the help of my son.

[mikestock]

Big Katuna wrote:
The lower left side is the coldest. Mine with the new Amish built keeps ice cream hard.

Questions:
Is your's the 4 door model?
Did you opt for the helium model?
I found one of your prior posts that says you did it yourself.

[Big_Katuna]

The lower left side is the coldest. Mine with the new Amish built keeps ice cream hard.

[mikestock]

Another concern would be that the stock inverter in my Phaeton is MSW and not PSW, making the conversion even more costly.

Adding the cost of PSW inverter to replace MSW, replacing (already new) golf cart batteries, solar panels and controller, purchasing household refrigerator, modifying cabinetry, having a window removed and replaced and mounting the fridge. I can see now the cost fast approaching the $4500 replacement cost.

As much as I would like to have solid ice cream sandwiches, there is a lot to consider when converting.

My current Norcold is not as good as household but it keeps frozen foods frozen and keeps refrigerated foods as cold as my home model. The only time I would consider replacing it would be in case of a failure.

I guess I can add a pound or two of dry ice if I have to keep ice cream.

[pianotuna]

It is beyond me why someone would replace a working fridge. I'll use mine until it fails and then replace with a compressor type.

mikestock wrote:


Probably, when compared to the $4500 replacement I could spend quite a bit on solar panels and batteries. We will still probably do some football tailgating, so that plan may be in our future, but only in case we have to replace existing fridge.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Heated hydrogen atoms are mean little ----------. They are the tiniest of atoms and they will eat their way through metals. Absorbsion refrigerators have enough hydrogen gas and it gets hot enough to cause impingement and embrittlement. The solution is costly. Early SERVEL brand gas refrigerators used Swedish steel cooling units. Infinitely better grade of steel, containing lots of nickel alloy and the tubing was twice as thick as what is found on today's mild steel RV refrigerators. The old Servels lasted decades operating 24/7. But weight and cost restraints prohibit this necessary practice on today's absorsbsion refrigerators. The result is a massively expensive Chew & Spit appliance.

[mikestock]

Big Katuna wrote:
But you can repair it to better than new condition for $1200.

I did this once on a smaller fridge. Pretty involved procass. By the time I purchased the cooling unit and had it installed I would probably have almost $2000 invested in this side by side.

I don't know whether I would go this way or convert to a residential type. Never had an ammonia absorption type that kept my ice cream cold enough. Since my storage lot has power, I could still keep it powered up between trips.

Guess I will have to cross that path soon. Mine is approaching 9 years old and that has to be nearing the life expectancy.

[Big_Katuna]

But you can repair it to better than new condition for $1200.

[mikestock]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Add some solar panels and consider upgrading to LI batteries.

mikestock wrote:
Since a like replacement for my side by side costs around $4500, I have always said I would replace it with a residential unit if it went out. This has its downside because there is only room for 4 golf cart batteries and we do a lot of tailgating where we go for hours without power and I hate to run the Onan full time just for the fridge. Will probably face this issue at some point.

Probably, when compared to the $4500 replacement I could spend quite a bit on solar panels and batteries. We will still probably do some football tailgating, so that plan may be in our future, but only in case we have to replace existing fridge.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Add some solar panels and consider upgrading to LI batteries.

mikestock wrote:
Since a like replacement for my side by side costs around $4500, I have always said I would replace it with a residential unit if it went out. This has its downside because there is only room for 4 golf cart batteries and we do a lot of tailgating where we go for hours without power and I hate to run the Onan full time just for the fridge. Will probably face this issue at some point.

[mikestock]

Since a like replacement for my side by side costs around $4500, I have always said I would replace it with a residential unit if it went out. This has its downside because there is only room for 4 golf cart batteries and we do a lot of tailgating where we go for hours without power and I hate to run the Onan full time just for the fridge. Will probably face this issue at some point.

[93ToyTruck]

I installed my new cooling unit and all is well. It was a bit of work.

I added some cooling fans as pictured below.

3 120mm fans mounted to the wall are just below the condenser fins. They're a tight fit. The gap around the trim was about 1/16" and it's now 1/8". I replaced the weather stripping around the trim and it looks fine.

2 92mm fans mounted are mounted using conduit hangers.

The outer 2 condenser fin fans are on all of the time. The center condenser fin fan and the 92mm fans turn on when the temp is above 85 degrees then off when it goes below 70. The temp switch is mounted to the wall just above the opening so it will get a good flow of air.

I added Reflectix insulation in several places. The contact paper on the back wall was a little scorched from the propane exhaust. Even after insulating, the heating element tube raised the temp of the adjacent wall 5-10 degrees over room temp.