AC only Refrigerators?

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rick_in_denver

rick_in_denver

Active member
Joined
Aug 16, 2011
Posts
32
Location
Denver, CO
In my viewing of new and used Class A motorhomes, I've run across a couple of them that had regular household refrigerators installed instead of the 2- or 3-way refrigerators.  On one hand, I can see advantages in cost should you have to replace or repair the unit; on the other hand, of course, is (I think) having to run your generator (virtually) 24/7 when traveling or not plugged into shore power.

One salesperson at a recent RV show said that "they" have made great technological advancements in the deep-cycle house batteries, that an AC reefer could run via batteries/inverter for quite a while.  I am thinking she is shoveling a load of BS my way.

Any comments?  especially from others who have (or had) an AC only fridge?

RickinDenver
 
No BS, the residential fridges can run very well on inverters; even boondocking; no need to plug in or run your generator.  Lots of manufacturers are installing them in new coaches; and many RVers are replacing their old propane/AC fridges with new residental ones.

Marsha~
 
Marsha/CA said:
No BS, the residential fridges can run very well on inverters; even boondocking; no need to plug in or run your generator.  Lots of manufacturers are installing them in new coaches; and many RVers are replacing their old propane/AC fridges with new residental ones.
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I thought it was quite unusual.  I've stepped into a lot of RVs over the years and only recently have I started to pay attention to some of the equipment, appliances, etc.  I would guess that a lot of it has to do with how new the fridge is (energy savings), the quality of the house batteries and the inverter output.  I'd hate to go boondocking somewhere with a fully charged battery set, leave to go hiking/exploring/etc. all day and come back to find that the reefer stopped 3 hours back when the batteries couldn't keep up.  But... I guess the same could happen with a propane unit if you weren't fully prepared for your trip.

Thanks Marsha!
 
rick_in_denver said:
I'd hate to go boondocking somewhere with a fully charged battery set, leave to go hiking/exploring/etc. all day and come back to find that the reefer stopped 3 hours back when the batteries couldn't keep up.
Thanks Marsha!
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One of the options is to add auto start to your generator so that it will start if your batteries get low.
 
I recently replaced my Dometic that died with a small household fridge - and we are very pleased!!. On the road, I just run the gennie every few hours (if it's not hot and running for the roof ACs). The 'household' units also cool MUCH QUICKER than the Norcold or Dometics, and also have more space!

If you leave the door closed, it'll stay plenty cold for several hours.

Another advantage - propane refrigerators are, I understand, one of the major causes of RV fires!
 
PorscheMark said:
I recently replaced my Dometic that died with a small household fridge - and we are very pleased!!. On the road, I just run the gennie every few hours (if it's not hot and running for the roof ACs). The 'household' units also cool MUCH QUICKER than the Norcold or Dometics, and also have more space!
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense.  Depending on the household fridge, of course, when you first turn on the fridge with the interior cabinet at room temperature (lets say 70F) I would think the refrigerator compartment could get down to acceptable (less than 40F) temp within a couple of hours if you keep the door shut during the initial cool-down.  The freezer would take longer, and even longer to make ice if you had an automatic ice maker.  I don't know what the cool-down time is for a typical RV fridge running under electric or propane but would think it is much longer.  Loading it with food that is already refrigerated will certainly help, not hinder, the cooldown cycle.  Do you do anything special (venting to outside, etc.) to remove the condenser heat from the RV?

How long can your batteries keep the refrigerator cold when you're not running your AC's or anything else, and not cycling your generator?  Does your inverter stop if the battery voltage (or available current) gets too low?

Thanks for your input - greatly appreciated.
Rick in Denver

 
Two comments:

1: The only real issue I have with Residential fridges are the fact that I sometimes boondock, and that means at least 8 hours if I'm in a park with no generator.

2: They suck a lot of power for their size (Which is why they cool so fast)

Option: Both Dometic and Norcold sell 12v/120v Compressor units using a new compressor.. These full size fridges suck less power than one dual lamp light fixture in my RV. (35-50 watts v/s 52 for the light) That is with the door closed of course, Goes up like 50% when you open the door and turn the light on :)
 
John From Detroit said:
Option: Both Dometic and Norcold sell 12v/120v Compressor units using a new compressor.. These full size fridges suck less power than one dual lamp light fixture in my RV. (35-50 watts v/s 52 for the light) That is with the door closed of course, Goes up like 50% when you open the door and turn the light on :)
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Well, I haven't bought anything (including a MH) just yet but I will have to look into those.  That might be a good alternative to the 120V AC only unit and perhaps a bit safer than one that uses propane (reference someone's earlier post).

Thanks, John

Rick in Denver
 
Consider how you expect to be living, e.g. in campgrounds with hookups or boondocking or both or more one than the other.  We've been RVing for 35 years with propane refrigerators and I prefer them.  I don't have to worry about annoying anyone with my generator.  I know residential refrigerators are getting to be more popular and some of the people on this forum love them, but I also think they do limit you in the respect of not wanting to run the generator in certain places.  For example, some of us were talking about going to a specific national park campground and the rules at that particular campground were no generators after 7 p.m. which is really restrictive when you're wanting to recharge batteries for several hours before going to bed.  So, how you want to live in your RV is a major consideration when you start looking at various appliances.  This doesn't just apply to refrigerators, but also to things like cooking by microwave only or needing to have air conditioning on all the time.  The more "goodies" you need to run off your generator, the more you're going to need to recharge your batteries so lifestyle is a huge consideration.

ArdraF
 
I just replaced the old Dometic in my rig with a Kenmore mini-fridge and so far it is working great.  I have it set up to run on shore power when stopped and on the inverter when were going down the road or boondocking.  I have a rather large inverter, 2500w, hooked up to two deep cycles and it has no problem running the fridge and some lights, longest run so far is about 6-7 hours. I am thinking we should be able to get a day or two out of it running strictly on the batteries if we use any other accessories sparingly.  The installation is still pretty new and we've yet to really field test it, but just running everything while the rig is sitting out back, it looks promising.  (Doing a major renovation to an old class C, so plenty of backyard boondocking time, lol)
 
Once cool, the refer does not run that often especially if the door is not opened.
 
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