Survey of Winnebago refrigerator replacements - gas to household

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John Canfield

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mickey53usa had a great suggestion - why not start a survey thread patterned along the lines of our popular Survey of CRT to LCD TV replacement topic.  So here we go!

I'll start with my conversion of a few years ago of our Nocold (misspelling intentional) 1200LR four door with a 17' Frigidaire purchased from Lowe's.  I'm not going pull all of my pictures from my website write-up and duplicate them here so please go here if you are interested in details from my conversion.  Our only regret about the conversion is that we didn't do it years sooner.

So, lets see your conversion (pictures, we want lots of pictures!)
 
Would it be more popular if you put it in the "Remodeling" section instead of the "Winnebago-specific issues" section?
 
Had our Norcold 1200 replaced with a Samsung RF18. A few days ago. Did not add a new inverter. Chose Samsung because it's warrantied in MH and will operate on MSW inverter. Very low power usage, max dc amps 1.1. Quiet!  Deeper than Norcold so protrudes from original cabinet about three inches. So far DW happy.
 
Samsung is an extremely popular brand for conversions.  We have had a PSW inverter almost since the coach was new so no worries about our Frigidaire compressor running on inverter.  So far so good, DW and myself are happy campers.
 
Thanks John for starting this - I have looked at the specifications on the Samsung RF18 and it looks like I will need to enlarge my opening vertically about 5 or 6 inches. Will be looking at other brands - specifically "counter depth" or about 24" deep without the doors. Plan to put a PSW Inverter in specifically for the refrigerator - probably 1000 watt.  Gary RV Roamer is playing with an Inverter that I might try.  Getting the floors redone this year - next year the refrigerator.
 
2009 Winnebago Destination 37G
Since I am the one that suggested to John that this refrigerator conversion thread be started, I guess I will start with my conversion project. This is going to start with the planning stage (which where I am now) and move into the purchase of parts, including the refrigerator and the modification of the opening.
Our motor home came with the 1201LM Norcold refrigerator. I have had the ?recall? done three times as each time the ?recall? box failed. The refrigerator is not big enough, especially since my wife cooks a lot when we travel with friends. It has never kept the refrigerator part as cold as the unit in the stick & brick. The freezer works wonderfully, but the refrigerator part was never at our expectation. We live and spend most of our time travelling in Texas. The exterior of the motor home is primarily black. Texas and black means a lot of heat.
The other issue, which a new refrigerator will not resolve, but does figure into the replacement refrigerator specification is height. We have seven (7) foot ceilings and the refrigerator is currently mounted to within three (3) inches of the ceiling. Getting into the freezer and looking into the bottom of it is on tiptoes or by stool. Under the current refrigerator is a single drawer that is currently filled with cooking utensils.  We don?t want to lose this drawer, but it might either come to that or at the least make in shorter in depth. So, a bottom freezer unit or a side by side is probably where we are headed for the replacement unit.
Another issue is the location of the refrigerator. To the right of the refrigerator is a wall and on the other side is the shower. No room to move to the right. To the left is the kitchen counter and cook top with drawers under the cook top. Below the drawers is the home of the furnace. I mention this as I need to find a location for another inverter.
This brings up power. I currently have two 12v Group 31 deep cycle house batteries and a 600 watt MSW Dimensions inverter. My thought is to install a new 1000 watt PSW inverter with an included transfer switch (internal) or add an additional transfer switch. One suggestion by another board member is to put in a DPDT 10A switch to switch the refrigerator between the new inverter and line/generator power. My though is to add a third 12v Group 31 battery (will just fit) to the house battery bank.
That is about as far as I have gotten. I plan to make the conversion next year (new floor in the motor home installed by Ernie Ekberg is this year) so I do have some time to firm up my plans. I will post some pictures of the current install, including the existing cabinets, drawers and what is under and behind both. I will also update this from time to time on any changes that I make, and on the actual install.
So, suggestions or comments, especially from those that have gone before on this project would be helpful. ? Stay Tuned - Michael
 
mickey53usa said:
...So, suggestions or comments, especially from those that have gone before on this project would be helpful. ? Stay Tuned - Michael
A third battery would be useful.  Is their space to upgrade your current Dimensions to a larger version?  What gauge are the 12V cables going into the inverter/charger?

Put up a few pictures of your current fridge if you can.
 
Current Dimensions Inverter is located next to the transfer switch in the electrical compartment and IIRC, there is enough room to put a larger unit.  I have a separate converter\charger. Both, according to the wiring diagrams, appear to be fed with #3 wire.  Will get photos this weekend. Have included a pdf of the 110v wiring for the passenger side and the passenger side appliance layout to give you a little idea what I am working with. - keep the ideas coming -
 

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As I get to looking at the wiring diagrams, existing Inverter is on opposite side of the motor home and it shows a 14ga wire Daisy chaining the five Inverter outlets. Would need to tap directly off the new larger Inverter and bring the new 110v tap direct to the refrigerator. Plus would need to upgrade the DC wiring to the Inverter. Running a separate 12v run of #1 to an additional Inverter installed close to the new refrigerator might be the easier solution. Need to ponder this some more.
 
Removed the drawer below the refrigerator. The area where the furnace is located is under the cook top counter/cabinets and separated by a wall to the left of the refrigerator. With the drawer removed, there is seven (7) inches from the bottom of the drawer opening to the floor. There is an electrical outlet and the propane sensor located in the area. It might be possible to relocate those two items to the left of the refrigerator area and orient them vertically. This would allow me to drop the height of the drawer and still keep it full height. There are water lines for the kitchen sink going through this area as well as the drain line and vent for the shower. Picture one shows location of the refrigerator - right across from the "One Place." Photos 2,3 & 4 show the front of the refrigerator, the drawer below and the electrical outlet and the propane sensor. Picture 5 looks into the drawer area to the left of center. Photo 6 looks into the drawer are to the right of center. Photos 7 & 8 show the left side of the cabinet and the water lines for the kitchen sink, which also connect to the shower on the right of the refrigerator. Photo 9 is the left side wall of the area and photo 10 is the right side wall of the area. Notice the shower drain pipe.  There is some area along the left edge of the refrigerator that could be trimmed if more width is needed, but I think height will be more of the problem, since what I can measure shows an existing height of 66 inches. Replacements seem to be in the 70 to 72 inch area. My choice would be to take an inch from the top and then take the remainder from the bottom.
 

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BigJohn said:
Had our Norcold 1200 replaced with a Samsung RF18. A few days ago. Did not add a new inverter. Chose Samsung because it's warrantied in MH and will operate on MSW inverter. Very low power usage, max dc amps 1.1. Quiet!  Deeper than Norcold so protrudes from original cabinet about three inches. So far DW happy.

I can't find the specs for this model for sure. Is this the French door style refrigerator? How did you discover a MSW inverter was ok?
 
When researching the Samsum refrigerator, I chatted on their website with a representative. I got the info on warranty and MSW from the rep.. I was looking at several brands and did not keep a copy of the chat. I chatted again tonight and was told it will void warranty. Sorry for the misinformation. It appears that it depends on who you ask. Tonight I chatted with Hampi B chat#4306827435.
 

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