Using a residential fridge anybody?

[Mex-Busnut]

Dear Friends:

We ended up getting a residential fridge. It is a 9 cubic foot LG model, and uses about 105 watts when running.

I am paying close attention to the clearances stated in the manual. (3 centimeters --1.18 inches-- clearance on each side and top, and six cm --2.36 inches-- clearance to the rear. Manual is in Spanish, so all measurements in it are metric.)

The fridge will be firmly fastened to the floor, and also have a strong cross brace holding it in place at the top. Hope to post some pix in a little while.

I am wondering if perhaps we might need to add some external ventilation. I am thinking of a parked bus on a hot day. What do you experts think?

Thanks in advance!

[Dreamscape]

We replaced our Norcold when it died a horrible death, with a Whirlpool 10.0 cu ft household/apartment fridge. Fortunately the roof vent was already in place, so I wasn't worried. It says to leave a 3" space above the fridge, we have a lot more than that.

I would think as long as it gets some circulation you will OK. We full-time in ours so when it gets hot inside the coach, the A/C is used.

If yours is parked and not used for extended periods, might be a different story.

It's been happily running for over 3 years.

[eagle19952]

not an expert by any definition but I do have a residential refrigerator in my coach and it is 10 years in service.
I do have a dryer vent hose brush that I use to aid in vacuum cleaning the condenser coil 2-3 times a year, maybe more.
I suspect the unit will go another 10 years.
hope this helps.
ps no additional outside vent/cooling....no holes were cut, the Eagle was not wounded during this install....
and no propane in my bus....

[lorna]

We installed a dorm size fridge and an undercounter freezer in an old Class C in2006. It's still going strong. In that case we simply reused the original RV vents. We did have to add a small fan when temps got real high to move the air for the freezer unit. The wall vent was level with the fridge compressor but the freezer was sitting on the bottom. The was only 2" max airspace on sides.

In the skoolie, we have two dorm sized (4.2 cf each) units stacked and also an upright 12cf freezer. We bumped the side clearances up a little. We have a single vent about waist high. No vent out the roof. Only problem we have found is that I had to lay in a paper air conditioner filter to keep the dust from blowing in during one of our daily dust storms. This is our second summer like this in central New Mexico and it does get very hot here (triple digits). Units work just fine. Air conditioning was install just in the past few weeks.

Picture of our vents on the freezer and the refrigerators...

view from inside...I made a little screen to keep bugs out.


view of side. The vent was painted the same colour as the body. The vent for the two refrigerators is located in the first panel past the single window in front of the rear tires.

The vent panels we used are about the same size as the vented access panel that was on the Class C but has more louvered area.

This is what is working for us. We live fulltime in our bus.

[Lee Bradley]

Just got a Summit into my Neoplan. I think it is pretty similar to the LG. I'm not adding any more venting than having the kitchen fan come on if the temperature gets to high.

[Cary and Don]

We have had both.  Like the apartment sized fridge.  When the norcold dies,  it will be replaced with another apartment fridge.  You get a lot more actual space in the same foot print. 

Don and Cary

[thomasinnv]

I just replaced the norcold that died last month with a 10 cu ft apartment fridge. Been in about a month now. I mostly boondock so I installed a couple more batteries and a few more solar panels. All said and done I am still several hundred dollars less than a new rv type fridge, and I have upgraded the 12 volt system to boot. Money well spent in my opinion.

Sent from my PantechP9070 using Tapatalk 2

[wg4t50]

I insalled a house type in the MC7 conversion, had ice maker and defrost, loved it over 15 years and never an issue.  So when I purchased my present coach, a Foretravel, it had the lp gas  unit, never liked it, so had a Samsung 24 cuft, it was the right size to fit the hole, yes it is big, I now use part of it for storing my dry goods, not cans but ceral boxs etc, Biggie issue also I have no need for the LP Gas tank, so removed it and installed two additional 8D Gel Cell bats, total 5 of em now, that works great too.
Cheers
Dave M

[Seayfam]

I just replaced the norcold that died last month with a 10 cu ft apartment fridge. Been in about a month now. I mostly boondock so I installed a couple more batteries and a few more solar panels. All said and done I am still several hundred dollars less than a new rv type fridge, and I have upgraded the 12 volt system to boot. Money well spent in my opinion.

Sent from my PantechP9070 using Tapatalk 2

How big is your battery bank now that you have upgraded it? I'm a boondocker myself and I really love LP for that reason, but I'm now having some problems with my Dometic. It's working good on the freezer side but not the refrigerator side when on LP, but it works great when on electric. I've thought about switching also, but just not sure if it will work for boondocking.

[luvrbus]

We have a guy in Chino Valley Az that sells the Amish built fridges he charged me 15 bucks to do a little work on our Norcold in the motor home it works with the best house type on the market now in 115 degree heat if you turn it down to low it will freeze the milk  

I didn't have the choice to go with 5- 8D batteries not enough space and I was not going to spend the big bucks to upgrade the inverter we never stay in RV parks a space along the rivers in Idaho works for us so does the Norcold



I hate going to rallies and people running the generator to charge the batteries from the fridge draw over night now who is the first to say we only run ours once a week to keep it charged lol

I look at the bus with 8-8D lifeLine Glass mats 2 stacked 4000 watts S/W inverters and say gee if this is bad I looking at probably 12 grand

[Seayfam]

I'm with you Clifford, I'd rather be parked along some river in Idaho listening to the water and birds instead of a generator. I guess you'd be a great neighbor! I think LP is the only way to go when it comes to boondocking. I think if I was sitting on a pole all the time, I'd go all electric. The problem is... Ain't no poles where I like to get away Lol

[luvrbus]

Yep those current(Currant) bushes don't produce much power and Steel Head and trout hate generators   call the guy in Chino Valley

1-928-636-1955 he will walk you through the testing and if by chance the cooling unit is bad he will ship and tell you how to install it  

He reads this board but he never posts

[Seayfam]

Thanks Clifford! I'll give him a call on Monday. Maybe it'll be a ten dollar part? It would sure be nice if I can get it working again, it's been a really good refrigerator.

[Low Class]

I replaced my LP fridge with a 8.8 ft. Summit.  Sealed it on sides, top and bottom.  Left original outside vents open.  My thinking is that since my little bit of camping is in warmer weather, I would rather have the heat from the fridge go outside.  Also didn't have any other choice as fridge is a tight fit in original hole.

Luvurbus,
I take it that you have never camped beside your friend, Sonny.  At BK's rally he ran his gen around the clock, if I recall correctly.  It wasn't too loud.  I actually can sleep better with some white noise.

[Scott & Heather]

26 cubit footer in ours. The biggest Samsung made at the time. Huge. Ginormous. Yes, food is high on our priority list.