rv refrigerators- question

[Ackcminnie]

well, after all this time, Miss Minerva is road worthy again!! DH has fixed all the delamination and it's been a real job but He did it! Going to order a hard wired 30 amp surge protector from Progessive industries so that's also taken care of.

My next dilemma is the refrigerator. After reading all the blogs and seeing the pictures of burning rigs.....I would like to replace my propane refrigerator with a residential one and run it on an inverter when not on shore power. I know this is a controversial discussion and many swear by the propane operation, except the ones that actually experienced a fire. And I haven't heard any that were sorry that they switched from propane.

My rig is a 2002 Minnie class c. it was NOT part of the recall but after doing a lot of research I now understand WHY they catch fire, even when using electric. Anyway, getting away from the propane and ammonia cooling like these fridges are, can only be a positive move for me. I will be able to relax and not worry.

Question: do any of you have residential refrigerators or did you convert to one? I know that many new models are coming with residential as a "standard" feature.
If you have converted from propane, what advice would you offer and what should I look for as far as the model? I see that Samsungs are the choice of many with the big rigs. Thanks gals, Karen

[Bethers]

How many batteries do you have? How much do you want to run your generator?

I have two friends who have switched - and they run their generators a LOT in order to keep the batteries with enough power to run the fridge. I won't park near them when boondocking. They can't boondock at places that have limited generator hours. That has been a problem for them. And they do have solar, but the fridge uses more power than you probably realize. Some make it work. If you'll be plugged in all the time, not a problem.

(Last several rigs I've seen burn weren't because of propane in any way. One friend just had a fire because of a bad connection to the batteries. I'm going to hazard a guess that faulty or loose wiring causes the most fires. No records, but I know of several for that reason.)

[Ackcminnie]

I would have 2 AGM batteries connected to a 2000 watt inverter that ONLY runs the refrigerator. This would be for when I am in transit travelling, then shore power when at the cg. Also the defrost cycle on the fridge would be re wired to a switch so that it could be turned off while travelling, since there is a larger draw of amps when that defrost cycle kicks in. It could be switched back on when on shore power.

The 2 AGM batteries would recharge when hooked to power again. I am not in favor of generator noise or running it other than a boost if necessary.

I understand that the heating of ammonia required to change into gas is the culprit in those fires. With all the coils BEHIND our refrigerators, where we cannot see them, we cannot keep our eye on them for possible corrosion or a pinhole. Some fires start because the coils get clogged and therefore the ammonia overheats. That coupled with a flame from propane is recipe for disaster.

We always look at the parts of the refrigerator outside the rv to make sure we see no "yellow dust" ( a sign of leakage) or smell any propane. That's about all we can do.

A complaint many have is that the newer the rig, the less thick the coils are because manufactures cut back to save money and the coils are of a lesser quality material that does not hold up to erosion from the inside like the older ones did.

My head is spinning......thanks, Beth for your input!

[Bethers]

OK, will work for you. Except when I'm workamping, I most often don't have electricity/power - that's not where I usually choose to stay. You'd also be limited to not using many national park, state park, etc cg's that don't have electric. If that's how you'll be traveling - go for it. We all are doing things differently and what's right for me isn't necessarily what is right for you.

[Acadianmom]

My refrigerator went out last year and I put an apartment size residential refrigerator in my motorhome. I had to do a lot of searching to find one that fit in the area the old one came out of. Moving a wall was not an option. The one I found I ordered from Home Depot. This refrigerator only came with one shelf. I don't remember if the description said that and I didn't notice. I had kept the shelves from the old refrigerator and one fit in the freezer. I got some of the metal shelving from Lowe's and cut a shelf to fit.

I don't have solar or an inverter. When I travel I either put blue ice in the refrigerator or take some of the food and put it in the freezer. When I get to a campground I put the blue ice back in the freezer to freeze again. If you don't keep opening the refrigerator it will stay cold a long time. The one I bought has more room than the one it replaced.

I'm not in the habit of boon docking. I figured if I need to boon dock I will just use an ice chest. I made several trips while the refrigerator was out and I made it ok with an ice chest.

Martha

[MandysMom]

If you are curious about what caused Norcold fires, I suggest you read this link which is a direct copy from the law offices representing those who have or had defective units of Norcold fridges in RVs.
http://www.livingthervdream.com/the-Nor ... wsuit.html

Myself, in a future RV will have a residential fridge, likely a Samsung. It's a bit more hassle but reading places like IRV2 I know it is possible to boondock and not run generator all the time using a dedicated sized right inverter and solar plus batteries. Another place to read is the blog of Technomadia who are turning their bus into all electric including cooking on induction burner using solar and a battery bank ( lithium he built). You can run almost anything on solar if you have a big enough battery bank and enough solar panels, but of course that depends on roof size, although I looked at a couples blog recently where they have solar mounted on racks that slide so during travel several panels on each side slide over those next to them then when parked slide out like a porch roof on either side of the coach effectively doubling their number of panels. More than most of us would do but they even running their AC on their system!

An advantage I understand of residential fridges is the food stays colder. I had trouble keeping food fully cold enough even plugged into 110 at RV park during summer of 2013 when Mel had surgery. But then it was over 105 every day I was there and a few days over 110!!!
Velda

[MelissaD]

Do what you feel safe with but personally I believe some of this is over blown. Since everyone has a video camera in their phones these days I believe the number of these images exaggerates things. According to insurance fire reports about 4,000 RV's burn a year. The fridge is often blamed but not always the cause per the report. The RV industry made 252,300 RVs in 2010 with a peak of 356,735 in 2014. There are literally millions of RV's in the US. That's a statistic of <1% that actually have an issue and many times it's due to poor or improper maintenance.

Lady Antebellum's RV fire recently in the news was a tire fire. There are many ignition sources on an RV. Electrical also causes many fires and can also cause a condition called "hot skin" which has electrocuted several people.

Good luck I'd be curious how much battery you actually need to run the fridge. 200 watts/12 volts = 16.6666 amps but since you will be using an inverter it will be even higher. Can only discharge a battery to 1/2 it's rating. http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s4/r ... 12954.html used 4 golf cart batteries to run their fridge on their boat.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/run-refrig ... 49672.html

Good luck

[MandysMom]

This is just one post on residential fridges I found. It matches what I have read on several others by different people with different coaches. No luck to it, its all in research, preparation and what you choose for your rig. It's not only possible, it's being done successfully by many. Most I read are using a Samsung I think model R-197 or close to that. Which supposedly fits where typical size rv fridge fits without mods.

"My residential refrigerator draws 8 amps @ 12 volts, thru my inverter.

Any M/H, alternator will deliver that current all day.

If your towing, you should easily get that much thru the trailer connection.

My refrigerator consumes about 100 AH, a day. That's 1 pair of 6 volt, GC2s, drawing down to 50% charge. If you run a 50 amp charger 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day, your even."

[Ackcminnie]

Excellent input, gals and Thank you so much!

I follow those blogs that some of you mentioned and Yes...it is possible to do this and be happy with it! I like the fact that it can be done in steps, like get it now, and I can always do the inverter later. Nick Russell from Gypsy Journal just gave me some excellent advice also. I think it is the way to go now. The old system just seems archaic and I cannot relax knowing what I know about these things.

My refrigerator will probably be small because the area it goes in is about 25x25x64. I will start shopping and see what happens. In the meantime, I am using the Norcold, it works fine. Last year we went 6000 miles with it on all the time.

[Bethers]

Do what you feel safe with but personally I believe some of this is over blown. Since everyone has a video camera in their phones these days I believe the number of these images exaggerates things. According to insurance fire reports about 4,000 RV's burn a year. The fridge is often blamed but not always the cause per the report. The RV industry made 252,300 RVs in 2010 with a peak of 356,735 in 2014. There are literally millions of RV's in the US. That's a statistic of <1% that actually have an issue and many times it's due to poor or improper maintenance.

Lady Antebellum's RV fire recently in the news was a tire fire. There are many ignition sources on an RV. Electrical also causes many fires and can also cause a condition called "hot skin" which has electrocuted several people.

Good luck I'd be curious how much battery you actually need to run the fridge. 200 watts/12 volts = 16.6666 amps but since you will be using an inverter it will be even higher. Can only discharge a battery to 1/2 it's rating. http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s4/r ... 12954.html used 4 golf cart batteries to run their fridge on their boat.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/run-refrig ... 49672.html

Good luck

Thanks for getting the figures. I, too, feel it's blown way out of proportion, but agree everyone has to do what works best for them and their safety level. Yesterday on the news was a motorhome that went out of control on the interstate. Luckily no one seriously injured. Tire failure. Way more of those than fridge fires ... so while being cautious, please, please watch tires. And I still had a blowout while watching and JudyJB had two because of what would later be known as recalled tires. We're lucky in that we were able to control our rigs. The video I saw last night - they couldn't - probably more to do with speed. Another reason I try to stay off interstates and drive slower.

Off topic, I know, but this is about safety - right?

[snowball]

when Jenny got her refrigerator for their motor home I started wondering just how
it works when boon docking I'm still confused because for several months I do just that...
I think when I have to replace mine it will be with a regular refrigerator if I can wrap my
mind around how to do it...there was a guy in the desert that had lots of panels stopped one time
to ask him how many batteries he used he had 12 batteries ran two deep freezers now just where
he put all those batteries I don't know (he had a 5th wheel)
sheila

[Bethers]

And the last RV fire I know of was from a bad connection to a battery.

Dan and Jenny run their generator to keep the batteries able to run their fridge when boondocking. l

[retiredhappy]

I agree with MelissaD - these things are blown way out of proportion. What does your heater run on? Isn't it also propane? In my opinion, you're more likely to have a blow out on a tire than a fire from your frig.