Refrigerator upgrade

[Nealp49]

Our Norcold fridge died and i have replaced it with a residential fridge. Instead of running a new water line to the back of it for my ice maker, im considering getying the necessary fittings so i can simply run a garden hose through the rear vent to the ice maker. Then simply disconnect it when im ready to travel. Anybody see any problems ?

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

I don’t see a problem, just remember to turn the icemaker off when you disconnect the water line.

Did you install an inverter to keep the fridge/freezer operating on the road?

[Nealp49]

Thanks for the reply. No, i didnt install an inverter because we never travel more than 5 or 6 hours a day, and as long as we keep the fridge doors closed, it stays cold.

[chuckster57]

Might want to consider it. What if the park loses power? You break down on the road?

[Nealp49]

We have a Onan generator

[chuckster57]

Sounds like you got it covered.

[Alibaddy]

We also removed the gas/electric frig and replaced it with a residential one. We ran a line for the ice maker quite easily from the kitchen sink, with a shutoff valve. I would recommend that route before the hose idea, because of the convenience. We also installed a smaller inverter which easily powers the frig over the road, or if there's a power outage, as our generator is in a locker, and would be annoying to get out for only a short usage duration.

[rlh1957]

Only problem I see is using the water hose.
I would be afraid of a possible leak and with the volume of water from a hose as opposed to the volume from a skinny water line would be a big mess if it happened.
Routing a flexible ice maker waterline shouldn’t be that difficult.
For me I’d put a shutoff at the water supply end and another shutoff at the fridge.
But that’s the way I do things.

[Pearlie]

About 3 years ago we finally ditched the Dometic side by side and replaced it with a residential top freezer model. We gained cubic feet and use significantly less electricity. We are stationary for half the year, so it made a difference using less power.

Every ice maker I've ever had has had issues at some point, not to mention having to winterize the ice maker. We went minimalist and did not get a model with an ice maker. It not only cost less but we don't have to worry about winterizing the ice unit. Our ice maker had been broken for two years already, so we were already using a countertop unit for ice. It worked so well for us we never felt that we lost anything from not having the ice maker.

As far as refrigerators go, the reliability index goes way up on models without in-door ice dispensers and water dispensers. Even being in our rv for 6 months at a time, the minimalist approach works quite well for us.

Something to consider.