Residential Fridges

[sourdough]

Committing to a new Montana HC with a residential fridge. Always thought I preferred a regular RV fridge (never owned a residential) but we don't dry camp any longer. If I did I would just tote a genny.

My question/concern; we've talked to a couple of folks here in the park that have them and they rave about them so I wasn't too concerned. Watched a walk thru video of the unit we intend to buy (331RL) and the guy commented about the problems with the residential fridges. Never heard that (reliability/failures). Any comments/thoughts/insights? I have a deposit on the unit, have to clear things here and get back to pick it up with the understanding it has to pass muster so I can move to something else if this is a big issue.
Thanks.

[jsb5717]

I say toss a coin. It seems like there is potential for glitches no matter what you choose. With the RV fridge you will likely need to add fans in the rear to better manage temp and keep the fridge cooler. With the residential fridge it will use more battery via the inverter. But, if you plan to mostly camp with shore power then that's a moot issue.

Ours came with the RV fridge and I'm OK with it, it works fine after adding the fans. If it would have come with the residential fridge I think I would have been fine with that as well. We aren't boon-dockers so as long as the food stays cool we're good.

[chuckster57]

Only real issue with residential style refer is if service is needed. As a rule appliance service people WON’T work on them inside the unit. We had to remove the drivers window and seat to get one out of a Tiffen.

Me personally, I wouldn’t own one in an RV. I’ve seen very few have issues, but then it’s just my personal preference. Enjoy, can’t wait to see pics!

[JRTJH]

For me, the biggest drawback is towing in the "heat of summer" with a residential refrigerator. The warnings about not operating the unit inside the trailer when the temp exceeds 110F would be my concern. Apparently the compressor is a variable speed "light duty" unit and can burn itself out trying to pump the refrigerator heat out into air that's too hot to accept it. If that happens during the warranty, no problem, but after Keystone's year, then it becomes an issue. Samsung won't honor the warranty in the trailer and the refrigerator won't fit through the door.... So......

[77cruiser]

For me, the biggest drawback is towing in the "heat of summer" with a residential refrigerator. The warnings about not operating the unit inside the trailer when the temp exceeds 110F would be my concern. Apparently the compressor is a variable speed "light duty" unit and can burn itself out trying to pump the refrigerator heat out into air that's too hot to accept it. If that happens during the warranty, no problem, but after Keystone's year, then it becomes an issue. Samsung won't honor the warranty in the trailer and the refrigerator won't fit through the door.... So......
That will be a problem. What do ya do pull the slide out?
Only issue I have with mine is the inverter trips sometimes.

[Vet4jdc]

Love our MHC 331RL with residential fridge. More room than rv fridge, ice maker is amazing, keep it plugged in at home and on the road.

You won't be sorry!

[JRTJH]

If the inverter trips, it could be a low charge on the battery, or the size of the wiring from the battery to the inverter or it could be the refrigerator compressor "telling you it's tired"... I'm certainly not a refrigeration tech, so take this as a "novice opinion"... To me, if the inverter is tripping and the battery isn't low, then I'd suspect that the variable speed compressor is "working at max capacity" shutting off and then coming back on as soon as the delay time is met. The head pressure would trip the inverter breaker. Why would it come back on early? Possibly because the refrigerator isn't cooling efficiently (maybe too hot in the trailer?) and the compressor is overheating at "max speed" then as soon as it's cool enough, coming back on.... Just a SWAG, so don't shoot the messenger if it's a wrong opinioin, but if it's in warranty, I'd get it checked before the warranty on the trailer expires and if the trailer warranty is already gone but the refrigerator's 2 years isn't up, I'd push the dealer to have it checked out. That's a $2500 refrigerator if you have to buy a replacement, and probably $1000 to get it removed from the trailer, a new compressor and reinstalled....

[dutchmensport]

Ours has a Samsung residential refrigerator and we keep the camper plugged in 24x7x365 unless on the road actually traveling. So far, not a hint of issues with this refrigerator. I didn't know how the ice maker worked when we first purchased the camper. I had trouble getting it started. The buttons are all backwards. I called Samsung and they walked me through getting it turned on. In the tit-for-tat, back and forth phone calls, there was a point where they were willing to send out a service repair person for me. I made sure they knew the refrigerator was inside an RV and they said that was no problem. Fortunately, I got the ice maker working. What appears to be "off" is actually on.

FYI, we keep the camper plugged in at home, and even in 10 below zero weather, the refrigerator did not freeze up, and when the temperature inside the camper reached over 100, it still kept the freezer at -4 and the refrigerator section at +34 consistently. No issues at all (17 months going and going strong).

[sourdough]

Thanks all. Seems the things I've read are sort of like this...good/bad. How to remove/replace and not being able to get inside sounds problematic. I don't mind buying a new fridge, if reasonably required, but have no interest in having to have doors and walls removed to do so.

[chuckster57]

Thanks all. Seems the things I've read are sort of like this...good/bad. How to remove/replace and not being able to get inside sounds problematic. I don't mind buying a new fridge, if reasonably required, but have no interest in having to have doors and walls removed to do so.



Tape measure and specs. If the doors are off the fridge will it fit through the entry door? Is there a big “picture window” at the rear? Hopefully you never have to repair/replace it, but if you at least have the ability to get it out of the RV that’s a huge plus.

[sourdough]

Thanks Chuck. I'll have them measure and/or tell me the procedure.

[flybouy]

A saws all will get it out, getting a new one in....:facepalm:

[sourdough]

A saws all will get it out, getting a new one in....:facepalm:


Got it! Got several but if I'm going to do that I'll just pull it out the door and buy another trailer....:eek:

[Old Mustanger]

Really like the residential in ours, don't think I would ever go back to an RV fridge. Make sure the dealer installs enough batteries to power it when needed, our 5er has 4 12V batteries, with 2 size 27 dedicated to the fridge. We have traveled for up to 9 Hrs and the fridge held temps in both compartments

[sourdough]

Mustanger, I told them I wanted 2 for the coach and understood 1 was all it took for the residential fridge. Is that a mistake? We do not boondock.

[notanlines]

Danny, we are into our third season with the DRV and our residential fridge. So far we have towed a total of 16K miles and it has never missed a lick. The ice maker works great and while towing, the truck and 6 volt batteries handle the inverter just fine. If we had to do it over we would still choose the Whirlpool.
And congrat's on the new RV.

[OldMasterTech]

Danny, we are into our third season with the DRV and our residential fridge. So far we have towed a total of 16K miles and it has never missed a lick. The ice maker works great and while towing, the truck and 6 volt batteries handle the inverter just fine. If we had to do it over we would still choose the Whirlpool.
And congrat's on the new RV.

Jim, how does winterization work with the icemaker? Can you easily remove it to avoid pink glycol getting in it?

[Tbos]

22 months with our residential fridge in the Alpine and no problems. Winterizing was not an issue. There are several cut offs and a low point drain. If it ever needs to be replaced the doors on the fridge would come off so it would fit out the door.

[notanlines]

Dick, there is a water connection behind the fridge with outside access for a drain, and there is a fridge water cut off on the main water manifold in the basement.
That being said, since our pudgy little bodies are in south Florida until May every year it remains a moot issue. (Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in...:D)

[RET.LEO]

Time to upgrade to the new century and steer clear of the fire breathing dragon absorption fridge.
Furrion has a 12V or 110V Arctic compressor driven fridge which is a direct replacement for a 8 cf absorption. Built to handle a RV lifestyle, built to be energy efficient. Turns a 8 cf into a dependable, safe compressor driven fridge.
Anyone looking to replace a absorption with another will save about one third.
When we buy our new trailer and if there is a absorption fridge it will be replaced before it leaves the lot.
https://furrion.com/products/furrion-arctic-10-cu-ft-12v-refrigerator?gclid=Cj0KCQiApaXxBRDNARIsAGFdaB8lrPv sf5JfjPA4krRxEwsT7953p0y9HEZhcCVuKkffcFi1ecNGCLsaA sDjEALw_wcB

[Vet4jdc]

Mustanger, I told them I wanted 2 for the coach and understood 1 was all it took for the residential fridge. Is that a mistake? We do not boondock.

We have 2 batteries. We ran our fridge in September for about 24 hours total on fully charged batteries before we needed to charge them. Two will work if you are on the road or without power for a day. Of course they are charging while driving.

We do not boondock either so we usually don't worry about this. A stop-over for 24 hours somewhere without power will not create a problem on two batteries.

I also measured our Samsung fridge and without the doors, it is 24 1/2" deep. Our entry door is approximately 27 1/2" wide so it WILL come out the door with the fridge doors removed if a replacement is required.

We were skeptical of the residential fridge when we were looking at campers and I actually wanted the RV Fridge but when my wife fell in love with the bathroom size and the double sinks, we bought our 331RL with the residential fridge.

After one full season of camping, I'm glad we have it and wouldn't go back!

Last note, I have 30 amp service by my house so I leave our AC unit on when parked at home to keep the ambient temps below 100 degrees. When it's hot out, the AC will run some each day but the fridge is not working overtime. I have learned that our 2019 MHC is better insulated and does NOT get as hot inside as our old 2013 Mountaineer. On a 90 degree day, our Mountaineer would exceed 90 inside. The 331RL is usually around the same temp inside as the outside temp. Not sure why but it just works out that way?

[sourdough]

Thank you.

[Mikendebbie]

Our fridge has run flawlessly and continuously since we bought the unit (late January 2018). We are plugged in at the S&B and it runs on the inverter when we travel, and of course we are plugged in when we camp. Love the residential fridge!

[Old Mustanger]

Mustanger, I told them I wanted 2 for the coach and understood 1 was all it took for the residential fridge. Is that a mistake? We do not boondock.

Really not sure if a mistake, just what ours was supplied with, 2 size 24's for the coach and 2 size 27's for the fridge. I do remember that when we first looked at the Alpine line at a show, the salesman made a point to advise that this dealer provided 2 batteries for the fridge (he didn't mention the 2 coach batteries). I'm beginning to think my dealer is better than I thought. :rolleyes:

[sourdough]

Really not sure if a mistake, just what ours was supplied with, 2 size 24's for the coach and 2 size 27's for the fridge. I do remember that when we first looked at the Alpine line at a show, the salesman made a point to advise that this dealer provided 2 batteries for the fridge (he didn't mention the 2 coach batteries). I'm beginning to think my dealer is better than I thought. :rolleyes:


Thanks! I'm at the point I can tell them to put whatever I want in it. What I posted is from what I've read and pure ignorance. If it needs 2 batteries for the inverter I need to know that because it's not what I've conveyed. Again, thanks and I'll dig deeper.

[notanlines]

Unless boondocking is in one's future, two 6 or 12 volt batteries will easily be sufficient. I see no reason to add two more batteries to haul around and maintain.

[gearhead]

I think you will be happy with it. We have a LG in the Oshkosh. I worried over it while making the deal. We have two 12 volt batteries. We have boondocked once, for 3 days in Charlotte N.C. in November. Biggest problem was us staying warm. I ran 2 Honda 2000's to be sure we kept the batteries up and run the fridge and furnace. I did disconnect the icemaker (at the valve under the sink) and drained the solenoid through an outside valve. I would be sure the dealer shows you how, and you are clear about how to do this so you don't freeze the icemaker line in cold weather.
Johns issue of travel in hot weather is a concern. But that gives me more ammunition to motivate the wife that we have to get on the road early so we can stop and get hooked up before mid afternoon heat. I've got a beer/bait fridge and an upright freezer in the garage that has survived Houston heat, so far.
Go for it.

[moodman]

I have a Montana HC but it has the gas fridge. I love it. No problems at all. I have also heard about reliability problems with residential fridges. The basic problem is that regular refrigerators don't like to be bounced around. It damages the compressor.
But its probably too late to change your mind now. Enjoy it!

[Gfrenz]

5 Years and 35,000 miles and no problems Have run it on batteries for 3 days max. Love my Samsung. Note I keep my freezer at -2 degrees

[joy14]

We have a 2016 High Country we ordered new; it has a Samsung residential fridge. We have been Rving for almost 20 years and always had the 3-way RV fridge in the past. Last summer the Samsung began freezing items in the lower portion of the fridge and the freezer will not maintain recommended temps. We were advised the Samsung fridge we had was known to have problems, the drain plugs were too small for the fridge and application. They advised as a first step to empty the refrigerator, turn it off for 24 hours then restart and repack it. We did, and it didn’t help. We are from Florida and that was the height of summer which we spent on the east coast in triple digits. When we got in cooler temps, it wasn’t such a problem. Now that we’re in AZ with the temps rising, the fridge isn’t working as good again and we’re looking at replacing it. We have been told a coupe times that 4 years is about the life expectancy of a residential fridge in an RV and both repair shops quoted replacing it through the back window (although I measured and believe it can be moved through the door if the fridge doors are removed). We have a 5-year warranty on the fridge but Samsung said we have to pay for the service call to determine if the problem is the “refrigeration system” then I should pay for the repair and request reimbursement. I’m leaning toward replacing it and hoping to get more then 4 years out of the next one. LOVE the residential fridge! You only need one 12 volt battery to run the inverter for it and the 2nd 12 volt battery is your “house” battery to run your other RV systems. We have been boondocking for a couple months now running the inverter off 2 dedicated 6 volt batteries with 100 watt solar and help from our Honda 2000 genies. We’ve decided to install a solar system with lithium batteries so we don’t have to run the generators as often and can keep our residential fridge. Hope this helps!

[gearhead]

^^^We got a Good Sam warranty, with a $500 deductible, mostly because of the refrigerator.

[sonofcy]

Committing to a new Montana HC with a residential fridge. Always thought I preferred a regular RV fridge (never owned a residential) but we don't dry camp any longer. If I did I would just tote a genny.

My question/concern; we've talked to a couple of folks here in the park that have them and they rave about them so I wasn't too concerned. Watched a walk thru video of the unit we intend to buy (331RL) and the guy commented about the problems with the residential fridges. Never heard that (reliability/failures). Any comments/thoughts/insights? I have a deposit on the unit, have to clear things here and get back to pick it up with the understanding it has to pass muster so I can move to something else if this is a big issue.
Thanks.

We have a Samsung 28cf residential fridge. Wife would not have anything else, just a superior fridge with a real freezer. The only issue is if you want to boondock a lot you will need a much bigger battery bank. Minimum would be 4 Trojan T105's and a lot of solar plus inverter generator and new charger. The problem is with lead acid batteries the recharge time is simply too long. Lithium charges waaaaaay faster and is a good match to solar. However if you are not full time and boondocking a lot stick with FLA and a serious inverter generator plus an upgraded charger, otherwise go Lithium and a hybrid inverter etc, see AM Solar. Remember, in Dec in Phoenix 1,000 watts of solar will only generate 2,400 watt hours per day per 1,000 watts of solar. That is probably enough for the fridge (1,500wh/d) and some incidentals otherwise you will need more than 6 170W panels.
Any talk of unreliability of a Samsung fridge is just a RV store sour grapes about not selling you the replacement std RV fridge every so many years. The Samsung will outlive your trailer by many years. BTW, peak amperage in ours is 3 amps, not like the old compressors at 12 amps plus.

[sonofcy]

My 2018 Montana has 28" door opening. Samsung residential fridge is 24.5" with doors off.

[sonofcy]

That will be a problem. What do ya do pull the slide out?
Only issue I have with mine is the inverter trips sometimes.
Change the size of the wires between the inverter and battery by at least 1 size to stop the tripping.

[77cruiser]

Change the size of the wires between the inverter and battery by at least 1 size to stop the tripping.
I'll take a look at the wire sizes when I get it out of storage.

[CaptnJohn]

Doors off it will fit through the 5er door. Tell my wife you are going to replace her res fridge with a camper fridge and you better have running shoes on.

[bfisher003]

After constantly fighting for cold temperatures with previous RV fridges we love the 18cu’ residential (with icemaker) in our Montana. Just set the temps and forget it. Stays nice and cold an the ice cream stays hard. Lots of room in it (probably too much room; it usually looks half empty). We’ve had ours over a year and 12K miles of towing without any problem whatsoever. And yes, we like to boondock, so currently have two lithium batteries and 400 watts of solar and about to add another 200 watts and later this year another lithium. We also pack a generator. I think you will love the residential.

[gearhead]

" BTW, peak amperage in ours is 3 amps, not like the old compressors at 12 amps plus."
That's what I'm seeing on mine as well.

[SR71 Jet Mech]

We’ve had ours 4 years and love it so far. We DO boondock quite often and the 2 group 24 batteries from dealer would only carry the fridge about 8 hours to 50% SOC. Within 3 months, 1 of those was shot. Switched to 6V bat. bank. If you’re plugged in you’ll be fine.
Not one problem with ours (so far). Wife would have nothing else. But, due to boondocking, our next will not be a residential. 22a on the 12v side when running.

Scott
We do not use the ice maker. Rather a table top unit.

[sourdough]

We’ve had ours 4 years and love it so far. We DO boondock quite often and the 2 group 24 batteries from dealer would only carry the fridge about 8 hours to 50% SOC. Within 3 months, 1 of those was shot. Switched to 6V bat. bank. If you’re plugged in you’ll be fine.
Not one problem with ours (so far). Wife would have nothing else. But, due to boondocking, our next will not be a residential. 22a on the 12v side when running.

Scott
We do not use the ice maker. Rather a table top unit.




Scott,

Is there a particular reason you don't use the icemaker? We don't boondock and were just discussing this yesterday. We were thinking the new trailer with the icemaker would let us leave the table top ice maker at home. Is that incorrect?

[travelin texans]

IMHO, if it has an ice maker USE IT, whether it's a RV or residential fridge.
Our Norcold 12 cf had an ice maker that made 7 half moon cubes at a time & once we let it partially fill the tray it would keep up with our daily usage unless we had several friends over drinking (you can fill in what you think we may have been drinking), but overnight would catch back up. Would definitely get & use the ice maker.
One disclaimer, we did have a RV water softener, with a sediment filter before it & a charcoal filter after it, that was used at every stop, which I would also recommend, made crystal clear ice cubes.

[SR71 Jet Mech]

Hey Danny,
Over the years we just haven’t used the fresh water tank for “drinking”. Even though I clean and disinfect the crap out of the tank, I don’t trust it. Just my preference. Nothing wrong with the ice maker or fridge. Guess I should have made that a little more clear earlier.
All the years we tent camped we just got used to carrying a 5 gal. drink cooler and bottled water.
Then our first RV was a used TT and the fresh tank always stunk. All the bleach and peroxide in the world wouldn’t make it any better so here we are. New 5er and old habits.....

[jimborokz]

We are on our third year with the residential fridge and would not consider going back to the rv model. Love the ice maker that makes ice twice as fast as our Amana at home. Dealer only put in one battery and now admits he probably should have given us two but this single 27 has done the job although I doubt I could get more than 8 hours out of it. We have only overnighted once at a Walmart and it made it through. We are always on shore power or traveling and connected to tv.

[gearhead]

We don't drink from the freshwater tank either. I sanitize it spring and fall. Maybe brush our teeth with it. But the ice maker is hooked up to the water supply to the sink. So if we are "boondocking" (rarely) the ice is coming from the tank.
Will 80 proof bourbon sanitize bad ice? 100 proof???

[travelin texans]

Hey Danny,
Over the years we just haven’t used the fresh water tank for “drinking”. Even though I clean and disinfect the crap out of the tank, I don’t trust it. Just my preference. Nothing wrong with the ice maker or fridge. Guess I should have made that a little more clear earlier.
All the years we tent camped we just got used to carrying a 5 gal. drink cooler and bottled water.
Then our first RV was a used TT and the fresh tank always stunk. All the bleach and peroxide in the world wouldn’t make it any better so here we are. New 5er and old habits.....

Used the FW tank twice on our last 5er, the day we bought the RV to test it all out & once the park we were in was shutting the water off the next day for repairs, both times I drained the tank afterwards, we were always connected to a water supply.

[Lindat]

Ours has a Samsung residential refrigerator and we keep the camper plugged in 24x7x365 unless on the road actually traveling. So far, not a hint of issues with this refrigerator. I didn't know how the ice maker worked when we first purchased the camper. I had trouble getting it started. The buttons are all backwards. I called Samsung and they walked me through getting it turned on. In the tit-for-tat, back and forth phone calls, there was a point where they were willing to send out a service repair person for me. I made sure they knew the refrigerator was inside an RV and they said that was no problem. Fortunately, I got the ice maker working. What appears to be "off" is actually on.

FYI, we keep the camper plugged in at home, and even in 10 below zero weather, the refrigerator did not freeze up, and when the temperature inside the camper reached over 100, it still kept the freezer at -4 and the refrigerator section at +34 consistently. No issues at all (17 months going and going strong).
When setting your refrigerator what did you have to do? I have a 2019 Alpine with a Samsung residential fridge. I have not been able to get the temperature to cool. I also have a fridge/freezer off button, should that be checked?