Quote:
Originally Posted by snoobler
ANYWAY, I find myself in this same predicament now that the fridges in both trailers have failed, so that's why I'm poking around the issue. I'm undecided on which way to go. I vastly prefer the efficiency of the compressor fridge, but I don't plan to have these forever, and they would definitely need battery and PV upgrades for boondocking for the next owner. Plus, the cost of new cooling units isn't as high as I thought it was - about half that of a new compressor fridge... I'm torn. PLUS, I have 2X the solar and 2X the battery waiting in the wings as this system will power an eventual permanent dwelling.
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I have found that due to the extremely limited cabinet area of the slideout, the interference with the "L" countertop/cabinet, and the space demanded by the propane line and and electrical box, I have zero realistic options of a comparably sized fridge. The only options I have found are some "Hamilton Beach" models made by Curtis that feel pretty sketchy. Even with that one, there's essentially zero clearance for efficient operation.
So we've decided to "downgrade" to a 10.1 cu-ft Magic Chef HMDR1000BE.
Dimensions (cabinet space in parenthesis): H 59.5 in (63"), W 23.7 in (32.5"), D 26.2 in (26.5" max due to slide out)
We'll configure the ~8-9" of unused width for storage, and with the additional clearance area around the unit, efficiency should have a chance of getting near the claims 0.8kWh/day.
Turns out the fridge fits in the same cabinet in the other 5th wheel that had a cooling unit fail... ordered one for each...
$901 for two fridges total vs. ~$1500 for the cooling unit for the Norcold and still having a busted Dometic in the other trailer.
A little disappointed in the inability to upgrade to a larger fridge volume, but definitely going to call this one a big win.