If you wanted to test it out on your own fridge there are devices you can buy (a well known one is the Kill-A-Watt Electricity Monitor) to plug in-line that will monitor how much power an electrical device is using. I hope to do some testing and measure actual draw under different circumstances. of capacity. We learned the hard way. Your email address will not be published. Youll feel safe pulling your favorite toy on the 5,000 lb. I know that we bought a nice camper because we did not like tents. Its the best floorplan and quality class C out there. It has a 3 way fridge which is small and easy to run but we hope to upgrade to an American RV in the near future so thanks for all the useful info! Ive been running solar for nearly 4yrs now and the only time my panels have ever needed cleaning off is during the winter, in cold climates, after a snow storm. However, our minds changed a bit when we hit that first wild camping spot and we decided to park under a canopy of trees. Thanks for the motorhome data, There doesnt seem to be any new motorhome 25 or under in the 69,000 range . I also sealed the outside vent and roof vent air tight. We bring a fold up table and two extra chairs if we want to (rarely) entertain. Relax at the U-shaped dinette or on the spacious sofa. It was simply an awesome way for me to feel good about buying new when I normally would not. PS: Conversely, I converted my propane hot water heater to an electric/propane hybrid-also to save on propane usage. If you want all the comforts of home keep your wallet open. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. Plus, there is an outside entertainment center. I have a 160 watt solar and now two six volt AGM batteries, it meets my needs for dry camping without a problem. We removed the ice maker to leave more room for frozen food and still put a 12vdc/120v ac fridge/freezer (we use as freezer) in basement of 5th wheel. I am in the process of purchasing an RV and struggling with the fridge decision. Just the two of us, two fold up TV trays. Been there, done that. We had already decided to switch to a residential when it happened and in fact it was set for delivery. Deciding between aResidential Refrigeratoror anRV 2-Way or 3-Way Fridgein a motorhome is a no brainerat first glance. It was nice to be picked up at the airport and treated like a customer straight away. Good luck and have fun. Great article with a lot of facts. Norcold Polar Series 8 cu.ft. Thanks for the info though. All the boats Ive been on (not counting cruise ships) have had yacht-sized fridges. Check out a few of these 2021 Class C RV models. I wish there was a simple answer to give you, but its all based on too many variables. You are on the right track! Thank you ! Doing this all on line was scary in the beginning but when I arrived at your dealership I realized I was dealing with professionals and not just a dealer. But that was all erased when I drove on to the MHSRV lot. Have you checked out: https://rvlife.com/big-rig-rv-route/ ? . And its not running on propane while driving down the road. The standard magnetic actions will not work, regardless of their apparent strength. I also have a one side fridge and freezer on top. Not bad. From your on-site ( and free I might add) Restaurant for customers to the Service area and the delivery process you guys made it all feel right and never once did I feel like I was making a mistake or have second thoughts. That said, someone reasonably technical inclined and willing to research the details could get a lot more juice (AH storage) for their money reconfiguring a used Chevy Volt battery to a 48V system. You should have mentioned the View and Navion from Winnebago if you really want to talk about TOP 5!! I would like to share our experience. Then we would set the thermostat back to normal cool for the rest of the day. When my wife and I started our RV search a few years ago it was crazy. I now use my RVs built in fridge to store dry goods. If we have one day of bad weather, we know to be more conscious of our power usage and monitor it more closely. But as I said, no offense intendedwith any luck conversations like this might bring more attention to the preventable problem. Have you heard of any motorized tilting system yet? All rights are reserved. The only thing I dont like about the Norcold is the possibility of fire. Manufacturer's standards and features subject to change without notice. We loved spending time in places like Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. We considered a trip through the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes but logistics were harder to deal with, weather-wise. I think that is a great option for some. Shop American Coach, Coachmen, Cruiser RV, DRV luxury fifth wheel, Dynamax, Entegra Coach, Fleetwood RV, Forest River, Foretravel Motor Coach, FreeSolo RVs, Gulf Stream, Heartland, Holiday Rambler, Nexus RV, Olympia RVs, Hero Ranger RVs, Sportscoach and the only full line Thor Motor Coach class A & C lineup in the world! The Dometic DMC4101 12V DC compressor refrigerator is a residential-style unit with digital controls and 10 cu ft of space. I removed the passenger seat of my RV and installed a smallish, highly energy efficient compressor fridge there instead. Filling the fridge with warm products really pulls a lot of power for it to get back down to a safe temp. Baloney! What a great environment and experience we had purchasing our new RV. You open those big residential fridge doors and there is no comparison! Jennifer specializes in topics such as Lifestyle, van life, campgrounds features, destination features, and product lists. Not convection Dunno why I mix those two terms up. Upgrade with the Customer Value Package to add on a 24 LED TV in the bedroom, an electric awning with LED lights, and other enhanced features. And on and on. Installation Site Preparation: A dedicated 120 VAC 15 amp breaker and line from the panel will be required at the rear of the unit site. In the great words of John Fogerty: Put me in Coach, Im ready to Play! New Super C RVs can range anywhere from $100,000-$150,000. These mid-sized RVs range in size, but most Class C RVs fall in between 20 ft. to 30 ft. in length. Class C motorhomes are typically easier to drive than the larger Class A models considering they are smaller in size and, as we mentioned previously, are built on a truck chassis. Has anyone investigated the use of 12 volt compressor type built in refrigerators? Many residential side-by-side models have substantial handles that can be secured with a bungee or a strap made of hook-and-loop fastening material. Theyre so big that they are literally put onto the chasis first and the RV is built around them. Tiffin Wayfarer 25 TW Great for road-tripping with friends, 5. You can get awesome, used panels for half that price as well. I agree! However we are in a slightly different situation, I cant see us doing much boondocking in the 5th wheel, and will mainly be spending 1-3 months in a single location, with amenities. The minute I arrived in my old RV I was absolutely blown away!! You could run it for a few hours with the ice maker on and then a few hours with it off. Best RV Refrigerators 1. The whirlpool tech has replaced the electronics and believes this is a power issue. If you permit your batts to do the work theyre designed to do, youll find much less need to run your gensets (the bane of RV living IMHO). Wow, eight thousand dollar upgrade just to run the res fridge. Do you want to spend thousands of dollars on extra things and then cross your fingers hoping the sun shines that day so you can run something which isnt designed for an RV, please manufacturer shareholders, climb up on the roof regularly to clean your solar panels, park in in the sun, and obsess and be controlled by the technology like its Skynet? Thank you! So follow this checklist to make sure youre not breaking the bank. Our batts are often fully recharged by 10:30 AM (noon at the latest) and weve never used our genset OR the grid to charge our battts in 14+ months of fulltiming in our 33 RV. The difference is some residential refrigerators will require a pure sine wave inverter and only a small percentage will come with this. and see what us readers can do to help. COSTWAY Compact RV Refrigerator. Curious, As you know, we have the identical Samsung fridge you do. The 311FS model offers a bedroom with a real walk-in closet, allowing you to hang your clothes up. The best deal I have ever made. When plugged in at camp, your reefer will operate solely on shore power. How to Install an RV refrigerator and replace it with a residential fridge. Jerry and Becky aboard Traveling Shoes II. We lived on a sailboat for a number of years. Hope that helps! The chassis helps keep drivers safe with attention assist, lane-keeping assist, collision prevention assist, and load adaptive electronic stability (ESP). 2ndly, cost; right now, solar panels cost less than 0.80 cents per watt(100watt panels average $80 each, brand new). Weight: 92 pounds. Also, compared to your residential refrigerator at home, these units usually do not have self-defrost or in-door ice and water dispensers, and in general do not deliver the cooling precision you may be used to. She is one half of DashboardDrifters.com and the founder of RVSpotDrop, a web service for full-time RVers. I am not sure about you, but I am okay with working used equipment, which can save me a lot of money. This solution pleases manufacturers and their shills because its cheaper to install electric fridges and then pass the buck on running the thing. At home or out for weekend, solar powers the frig and had enough power in am to make pot of coffee (I turn off frig while doing this). I will be interested to see how we do during winter sun. This unit has a private master bedroom that is at the rear of the unit. Remember to verify the selected refrigerators direction of door opening as it will near certainly need to match the existing door swing. We are at hour 36 on the RV experience. Very instructive ! If you take a look at most boat fridges they are low, cabinet styles and many are drawer styles so that your contents dont fly off the shelves in rough weather. The idea is the compressor is variable and doesnt have just 2 levels a huge suck of power to come on and then completely off. Looks like I will have to buy used to get what I want. The cost of the unit, plus extra batteries wouldnt be worth it to me. Something you can operate with a switch and not have to climb on the roof. They were able to use reasonably size wiring at 120v ac through a plug in cable between the truck and trailer. Bring your new residential fridge into your camper. We have only 600 Amp hours og AGM batteries and we teeter at our weight limit so having more, plus more panels would just not work and we have stayed in too many places (mostly state parks) where generators are not allowed so I think well stay with what we have. Are they that dangerous? If you are adding solar and a beefier battery bank you shouldnt have much issue keeping up with the power hog that is the residential refrigerator. We had a smaller residential refrigerator in our last RV. No Games. Those that do get duped into the residential fridge rely on heavy generator usage or install >1000watts of solar and 800AH of battery capacity to get by for a few days. I am VERY shocked you lost 31% from the battery bank through your system. Todays home-type refrigerators, however, are far more efficient and require less power to operate than years ago. Speaking of solar: Ever since your earlier solar panel videos Ive been looking for the gifted do-it-yourself mechanic to come up with a powered tilt mechanism. I thought about going to 240 solar panels and getting a wind generator so I have power charge at night when its windy out. In the strictest definition, Class C RVs are built with a cabin chassis and generally have an overcab sleeping area, which allows for more room in the living area. I do use a genturi so the exhaust fumes dont bother us. But thanks so much for this info because it will help the next time some sales guy tries to convince us we need a residential fridge. Winnebago Outlook Far more inexpensive to replace than high-priced absorption units. While living full time in an RV you will burn through power more quickly than you ever expect. Plus, there is an overcab bunk that could be used for extra storage if you arent traveling with kids or guests. What an experience and process! One dealer says to us you would not want the residential fridge with the converter because they are not made to go down the road and bounce around. Prepare for a comfy ride! The easy lever action release seems like a great idea. New Super C RVs can range anywhere from $100,000-$150,000. *MINIMUM 25% OFF MSRP ON MOST RVs DISCOUNT DOES NOT APPLY TO ALL NEW RVs including, but not restricted to, CLASS B, CLASS C & B+, CLASS A, TRAVEL TRAILER RVs, AND MERCEDES. The only time I need to run the generator is if we are parked in a shade or if there is no sun, and I am okay with that as its very easy to find sun in California. We built a chest-type fridge/freezer combo. If there is sun is it running off the sun does it convert ? Expensive lithium bartteries have short shelf life and they need to be protected from extreme temperatures to work. We dont. Do your research first though so you have some input on your power needs, etc. What is a Class C Motorhome (With Pictures! One way we managed the power was to turn the fridge off when we went to bed. 2023 Good Sam Enterprises, LLC. SHOWER SUROUND. Day 2 and 3 generator ran about 6 hours each day. CONTACT SALES FOR UP-TO-DATE SALE PRICING AND PERCENTAGE DISCOUNTS ON ALL PRODUCTS. How to replace RV refrigerator with a residential frid. Okay! Have you ever looked at the Newmar Superstar? What type of fridge lock do you have for when youre on the road? A big part of the story relates to the power consumption of your individual fridge. I dont think its nearly as big as a residential one, but it functions as one. modified sine inverters are also bad for most microwaves and computers too. Meanwhile, a 3-way RV refrigerator can use the power sources mentioned above, or DC power from the house batteries. Unfortunately an Apartment size fridge is the biggest size we could fit in this RV. So what would be your suggestion for keeping the fridge happy for say 8 10 hours of travel time, assuming I could run a generator for a few hours when we stop for the night to top everything back off. We never could figure out why our electric bill was so much higher than others around us. Also, do not rule out cruising throughout the inland waterways of America. Thats what Ive done: Grape Solar fridge (5.2 cu ft, 120/12v), with a cooler of about equal size. But one size doesnt fit all. We are thinking of solar. Thanks again and hope the boat is treating you well . Super C RVs are like super-sized versions of Class C RVs with a bit more room and features. They had a semi with a large alternator that fed an inverter in the truck. On a sunny summer day we could easily run the A/C for a bit and Fridge no problem. But at least now I feel more informed! Picked up RV Monday and now just sitting in yard. However we would also like to have the option of going off grid. Depending on your choice of floorplan, the Greyhawk can include a queen or king-size bed as well as a small bathroom with a toilet and shower. Now there is one negative to this purchase. Are you full time in yours? So overestimating again; that takes about 70 to 80 amps total from my 800aH battery bank. The sales manager personally came to the site we were in and delivered to us a check for $3,000. When Mother Nature doesnt cooperate with sunny skies we really wish we could turn this power hog off, but we cant. Since then, had 3 panel Go-Power system installed (480 watts). Hi Ron. It would be fun to see a blog on your dream-boat. Aside from the battery what role does the inverter play in this? In hindsight thats what I would do next time. You would still have a deficit of approximately 150ah/day (my math could be wrong). Verify before purchase. It is strongly recommended that a pure sine wave inverter is used, otherwise some residential appliance electronics may have or develop issues. Your version of best might be different than mine. I have same refrigerator I installed last summer. We all look forward to hearing from you soon. Two: dont use an ice maker in the fridge. Have to join the Newmar club to get better manual then the big package that came with the rv. DC Compressor RV Refrigerator with RH Stainless Steel Doors. I have a 10kw Balqon LiFeYPo battery (48v), 1200w flexible panels and a large Magnum inverter. No Gimmicks. SMETA SC-40 Mini 12V Gas Refrigerator 10. Then, there are the normal heat created by the absorption fridge and the charred wood people have discovered when replacing their RV fridge Surprise!! You can always add a portable solar panel to help add a little more juice with little investment or install. Great work you guys do. I love that the View 24Ds but I am curious how practical they are for full time living since carrying capacity and towing capacities are not the highest. Excellent review. I would have to spend more on a new LP fridge. Prior to going FT we upgraded our power setup with 600 AH (AGM batteries) and 640 watts of solar panels. All materials are copyrighted by Motor Home Specialist (MHSRV.com). In my opinion a dinette is a relic from the past when people wanted an upgrade from a log to sit on. Hi Joyce, thanks for your comment and opinion! 2-way refrigerators run on AC or LP gas (those are the two ways specified in the name). Class C RVs have varying towing capacities but most can tow a separate car so you can leave the motorhome when parked. None of the other dealers we visited holds a candle to what MHSRV has in a dealership! These use about half the electricity and are super quiet. Two comments Id like to make. Several of the reviews mentioned that the coach could sleep more than two people, in one case as many as six. Fred in Florida I could see us being on the road 2 or 3 days between locations, and possibly doing the walmart campground at night on the trip. Also, consider adding a small portable wind turbine. New 2019 Holiday Rambler Augusta 30F Class C RV W/Ext TV, Residential Refrigerator M.S.R.P: $133,686 MHSRV Sale Price: $78,999 41% Discount $54,687 Savings Payments as low as: $551.00 (w.a.c)* Sold Window Sticker Floorplan Print Calculate Payment More of This Model Trade In Finance Contact Read reviews and see what other folks have to say on RV solar forums. Motor Home Specialist is the #1 Volume Selling Motor Home Dealership in the World. The manufacturer and their shills will say they LP is dangerous and that you cant use an LP fridge on uneven ground and that they take longer to initially cool down. Its all about the perspective. I put canned goods in its freezer area. Downside is the components are low quality so after 4-5 years you start to get failures. Im hypothesizing that the modified sine and low batteries is affecting the performance of the fridge. Maybe a smaller more efficient fridge combined with a decent sized premium cooler (Engel/Yeti/Grizzly, etc.) So! From your artical of running the fridge for 24 hrs, if I only wanted to run the fridge for 12 hrs just in batteris, would my assumptions of halving the AGM batteries to a 150 usable Ah be correct? Checking it out now it looks awesome!! You know they make portable ice makers now for around a hundred dollars. Better temperature precision and cooling accuracy. The Top Drawbacks Of Class A Motorhomes: What To Know Before You Buy, Create Your Dream RV Campsite: Tips For A Perfect Setup, The Best RV Resort in Louisiana: Sun Outdoors New Orleans North Shore. You can own a dealership or you can provide a the means to be a great dealership. Some variation of this would probably also work on your future catamaran. If fridge, Im afraid youre out of luck. Having a graphic that rises with each donation towards the boat would inspire and give us something to shoot for to help you for once. I like your thought on a couch or 2 chairs with a table. But seeing all those RVs hooked up like a campground that was just the best! CPAP runs on 24 volts and is powered through 12 volt adapter with built in 24 volt inverter supplied with the unit. Upgrade your batteries! Two of your five selections are on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis.the Tiffin Wayfarer and the Thor Tiburon. ft. freezer capacity give you room to store frozen foods. This Class C RV is on the higher end of the price scale but also offers a lot of luxuries. Would like in my next RV to have a double unit. Thanks for doing the test! There are also lots of rectangle, thin, plastic containers to arrange within the cooler to keep food from getting wet as ice melts. With a Freightliner chassis and a Cummins B 6.7-liter turbodiesel engine, this Super C RV will tax your budget but provide one of the most spacious floorplans. We have the same fridge in our bounder. We were told by Lazydays that there is no fridge lock that will work on ours. (So wide open here, lots to talk about). M.S.R.P.s may be slightly higher or lower when they ultimately arrive at MHS. When the time came to build our custom designed Bounder we had the choice again. Go with a more efficient fridge, no worries about fires from the propane fridge. I have seen panel read about 25 amps and up to 30 someting. You could certainly install a residential-style fridge on a boat, but the biggest problem I see would be wrestling those big doors in rough seas, especially with the high center of gravity a residential fridge will have. We are seriously committed offgridders and run our original RV reefer on propane. *(w.a.c.) We boondock once a month with a camping club. Have exactly the same Samsung RF18 refer. I hope your sailing adventures are going well! I have a 3 way RV fridge. Avanti RA7316PST 3. Anyway, just my viewpoint. To learn more about Super Cs, check out this post from Camper Report. We did open the fridge a few times to get stuff for lunch and the occasional beverage, but thats real-life use. So marine fridges are almost exclusively compressor fridges that run on 12v. Personally I will never have another RV that does not have front seats that can swivel. I have heard that it uses more power with it on. They get sent everything for free bro. I ran a 2nd week-long test last week. When installing a residential refrigerator most RV manufacturers will come stock withfour 6-volt batteries with 400 amp hours and 200 usable amp hours (because you shouldonly drain standard lead acidbatteries to 50%). Hi, again. Upon receipt of deposit seller (MHSRV) agrees to hold the selected unit and prepare it for delivery and orientation to the buyer. With a background in the designing and manufacturing of specialized automated industrial equipment, Peter Mercer writes about the full range of the RV travel experiences. It is specially designed to use heat in concert with a specialmixture of ammonia, hydrogen gas to replicate a cooling evaporation effect. Buy on Amazon. Any suggestions on how we can make this work ? We switched over to a GE 15.5 cubic foot, energy saver. 700 Ah lithium battery, 1060W solar, 3000w hybrid inverter, and about 19 cu residential fridge. You guys say you love your residential fridge, but if you had something like a 12 cu/ft 4 door dometic 2way fridge with built in ice maker you would be loving that even more, you could even run the thing on AC during the day with your massive solar array and propane at nighttime. There is a lot of energy in buying propane! We thought long and hard about whether we needed something larger, but in our case the 11 cu ft unit fit right in the space of the old one with room to space and it sipped electricity rather than chug-a-lugging it. When our LP fridge died as a result or being on at a slope, I checked a few options and decided to give a try to the household fridge. Other than the hot full sun in no shade, its performed well. Thank You. Used units and RVs under $50K are subject to shorter terms, higher rates, and restrictions. Take care Bob and Anchor from Surrey, BC Canada. I never liked our fridges in our houses because things get lost.
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