Residential refrigerators

[krsmitty]

We are looking at a new RV with a residential type frig. Works off 110V with an inverter. Sounds like this is getting to be a popular trend?

At first I said no because of the possibility of doing some primitive camping. According to the manufacturer the batteries would keep their charge for about 24 hours running the frig.

But, the wife likes it. Anyone presently using one in their RV?

Thanks,

[Bookemdanno]

I was skeptical at 1st like you. Not having a residential fridge in our previous TT and traveling with the propane on was all I knew. On our last two outings with our new 5er with the residential fridge has been FANTASTIC and I wouldn't go back! I guess I got such a good deal on the new RV, that my dealer would only include 1 battery...so I purchased a 2nd and ran them in parallel. The inverter has worked great for powering and keeping the fridge/freezer at the proper temps. The farthest I've driven so far with the new set up is about 4 and 1/2 hours.

[mtdawg]

Our Jayco 5th wheel came with the residential refrigerator. Like you I was skeptical of how long the batteries would last. As part of the deal, the trailer came with four batteries hooked in parallel. When I got it home, I turned the refrigerator on and let it run on the batteries only. I did not have anything else running that would cause a drain. After three days, the battery level indicator dropped from full to 3/4. I think I can live with that, although I'll always be a little nervous about not having a propane option.

Jim

[RedHorse1]

Wow, that's much more that I expected. At the Houston RV show a few days ago I noticed that in the high to mid range units the residential fridge seemed to be the order of the day. I've been wondering how much to expect from a battery/inverter.
Thanks for the insight!

[hboy]

I like the idea of it, but am not ready for one. Probably because of how we use our camper. We leave it at the lake during the week plugged into shore power, and stay in the camper on the weekend. If there is a power loss for very long, or a breaker at the power pole trips, then food will get spoiled. I guess LP fridge could let you down too. Just a thought.

[dalebra]

I really like having the propane option. Maybe if I was at a perm. site I would consider a residential but not now as we tend to boon dock on occasion.

[bethcb]

We love our residential refer. We changed the 12V batteries and installed 4-6V batteries and added solar panels on the roof. Solar panels keep the batteries charged. We can dry camp for many days w this system as long as there are too many rainy days in a row.

[mtdawg]

Originally Posted by bethcb

We love our residential refer. We changed the 12V batteries and installed 4-6V batteries and added solar panels on the roof. Solar panels keep the batteries charged. We can dry camp for many days w this system as long as there are too many rainy days in a row.

What size and how many solar panels do you have? This is something I'm thinking about if it isn't too cost prohibitive.

Jim

[Loboclone]

We have a 23 cu with a dedicated 1000 watt inventor. Just got back from 5 days Boondock, worked great!

[bethcb]

I think we have 200 watts of solar, but not sure.

[Yamerhammer]

I installed a 18 cf Samsung in my RV back in April. I have a 1000 watt tripplite inverter and 2 AGM batteries. Absolutely love it. No problems at all.

[jloco]

My camper is at a seasonal spot where it will sit most week days (shore power) until we come down on the weekend. We bring fresh food down with us, so we don't store much food in the fridge while we're not there. Mostly just condiments and beverages. Even my old electric/gas fridge had to be switched over to LP manually with a button. So unless I'm running on LP from the get go, a power outage wouldn't matter. It won't automatically switch over to propane in the event of a failure, will it?
I wouldn't want to run the fridge on LP during the week while I'm not there. I shut the LP tanks down when I'm not there.
Plus the residential fridge is so much bigger. I can't wait to have my first season this year with a residential fridge.