Anyone Replaced their Absorption Frig with 12v Model

[No1Hunter]

Ok, so I am done with my "LiFoPo4/Solar Project" and thinking, what next can I do. LOL Our absorption frig works ok, but we do experience some temperature swings during hotter weather. So, I am sticking my big toe in and testing the waters. If anyone has replaced their absorption frig, I would like to hear about your experience, including what 12v frig you decided on.

[TravatoJohn]

There are YouTube’s on replacing the absorption element with a 12 volt compressor so you can keep your original unit. It has high marks that I have seen. I believe it is a company out of Indiana. Not sure. 12 volt is very efficient.
Travato John

[BobC]

You might find these to be interesting. The first is a long discussion on the topic on the Forest River Forums and the second is a video on an LPG to 12V conversion project that was mentioned in the FR forum. The third is another FR discussion, this time specifically on boondocking suitability.

Note that many, if not most, of the comments in the FR forum mentions a relatively high power consumption and the unsuitability of 12V compressor refrigerators for boondocking.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...2v-226401.html

https://youtu.be/Yte1V3CkDrw

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ng-216616.html

Personally, we don't always camp with shore power and like minimize generator time so I'm sticking with my absorption refrigerator. If, or when it has issues, it can be upgraded with one of the so-called Amish units which replace the operating parts of your existing refrigerator.

You have a relatively new TT, so my advice is to live with it for a while before jumping into a replacement, especially if you'll be camping without shore power and your "LiFoPo4/Solar Project" makes me think you are. Even with your upgrades, you don't need a power hog. A couple of things to consider in the meantime:

1. Initial cooling - Before a trip, do your initial cool-down on LPG, not 120V AC. I don't know why but it seems more efficient. Others have reported the same. Keep your cold drinks in an ice chest, especially if you have kids. Not opening the refrigerator so much will make a big difference.

2. Shade - If possible, try to park so that your refrigerator is shaded.

4. Fans - There are a couple of relatively inexpensive upgrades. One is to install a fan inside the refrigerator and the second is to install a fan in the outside compartment to increase air circulation over the coils. Here are a couple of links:

https://www.arprv.com/rv-fridge-fan.php

https://www.google.com/search?q=abso...&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

[No1Hunter]

Thanks BobC. It was just a thought I was kicking around in my head and it would be something to do after the Gas/Electric died. I like getting ideas way ahead of time, so I can let them bounce around in my head and ask lots of questions.

Yes, we Boondock about 99% of the time and try to get in the shade as much as possible. Of course, that pretty much kills getting a recharge from the solar panels. Thus, the reason for the 400 amps of battery power!

I will go to the links you provide and have a looksy!

[BobC]

Originally Posted by No1Hunter

Of course, that pretty much kills getting a recharge from the solar panels. Thus, the reason for the 400 amps of battery power!

You might want to consider a 100W portable panel to augment your roof mounted solar. They've come down in price. You don't need the most expensive brands like Jackery and Bluetti. Renogy has some more reasonably priced alternatives, including a 200W panel for $320.

https://www.renogy.com/on-sale/?limit=100

When we had TTs, we always carried a Honda 2000i generator. We don't like to run generators so we only used it to run the microwave and to top off our batteries if our solar couldn't keep up.

[No1Hunter]

Yeah, I have 220W of portables. But our last outing was so shady, we couldn't even use them with a 25 ft solar extension cord. I did have my generator with me but ended up not needing to use it.

[RocknRoll]

Originally Posted by BobC

1. Initial cooling - Before a trip, do your initial cool-down on LPG, not 120V AC. I don't know why but it seems more efficient. Others have reported the same. Keep your cold drinks in an ice chest, especially if you have kids. Not opening the refrigerator so much will make a big difference.

Absolutely! I've been using a 12V/120V portable refrigerator/freezer for a couple of years now. Not only has it replaced an outside ice chest, I use it to store perishables on long travel days as I usually do not travel with LPG on. Well worth the price of admission IMO. Great for boondocking too.

[tinglett]

Originally Posted by No1Hunter

Yes, we Boondock about 99% of the time and try to get in the shade as much as possible. Of course, that pretty much kills getting a recharge from the solar panels. Thus, the reason for the 400 amps of battery power!

I don't want to take this thread too far off topic, but I'm curious how you recharge your 400AH. Are you finding it spans the duration of your typical trip? I'm thinking that battery bank would take a long, long time to recharge if you got it down to a low SOC.

I wonder if we can expect 12v refrigerators to get more efficient in upcoming years. That seems doubtful to me, but I'm no expert.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by RocknRoll

Absolutely! I've been using a 12V/120V portable refrigerator/freezer for a couple of years now. Not only has it replaced an outside ice chest, I use it to store perishables on long travel days as I usually do not travel with LPG on. Well worth the price of admission IMO. Great for boondocking too.

These portable units also consume battery power so they may not be the best solution, especially if you have a efficient ice chest and access to ice every couple of days.

Whether or not to travel with LPG on is often debated on RV forums and most do travel with it on. The only caveat I'm aware of is to turn it off when refueling your tow vehicle (or MH).

[No1Hunter]

I don't want to take this thread too far off topic, but I'm curious how you recharge your 400AH. Are you finding it spans the duration of your typical trip? I'm thinking that battery bank would take a long, long time to recharge if you got it down to a low SOC.

It this point in time, we have only been out on 4 day/3 night trips and the last time was without any solar charge (maybe an amp or two for less than an hour) and my battery bank was at 58% SOC. But, we didn't try to conserve at all. Watched two movies each night, made 4 mugs of coffee with a Keurig each morning, wife microwave her coffee a couple of times to keep it hot, Furnace ran every morning as it got down to around 38 degrees, etc. So, I am guessing we should be good for at least 7+ days. Now, if I could have got some sun, we could extend that by a fair amount. Between the drive home and sitting at home one day (checked it around 4pm), we were back up to 100% SOC from the solar panels. I never plugged the trailer in after arriving home.

Considering we generally are not out more than 7 days, I think we will be fine, though I do carry our generator and also have a 30 amp DC to DC charger.

[csmart94]

I took mine to jc refrideration and had them convert mine to 12volt compressor. Uses very little power and cools like a champ. Plus no more fire hazard on gas absorption

[doorguy]

I also converted our Norcold 1201LRIM refer to JC's Refrigeration 12V cooling unit. I'm too far away from Shipshewana, IN to drive it to have them and let them do it, so I ordered the materials and did it myself at home. It has been working as advertised and stays cold consistently. Our model refer requires their double compressor unit, one for the freezer and one for the refer box and they work independently of each other.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by doorguy

I also converted our Norcold 1201LRIM refer to JC's Refrigeration 12V cooling unit. I'm too far away from Shipshewana, IN to drive it to have them and let them do it, so I ordered the materials and did it myself at home. It has been working as advertised and stays cold consistently. Our model refer requires their double compressor unit, one for the freezer and one for the refer box and they work independently of each other.

The question is, how many Ah does it consume in a typical 24 hour period while boondocking? Per JC the Norcold 1200/1201 Hvac 12V DC Replacement Unit consumes 11.6A @ 12V. According to JC, it uses 66% less power than an absorption unit on the electric setting but that's not a valid comparison unless you're going to run the absorption refrigerator off an inverter, which is a lously idea. The proper comparison is how many amps does a Norcold 1200 series draw when on LPG, which is miniscule:

DC amp draws (at nominal 12 Vdc)
Automatic ignition------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0.50 A
Moisture reduction heater and divider heater------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.70 A
Fresh food compartment lamp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.46 A
Gas valve ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0.146 A
Fans (2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0.30 A (per fan)

Source: https://norcold.com/wp-content/uploa...68C_020807.pdf

[csmart94]

If your staying off grid for a long period of time with no source of power to recharge your batteries, stay with the gas absorption type. If you have solar maybe the 12v compressor is a better choice? You know what they say about opinions. I can say as a owner of a converted 12v fridge, Im happy to get rid of the fire hazard and not worrying about being level all the time to keep the absorption working as it should. Just my 2 cents.

[RocknRoll]

Originally Posted by BobC

These portable units also consume battery power so they may not be the best solution, especially if you have a efficient ice chest and access to ice every couple of days.

Whether or not to travel with LPG on is often debated on RV forums and most do travel with it on. The only caveat I'm aware of is to turn it off when refueling your tow vehicle (or MH).

Indeed, very true. Really depends on lifestyle I suppose. I hate it when food gets soggy. Another plus is being able to keep frozen foods and/or ice. So besides the drinks, the kids can get some ice cream too I should have mentioned that when boondocking (usually not more than 2-3 days) I plug it into a 1000W portable power station supplemented with a 200W portable solar panel.

If I'm only an hour or two to my next destination, I'll will run with LPG on (I did say usually). The other time you're supposed to have it turned off are thru longer tunnels, especially when they go under water. There are usually signs and will pull you over for inspection. I encounter a few of them on my travels from Norfolk to NYC. Overall, It's now something I never have to think about.

[tinglett]

Does anyone have experience with 3-way absorption fridges? I thought the point of the 12v mode is for driving. When I was looking for my TT a few years ago I can't say I saw any references to these. I assume it has a 12v heating element, so those worried about fire will still need to worry.

[csmart94]

To clear the air, as long as inspections get done to make sure birds or bigs have not changed how the flue vents. The lp side of absorption fridge is not a hazard. Ive traveled thousands of miles using lp with no issue. I changed because my fridge was not cooling and took that opertunity to lessen the risk and like i said not worried about being level as much.

[HappiHenri]

Yes - We replaced our 8 cu ft Norcold last year with a 10 cu ft Magic Chef from H.D.. Could not be happier!

While our Norcold was working reasonably well, and we really liked it's ability to run on propane very efficiently, the freezer was constantly frosting up, and in very hot weather it had trouble keeping freezer temps low enough. So we opted to replace the unit with a 120v AC $329 Magic Chef we got at H.D.. Same external dimensions- BUT 2 more cu ft internally - a huge difference! Plus it has auto defrost. We love it!

However - in doing this I realized that it would have to run 100% electrically - so from shore power, generator or solar. I bought a 700 watt Renogy inverter which I use to run this Refrigerator when on battery power. When on shore power or generator I simply switch it over to 120v, but when traveling or boondocking it runs off our lithium battery bank.

Note - when opting to do this I 1st looked at the 3 or 4 options for 12v refrigerators, but they were all about $1500 - ridiculous. But having already been working with inverters, and seeing how much less I could buy a 10 cu ft model for I realized that I could upgrade very inexpensively - so I did.

BTW - Also looked at just changing over the refrigeration section to a 12v compressor cooling assy, but that actually cost more and did nothing to give us the 25% internal space. Simply much easier - and better - to replace the entire refrigerator. And then I was also able to sell my Norcold unit to someone for $250!

For further information on doing this changeover you can also view this video from Kevin Caudill - who did exactly the same thing -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsR_eihKjds

[BobC]

My question to those who've moved away from absorption refrigerators is:

How much boondocking do you do and how much do you run your generator when doing so?