Refrigerator Replacement

[ChiefJohn]

First, wife is very happy with the new residential Whirlpool refrigerator!!

Removed the Norcold 12 cu ft and installed a Shop Whirlpool Gold 24.6 cu ft Side-by-Side Counter-Depth Refrigerator (Stainless Steel) ENERGY STAR at Lowes.com.

Almost a seamless exchange with the exception of removing approximately 2 in of space in an overhead cabinet to make room for the wider Whirlpool refrigerator. Work was performed by http://www.cherokeefarmsrvcenter.com, Summerdale, AL, 251.989.2598, Bobby Tarver (Owner and Master RV Technician!) Bobby provides outstanding service and is extremely meticulous in all his work!

Pictures of the install https://picasaweb.google.com/1028152...eat=directlink

[garykk]

I'm envious

[smlranger]

Very nice. We have certainly not regretted replacing our Norcold with a residential.

[Bug512]

Very nice, what did you have to do on the electrical side? Batteries? Inverter?

[rdkng88]

Very Nice !!

[ChiefJohn]

Originally Posted by Bug512

Very nice, what did you have to do on the electrical side? Batteries? Inverter?

Coach had a 2000W MSW Inverter - replaced factory batteries with 3 Group 31 Trojan AGM batteries.

Spent more on the refrigerator than we planned, but the increased capacity was worth the extra expense -- especially compared to a replacement RV type refrigerator!

[Bug512]

Thanks for the reply. The install looks very nice. We personally would love the increased space since we cook a lot when vacationing.

Is there a way to disable the defrost mode when running off the inverter / batteries?

[ChiefJohn]

Originally Posted by Bug512

Thanks for the reply. The install looks very nice. We personally would love the increased space since we cook a lot when vacationing.

Is there a way to disable the defrost mode when running off the inverter / batteries?

Not that I'm aware of -- ?

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by Bug512

Thanks for the reply. The install looks very nice. We personally would love the increased space since we cook a lot when vacationing.

If you decide to go residential, there are residential units that will go thru your coach door (with the fridge doors removed), eliminating the need for removal of coach windows. We got a 18.2 cu ft Frigidaire for our coach and it fit nicely in the old Norcold 1200LRIM space with few modifications.

[dsbike]

Very nice. Our new Journey came with a residential refrigerator. What a difference it has made from the old rv 2 door in our Coachman.

[Bug512]

They all look really good...

From a little research it looks like setting your refrigerator on "vacation mode" will turn off the defrost cycle. This might be a good option when running on batteries.

Here is one statement I found.

Activate Holiday or Vacation mode if you do not open your refrigerator for days or weeks at a time. Many modern refrigerators have automatic defrosters on a timer. Defrosting improves energy efficiency by using a heater to melt away built-up ice and frost, allowing for the free flow of cold air throughout the compartment. If you are not frequently opening and closing the door, there is no need for defrost mode, which conserves energy.

I know my refrigerator at home has this feature.

[ChiefJohn]

Originally Posted by smlranger

If you decide to go residential, there are residential units that will go thru your coach door (with the fridge doors removed), eliminating the need for removal of coach windows. We got a 18.2 cu ft Frigidaire for our coach and it fit nicely in the old Norcold 1200LRIM space with few modifications.

Your install looks very clean and appears to have come from the factory with the residential unit. Agree, we looked at several that would have fit some entry doors with the fridge doors removed -- however, we wanted the maximum # cu ft that we could possibly get in a counter-depth refrigerator with ice/water in the door. IMO, the main factor to take into consideration is the depth if the refrigerator will be mounted in a slide-out. The cabinet modifications were relatively easy -- my wife regretted having to give up her drawer beneath the old refrigerator. The lost of the storage space was more than compensated by the benefits gained from the residential unit.

[Jerry J]

Very nice! Pictures like that help us that are thinking of doing the change but haven't yet. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Ham_Hog]

I have heard that modified sine wave (MSW) inverters are not recommended for residential fridges and the way to go is with pure sine wave inverters, seems the refrigerant compressors like that better and run cooler. Have you noticed any changes like different compressor sounds or cooling in the fridge?

[ChiefJohn]

I have seen the same comments on the internet forums and various web sites. There are also the same number of folks stating that its not a problem.

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by Ham_Hog

I have heard that modified sine wave (MSW) inverters are not recommended for residential fridges and the way to go is with pure sine wave inverters, seems the refrigerant compressors like that better and run cooler. Have you noticed any changes like different compressor sounds or cooling in the fridge?

Best to check with the manufacturer of the fridge you want. Many folks have replaced the Norcold 4 door with a Samsung RF197 which, according to Samsung, will run fine on modified sine wave.

I called Frigidaire (Electrolux) on mine and they recommended pure sine wave. I did run mine on my old msw inverter for a couple of days before installing the PSW inverter. I will say the fridge sounded different after switching to PSW....it seemed to run more quietly.

[tigersharkjd]

I had the Samsung installed to replace the Norcold 1200 in my 2008 Winnebago Vectra with a MSW and it worked just great. The Samsung had about 30% more space and weighed 3lb more than the Norcold. My first wife was colder than the Norcold, but just as big a hazard.