pandp
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 27
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Post by pandp on Apr 16, 2018 7:57:19 GMT -5
Good morning,
We are new to this forum and happy to be here. We are looking to purchase a larger 5th wheel that we can eventually go full time in. We are in love with the floorplan of the Durango 340FLT and plan to order one. Our big debate is whether to order a residential fridge or stay with a 12cf RV fridge. We do not dry camp so cold going down the road is our only real concern. Any thoughts and if so why?
Thank you and have a great day!!
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Post by Chuck on Apr 16, 2018 11:51:19 GMT -5
pandp We very seldom dry camp, maybe once or twice a year at a tractor show an have the RV fridge, it is nice to have such since we can run it on both power an propane... I will say we have a generator an if we had a residential fridge it would not be a problem either ... I think the major difference is if you want an ice maker an the freezer on the bottom or top, the residential fridge has the freezer on the bottom an the RV fridge has the freezer on the top. The RV fridge has no ice maker only ice trays to make ice cubes an the residential fridge has a ice maker, both are the same size ... BTW the RV fridge is more expensive then the residential fridge which I thought was sort of funny, both have has some minor problems at times such as circuit boards failing from getting wet from very heavy winds an rain ... Safe Travels an happy Glamping  Chuck |
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Post by mtcowgirl on Apr 16, 2018 14:52:16 GMT -5
We debated the frig question too. We do dry camp but have a generator. Decided on rv frig and love it. I bring ice cubes from home so ice maker wasn't important. We've had rv parks experience power outages so nice not having to worry about that, especially if you are gone all day. Frig will automatically switch from electric to propane. Have also used rv frig as backup for power outages at home. Good luck!
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 16, 2018 15:02:03 GMT -5
There is a lot of power in a bottle of propane. To replace that much power would take a lot of solar or generator time. The propane makes virtually no noise and the only real inconvenience is replenishing the supply. Of course a generator needs a fuel run as well, plus regular maintenance.
You need to make your best guess as to how you will operate the refrigerator and then weigh the pros and cons. Being tethered to a power cable is something that doesn’t fit my usage, but may not be an issue with you.
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Post by Edd505 on Apr 16, 2018 19:08:15 GMT -5
The RV fridge gives you the option IF you ever wanted it. Not sure what it would do for trade or resale? Just a couple thoughts.
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Post by nvguy on Apr 16, 2018 22:12:19 GMT -5
No real solid answer to this question. The residential refer offers some advantages but the biggest disadvantage is you have to have 110V power. Yes, you can add in inverter, but you have to have sufficient battery power, and of course batteries are heavy. And then you have to recharge those batteries.
For us, we prefer the flexibility of the RV refer.
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Post by jetzen on Apr 17, 2018 8:22:40 GMT -5
If it were any other brand than Norcold I would have to say it would be some what of a toss up between the RV and Residential refrigerator. Norcold has fallen on some tough times and their current product line suffers from many problems mostly durability issues. That being said the Samsung residential is not without issues.
It is a shame that Dometic no longer makes any large(over 10 cu.ft.)RV refers. They are the best but when they started installing residential refers they got out of that market.
As far as cost a 12 cu.ft. RV is about the same as a 18 cu.ft. residential with inverter around $1800.00 option.
If you use 2 group 27 deep cycle batteries and stay hooked (electrically) to the tow vehicle you will have no problem going 3 days dry camping no problem.
The residential will come with an ice maker and will freeze rock solid plus keep your ice cream from getting soft, it will also recover faster to target temp when loaded with fresh supplies something an RV refrigerator will not do.
The choice is yours both have advantages and disadvantages. |
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pandp
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 27
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Post by pandp on Apr 17, 2018 11:16:16 GMT -5
Thank you for all the input. I think we are going with a residential fridge.
So thankful for this forum.
Safe travels to all.
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daycruiser
Newbie RV’er
Not really a newbie, over 40 years RVing, owned all classes of RV at one time or another.
Posts: 5
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Post by daycruiser on Jun 26, 2018 18:17:58 GMT -5
In talking with Service techs at my dealer they are of the opinion that the Residential Refers are more prone to failure than the RV refers are due to the shock and bouncing that the Residentials are not designed to withstand. The Samsung fail far more often than the LG in their view. Something to consider if you have to pull that residential out and have it fixed or replaced. The RV refer is a whole lot easier to pull and repair. In some floor plans be careful, you may have to remove an Island or bank of cabinets to get the residential refer out of it's whole.
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Post by Chuck on Jun 28, 2018 10:23:42 GMT -5
I have to say that in the newer 5th wheels allot of the bounce has gone away unless you are four wheeling on the back roads in the mountains, our Durango 5th wheel rides far better than are old Coachmen Chappy an it's much longer an wider ... As stated at the factory, either larger residential or RV Refers you need to pull the kitchen slide in 5th wheels to get them out, you can not slide them thought the door ... As well in some models you will even have to move as stated cabinet's or counters to get them out as well ... Safe travels an happy Glamping Chuck |
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