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Old 10-21-2018, 05:59 AM   #1
hondapro
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3121 Refer question

My wife and I are planing to upgrade to a 5th wheel,I am now in the research phase.

So far the Montana 3121 is at the top of my list

After watching the Haylet channel on you tube they seem to not recommend the residential refer, they say there is alot of issues with them because they are not made to be bounced around when towing.

Has there been issues with them?

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Old 10-21-2018, 06:35 AM   #2
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We have not had any issues and really like the extra refer space.
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Old 10-21-2018, 06:42 AM   #3
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Mixed reaction in our snowbird park in Florida. Some have had no issues, some wish they had not chosen a residential over an RV frig because of cooling problems. Folks experiencing problems with both.
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:55 AM   #4
DanandBrenda
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I vote for residential we have had problems with our RV norcold.
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Old 10-21-2018, 08:15 AM   #5
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8 years of full timing. Know several people who have had to have their residential replaced and a couple that just don't like it. Both residential and RV have had issues. For us though, we would never go to residential.
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Old 10-21-2018, 08:20 AM   #6
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We have the Norcold in our 2015 SOB with no problems that have been subject of controversial posts.

We are looking at the 3120rl because we like the ability for propane or electric in the event of a power outage. The res ref is not about the consumer though that is how it is marketed. We try not to travel long days so the ability to run the ref on the inverter is not an issue for us.
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Old 10-21-2018, 09:03 AM   #7
STIHLNTIME
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I have had zero issues with the residential fridge, would take it over a traditional rv fridge without a moments hesitation. We just turn on our park lights when towing to provide power that will keep the battery in the Monty charged and the inverter keeps the fridge running while towing. The modern residential takes very little power to run. We love the additional fridge/freezer space. We love our 3121RL, no real issues so far with over 8000 miles. For a couple or a family with small children they have plenty of room.
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Old 10-21-2018, 09:05 AM   #8
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People have had problems with both with RV and Res. I personally have had the cooling unit replace on our norcold 2118 with an Amish unit and it work great now. Also have seen the bone yards at RV dealers with quite a few residential refrigerators. Seems to be luck of the draw.
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Old 10-21-2018, 09:16 AM   #9
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We have never had a res fringe in a camper. Probably never will unless we stop boon docking. But I can tell you they do not make them (any appliance's) like they used to. 10 mos ago we purchased all new Whirlpool appliance's. One of which was a large French door fridge. In the last 2 weeks they have been out twice for a no cool issue (60 degree's in the fridge). Seams to be fixed for now. A week after that most of the interior lights will not come on. It will be another 2 weeks before they come look at that issue.

I can only think that having my same fridge in a camper would only increase the chances of problems, but who knows.

We have had an RV fridge in the 3 campers that we have owned. Are they kept as cool as a res fridge, NO. Do they recover there temp as fast as a res fridge, NO. Do they keep ice cream rock hard, NO. But all 3 have at least WORKED for more that 10 months without having any major issues.

With that being said, give me a RV fridge any day over a res.

There is no way to me certain but I think at least some of the RV fridge issues are operator error. Like running them with the unit WAY out of level. Opening the double doors of a French door fridge to peer inside for 5 minutes deciding what you want (DW does this all the time, drives me nuts). Putting items in it that are NOT already cold or frozen. Etc. A RV fridge may take 10 times as long to recover the cold air lost from opening a door.
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Old 10-21-2018, 02:18 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STIHLNTIME View Post
We just turn on our park lights when towing to provide power that will keep the battery in the Monty charged and the inverter keeps the fridge running while towing.
Off topic, but what do your park lights have to do with charging your battery while towing? The charge line on my Ford is hot when the key is on.
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Old 10-21-2018, 02:26 PM   #11
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We've had our Residential Fridge for 3 1/2 years and over 35K miles which includes all types of highways and it hasn't skipped a beat. BTY, ours is a Whirlpool vs the Samsung used by some Mfrs.
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:49 PM   #12
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Off topic, but what do your park lights have to do with charging your battery while towing? The charge line on my Ford is hot when the key is on.
Was wondering the same thing.
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Old 10-21-2018, 07:54 PM   #13
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Our residential refrigerator had been running not stop since June, including a 3 hour trip to Smokies. No problems so far. Love the ice maker.
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Old 10-21-2018, 08:02 PM   #14
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We have always had an RV Frig! We do a lot of Boon Docking I use my battery's for other things like lights, Heat and hot water.
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Old 10-21-2018, 09:25 PM   #15
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The wife love the residential refrigerator that came with our 2018 3121. The residential refrigerator will cold down in just a few hours. We have had both, wife will not go back to rv ref.

The only concern that i have is: will the (2) 12v intersate battery last over night.

solar panels and (4) 6v batteries are in the future.
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Old 10-22-2018, 06:42 AM   #16
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I’m one of the folks that has a 3721RL with a Samsung Refrigerator. I think part of the answer to your question is the actual design of the brand as opposed to hauling one around. We have a Samsung Residential that has not worked properly since we purchased our Montana new. It is going to be replaced in November with another residential refrigerator. There are a number of negative reviews on the internet about Samsung refrigerators not related to being in an RV. The design is in question/ flawed by many. We just pulled the short straw I guess? The freezer has worked great, but the refrigerator will not cool below 60 degrees or so. Thanks to Keystone ( specifically a member on this forum) they are replacing it under warranty. I don’t regret it because we love the size and also the freezer freezes ice cream rock solid....which is the most important attribute of any freezer in keeping my weight on for the cold winter ahead.
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Old 10-22-2018, 01:50 PM   #17
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I It is going to be replaced in November with another residential refrigerator.
Just curious, how do you get a refrigerator thru the door of an RV?
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Old 10-22-2018, 02:57 PM   #18
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Just curious, how do you get a refrigerator thru the door of an RV?
Others on here have said that it will fit if you take the refrigerator doors off. I don't know for sure, and hope I never have to find out.
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Old 10-22-2018, 03:18 PM   #19
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Just curious, how do you get a refrigerator thru the door of an RV?
As you can see by the label from my residential fridge below with the fridge doors and hinges off it is only 24 inches wide to clear my door, which is over 24 inches wide. Extended Warranty Salesmen want you to buy the extended warranty by using scare tactics about the process of getting it out. My guy implied you would have to take the entire slide off, but as you can clearly see by the label it isn’t that wide to get through door.



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Old 10-22-2018, 03:41 PM   #20
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Nice to know
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