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Old 07-17-2019, 06:19 PM   #21
richfaa
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One we replaced the cooing units in both our 06 and 13 montana with the Amish cooling units we had no further problems.
 
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Old 07-17-2019, 06:28 PM   #22
speedster100
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Suspect the door seals are not working properly in the fridge portion.. Likely requires a door adjustment and possible seal repair. Ours was only doing okay... small adjustments and cleaning up seals (both the face where the seal meets the fridge & the seals) now freezes tomatos on the top shelf set at 5
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Old 07-17-2019, 06:52 PM   #23
rzelred1
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Lowes $400.00. Put one in a houseboat!
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Old 07-17-2019, 09:52 PM   #24
JamesD
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knapper42 View Post
where should the thermister be located?
I placed it as far out, and up on a fin as I could get it.
Whether or not that is where it should be IDK.
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Old 07-19-2019, 04:59 AM   #25
kench
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Originally Posted by hosssmith View Post
The Dometic in our 2015 3825 RL has determined to function quite poorly and will no longer maintain a satisfactory temperature. Our local service man has eyeballed it all over and is stumped and his next idea is to change the thermister (yeah I know that isn't spelt right but it's all I got) which seems like a sound try to me. This is the sensor (it would likely have been called a thermostat a few decades ago) that decides if the box is cool enough or not and commands more or less cooling.

A few weeks ago when we reported for our weekly stay of two nights the plastic burning smell was quite overpowering. We ventilated and looked all over for anything that could have melted and found nothing. Everything continued to function as expected but the fridge began to warm up over the following days while we were away. We returned to find a warmer than comfortable fridge and suspected something in the back had given up. He looked and looked and checked and checked some more and so did we but we located nothing and did not ever smell any ammonia so likely an ammonia leak is not the reason for the gradual failure.

All of which is an awful lot of background for the question. Ought we consider changing over to a residential fridge if this one is found to be not economically repairable? The answer to which could lead to a lot of questions. Will a residential unit fit the fridge space, what will have to be done to maintain the cold on a long day of travel, is a residential really less expensive than an RV style fridge? All y'all are welcome to add some more questions or send some answers as suits your fancy.

He tells me that a new cooling unit will run in the vicinity of $1,600 bucks, a new RV fridge will run around $4,500 bucks and a residential should run around $3 grand. More or less. We do not have a genset so making 'lectricity while traveling is not happening and I am not really in the mood to have one anyway.

I am not yet knowing if we have a serious failure or a failure of one or more of the component parts. If and when we solve that troubling question will it be time to make the big bucks decision.

Thank all y'all in advance account it might be a few days afore I can check back to see what you said or didn't say.
Hi We went thru 3 years of crap with Keystone and our Montana Dealer.
We ended up going with a residential fridge for the following reasons.
1 it works, 2 bought a Hi Sense 17 cu foot for $800 bucks Regular price was $1600. It keeps everything cold even ice cream. Most Rv fridges will not keep ice cream cold because they are an absorption style rather than compressor (whatever that means). I Can buy a 5 year warranty for $150.00. Any Appliance technician can repair them for service cost of $60.00 not $100.00 plus and a guy comes that has no clue. If we are travelling during the day I have turned the fridge off and they are so well insulated , there is almost no rise in temperature when we reach our destination 8 hours later in 85-90 degree heat. You just have to shop around to find a size that fits through your entrance door. Mine was 24" deep so went thru 30" door no problem. Hope this info helps. Just remember these things. Number one These manufacturers build crap cause there is no industry regulation. Number 2 They don't care.
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:42 AM   #26
hosssmith
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And number 3; they want your money.

Thanx for the advice. We have yet to make a final decision.
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:01 AM   #27
JamesD
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FWIW, I unplugged, and re-plugged in all the connections when I was diagnosing the problem. If there was a bad connection that might have caused it to start working again.
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Old 07-19-2019, 09:28 AM   #28
jcurtis934
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Exactly.
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Old 08-06-2019, 05:28 PM   #29
awheeler
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Originally Posted by Track50 View Post
We have a Samsung residential fridge and love it. Inverter will last 11hrs. But when hooked up and towing, your vehicle will keep charged with no problem. Ours is the 3701LK

That is what I thought. We have the 2017 3791RD and the Residential Fridge runs just fine when hooked up and towing. Not sure what all the discussion is about?
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Old 08-06-2019, 05:45 PM   #30
beeje
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Originally Posted by mtlakejim View Post
I think the answer to your question depends more on how you use your RV than what kind of refrigerator is actually better.


If you don't boondock I would suggest that a residential fridge is by far the best choice and you will get a lot more fridge for your dollar. Plus you can replace it extremely easily at any big box store.


But if you do boondock, then an RV dual fuel style fridge is about the only way to go.


Since we are full time in one location for the next several years it wasn't even a question it is residential all the way and I am very happy with that choice. Even when we were weekend warriors the residential was still our preference as we always stayed where there was power except during transit. The residential will keep food cold for quite a while even without power IF you don't open the door on them. Most especially if you freeze some water bottles and leave them in it.


In fact, we would be happy with a totally electric camper (IE: no butane or 12volt) if they made such a beast and the electric could heat the unit on 50amp service. I suspect we will in fact start seeing totally AC electric units on the market before to long. They would be less expensive for sure and easier to maintain. And to be honest I can't think of a good reason to have anything else if you never boondock......
There is already such a beast. Guy I know has a 2018-19? entegra Espire deilsel pusher (I know, not a fifth wheel ) but it is all electric. No propane what so ever. Heat pumps and aqua hot that burns diesel. Electric induction stove etc.
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Old 09-08-2019, 09:18 PM   #31
chuckj
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I have a 2017 3790RD and want to replace the RV fridge with a residential unit. Would you mind sharing the make and model number of the fridge installed in your 3791RD?
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Old 02-29-2020, 08:28 AM   #32
Diablozoe
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Originally Posted by jcurtis934 View Post
New Samsung 18 cu ft residential fits in same space as 12 cuft norcold and it is just about 1200. An inverter to keep it running while towing is about another 1200 or so...all depends on who does work and what parts are used. Fridge space does need to be modified, propane line needs to be removed, etc. So 3000 for all if someone is doing the work would be a good price.
Which fridge are you referencing? I’ve found an 18 sq feet one but it seems like it’s taller. Will modifications need to be done to fit?
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Old 02-29-2020, 09:50 AM   #33
chuckj
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The refer I installed was the Samsung RF18xxxx. It is taller, I had to cut out some of the top trim on the opening and removed the wheels. I probably could have removed some of the base instead but that looked easier to me.
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Old 02-29-2020, 11:00 AM   #34
Five O'clock Somewhere
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In the the unit we had be before our current one we replace the standard RV frig with an apartment model from Home Depot for under $300 which fit the opening great. A small piece of trim and you could not tell it did not come from the mfg that way. Used it for over 10 years with no issues.
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Old 02-29-2020, 10:20 PM   #35
DmaxDually
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I have the 4 door Norcold 1210 in my RV. I like the size of the fridge and when my cooling unit goes I will upgrade the cooling unit to the Gas/electric hybrid- Helium charged.It is charged with Helium versus Hydrogen thus making it a safety feature. These replacement cooling units have double the cooling capacity than the original ones. They send you everything you need to do the installation yourself and they have how to videos. Here the link:

https://jc-refrigeration.com/products/
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