Residential fridge problems

[Abbert55]

We are pondering a 3790RD or 3791RD for full time living.

I have always had an RV fridge and am happy with them.
Question we have is, we've read many reports on the RES unit not designed for travel as the RV is.
We have enough solar to produce 1.5KWH per day, and enough battery power to suffice, so I'm not too concerned about the 600 KWH it needs each day. We boondock 96.75% of the time, and we have a 7.5KW diesel generator for backup.
I would like to know how dependable these RES fridges are and some of the problems others have had so I can make a wise decision.
We do travel some (place to place), but not constantly on the road.
How do these hold up in everyday use?
I'm looking for answers from real experiences here, not so much opinions.


TYVM for your input.

 

[LeftOverParts]

We bought our '21 3231CK new with a 18 cu ft GE resi fridge (2 door w/ bottom freezer drawer). We have a little over 32K miles on the trailer so far. About 6000 miles of that was on Canada and AK roads last summer where there were some harsh roads - enough to jar the microwave loose and crack two spring hangers.

So far, the fridge has had no problems with the refrigeration unit or shelves breaking. We put food, cans, bottles, etc in 4"-5" deep plastic bins and there are several per shelf to minimize sliding. Doors are full but only a couple of 2L soda/juice bottles and creamer. We don't use the ice maker so no experience to report with it - we use bottled water and ice cube trays.

I did notice before we installed 500 watts of solar and LiPO that the FLA, deep cycle batteries would get taxed on longer drives as the truck charging system didn't keep up with the load.

 

[RMcNeal]

We have the original Samsung in our 2019 3791RD. It has worked very well for us. It actually pulls less electricity than a normal residential unit. I get it cold on shore power first, but I can go for quite a while on just 2 6 volt GC2 golf cart batteries. Definitely overnight without charging. The truck does not keep up with charging the batteries while travelling if the fridge is on. I do not have solar, so I'm considering putting in a DC-DC charger so the truck can keep up. A 30 or 40 amp should suffice.
I have read there are those that have had problems with the residential fridges, but I have not had any trouble from the Samsung. We don't boondock, but even if we did, I would rather have the residential vs the propane absorption units. Larger unit, cooling is far better and we have an ice maker on board. I plumbed a bottled water supply to the ice maker so we can even make ice while travelling.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Our Samsung RF18 has been running 99% of the time since we purchased the rig Jan 2018. We do not boondock and the rig is either plugged in at the S&B or campground, or running on inverter while traveling. We use the fridge at the S&B for overflow food storage during the holidays.

It does have the defroster-heater-ice-buildup issue that I need to fix. Lots of YouTube videos to watch for that (screen shot below). I have no idea if the issue has been corrected by Samsung in newer models. I’m not sure what brand fridge Keystone is using in newer models Montanas. For what it’s worth can tell you that our 2014 Sears Kenmore fridge at the S&B (died 2022) was actually a LG fridge and we had the defroster-heater-ice buildup issue fixed under warranty in 2017…evidently a common problem for fridge manufacturers trying to squeeze every ounce of government required energy savings/watts out of their inventory. The heater system is/was under-designed.

I have had no issues with the hardware or wall attachment for the system that anchors the fridge to the wall. There has been lots of discussion in this forum about the issue…the factory guys failed to hit wall studs with the anchoring screws and the fridge comes loose during travel. I intend to add some blocking at the rear of the fridge cubby to further secure the anchors to the wall. There are several threads with excellent photos showing the added blocking.

 

[Cat320]

We have two virtually identical Whirlpool bottom freezer refers, one in the RV and one in the stick house. They were not purchased together, had one and the RV came with the other. The one in the RV has been trouble free, the one in the stick house has been a constant problem. The most serious problem required the replacing of the freezer door. After numerous visits for the door not sealing, the tech noticed it had been bent, very slightly, at the factory.

 

[Abbert55]

Thank you for the info! I was not aware of the ice buildup issue. We're looking at a 2018-2019 year as these have the floorplan we really like.

We may go with the 3790RD with the gas/elect. fridge after we look into the issues.
I had worked in some RV factories and I can believe the missed stud problem. Its build it as fast as you can to get your bonus and be home by 1:00pm before the heat of the day.

 

[432bartman]

Just upgraded our 2019 to a residential fridge and it's working great.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Abbert55 - we have a Norcold 2118 gas absorption fridge in our 20 yr old motorhome. Previous owner had it installed in 2020. It works great - since I have had gas absorption fridges in every RV I have ever owned (before the Montana) I knew how to care for them, and knew to turn them on a day before we leave to let them cool down, and to prop the doors open when we get home to let them air out/dry out. In the past year we have owned the motorhome, DW and I have become aware of the fire potential with gas absorption fridges. DW worries about it more than me…but I intend to install a Fridge Defend ARP one of these days days soon so she will sleep better. Frankly it is low on my priority list. I know where my Norcold came from and how it was treated since it was installed by previous owner.

I have never turned my Samsung off in the Montana. We come home from a trip and I plug it in and it runs like an old fridge in the garage. The only time it has been off is 5-6 times during a power outage, which was 6 days Feb 2021 due to an ice storm. I will admit that I don’t know what the procedure is to turn it off and let it dry out, and I have no idea how long it takes to cool back down to get ready for a trip. Maybe someone will know.

We are happy with both fridges and I have no plans to think about installing a residential fridge in the motorhome…but if I had to vote for one or the other, I would give a slight preference to the residential fridge. We NEVER boondock. If we did, I might change my vote to a gas absorption. I have no experience with the “New” 12 volt fridges, but you can search a ton on those here.

 

[RMcNeal]

I usually turn mine off using the 15 amp breaker. In my unit, it is the left most breaker in the panel. Ensure that your inverter is turned off also if you don't want it to run off battery.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Another Samsung residential refrigerator owner here! Our camper is a 2019 model, purchased new in September 2018. The refrigerator has run great all this time, EXCEPT!.... 2 years ago the freezer fan died which resulted in a repair. But, (believe it or not), the actual part was still under warranty. I did have to pay for the repair, but warranty did pay for the part (which was not cheap either). And, because we went through Samsung for a repair that serviced Samsung, the repair service came out to the trailer (which was located at a state park in North Carolina at the time). They got us all fixed up and we've not had any more problems. That was the ONLY problem we had in over 6 years now.

We've traveled extensively from Indiana to Louisiana to North Carolina to Nebraska and round and round again and again. I've not had any issues with the anchor to the wall. Mine is anchored in the kitchen slide out, directly above the wheels. I added an additional low-point drain for the ice maker water line (giving the line 2 low point drains), which helps drain a lot better so I don't have to winterize that line, just let the water empty.

The only vulnerability IS that water line that runs under the slide. It's 100% exposed and has no insulation at all. But, when the water is turned off to the refrigerator, the refrigerator still works great! The first 2 years we had the camper I winterized the ice maker with RV antifreeze. After that, figured out how to drain the line without affecting anything else in the camper. .... works great now.

The question you should ask everyone on these forums is: "If you have a residential refrigerator and you needed to replace it.... would you replace it with the same brand / model you currently have or would you select a different brand." In my case, I would have no issues getting another Samsung.

 

[JABURKHOLDER]

2016 3791RD with residential fridge. Over 41,500 miles on that rig. Fridge never failed me. One caveat, never boondocked with that rig.

 

[Mikelff]

We are pondering a 3790RD or 3791RD for full time living.

I have always had an RV fridge and am happy with them.
Question we have is, we've read many reports on the RES unit not designed for travel as the RV is.
We have enough solar to produce 1.5KWH per day, and enough battery power to suffice, so I'm not too concerned about the 600 KWH it needs each day. We boondock 96.75% of the time, and we have a 7.5KW diesel generator for backup.
I would like to know how dependable these RES fridges are and some of the problems others have had so I can make a wise decision.
We do travel some (place to place), but not constantly on the road.
How do these hold up in everyday use?
I'm looking for answers from real experiences here, not so much opinions.


TYVM for your input.

One option to consider is a dc 12V compressor fridge vs a residential or gas/electric absorption fridge. You do not need a dc/ac converter. They have been used in boats for decades, and are now becoming popular in rv. My rig came with the absorption gas/electric fridge and was nothing but a nightmare. I switched out the cooling unit to a 12V compressor unit from JC Refrigeration. The factory built models seem to do pretty well. They are built stronger than a residential fridge, that is not built for all the vibration and banging around they get in an RV. They operate much like a residential fridge but use a dc compressor rather than an AC compressor. I would research these types of fridges before you make a final choice.

 

[GCA-5TH]

We have a residential fridge and probably won't go back to an RV type. Our unit has been good (so far). Prior to the RV we lived on a small 50 yacht. We had remodeled it including a completely new kitchen with all new appliances.
We chose an RV fridge for that remodel and when it failed within 6 months, we tossed it and went back to a residential style. Never had an issue after that. That was back in 2018 and it's still going strong.

 

[Abbert55]

Thanks, good to know.