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Old 05-23-2022, 01:53 PM   #11
Tytorres
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I looked that up and nobody sells it. But my wife and I are wanting to put an electric fridge in our 2009 2720SL instead of the three-way. The guy we're buying it from won't even turn it on while driving for fear of the propane.

Is there a new fridge being sold that has dimensions that would fit the space?
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Old 05-23-2022, 04:05 PM   #12
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Quote:
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I looked that up and nobody sells it. But my wife and I are wanting to put an electric fridge in our 2009 2720SL instead of the three-way. The guy we're buying it from won't even turn it on while driving for fear of the propane.

Is there a new fridge being sold that has dimensions that would fit the space?
There are several suitable fridge freezers available that will fit. Do a search for "mini Fridge" then specify 4.5 cu ft of 4.5 cu ft.

Check out the pics to be sure that you are happy with the freezer size. The freezers range from "0" > OK > pretty big.

You may want to wait for my report on the one that I got before ripping out your 3-way fridge.

If you only camp with hook-ups, you may be OK changing. If you have at least 200W of solar panels and a good "PURE SINEWAVE" inverter, I can better give you experienced feedback in a couple weeks.

If you are only concerned about running your fridge on 110V while driving, then plugging in at the campground, you may be able to get away with running a 500W inverter off of your tow vehicle wiring through your TM while driving. That gets a little complicated but can be done. However, solar panels aren't that expensive and is a better choice all round.

Here's an example of a suitable fridge but there are many. Maximum measurements for your original cabinet are 34.75" tall x 22" wide. The depth can run up to around 26" or a little more.

If you don't care about the original cabinet, you can go up to 29" wide. I found one that is 5.5 cu ft, double door (side-by-side) fridge freezer. If the set-up that I have now works out well, I may just get that one but it's a bit pricey.

https://www.amazon.com/WHS-160RSS1-C..._hp_atf_m&th=1
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Old 05-23-2022, 06:19 PM   #13
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So I reworded and repeated your question on the RCA 5.5cu ft on Amazon. I saw the manufacturer response.

Also, I noticed that the RCA is explicitly stated not to work as a built-in. A woman named Sara tried to do what we’re trying to do and it failed after 3 months. 😬
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Old 05-23-2022, 06:59 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tytorres View Post
So I reworded and repeated your question on the RCA 5.5cu ft on Amazon. I saw the manufacturer response.

Also, I noticed that the RCA is explicitly stated not to work as a built-in. A woman named Sara tried to do what we’re trying to do and it failed after 3 months. ��
If you are talking about this question on Amazon
.................................................. ....
How many watts per hour does it use? What is the surge wattage and running wattage? Need it for off grid use with solar system.
Answer:The unit is not designed to run on an inverter.
By A manufacturer MANUFACTURER on March 10, 2022
.................................................. ....
I did not ask that.

I believe that the response from the manufacturer is referring to the common "Modified Sine Wave" inverter. That's why I use (and recommend) a "Pure Sine Wave" inverter. The fridge has no way of knowing the difference from a pure sine wave inverter, generator or house current. In fact, if you have solar on your home, it has a pure sine wave inverter.

The more that I think about it, that response, "The unit is not designed to run on an inverter." is really stupid because every solar powered home in the country (tens of millions of them) runs off an inverter.


As far as "building in", they are referring to the lack of airflow that is experienced when a fridge is installed in an enclosed cabinet. In the the TM, it is easy to create plenty of airflow. If I were to use the 5.5 cu ft, it would not be in a cabinet. I would eliminate the cabinet completely. I would just set the fridge in the open, next to the sink counter.

Having said all that, I'm not likely to put out $600 for that fridge. The 4,5 cu ft fridge that I got for $50 should do just fine.
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Old 05-24-2022, 10:23 AM   #15
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The open venting behind the fridge space makes it "not built in" by definition. The issue with built in fridges is, there's no place for the hot air in the back to vent -- an undercounter compressor fridge that's built-in vents under the unit to the front through a grille--that design jacks up the price. However, since the TM already has venting grates open to the outside (as the absorption fridge only operates via heat generation and heat transfer) there is no concern with using a "standalone" as "built-in" in the TM.
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Old 05-30-2022, 03:05 PM   #16
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We just spent our first 5-day campout with the dorm fridge.

For this 1st trip, I simply set the dorm fridge next to the TM fridge and used the TM fridge for dry storage.

The morning that we prepared to head-out, I plugged the dorm fridge into the Pure Sine Wave inverter circuit in the TM about 6:AM. We started packing around noon and the fridge was cold so we packed the fridge. Normally, we start the Norcold fridge the night before on propane. It needed about 12-hours to cool down. The dorm fridge ~2-hours. We also don't have to worry about precooling everything that goes in the fridge. This fridges acts just as a home fridge does.

We had partial sunny days the entire 5-days. Our 200W solar array put out about 2-3amps per hour from Sun up (around 7:AM) until about 1:PM then partial Sun for the rest of the day (charging about 10Amps per hour). Even so, our 225AH battery bank was at 100% by 4 or 5:PM each day.

When I woke up in the morning, our battery bank was at 12.4V each morning. I never saw it get below 12.4V (under load) the entire time. We ran all of our lights in the evening and used our Fantastic Fan and all other 12V services as we always do. We even left our porch light on all night.

I suspect that I may need to go with a 200AH lithium battery to be able to run my furnace in the cold months and possibly run a small generator for an hour on the evening or increase my solar array.

I'm calling the dorm fridge a success and will proceed pulling out the Norcold fridge from the cabinet and permanently installing the dorm fridge.
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Old 06-03-2022, 01:36 PM   #17
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So we're seriously thinking of purchasing that 5.5 cu ft RCA, which is 30.7" wide. I think I'll have to cut off the countertop and relocate the stereo, which I'm ok with. But will I still be able to close my sofa completely at that width? I have a 2009 2720SL.
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Old 06-03-2022, 02:34 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tytorres View Post
So we're seriously thinking of purchasing that 5.5 cu ft RCA, which is 30.7" wide. I think I'll have to cut off the countertop and relocate the stereo, which I'm ok with. But will I still be able to close my sofa completely at that width? I have a 2009 2720SL.
Not sure what you mean by "Close the sofa". Although we both have the same year/model of TM, I have seen some inconsistant measurements between trailers. I would advise that you measure your own distance before buying. If you go with the 5.5 cu ft, you would just use the top of the fridge as a countertop. However, the 4.5 cu ft fridge has a LOT of room in it compared to the original fridge. It is nearly twice as deep as the Norcold. It's also taller.

We just downsized from a Class A motorhome that had a huge, double door fridge. My wife hated the idea of losing that fridge but after our last 5-day trip with this fridge, we came home with half of the food that we left with and we never eat out.

I'm just starting to remove the Norcold today.
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Old 06-03-2022, 06:04 PM   #19
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Just removed and installed new fridge. Took about 1.5 hours.

I just have to do some trim work.

I'm starting a new thread with pics, in case anyone is intimidated by this job. It's a LOT easier than it looks.
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