Convert your existing fridge to a residential fridge

[John L]

I met a guy at the MI Grand Design Rally last week who did this conversion, gas to electric, and he said it works like a champ for him. He has 800 watts of solar w/5 Battel Born batteries. Said he boondocks and never had a problem.

Has anyone else done this type of conversion, of changing the existing fridge to either 120 volt or 12 volt. The word file is paired down version from what JC Refrigeration sent me. I could not get the part of the "New Gas/Elect" with pictures to upload too big of a file. (There is info about it in the PDF)

If it works it sounds like it would be easier then taking out the current fridge and putting in a new one. I read Howards post about his install and it sounded like a big project.

options for 1200 series (Autosaved) revised.docx
Hvac old versus new .pdf

[ncitro]

I met a guy at the MI Grand Design Rally last week who did this conversion, gas to electric, and he said it works like a champ for him. He has 800 watts of solar w/5 Battel Born batteries. Said he boondocks and never had a problem.

Has anyone else done this type of conversion, of changing the existing fridge to either 120 volt or 12 volt. The word file is paired down version from what JC Refrigeration sent me. I could not get the part of the "New Gas/Elect" with pictures to upload too big of a file. (There is info about it in the PDF)

If it works it sounds like it would be easier then taking out the current fridge and putting in a new one. I read Howards post about his install and it sounded like a big project.

[ATTACH]n55225[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]n55226[/ATTACH]

Howard and I have both done it. I have 1200 watts of solar and 6 Lion energy lithium batteries. It works like a champ and it’s one of the best upgrades I’ve made. Huge storage in the fridge and it actually stays cold. I originally had a bigger Samsung fridge, but found it drew too much power and replaced it with a smaller GE (the Samsung is now my home fridge lol).

[wygieman]

I met a guy at the MI Grand Design Rally last week who did this conversion, gas to electric, and he said it works like a champ for him. He has 800 watts of solar w/5 Battel Born batteries. Said he boondocks and never had a problem.

Has anyone else done this type of conversion, of changing the existing fridge to either 120 volt or 12 volt. The word file is paired down version from what JC Refrigeration sent me. I could not get the part of the "New Gas/Elect" with pictures to upload too big of a file. (There is info about it in the PDF)

If it works it sounds like it would be easier then taking out the current fridge and putting in a new one. I read Howards post about his install and it sounded like a big project.

[ATTACH]n55225[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]n55226[/ATTACH]

I converted my Dometic 1350 12 cu ft refrigerator to 12 volt DC using the JC Refrigeration kit. Works great. Figure 9 amps or so when cycling (compressor + controller + fans). The conversion process is documented in a thread here if interested.
https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...-to-compressor
I don’t know that it is easier than Howard’s install. The best way to do it if you go this way imo, is to have JC Refrigeration install it if you are in their area. I do not have solar and have 200 amps of Lithium batteries. Easy to stop overnight without issue but I do need to use a genset for longer stays unplugged.

[howson]

wygieman -- how did I miss that conversion thread as an entry on the Modification List? I took care of that and it will show up in v13!

Any others you've posted that are not on the list, let me know.

Howard

[John L]

[QUOTE=wygieman;n55253]

The conversion process is documented in a thread here if interested.
https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...-to-compressor

I don't know how I missed that thread. I thought I did a good search before posting.

Thanks for the post. I would have JC Refrigeration do it.

[KamFlyer]

We did this also. Love the new fridge! My write up is in my blog which is linked in my signature below.
-Rob-

[bellis]

I would think a residential fridge would draw more power? Can someone outline the reasons why or why it was the best upgrade you have done?

ncitro howson

[ncitro]

I would think a residential fridge would draw more power? Can someone outline the reasons why or why it was the best upgrade you have done?

ncitro howson

I think it’s somewhere in the middle. It’ll draw less power than the absorption fridge running through the inverter (but not less than on propane obviously), but probably more than a 12v compressor fridge.

In my case, my absorption would not cook properly. I had Dometic look at it and had cooling fan’s and I was just not happy with it. I already had the inverter so I had the power capacity for it. As an added bonus it has much more space for food. I’m quite happy with the upgrade.

Howard as I recall was looking to run his fridge off of electric rather than propane while traveling, and that started him down his path.

[howson]

bellis
1) Less power required (almost always run off of 120vAC)
2) Better cooling (and a freezer that freezes!)
3) More capacity (the DW loves the residential)
4) Faster recovery
5) Doesn't need 24 hours to cool down (kind of tied to the "faster recovery")

Changing from an "RV" (absorption technology provides the cooling) to a compressor-driven refrigerator (12v or 120v) requires an upgrade to the OEM provided power options. The scale of those upgrades depends on usage scenario for the individual desiring the change.

When you're done you'll have plenty of capability. The only item (perhaps) to add is a DC-DC Charger to ensure the batteries stay charged on a travel day. (Solar is not 100% reliable and having the refrigerator turn off due to flat batteries is not acceptable.) For those with a built-in generator...the extra charger may not be necessary.

[KamFlyer]

#1 Energy usage. Norcold 2118 approx 7,500 KWh/year based on manufacturers info and real world personal experience (propane energy converted to KWh or about one #30 propane tank every 8 days or so). Our LG residential, about 450-500 KWh/year.
#2 Performance. The Norcold freezer would only get down to about 4 or 5 degrees F. Not cold enough for safe food storage according to the USFDA. Not to mention having to defrost every other week or so. Our LG easily maintains -3F and never need to worry about defrosting
#3 Fast temperature recovery. The Norcold would take 24+ hours to get back to normal temperature after adding a grocery shop. The LG 2-3 hours.
#4 No need to worry about how you load items.
#5 Bigger. 18 cuft for the Norcold, 22 cuft for the LG.
#6 Our LG has a cold water dispenser and 2 ice makers that actually work.
#7 Peace of mind. Negligible need to worry about the thing burning the trailer down.

We boondock a lot and yes, we have a decent solar/battery plant but even with that ,the LG doesn't tax things all that much.

[bellis]

If I may be so bold - estimated cost of upgrade (residential purchase + wiring upgrade)? I'm shocked that it uses less energy....but if it really works that much better....why are manufacturers not using compressor technology instead? I assume you cannot have a fridge with both compressor and absorption technology....

Is it bigger because it sits back into the space more? I mean if the space is the same size....where are you gaining it? Is the residential less insulated?

I think I saw a company (amish company?) that specialized in fridges for RV's.....are there places that specialize in this upgrade you could just go to and have them do it?

[KamFlyer]

If I may be so bold - estimated cost of upgrade (residential purchase + wiring upgrade)? I'm shocked that it uses less energy....but if it really works that much better....why are manufacturers not using compressor technology instead? I assume you cannot have a fridge with both compressor and absorption technology....

Is it bigger because it sits back into the space more? I mean if the space is the same size....where are you gaining it? Is the residential less insulated?

I think I saw a company (amish company?) that specialized in fridges for RV's.....are there places that specialize in this upgrade you could just go to and have them do it?

Keep in mind these are Cdn $ numbers. IIRC the LG was around $2,300 + 5% Tax. The mobile tech charged us $400 and we used maybe another $50 in materials.
We were able to sell the old Norcold for $2,000 to a fellow who wanted a propane fridge for a cottage.
We also added an extra lithium battery to our existing array to offset the increase in electricity needs although it wasn't a critical requirement. That was another $1,000 or so.
We already had a fairly substantial solar system and inverter so that wasn't a factor. If you don't have that, that would of course be an additional expense.

I think compressor fridges are more space efficient as they don't need the big boiler and need less space for all the coils on the back. Ours does also sit out a bit further in front; about an inch or 2.

As to the Amish company, I think you are referring to https://jc-refrigeration.com/. You would have to check with them about their installations.
-Rob-

[bellis]

Keep in mind these are Cdn $ numbers. IIRC the LG was around $2,300 + 5% Tax. The mobile tech charged us $400 and we used maybe another $50 in materials.
We were able to sell the old Norcold for $2,000 to a fellow who wanted a propane fridge for a cottage.
We also added an extra lithium battery to our existing array to offset the increase in electricity needs although it wasn't a critical requirement. That was another $1,000 or so.
We already had a fairly substantial solar system and inverter so that wasn't a factor. If you don't have that, that would of course be an additional expense.

I think compressor fridges are more space efficient as they don't need the big boiler and need less space for all the coils on the back. Ours does also sit out a bit further in front; about an inch or 2.

As to the Amish company, I think you are referring to https://jc-refrigeration.com/. You would have to check with them about their installations.
-Rob-

That's very helpful....

We have 1260 watts of solar; 12/3000 Multiplus, and (3) 100ah Battleborn's.....we also have the Honda EU2200 with propane conversion if solar needs a little assist.

If you were us - would additional batteries be in order if we went residential? I really can't get more solar on the roof...but could do the portable thing. Mostly a hypothetical at this point. Not ready for this upgrade! Spending enough money on the camper as is!

[KamFlyer]

That's very helpful....

We have 1260 watts of solar; 12/3000 Multiplus, and (3) 100ah Battleborn's.....we also have the Honda EU2200 with propane conversion if solar needs a little assist.

If you were us - would additional batteries be in order if we went residential? I really can't get more solar on the roof...but could do the portable thing. Mostly a hypothetical at this point. Not ready for this upgrade! Spending enough money on the camper as is!

That's a hard question to answer without knowing how you camp. Do you boondock a lot? Desert or forest? Do you mind running the gen? How much other 'stuff' do you run off the battery plant? How much spare battery capacity do you have after a typical night?

[bellis]

That's a hard question to answer without knowing how you camp. Do you boondock a lot? Desert or forest? Do you mind running the gen? How much other 'stuff' do you run off the battery plant? How much spare battery capacity do you have after a typical night?

That's tough to answer....we are moving towards more boondocking (have a big 2 week boon docking trip planned). I do not mind running the generator some. You think 1 LPG tank will only last 8 days with refrigerator use? We already drive with fridge on AC. More forest than desert (not sure we have any on the east coast). Typical operation on the battery plant.