Electric Fridge

[76sovereign]

Our fridge in the 76 Sovereign doesn't work. It DID the first time we used it but you had to hold your mouth just right. This past year we could not get it to work and one of the knobs at the bottom (I think it was the electric/gas knob) broke off. I would like to fix it but not sure if it's possible.

Has anyone put a regular household fridge in their AS? We boondock VERY seldom. Maybe on or 2 times a year for 1 night.

Your thoughts?

[Pick]

We have had 120 VAC electric fridge in our Airstream since we first bought it.. It has never been a problem for us. When boondocking, our propane fueled Honda EU2000i powers the fridge economically as it only draws less than 2 amps.

When I read of some of the problems folks have with their RV fridges, I am glad I have what I have. It is virtually trouble free and can be replaced for a few hundred dollars if need be.

[cameront120]

Did you give it lots of time to get cold? They take a very long time, so try leaving it on over night to see if it gets cool. Also, did you confirm that you have power to the fridge? Wires have a way of coming loose in RVs.

[76sovereign]

Yes and no....Yes we plugged it in for several days before we left and no I'm not sure about the power to the fridge. I will ask my hubby.
I do know the dial at the bottom was so hard to turn and you couldn't really tell if it was on electric of if the knob was just turning. Anyway it did end up breaking off.
Should I take it to an RV repair and have them test it? I really hate to spend the money if it's not going to last. After all it is 33 yrs young this year.

Originally Posted by cameront120

Did you give it lots of time to get cold? They take a very long time, so try leaving it on over night to see if it gets cool. Also, did you confirm that you have power to the fridge? Wires have a way of coming loose in RVs.

[76sovereign]

Thank you for your reply about the electric fridge. I saw a nice black fridge at lowes for $400 bucks I think it will fit. 9.6 cf which is more than the one in there now.

Do you still vent your to the outside?

Originally Posted by Pick

We have had 120 VAC electric fridge in our Airstream since we first bought it.. It has never been a problem for us. When boondocking, our propane fueled Honda EU2000i powers the fridge economically as it only draws less than 2 amps.

When I read of some of the problems folks have with their RV fridges, I am glad I have what I have. It is virtually trouble free and can be replaced for a few hundred dollars if need be.

[juel]

This is what we put in our 1976 Sovereign. It's not as big as I would have liked; however, with the depth we had to work with, it was the best fit. My husband built it in so it honestly appears as if it belongs there in an RV. The frig vent is still in place and we have had no problems with overheating in the hot Oklahoma summers. There is a plug right behind the original frig, so electric was no problem. We did run a power strip up into the shelf beside the frig for the microwave. So far no problems with this installation. We honestly never intend to take this 31ft trailer off the grid, so why not go with something less expensive and easy to use.

[adonh]

I am just finishing up on installing a 120v Summit 8.8 Cubic stainless steel frig/freezer in my 1976 31' sovereign. http://www.summitappliance.com/detail/r582/detail/r582. I also remodeled the cabinets and kitchen counters with oak veneer at the same time. I don't have my pictures sorted yet but will post them later.

I think this unit will work great for us.

Another option for you. I have the original Dometic that still works fine on electric and propane and its yours free, just come to Houston TX to pick it up. It has all of the shelves, and looks pretty good and works fine.

Don

[76sovereign]

Hummmmmm....how far R U from Branson MO? I'll have to check it out and let you know. Thanks for the offer.

Originally Posted by adonh

I am just finishing up on installing a 120v Summit 8.8 Cubic stainless steel frig/freezer in my 1976 31' sovereign. http://www.summitappliance.com/detail/r582/detail/r582. I also remodeled the cabinets and kitchen counters with oak veneer at the same time. I don't have my pictures sorted yet but will post them later.

I think this unit will work great for us.

Another option for you. I have the original Dometic that still works fine on electric and propane and its yours free, just come to Houston TX to pick it up. It has all of the shelves, and looks pretty good and works fine.

Don

[76sovereign]

Just checked the map......WOW! U R Done there know! I see even though the name of your town is Missouri, it has NOTHING to do with it being close TO Missouri...... I will still mention it to the hubby.
Would love to see pictures of your project too.

Originally Posted by adonh

I am just finishing up on installing a 120v Summit 8.8 Cubic stainless steel frig/freezer in my 1976 31' sovereign. http://www.summitappliance.com/detail/r582/detail/r582. I also remodeled the cabinets and kitchen counters with oak veneer at the same time. I don't have my pictures sorted yet but will post them later.

I think this unit will work great for us.

Another option for you. I have the original Dometic that still works fine on electric and propane and its yours free, just come to Houston TX to pick it up. It has all of the shelves, and looks pretty good and works fine.

Don

[brownsmtnlab]

We installed a fridge very similar to the photo Juel posted. We don't boondock a lot, but we do run it while in transit with a 1000 watt inverter. We have never tested how long it will run from the pair of batteries on board, but we have easily let it go 8-10 hours without a recharge from the vehicle or shore power. We did a 3 week, 5000 mile journey last summer and did not have any problem with our fridge. The fridge draws less than 15 amps (at 12 volts) when running... and that averages only 20-25% of the time.....It's worked very well for us.

[smily]

I have had electric fridges in a couple of AS trailers. I loved them, They got cold fast and stayed cold. Good freezer space and did not use much power at all. Looked good too.
I recommend them to anyone who does not plan to be off grid for more than two days and you can always run them off generator.

With that said, I have replaced two RV type reefers and I like the convenience but they suck in the summertime. If they are not full and if you got kids going in and out of them, they will not stay cold. And they are very expensive. Oh, and dont go with a rebuild kit either. Another waste of money. If you want an RV fridge, buy a new one.

[safari 28]

I have posted on many threads previously that I would like to convert my 04 28 safari to all electric. i thinka/s is missing the boat by not offering an all electric option. the following changes would be needed.

1/ remove all propane tanks/propane water heater and furnace.
2/ add a electric furnace/ instant elect water heater and electric glass cook-top.
3/ leave current dometic fridge on electric mode, however your ideas for standard unit is interesting.
4/ add a kubota 5k diesel genny where propane tanks are and a 10 gallon fuel tank that will give over 15 hours of operation. runs under 60 decibles, below conversation level. auto turn on by control that is demand driven.
5/ add a 4k inverter to run fridge on the road, charged by t/v alongside 2 agm deep cycle batteries.
5/ this will require a new circuit panel to be installed as well.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by safari 28

I have posted on many threads previously that I would like to convert my 04 28 safari to all electric. i thinka/s is missing the boat by not offering an all electric option. the following changes would be needed.

1/ remove all propane tanks/propane water heater and furnace.
2/ add a electric furnace/ instant elect water heater and electric glass cook-top.
3/ leave current dometic fridge on electric mode, however your ideas for standard unit is interesting.
4/ add a kubota 5k diesel genny where propane tanks are and a 10 gallon fuel tank that will give over 15 hours of operation. runs under 60 decibles, below conversation level. auto turn on by control that is demand driven.
5/ add a 4k inverter to run fridge on the road, charged by t/v alongside 2 agm deep cycle batteries.
5/ this will require a new circuit panel to be installed as well.

Not to be confrontational, but why?

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by safari 28

I have posted on many threads previously that I would like to convert my 04 28 safari to all electric. i thinka/s is missing the boat by not offering an all electric option. the following changes would be needed.

1/ remove all propane tanks/propane water heater and furnace.
2/ add a electric furnace/ instant elect water heater and electric glass cook-top.
3/ leave current dometic fridge on electric mode, however your ideas for standard unit is interesting.
4/ add a kubota 5k diesel genny where propane tanks are and a 10 gallon fuel tank that will give over 15 hours of operation. runs under 60 decibles, below conversation level. auto turn on by control that is demand driven.
5/ add a 4k inverter to run fridge on the road, charged by t/v alongside 2 agm deep cycle batteries.
5/ this will require a new circuit panel to be installed as well.

Hi, I think you have some good ideas, but the diesel generator seems like it would be way too heavy to mount on the trailer tongue. [with or with out the fuel tank]

[safari 28]

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Not to be confrontational, but why?

O never confrontational on this forum. Just good info sharing.

I tow nationwide, and have been in the hvac industry for 25 years selling equipment to the industry, so a little history comes with my opinion. I worry about the vibration and all the potential leaks in this ancient system.

Propane is the fuel that we hate, it is dangerous, does stuff that is just scary and most call it the Nasty, migrating, floor crawling, cover your ass fuel.

I thing an all electric unit would sell, my company can make the electric furnace that will plug into the existing poor ductwork of the a/s. It will however be variable speed and MUCH quieter. It would run longer and slower so no huge temp swings, mostly on low when temps have ben satisfied. The rest is well an idea that i might approach next year. Lots of choices on the genny, maybe gas will be lighter and quieter. I will need to have a custom aluminum shroud made to make things look good.

The main reason is I believe a/s needs to step up to new technology and offer better HVAC systems in general. Reliability will improve, and safety is a no brainer. I think a central a/c system is next, get rid of the roof top for good. This could be incorporated into the furnace. Noise is a real problem, we would be out of business in the residential industry if we were this noisy.

Take a look at prevost or marathon or even sportsmobile vans. They are way ahead on all electric and time for us to at least step out of the box and peek around what's going on in the world.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by safari 28

O never confrontational on this forum. Just good info sharing.

I tow nationwide, and have been in the hvac industry for 25 years selling equipment to the industry, so a little history comes with my opinion. I worry about the vibration and all the potential leaks in this ancient system.

Propane is the fuel that we hate, it is dangerous, does stuff that is just scary and most call it the Nasty, migrating, floor crawling, cover your ass fuel.

Have to agree, I literally laughed out loud.

Originally Posted by safari 28

I thing an all electric unit would sell, my company can make the electric furnace that will plug into the existing poor ductwork of the a/s. It will however be variable speed and MUCH quieter. It would run longer and slower so no huge temp swings, mostly on low when temps have ben satisfied. The rest is well an idea that i might approach next year. Lots of choices on the genny, maybe gas will be lighter and quieter. I will need to have a custom aluminum shroud made to make things look good.

The main reason is I believe a/s needs to step up to new technology and offer better HVAC systems in general. Reliability will improve, and safety is a no brainer. I think a central a/c system is next, get rid of the roof top for good. This could be incorporated into the furnace. Noise is a real problem, we would be out of business in the residential industry if we were this noisy.

Take a look at prevost or marathon or even sportsmobile vans. They are way ahead on all electric and time for us to at least step out of the box and peek around what's going on in the world.

I definitely agree about the need for better a/c systems. Have you seen SmoklessJoe's Diesel Powered Trailer? http://www.airforums.com/forums/f287...ler-23048.html Lots of innovation.

[safari 28]

I have and that is the kind of thinking that is impressive indeed.

[76sovereign]

I want to know more about how you set this up to charge using the invertor....sounds like what we need to do.

Originally Posted by brownsmtnlab

We installed a fridge very similar to the photo Juel posted. We don't boondock a lot, but we do run it while in transit with a 1000 watt inverter. We have never tested how long it will run from the pair of batteries on board, but we have easily let it go 8-10 hours without a recharge from the vehicle or shore power. We did a 3 week, 5000 mile journey last summer and did not have any problem with our fridge. The fridge draws less than 15 amps (at 12 volts) when running... and that averages only 20-25% of the time.....It's worked very well for us.

[brownsmtnlab]

The refrigerator we are using shows 1.2 amps at 120volts when running or defrosting....This is key! We found several small fridges that used this small amount of power, so try and use one of them. It will draw more than that for a short time when the compressor starts, so having an inverter rated at 800-1200 watts continuous is necessary. The inverter will allow more power to be drawn for short periods of time. I believe we are using #6 gauge wire direct from the battery terminals to the 12 volt side of the inverter, with a 75amp fuse. The 120 volt end of the inverter is run to a weatherproof box installed in the septic hose storage area with a plug that will accept the 30 amp shore power cord....So basically you plug the airstream into itself and the outlets in the airstream all become active....We make sure NOTHING else is using the 120 volt power but the fridge to avoid overloading the inverter, and this includes turning off the breaker for the air condtioner, because it has a transformer that is active all the time even when your not using it to cool the cabin. While traveling the charge from our F250 has kept the batteries at 100% while using the fridge this way...I hope that helps!

[brownsmtnlab]

OOPs ...I forgot one important element...next to the inverter there is also a switch to turn OFF the univolt system (120 volt to 12DC)...I wish there was a perpertual motion machine, but my 8th grade science project set me straight on that one! This could be done much more elegantly with some relays and TIME, but it works as is, and I've gotten used to the routine.