Questions for those that switched from Norcold to residential

[KamFlyer]

We are getting serious about switching away from the Norcold to a residential fridge, probably the Samsung, and I have a couple of questions.

1. What did you use to seal up the vent openings in the side of the trailer as I assume they are not needed with a res fridge?
2. Do the doors have a travel latch or how do you ensure they can't open while traveling?

Thanks -Rob-

[geotex1]

I have not yet switched, but have surveyed everything needing to be done in prep for the future mod.

1. My concern is cutting off potential for water infiltration. What I will do is pull out the vents (temporarily) and then make a set of pan shaped aluminum inserts that have a 1/2" flange on them - have means to bend and weld the aluminum. I will then put a bead of adhesive caulk around the opening where the flange will sit, install the insert, and hold them in place with some truss head screws around the perimeter. I then will blind out the openings in the vent using either a piece of HDPE sheet across the 3 rows of vent holes, or simply cast some urethane plastic in them. I'll add a piece of tight-fitting foam board insulation into the pan, and then reinstall the vent and repeat for the other one. On the inside, I'll insert another piece of foam board insulation and seal any gaps with spray in foam insulation. I plan to then cover the entire wall surface with a sheet of reflective foam board insulation. Done.

2. I used to make a solution for this for my prior forum's members until this guy did a patented one: https://www.recubed.solutions/

Good luck!

[Second Chance]

We switched - but by switching rigs. As for blocking off the vents, some foam board with a vapor barrier and some good tape or construction adhesive should work. Our Samsung residential frig came with one of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/Sugatsune-H...1358721&sr=8-2

They have been known to bounce open (and don't secure the freezer drawer). So we have one of these waiting for us at our daughter's when we arrive this weekend:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rob

[Txfivver]

Great question and maybe I can help. I just had my dealer convert my Solitude over to the Samsung. They did put a thin insulated board behind the vents and then filled the large slots on the back where the vent holes are with black spray foam ( hope that makes sense.) They are very well sealed up with the foam and then they put one screw on each side of each vent to secure them to the framework around the vents. They will never fall off while towing but are removeable if I ever need to. They also got the little sliding lock for the door from GD just like the factory uses. I have not towed much with it yet but will probably come up with something to make sure the freezer drawer stays closed as well. So far it's a huge improvement over the Norcold! A nice side benefit is per their respective websites the Samsung weighs 100 pounds less than the Norcold. I swear the fridge slide seems to move in and out a little easier lol.

[KamFlyer]

Thanks @Txfivver. That is pretty much what I was thinking if I did it myself. At this point I am hoping GD will step up and cover at least some of the cost. We are still within our 1 yr warranty and to my mind the Norcold has never worked right. Burns way too much fuel, have to constantly fiddle with the temp adjustment and the freezer just doesn't get cold enough. Not to mention the popping burner issue as well.
We boondock a lot but have lots of battery and solar so I don't think powering it will be an issue. Might help me justify another couple of BB's though! lol!
-Rob-

[[email protected]]

Thanks @Txfivverand the freezer just doesn't get cold enough.

I'm sure that you have already been through this, but for the benefit of others that will come across this in the future - the coldest part of the freezer is the bottom-left. They usually work best when they are full, but we start non-frozen items in that position and then move them to another place. Another thing that really seems to help is having a foodsaver (vacuum sealer) and the heavy freezer bags for it. We started stocking up on beef and other meats when we heard that the processing plants were shutting down, and we were able to store more, and vacuum-sealed items seem to stay frozen better in the other positions. We keep bags of ice from our icemaker on the top shelf to use for drinks and to help keep it cold in there.

Forget the bins on the doors - they are useless.

[Drolaw]

...I just had my dealer convert my Solitude over to the Samsung. ...

Hey Txfivver - did the conversion require any config changes to the area around it? I'm wondering if the switch to the Samsung can be a plug and play - take out the old and put in the new without any modifications to the area around the fridge??

[Txfivver]

Hey Txfivver - did the conversion require any config changes to the area around it? I'm wondering if the switch to the Samsung can be a plug and play - take out the old and put in the new without any modifications to the area around the fridge??

Morning Jim. Yes the conversion is pretty much plug and play. However if you notice the pics I posted mine has much less gap at the top and sides than a factory install, they were able to use some scrap trim pieces they had and make it look much more built in than normal. The ice maker water line and inverter install was pretty simple as well. They have one tech who has done several now so they have the process down. Well worth the money in my book. The rig is in my enclosed storage unit and I left it running for the last two weeks to see how it does. Even in this heat lately and no AC running it stays where I set it, 38 deg in fridge and -8 in freezer. Nice!

[geotex1]

...Even in this heat lately and no AC running it stays where I set it, 38 deg in fridge and -8 in freezer. Nice!

Now that's motivation right there!

I need to explore the factory wiring one of these days to see what I'm in for with the inverter install...

[Txfivver]

Now that's motivation right there!

I need to explore the factory wiring one of these days to see what I'm in for with the inverter install...

Yes definitely worth the expense! I am spending 4 days in it Fathers Day weekend so I plan to take down the wall in the basement and poke around and see how it's wired. I do know they put in a 100 amp inline fuse in the battery bay mounted to the wall inline with the batteries. I want to see if they had to install a regular 120V plug behind the wall etc. I'll take a few pics for anyone that may be thinking of doing it themselves.