Residential fridge install

Sportzfann

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
129
Location
Milwaukie Or.
I removed my 2 way fridge due to inconsistent temps in the refer section and installed a 10.0 cu ft dorm style fridge.
the issue I’m having is the freezer section is cold @1-5 deg which is good, but can’t seem to get the fridge section colder than about 40 degrees. If I take the fridge out of the rv cabinet the refer section goes down to 35 degrees. So the issue to me seems to be a venting problem the refer can’t dissipate the heat while in the cabinet.

It seems the newer refrigerators have the coils running inside the walls of the fridge instead of the traditional fan cooled coils, probably for energy efficiency I suppose but if the fridge is in a cabinet it has trouble cooling properly.
Have others also had this issue?
Thanks,
 
What 120V res fridge did you install? Many have side back and top restrictions. Many are not rated for RV's.
 
I bought the vissla 10.0 cu ft at HD on sale.
It’s a 120v garage rated refrigerator.
I have about 3 in. On ea side, 6in on top, the back is flush with the wall. This is installed in my kitchen slide. 303RLS (2018)
This refer works well if it’s not in the cabinet, I assume most RV fridges are in a cabinet, I am experimenting with a computer fan to add ventilation/cooling but will return if it won’t maintain the correct temp in the refer. The freezer section is fine gets down to -5.
if I have to I will go back to my 2 way fridge and return back to HD it’s only been a few days since I changed it over.
 
Until now, I never considered that refrigerator had to be "RV Rated". At least not a residential model. I know mine isn't, but it is a larger frig (18CF) so maybe that is the difference.

At any rate, hopefully your cooling fans will help. But I wouldn't hold out hope for that.

Is this a brand name frig or an inexpensive kind of frig meant to sell (and apparently work) cheaply? Not bashing your choice, but wondering.

Maybe consider a 12V refrigerator meant for RVs. (hmmm - maybe that makes it "RV Rated"......
 
What 120V res fridge did you install? Many have side back and top restrictions. Many are not rated for RV's.

I don't think I've ever seen a true residential that is "RV rated"

I just looked at the Samsung that GD used to put in when they still did residentials and I could find nothing about RV's.
 
I started out with the cheap choice to see if it worked, I’ve seen a lot of u tubes with a swapped out fridge with a similar make and model and they report good results, so I don’t know if it’s a mechanical problem or I have a faulty one, I am still troubleshooting.
These smaller refers use the outside walls of the unit for cooling, so if it’s in a cabinet maybe it has issues with heat transfer.
I looked at a 12v fridge but they run about
$1200 dollars vs. $399.
I will say the fridge uses about 50w running load,
so it’s very efficient, it uses less power than the 2 way fridge On Ac mode!
It isn’t RV rated that I know of.
 
I started out with the cheap choice to see if it worked, I’ve seen a lot of u tubes with a swapped out fridge with a similar make and model and they report good results, so I don’t know if it’s a mechanical problem or I have a faulty one, I am still troubleshooting.
These smaller refers use the outside walls of the unit for cooling, so if it’s in a cabinet maybe it has issues with heat transfer.
I looked at a 12v fridge but they run about
$1200 dollars vs. $399.
I will say the fridge uses about 50w running load,
so it’s very efficient, it uses less power than the 2 way fridge On Ac mode!
hmmm... somewhere the guy who said '...you get what you pay for...' is snickering. Not bashing your choice, but I think you just kind of figured out the difference between a $400 refrigerator and one more expensive.

As for "effeciency" - that only counts if it actually works for the application you chose it for.

I'm going to hold out hope that you just got a bad unit. Maybe take it back and try another.

oh - anywhere in the instructions about having to have any kind of clearances around the new refrigerator?
 
hmmm... somewhere the guy who said '...you get what you pay for...' is snickering. Not bashing your choice, but I think you just kind of figured out the difference between a $400 refrigerator and one more expensive.

As for "effeciency" - that only counts if it actually works for the application you chose it for.

I'm going to hold out hope that you just got a bad unit. Maybe take it back and try another.

oh - anywhere in the instructions about having to have any kind of clearances around the new refrigerator?
According to the install instructions on the HD site, Vissani wants more than .4" on the sides and back and more than 1.2" on the top. OP has more than enough clearance.
 
Clearance around the fridge didn’t seem to be the issue, I had more than enough space. I think I will put the original back in and add another fan for cooling to stabilize the temps.
When another better option comes up, I will look at swapping it out. I didn’t look at the 12v refrigerators yet, so there might be one that seems to work without all the issues I have read about on this forum..
That was a lot of work to discover it woulda’t cool properly inside the cabinet.
 
I removed my 2 way fridge due to inconsistent temps in the refer section and installed a 10.0 cu ft dorm style fridge.
the issue I’m having is the freezer section is cold @1-5 deg which is good, but can’t seem to get the fridge section colder than about 40 degrees. If I take the fridge out of the rv cabinet the refer section goes down to 35 degrees. So the issue to me seems to be a venting problem the refer can’t dissipate the heat while in the cabinet.

It seems the newer refrigerators have the coils running inside the walls of the fridge instead of the traditional fan cooled coils, probably for energy efficiency I suppose but if the fridge is in a cabinet it has trouble cooling properly.
Have others also had this issue?
Thanks,
I know you have had a lot of reply's, hope this helps:
I just replaced my 10 yr old Atwood dual refer with a Hot point, apartment sized and we have now 4 trips and it has worked well. Here is what we do:
* I leveled the refer to its compartment when the 337 is level. since it is in the kitchen slide this means I has to make a few adjustments. and I secured it with some brackets I made out of aluminum 1" stock.
* We cool it down before we leave, shut the breaker off and try not to open it much when we are on the road. This is not a big deal; so far we have ad one 9 hour day and the frig was still cold and the freezer did not even it close to defrosting
* We do not turn it on until we have parked and set up, this is usually between 40 minutes and an hour. The reason is the oil in the compressor can wiggle up into the top as the coach goes down the road and letting it sit, at level, allows the oil to go back into its place.
As far as yours working when it is out of the cabinet, if it is not level, that could make a difference, you have plenty of room. Did you seal the top vent? Leaving that open can actually cause too much ventilation. Insure you have the full amount of voltage as well.
Lastly, there does appear to be some refers that do not do well in RV's. I picked Hot Point from Lowes because of the reviews and their warranty and the fact that it fit in the RV space with little adjustment to the opening.
All in all, unless one goes boondocking a lot, I think this is the way to go... You can buy 3 10 Cft refers for the price of one of the new 2-3 way fridge's...
Hope it turns out well... Keep on Traveling!
 
I removed the fridge from the cabinet and set it in the kitchen area near the island,
it worked pretty well and got to 35 deg in the refer section after and hour or so. The freezer has always kept temps between 5 & 0 degrees in cabinet or not.
I installed a vent fan to blow air into the cabinet space from the back and it still wouldn’t get the refrigerator section cold, best it would get to was about 40deg.
I am still open to trying a 120v fridge just wanted a break from troubleshooting the temp problems. I’m hoping I can find a good working unit that is confirmed by others to work in the slide cabinet, I don’t want to experiment anymore! Maybe the Vassani model is just a poor choice for that environment.
Does the Hotpoint refrigerator have a cooling fan like the traditional refrigerators?
What model Hotpoint fridge do you have?
 
I did see the conversion units they have, thanks.
I wanted to increase the refer size as well and the JC unit won’t help in that case.
I’m ok with continuing the search for a 10.0 Cu ft. 12v or 120v refer.

I have the multiplus, 600ah lifpo, and solar already installed, so I have options to power the unit. I’m thinking about installing a small portable freezer for now.
 
I know you have had a lot of reply's, hope this helps:
I just replaced my 10 yr old Atwood dual refer with a Hot point, apartment sized and we have now 4 trips and it has worked well. Here is what we do:
* I leveled the refer to its compartment when the 337 is level. since it is in the kitchen slide this means I has to make a few adjustments. and I secured it with some brackets I made out of aluminum 1" stock.
* We cool it down before we leave, shut the breaker off and try not to open it much when we are on the road. This is not a big deal; so far we have ad one 9 hour day and the frig was still cold and the freezer did not even it close to defrosting
* We do not turn it on until we have parked and set up, this is usually between 40 minutes and an hour. The reason is the oil in the compressor can wiggle up into the top as the coach goes down the road and letting it sit, at level, allows the oil to go back into its place.
As far as yours working when it is out of the cabinet, if it is not level, that could make a difference, you have plenty of room. Did you seal the top vent? Leaving that open can actually cause too much ventilation. Insure you have the full amount of voltage as well.
Lastly, there does appear to be some refers that do not do well in RV's. I picked Hot Point from Lowes because of the reviews and their warranty and the fact that it fit in the RV space with little adjustment to the opening.
All in all, unless one goes boondocking a lot, I think this is the way to go... You can buy 3 10 Cft refers for the price of one of the new 2-3 way fridge's...
Hope it turns out well... Keep on Traveling!
Was there a big difference in the weight of the residential model? I too have a 337 with the cooling issues, and am tired of dealing with it. I don’t boondock much, so was considering a residential frig. I don’t have solar or an invertor so I don’t know if this would work for me.
 
Was there a big difference in the weight of the residential model? I too have a 337 with the cooling issues, and am tired of dealing with it. I don’t boondock much, so was considering a residential frig. I don’t have solar or an invertor so I don’t know if this would work for me.
Residentials are about the same, maybe a bit lighter than equivalent absorption units.

But you'll need and inverter and a decent battery(s) if your want it run while traveling. Otherwise it will only cool once you plug in. You don't need anything major in regards to batteries. I would want at least a usable 100AH. I prefer lithium but its not required.

You can probably get a 1000w inverter with a built in transfer switch for $300 +/-. That's more than enough to run a residential fridge.
 
I installed the Vissani. 10.0 cu ft. Refer.
I believe it was @125 lbs ?
The 2way fridge I removed was about 100lbs give or take a few lbs.
I expect the hotpoint fridge, is about the same. I was waiting to find out what model Hotpoint fridge Ryorke had installed?
I have a 303Rls 2018 model.
 
I am still dealing with the frig issues and want to find a solution prior to our annual summer trip north. I pulled the specs on the Dometic RM1350 SLMX(mine). 29.5 deep/64.25 high/33 11/16 wide, 231 lbs. I already have. 100ah lithium battery, however, no solar,invertor, etc. Gonna call a local reputable RV repair company, not dealer, and get an estimate. I will follow up when I know more.
 
Not a GD trailer in this vid but this guy did the swap with a $400 Magic Chef Fridge. He noted the issue with performance and reiterated the point above about the need for side clearance. In his case there was insulation along the walls he subsequently removed and the fridge operated as expected. Also noteworthy is the discussion on installing the simple inverter.

 

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