It seems like there are three styles of refrigerators available on 5th wheels; 2 door units, side-by-side units, and 4 door units. The 4 door units seem more suitable for full time living, while the 2 door units seem more suitable for weekenders. For you fulltimers with 5th wheels, what size refrigerator do you have? From what we have seen, we are leaning toward the 4 door units but they are hard to find in a used 5th wheel.
bjoyce said
06:25 PM Sep 18, 2010
Most of the 4 door are Norcold units, but now Dometic makes one (RM 1350 Elite). We had the 2 door 12cuft Dometic in our old RV (no longer made but replaced now with the 14cuft NDA 1402 Sidewise) and have a 4 door 12cuft Norcold (12cuft Norcold ) in the one we have now. Both worked about the same and had about the same amount of storage. The largest available is the Norcold 17cuft (PolarMaxRF 2117
-- Edited by bjoyce on Saturday 18th of September 2010 06:28:12 PM
Luvglass said
06:41 PM Sep 18, 2010
We've been living comfortably with the 2 door 10 cu foot Norcold for 5 years now. We are both cooks and do a lot of cooking. The fridge is packed, but surprisingly, is sufficient.
I most RV's a larger footprint fridge requires losing other storage space in the kitchen area.
rheadabovewater said
08:22 PM Sep 20, 2010
Ah, my kingdom for a 4-door fridge!
I live full-time in my 5er with a small two-door refrigerator. When I first moved in here a year ago, I thought for sure that I would not be able to handle the small size - but surprisingly, it's worked out ok. I'd still love something bigger and most of the time my fridge is packed - actually if I had a choice, I'd like a larger freezer if possible.
I don't know how much longer I'll be in this RV (mostly living in it to save money, plus I love the location next to the beach) - but I think I'll probably keep the 2-door.
Hope that helps, Roberta
Paul and Jo said
07:07 AM Sep 21, 2010
rheadabovewater wrote:
Ah, my kingdom for a 4-door fridge!
I live full-time in my 5er with a small two-door refrigerator. When I first moved in here a year ago, I thought for sure that I would not be able to handle the small size - but surprisingly, it's worked out ok. I'd still love something bigger and most of the time my fridge is packed - actually if I had a choice, I'd like a larger freezer if possible.
I don't know how much longer I'll be in this RV (mostly living in it to save money, plus I love the location next to the beach) - but I think I'll probably keep the 2-door.
Hope that helps, Roberta
We actually talked to a couple full-timers who put a small chest freezer in their bedroom closet. Seemed to work out well for them.
Jo
bjoyce said
07:33 AM Sep 21, 2010
We do have a small 12 volt/120 volt freezer in a bay and it is nice to have. We bought it when heading to Alaska and now we are used to it. We have met people who use a small chest freezer instead of a dining table. If it is important to you to have more freezer or refrigerator space you will find a way.
Remi said
10:28 AM Sep 21, 2010
I bought one of the Coleman 12v hot/cold coolers. It works well, especially for drinks & chilled foods & would likely do beaucoup bon on hot mode to cook, store & transport to a central area for potluck/caravan dinners. It's surprisingly effective & since it's built into a thermal cooler, you can unplug it & still keep thing hot & cold for a while. Was also on clearance for $60 @ a local store as opposed to over $100 @ Camping World, lol :)
Ontheroad2013 said
08:46 AM Oct 8, 2011
I really like the 4 door option, but I have to say that it is probably because I'm used to it. We are on the road 75% of the time, and I think it just gives us a little more space, especially with the extra compartments. Like many of you though, I'm looking to expand my freezer. I generally do the work on my RV myself, but I'm not quite sure where I can fit it in. Other than the table, where are you guys putting your freezers?
Jack Mayer said
10:55 AM Oct 8, 2011
We have the newer Dometic 12.3 cf 4-door without icemaker. It works well for us. It is the only RV/propane refrigerator I have seen that will actually make icecreme rock hard.
Bill and Linda said
05:08 PM Oct 8, 2011
Jack Mayer wrote:
We have the newer Dometic 12.3 cf 4-door without icemaker. It works well for us. It is the only RV/propane refrigerator I have seen that will actually make icecreme rock hard.
We have the NORCOLD 4 door.It will not only freeze the ice cream like a brick, if you set the temp control too cold it will put ice in the ice tea picture in the main compartment as well.
IMO, these units have improved a great deal from the ones we were dealing with in the long past.We have been very pleased with our unit over the last 5 years of service with lots of road miles on it from cold to hot climates.
Bill
Trabuco said
06:17 PM Oct 8, 2011
We have the Norold 4 door as well and it gets mighty cold no complaints!
kb0zke said
06:04 PM Dec 2, 2013
Resurrecting an old thread here in hopes of some new information.
The twenty-year-old Dometic side-by-side died, and we're going to go with a residential unit. Physical size is an issue, as is cost. Counter depth units are quite expensive, and for the two of us we think we can get by with less space. Also, Jo Ann would like to have a pull-out pantry, so we've decided to go with the old traditional style, a top freezer. We found an LG that was exactly what she wanted, except that it is hinged on the right and we need the hinges on the left. That particular unit does not have reversible doors, so it has been dropped from further consideration. We've found a pair of Haier units that will work for us. One is 10.3 cubic feet for under $300 (and in stock at the nearest Lowe's). The other is an 11.5 cubic foot Haier for well over $600 and would need to be ordered, but can be here fairly quickly. Both units will fit in the available space and leave room for the pull-out pantry. Reviews seem to be generally favorable. We've seen recommendations of 5-6 cubic feet per person, so both of these fit in those guidelines.
Has anyone had any experience with either of these units?
kb0zke said
06:36 PM Dec 2, 2013
Oops, the larger one is 11.9 cubic feet, not 11.5.
bjoyce said
06:41 PM Dec 2, 2013
The Haier is a common unit people install but it does need a pure sinewave inverter if you want to run it while on the road or while dry camping. I suspect any inverter you already have to be a modified sinewave unit. I would put a Kill-A-Watt on it for a while to size such an inverter. I suspect a 600 watt or less unit will be all you need, but using a Kill-A-Watt for a few days will tell you everything you need to know. http://www.donrowe.com/ is a good place to get such an inverter and is in Oregon, so no sales tax. They list specials and today a 1000 watt pure sinewave inverter is $239. Mount it close to the batteries, run some house wiring to the back of the fridge, install a plug and you are set. A Kill-A-Watt is about $20 from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU, and a good item for any RVer to have.
Lucky Mike said
06:44 PM Dec 2, 2013
first thing I would look at is if the condenser is fan cooled or coil dissipated...... you want a fan cooled unit or your going to have to find a way to ventilate the unit or face compressor failure....you also want to make sure the compressor is not an Embraco Mfg....................I would also suggest buying the biggest warranty there is
My company was a Haier Warranty service for a while............I prefer not to bad mouth them and let the customers do it for me.
of course if your expecting quality coming from China with a low price that would be the way to go.......all major components are not available in the U.S for repairs and must be ordered
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Monday 2nd of December 2013 06:53:57 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 2nd of December 2013 10:04:40 PM
For you fulltimers with 5th wheels, what size refrigerator do you have? From what we have seen, we are leaning toward the 4 door units but they are hard to find in a used 5th wheel.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Saturday 18th of September 2010 06:28:12 PM
I live full-time in my 5er with a small two-door refrigerator. When I first moved in here a year ago, I thought for sure that I would not be able to handle the small size - but surprisingly, it's worked out ok. I'd still love something bigger and most of the time my fridge is packed - actually if I had a choice, I'd like a larger freezer if possible.
I don't know how much longer I'll be in this RV (mostly living in it to save money, plus I love the location next to the beach) - but I think I'll probably keep the 2-door.
Hope that helps, Roberta
Jo
We have the NORCOLD 4 door. It will not only freeze the ice cream like a brick, if you set the temp control too cold it will put ice in the ice tea picture in the main compartment as well.
IMO, these units have improved a great deal from the ones we were dealing with in the long past. We have been very pleased with our unit over the last 5 years of service with lots of road miles on it from cold to hot climates.
Bill
The twenty-year-old Dometic side-by-side died, and we're going to go with a residential unit. Physical size is an issue, as is cost. Counter depth units are quite expensive, and for the two of us we think we can get by with less space. Also, Jo Ann would like to have a pull-out pantry, so we've decided to go with the old traditional style, a top freezer. We found an LG that was exactly what she wanted, except that it is hinged on the right and we need the hinges on the left. That particular unit does not have reversible doors, so it has been dropped from further consideration. We've found a pair of Haier units that will work for us. One is 10.3 cubic feet for under $300 (and in stock at the nearest Lowe's). The other is an 11.5 cubic foot Haier for well over $600 and would need to be ordered, but can be here fairly quickly. Both units will fit in the available space and leave room for the pull-out pantry. Reviews seem to be generally favorable. We've seen recommendations of 5-6 cubic feet per person, so both of these fit in those guidelines.
Has anyone had any experience with either of these units?
The Haier is a common unit people install but it does need a pure sinewave inverter if you want to run it while on the road or while dry camping. I suspect any inverter you already have to be a modified sinewave unit. I would put a Kill-A-Watt on it for a while to size such an inverter. I suspect a 600 watt or less unit will be all you need, but using a Kill-A-Watt for a few days will tell you everything you need to know. http://www.donrowe.com/ is a good place to get such an inverter and is in Oregon, so no sales tax. They list specials and today a 1000 watt pure sinewave inverter is $239. Mount it close to the batteries, run some house wiring to the back of the fridge, install a plug and you are set. A Kill-A-Watt is about $20 from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU, and a good item for any RVer to have.
first thing I would look at is if the condenser is fan cooled or coil dissipated...... you want a fan cooled unit or your going to have to find a way to ventilate the unit or face compressor failure....you also want to make sure the compressor is not an Embraco Mfg....................I would also suggest buying the biggest warranty there is
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/haier_refrigerators.html
My company was a Haier Warranty service for a while............I prefer not to bad mouth them and let the customers do it for me.
of course if your expecting quality coming from China with a low price that would be the way to go.......all major components are not available in the U.S for repairs and must be ordered
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Monday 2nd of December 2013 06:53:57 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 2nd of December 2013 10:04:40 PM
Another unit to check out is the 12 cuft Frigidaire, http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/FFPT12F3N.html . As Mike says, how and where they cool is also important.