a64armt
Greencastle PA
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Joined: 02/16/2006
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OK, we are on the hunt for a 5er’ to not only facilitate a relocation but we are planning on getting back into RV travel and adventure. We are looking at some used units, including several Lifestyle RV’s. I see a few with “residential refrigerators” and inverters. I am curious what the thoughts are from experienced owners. I have considered some differences, these include;
Plus – More room, usually ice and water in door, more visually appealing, probably better for full time operation / reliability
Minus – Expensive to purchase / replace, required removal of slide to replace, requires narrow range of models for fit and application.
Thoughts?
OJ
Vincent
Clermont, FL
2008 Ford F250 CC KR 6.4 Diesel - Air Lift 5000 Ultimate w/wireless air, Bilstein 4600 HD’s, Hellwig BigWig Sway bars, Pullrite Super Rails, Hensley BD3
2014 Lifestyle RV LS36FW
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Ranger Smith
Wherever the rig is parked
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Joined: 05/13/2006
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Residential refrigerators are the best. I would never go back to a Dometic or a NoCold gas refrigerator. They work better and have less of a chance of catching fire.
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dodge guy
Bartlett IL
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Most residential refrigerators are the same price as the RV fridge. But when you add in an inverter and a couple batteries then it gets a bit more pricey, but still well worth it.
I've heard installation is different depending on the fridge and RV. Some can go through the entry door with the fridge doors removed, others can go through a window, and I have heard of a few that say they need the slide removed.
I don't have a residential fridge, but one was optional on mine. I know a few people that have one and are happy with them.
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RobWNY
Jamestown, NY
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We are snowbirding for the first time this winter and have an 8 cubic foot Gas/Electric fridge. It's just not big enough. I like it when we go camping in the summer and we boondock but that's only for a few days and manageable. I know they make a 13 cubic foot gas/electric fridge now. Maybe that would be a nice compromise for you but our next 5th wheel will have a residential fridge and when we boondock, we'll live out of coolers. Better to be inconvenienced for a few days than a few months like we are now. Trips to the grocery store are much more frequent doing it this way.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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My thoughts on this even though we don't have a residential fridge in our FW - I've talked to our RV tech on this because I've thought about one in the future when we do more extended traveling. Residential fridges, he said have a lot of issues when repeatedly on the road. Not sure what he meant, but he doesn't like them. He prefers for operation the side by side RV fridges, but he said when they go out, they cost $5k to replace. For us, we will live with our 12cf RV fridge. It runs well and we're happy with it. Even on extended trips now, we have a lot of room for groceries. The only time we seem to run out of space is when we camp with our family and need the extra food. In this case, we pack along a cooler and put other items in it than can be in a cooler.
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Horsedoc
Dixie --- N. Georgia
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we have a 2 door with sliding drawer freezer and it works great. we don't boondock but we might stay at a Cabelas or such every once in a while and the inverter keeps it cold and frozen. My only complaint is that it is too big for the two of us. Size, of course, is determined by what the builder put in the coach when it was built.
We have had 4 previous RV's with gas but only had problems with one of them. They worked well I guess, but ice cream bars would sometimes melt ![[emoticon]](https://forums.goodsamclub.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
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Cummins12V98
on the road
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Joined: 06/03/2012
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Full size KitchenAid, May will be 5 years fulltime use. Zero regrets or issues.
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Lynnmor
Red Lion
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Joined: 07/16/2011
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There is a considerable amount of power contained in a tank of propane and is easily replenished. Electricity needs replenishment often using a variety of schemes. Your choice on how and how much you want to deal with this issue.
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dodge guy
Bartlett IL
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Joined: 03/23/2004
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A good solar system will take care of a residential fridge when you don’t have electric hookups. Once they are up to operating temp they require very minimal energy to operate.
Right now we have a bigger gas electric RV fridge, much more room than our old TT fridge, and I have an outside fridge too. If it ever fails I will replace it with a residential fridge.
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C.B.
APPLETON WI USA
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Joined: 12/15/2003
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Ranger Smith wrote:Residential refrigerators are the best. I would never go back to a Dometic or a NoCold gas refrigerator. They work better and have less of a chance of catching fire.
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C.B.
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