Dave O Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Our Norcold has failed for the last time and we are going to replace it with a residential refrigerator. 06 Monaco Windsor with FSW invertor. Need recommendations as to who and where. We are presently in Yuma AZ, but will travel most anywhere for quality work. Present plans are Elite RV (Erik's place) in Eugene based on some recommendations. Dave O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Joyce Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 12cuft Norcold? Then most put in a Samsung French Door, the RF18 now since the RF197 is no longer available, which is taller but the same width. We had room for a 24cuft Whirlpool side-by-side, which was shorter than the Samsung, but wider. It all depends on the space you have. Height can stop you or make life more complicated. The furnace was below our fridge and we had to reroute plumbing and wires and maintain minimum safe clearance above the furnace. Others have had to relocate electronics. Others had to go with something smaller, like smaller top freezer. Measure everything, including space in front of the fridge for door swing. Also check where the power connects, just in case it matters. Realize that your old fridge is "counter depth", around 24" deep in the wall, so many normal residential fridges will stick out too far. Once you know your maximum dimensions it is time to research what is available. http://www.ajmadison.com/ is a great place to research, but also check Sears and Sears Outlet, since they sometime have some unique choices. http://www.appliancesconnection.com/ is another place to research. Amazon is often more expensive than the specialty places for some reason. Then check your local stores, Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, etc. If you can get it locally, it will save time. Mail order can and often does take 3 to 6 weeks to be delivered. Ours took a month and we had to register the installers address as an alternate address with our credit card to ship it there. One more thing, don't be too picky about color, you might only find a fridge in stainless, black or white that will fit. Getting the old out and the new in depends on your motorhome. Since we had in door water and ice, we went through the windshield. Securing depends on your new fridge, options vary. Our work was done by Carrier RV Service in Eugene, Oregon. 2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now. Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappir Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 One that will fit into the place it is being removed from with room enough for air circulation as recommended by the manufacturer. Be aware you will be adding heat to the area you will be placing. Most RV refrigerator systems have at least a portion of their cooling equipment exposed to the elements outside. That won't happen with a residential. You may have a hole to the outside you will have to decide how to cover, insulate or allow to remain (with a screen or guard). I had a bottom freezer unit at my last sticks and bricks and that is what I purchased. Had to look long and hard to find one without an Ice Maker already installed. I don't do Ice from one of those especially using so many different water supply sources. Powering one while on the road is also an issue. My builder assured me that my 3500 watt inverter and two Trojan batteries would allow me my 24 to 36 hour travel time I usually did from the MidWest to South Florida. Hasn't worked so far. First time it was 12 degrees when I left so the furnace had to run some. Most recent trip was a bit longer but found between 12 and 16 hours was all I could count on keeping the inverter running. Less than half of what was desired. I have not had an issue with the freezer allowing anything to thaw (penny's on a cup of water test) and nothing has "spoiled" in the refrigerator section. Rod White 2000/2010Volvo VNL 770 with 7' Drom box with opposing doors, JOST slider hitch. 600 HP Cummins Signature 18 Speed three pedal auto shift. 1999 Isuzu VehiCross retired to a sticks and bricks garage. Brought out of storage the summer of 2022 2022 Jeep Wrangler Sport S Two door hard top. 2007 Honda GL 1800 2013 Space Craft Mfg S420 Custom built Toyhauler The Gold Volvo is still running and being emptied in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave O Posted January 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 12cuft Norcold? Then most put in a Samsung French Door, the RF18 now since the RF197 is no longer available, which is taller but the same width. We had room for a 24cuft Whirlpool side-by-side, which was shorter than the Samsung, but wider. It all depends on the space you have. Height can stop you or make life more complicated. The furnace was below our fridge and we had to reroute plumbing and wires and maintain minimum safe clearance above the furnace. Others have had to relocate electronics. Others had to go with something smaller, like smaller top freezer. Measure everything, including space in front of the fridge for door swing. Also check where the power connects, just in case it matters. Realize that your old fridge is "counter depth", around 24" deep in the wall, so many normal residential fridges will stick out too far. Once you know your maximum dimensions it is time to research what is available. http://www.ajmadison.com/ is a great place to research, but also check Sears and Sears Outlet, since they sometime have some unique choices. http://www.appliancesconnection.com/ is another place to research. Amazon is often more expensive than the specialty places for some reason. Then check your local stores, Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, etc. If you can get it locally, it will save time. Mail order can and often does take 3 to 6 weeks to be delivered. Ours took a month and we had to register the installers address as an alternate address with our credit card to ship it there. One more thing, don't be too picky about color, you might only find a fridge in stainless, black or white that will fit. Getting the old out and the new in depends on your motorhome. Since we had in door water and ice, we went through the windshield. Securing depends on your new fridge, options vary. Our work was done by Carrier RV Service in Eugene, Oregon. Hi Bill Thanx for the response. Yep, Norcold 1210. Height is not a concern since we have a large open space under the existing frig, also no Furnace to contend with. Critical (I believe) is width and door opening. Wife is vertically challenged (5'0") so bottom freezer and entire unit lower is what we are looking at. Side by side is not preferred option per Marie (DW). Suggestions with model numbers are appreciated. 1Rod We do not travel much more than 200-250 a day so capability of batteries is not an issue and we have FSW inverter. Dave O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horizon36 Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Here's a link to my recent post here about changing from a Norcold to a Samsung RF 197. http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=114475&hl= Full time since August 2010 2002 Itasca Horizon One fur kid - a Shih-Tsu rescue Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Joyce Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Both the Samsung RF197, which is discontinued, and the new RF18, are the same width (32") and depth (24" to door frame) as a 12cuft Norcold. That is why they are very popular as replacements for the 1200 series. They are French Door fridges, so the freezer is on the bottom and the fridge has French doors, ie., two doors. Nick Russell just replaced his and got an RF18 from Home Depot, the start of his story is http://gypsyjournalrv.com/2014/12/found-it/, with http://gypsyjournalrv.com/2014/12/gas-attack/ starting the removal and install process, which goes on for more daily blogs. http://gypsyjournalrv.com/2014/12/anchors-aweigh/ details securing it for movement and travel. 2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now. Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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