Replacement refrigerator recommendation?

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by BrianW

I believe most (all?) SMBs come with the dual 12v/110v frigs as OEM. Maybe a few came with tri-power (+propane) or 12v only, but that would be a deviation from the standard build.

In the dual-power ones, the frig itself automatically switches when it senses 110vac power being live, either from shore power or if an inverter is supplying the AC. SMB wires a 110vac outlet in the cabinet behind the frig and the frig plug goes in there. That's why you always want to make sure that the AC master breaker (or at least the frig breaker) is turned off when you are running AC via inverter and not shore power: it's much less draw on the batteries for the frig to run directly on 12v vs running on 110vac through the inverter.

Excellent info thanks! I had no clue on the breaker thing. I just throw them all on when in camp. So many nuances to these rigs. One thing for sure, the Norcold has got to go.

[rickschwolsky]

Hi all -- everyone is so helpful in this Forum -- really appreciate all the feedback and great advice. Just ordered the TruckFridge TF65 which will fit right into the cabinet opening of the Norcold I am replacing. I had been looking at the Isotherm -- until I learned here that the same company makes both brands -- with pretty much the same specs.
Thanks everyone -- Rick

[Charliesmom]

Our Isotherm Cruise 130 Classic was installed by SMB West in March, 2020. It is 12v DC only. It is wired directly to the main DC bus board and is fused with a 15 A fuse. We rarely are plugged into shore power. Our battery bank is LiFePO4 360 AH with 230 W of solar panels on the roof and a portable 120 W Zamp suitcase. Our overnight usage is ~35 A, easily made up with daytime solar input. We rarely use our inverter except for charging computers or using our Nespresso milk frother for our morning coffee (dirty little secret).
Here is the wiring diagram that came in the User’s Manual

[Scalf77]

I think the "standard" SMB build came with a 12 volt only, and the AC/DC model was a upgrade.

The older units had an external power brick, the newer units the conversion is done inside of the controller. The 101N0510 is a AC/DC version The DC only versions are usually 101N03X0, they have a couple of revisions. So if someone wanted one or the other the change could be made by purchasing a new controller.

IMO there is no need for the AC/DC unit, the 12 volt model works great, there are no performance increases with the AC option. If you are a person that wants to keep the fridge on all the time (plugged in) and the battery disconnected then they would be more of an option.

One of the reasons people worried about the DC fridge, was the possible chance that the turn on current, would transition a charger that was in the float stage, back into the absorption stage, and thus overcharging the batteries. It is a possibility that could happen, I never saw it in 17 years of owning my sportsmobile, that was plugged in all the time and monitored more than most rigs.

And, as said previously a problem with the AC/DC unit was when on the inverter, it would default to AC, drawing more power. Again not a major problem, that couldn't be taken as long as the fridge was on it's own breaker or switch.

The CR130 is a very nicely sized unit, my biggest complaint is that it wasn't well designed for airflow, so you should have concerns when putting it into cramped spaces.

Saving money with truckfridge, you could apply that to a device called the Merlin II , a smart speed controller. It can give you energy savings, and it also has a warm start feature for compressor thus reducing stress on the overall unit. The merlin will plug directly on to the controller. It can be used on a AC/DC unit but would need to installed remotely as the tabs are closer on that controller.
There is also an LED for flashes for various issues that the fridge may have.

If you have a Chef for a wife, don't put a thermometer in your fridge, Or you may have to move to something like this digital thermostat Yes, it is a little overkill, but you won't have to worry about turning the knob up or down anymore.

The previously mentioned Isotherm ITC looks like in incorporates both of these type devices in one package. I will say that when I tried the predecessor "smart energy controller" I found that the the high voltage overcool feature somewhat useless in saving power (with solar), but I see that they have an eco switch that disables that when camped.

-greg

[BrianW]

Build sheet for both my 1998 and 2011 Indiana-built SMBs had the 12/110 frig as standard

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

Agree BrianW
I have a 2003 SMB West version and the 12/110 was a normal part of the conversion.
I'm amazed at the issues some people are having.
I have never had any issues with noise, power use etc. My standard Norcold has worked fine. I do not have a inverter or converter to deal with.
I always have shore power connected prior to a trip and turn the frig on several days in advance to chill the box and make ice.
My SMB is part of my life, I live outside and rest inside for another day outside.
I have not altered any SMB factory installation. I'm as happy as can be with my factory build.
I replaced my frig after 15 years with another Norcold.
Currently having seats recovered at 18 years
I have decided to make my 1st alteration with the E350. I'm installing Vantage Basic HID Projector Retrofit Headlights......I have become an old guy and driving at night is not my thing.
Happy trails to everyone and as we recover to whatever is normal I hope there will be more people flying and fewer driving.......
2003 E350 4X4 7.3 SMB 285,000 and about ready to add a few more miles

[Orv]

My 12V/120V Norcold still works very well (after 30 years!) but I have to admit it's noisy. Compared to the propane adsorption fridges I had in other RVs, I'm willing to accept the noise in exchange for much better cooling performance. Still, it's good to know what my options are if it ever dies. I mostly run it on 12V except when I'm pre-cooling it the night before a trip.

[BoxterRocks]

Originally Posted by Orv

My 12V/120V Norcold still works very well (after 30 years!) but I have to admit it's noisy. Compared to the propane adsorption fridges I had in other RVs, I'm willing to accept the noise in exchange for much better cooling performance. Still, it's good to know what my options are if it ever dies. I mostly run it on 12V except when I'm pre-cooling it the night before a trip.

My absorption fridge caught on fire last month. My dog and i were inside and i smelled something strange. At first i thought it was coming from the black tank because it had a light ammonia odor to it. After about 30 seconds of trying to figure out what i was smelling the odor became toxic smelling and completely overpowering, i grabbed the dog and got out of the truck. When i stepped to the passenger side of the truck there was smoke coming out of the fridge vent on the side of the truck. I yanked the vent cover off and there were flames so i took a deep breath and jumped back in the truck and grabbed the fire extinguisher and managed to put the fire out before it caused to much damage.

If we had been asleep i dont think we would still be here because the fumes were so toxic in a matter of seconds. I will never own another absorption fridge. If i had been in a store with my dog in the truck by himself it could have been a disaster i never would have forgiven myself. I took the fridge out already because it was leeching that toxic ammonia smell even after having leaked all the ammonia out during the fire.

Now im shopping for a 12/110 volts replacement for it. I will use a cooler and ice cubes before i ever have another absorption fridge in my rig. Absorption fridges are the cause of so many RV fires i cant believe they are allowed to install them in RV's after my experience.

[boywonder]

Jabberbox: wow......crazy..harrowing story.


Do you have a smoke detector and/or a CO detector in your camper?


Many of us here have both...my CO detector is a combo CO/propane detector since I have propane heat.....and it's quite sensitive..seems to alarm when it whiffs any hydrocarbon like gasoline fumes.


and ..as already mentioned....Truckfridge sells quality affordable fridges if you are shopping for a replacement.

[BoxterRocks]

I have a propane detector and a carbon monoxide as well as a fire detector. I had the batteries out of the fire detector, but the other two are hardwired and did not go off. I didnt really smell anything like smoke inside the rig, what i smelled was ammonia initially like i said. I sniffed for about 30 seconds thinking it was coming from the black tank. Then it was BOOM all at once and overpowering smell of ammonia and a toxic chemical smell. I couldnt breath and thats when i grabbed the dog and jumped out, but there was never any smoke inside the rig that i noticed.

Im just glad i didnt panic and was able to think in an orderly manner. The propane valve on the back of the fridge was on fire so i reached under the truck and shut the propane valve, im still not sure if it was caused by wiring or what exactly, all of the wiring back there was on fire, i killed all of the electrical breakers inside when i went back in for the extinguisher. Then once the fire was out i disconnected the house batteries. Once the fire was out and the batteries disconnected i cut all of the burnt wires with my side cutters. I capped off the 110 volt wires and just yanked out all of the 12 volt wires. Even my dog was all worked up and excited, he had no idea what was going on.

I removed it from the truck yesterday, i took a sawzall and cut it in half to get it out the door by myself. I will post a picture of it later today. Once the fridge was out all of that extinguisher dust was all over inside the truck so it took me all afternoon to clean up the mess.

Heres some pictures, theres a hole burnt threw the bottom of the fridge as well as scorching which i dont quite understand. Not sure whats in there that would start a fire. I think once the propane valve caught fire the flames started melting the wiring and they caught fire. I dont see anything on the outside that would have ruptured to release the toxic chemicals so there must be something inside where the hole and burn marks are that caused it to release that gas.

This event freaked me out so much that i will never sleep inside a rig with an absorption fridge again. If the furnace didnt rely on propane i would get rid of the propane as well. These things should be outlawed IMO.