Installing a Residential Refrigerator in an RV/ Travel Trailer 

Except he kept the vent behind

@@thatoneguy9122 better to insulate the vent on top of the roof and the vent on the back. And if possible make a small cut out on one of the side cabinets that the refrigerator is installed on. To vent the heat out.

Excellent! Good to know it helped. Please let me know how it all turns out.

Our mice ate the soap....

Great advice Ted, thanks for posting that! We have been happy with ours so far but will probably put in a battery and inverter this year for longer trips. Thanks for checking it out!

I'm also concerned about getting rid of that heat. The mini fridge specs usually include gap dimensions and actual dimensions. I'm gonna replace a 6 cu ft with a slightly smaller size, include a little ventilation space all around and maybe a small exhaust fan through the original outer wall door. Raising the fridge on a shelf would give me room underneath for that.

.

Bad idea home box will heatup camper

Shauna Falk Glad could help with the first part at least! Here is the same model on Amazon but not sure about shipping where you are. - amzn.to/1Nb4dbf

I was wondering about the plug as well and he answers in another comment that the plug was there from the old fridge.

Thanks for this information. I just bought a 1989 Fleetwood Southwind Motorhome and the fridge is a house fridge. I was hoping to find a way to set it up so I could use something other than shore power.

+SPINELLI CUSTOMS the generator idea would be great. We have had no issues with ours over the last few years, it has been working great

Metal box is your furnace

Capped them off

I honestly would not worry too much about it breaking unless you go off- roading in your RV. Ours has held up fine and doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon.

GayleO O This is what we were told by the appliance salesman, and it's correct. If you simply install a residential refrigerator into the current box opening, you will void the warranty if you do not open up a side wall and leave side wall open. Installing 110v unit into the old boxed opening allows too much heat to build up. Warranty voids if the new unit is not open on at least 2 sides. We removed the side wall next to the bench seat and increased the vent size on the exterior wall. You can also install a small exhaust fan (like for a CPU) at base of the new refrigerator to circulate airflow. Worked great for us.

+Deborah Chandler ours is open in back and on top so I assume that would count. There is also a ceiling vent in there above it and an outside vent where you access it so no heat buildup. They are designed to ventilate well since the rv refrigerators generate just as much heat in ac mode

Hi, and thanks for the reply. We were told that no, the spacing you currently have does not meet the warranty requirements because I'm assuming you don't have the refrigerator back totally exposed to the outside air. The Magic Chef and Frigidaire people were very specific that a side wall must be open. If you think about your home kitchen unit, most are against 1 side wall, against a back wall and have a cabinet spaced over the top. That leaves the front and 1 side wall open. That's what you need to maintain warranty for a refridge that is NOT specifically a slide-in. If you don't care about warranty due to low costing unit, then this is all moot.

+Eric Schnidrig should be a link in the description to that fridge so you can check it out. You can get it on amazon or best buy, good luck!

Eric Schnidrig did you make a video of using an inverter to make yours work

Velcro worked just fine for years

@@SSLFamilyDad thankyou for your reply , all the best for the upcoming year

DONT cover up the back vent, it needs to be there to have air to circulate around the back

1/2” black pipe plug

@@SSLFamilyDad Thank you so much guy.

You don’t really need to but you need to have some space or way for the heat from the compressor to dissipate

+Vito A The insulation just keeps it snug on each side, the back and top are all open all the way up through the roof vents.

The furnace should be sealed and that gap should not allow any carbon monoxide to come in. However, you should always have a carbon monoxide detector working in the trailer when in use.

That's kind of what I thought, I appreciate the video and reply! Happy camping!

+Tech22945 still working just like new. We have only gone on one or two trips each year but usually about 3-5 hour drives. No issues yet!

Thanks for relying. :D I'll definitely consider this option more now

Steve Sparks I did that before our first trip. Just a small piece of Velcro adhesive. Works great!

That is a good idea also. Deep freezer would be nice for longer trips. Thanks for checking it out!

SSLFamilyDad yes sir, only bad part is I like to go dry camping so I can't use it then, and it don't run on propane lol I wish it did

It was fine and plenty of room to vent heat

About an amp I believe.

I did a similar replacement but with a taller fridge. It was a Haier from Home Depot, and it was a huge improvement over the standard absorption type, in my opinion. I left the back open and the top vent in place for proper air flow and heat exchanging. Start up current was about .9 amps and running current was about .6 amps. It used less power than the old unit did. I used an inline meter to check amps, watts, and voltage, a P3 P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor.

No problem monon1971, glad I could help. Thanks for watching!

David Hamrich We have had it in for over a year now and been out camping a few times. So far it has been perfect for us on shorter trips and even on a four hour trip everything stayed frozen and cool with no trouble. I still do plan to add a battery and charger to run it for longer trips.

I did not drain any propane, just shut of the valve on the tank and use a black pipe cap or plug. Normally it is 1/2" if the piping is rigid black pipe. If it is flexible copper see if you can trace it back to the main line and plug it there.

use flyscreen glued inside works for me

You were probably able to get the fridge, solar, inverter, and a battery for under $1300!

SSLFamilyDad actually I already had solar and a pair of T-105’s. I have used solar for several years because you never have batteries go down. Even when not using the RV. But yes, more and more people are going to start doing this as they realize how much better and cheaper this route is. This particular little fridge also is frost free and has internal circulation fans. Don’t find THAT in absorption fridges.

Joy Kindrick Has not been an issue and there is plenty of room on the sides and above the frig. There is also a vent on the room above that compartment in most trailers as well as a lower vent where you access the back of the frig. Hope that helps!

Here is the model that I have installed here. I caught it on sale for just under $300 and also had a $50 off through their rewards program. Regular price is $330 on the fridge you are 100% correct on that and I probably should have specified regular price, sorry about that. Thanks for watching! tinyurl.com/lvczkfh

Thanks, The refrigerator that I used here can be purchased from Best Buy - tinyurl.com/lvczkfh. And it looks like it is on sale, bonus:)

MrCyborg1973 you can use electric stove in RV? Can u tell me where to purchase one? Thanks

No, you shouldn't change the rims to 12 in, you could fix your garage door( make it higher), unless attached garage, your trailer needs to have 14 in rims!.. A Knows-it-all from Canada

I would not think so, I believe this one was lighter than the one that was in it

We had clearence behind so there was no issue

Awesome! Thanks for the reply and for the helpful video!!

Lynnette Workman That sounds a lot like what happened to us as well, we were told it all "works" but I guess it didn't. WE have been happy with our choice to save a thousand dollars so far:)

SSLFamilyDad I think I'd wanna swap it out anyway. Not interested in that gas/electric biz. However the gas ignitor does work. No ammonia smell etc., but I want an electric fridge. I hope it goes smoothly. Any suggestions on the hot water heater? It won't light but fills abd does not leak. I'd be LOST without you tubers such as yourself :)

Lynnette Workman If it does not light are you getting spark at the igniter? check to make sure you have all the gas turned on and also hold down the pilot igniter for a long time to bleed out all of the air until you can smell gas coming out, then try to light it. Use a long stick match if you thing the spark is not working. Maybe that will help otherwise look up the model and see if you can find a cheap replacement for the burner assembly.

SSLFamilyDad I will Def try this. Do these have thermo cuplers like regular hot water heaters?

Lynnette Workman yes, it needs to sense the pilot flame before it will ignite the main burner

Debbie Ainolhayat Our has been working just fine and they actually do not pull that much power so that should not be a concern. As far as long trips go it would be best to grab a battery and an inverter and just let it run while you are on the road. Dry ice would be fine also, anything over about 4 hours and things will start to thaw a bit in the freezer. Fridge stays pretty cool for 4-5 hours. Hope that helps and good luck!

Debbie Ainolhayat I have had 120 volts refrigerators in 5 motor homes. When traveling I plug the refrigerator into an extension cord that is plugged into an inverter which is attached to the vehicle battery (I have a transfer switch). The refrigerator stays cold and will make ice while traveling. The size of the inverter depends on the refrigerator Amps draw. Most such refrigerators (8 amps or less) will run on a 750 - 1000 watts inverter. The important part is to have a disconnect switch in one of the two the 12 volts line going TO the inverter (or remember to turn off the inverter) , otherwise it will drain the vehicle battery when the vehicle is not running.

Hi Pat, We have a travel trailer. I guess my question would be should I get one more 12V battery and an inverter along with a transfer switch assigned only to the residential fridge? I am hearing good things about residential fridges. Thanks for your help.

Debbie Ainolhayat Hello Debbie, The refrigerators that I used were very large. If a smaller refrigerator is used, about 4.3 cu ft or less, the 120 volts amp draw is usually less than 2 amps, sometimes 1 amp. For a travel , trailer, I would use a similar set up as previously described. Mount an inverter on the vehicle battery and run a 14 gauge extension cord to the rear bumper of the vehicle. Run a 14 gauge extension cord from the refrigerator to the tongue of the trailer. When the trailer is hooked up to the vehicle, plug the 2 cords together. Raise the hood of the vehicle and switch on the inverter. When the trailer is disconnected from the vehicle, turn off the inverter, under the hood, and disconnect the 2 extension cords. Then disconnect the refrigerator from the inside portion of the extension cord and plug the refrigerator into a 120 volts wall plug and therefore, use shore power. The small amp draw of the refrigerator will not be enough to cause a problem with your 30 amps input. If you use a small amp draw refrigerator, a 400 watts inverter, on the vehicle battery, will provide about 3.5 amps of 120 AC volts, which will power the refrigerator while traveling. If you do not wish to have to remember to turn off/on the inverter each time, a simple disconnect can be a solenoid switch placed in the 12 volts line between the battery and the inverter. Activation for the solenoid can be provided by running a 12 volts line from the fuse box to the solenoid. The wire should be attached to spot that is only powered when the ignition switch is on. A continuous duty solenoid switch must be used. Surpluscenter.com has a 80 amps switch for about $10.00. Pat Courtney

Hi Pat, Great idea. We are going to do that on our next trip next week. Thanks, Debbie

nope, not sure about that one but they do have space saving models and models made for "tiny houses" that I am sure would work just fine

Yes, the door was reversible and I did try to reverse the door after this video. However I was not having luck getting it to line back up as well and seal properly. I decided to leave the doors in this position instead of spending more time fighting with it. Thanks for watching!

+Blair Smock just left the plug. There was an outlet from the old fridge in there

Great thank, I wonder if that would be typical of travel trailers or if they are hard wired. Nice job helped a lot!

It's very typical.

@@brandotooele Mine is hard wired. Will have to pay someone to deal with that I guess.

Charles Tait That is the end goal here and I think it is going to work very well that way, thanks!

We are going to do the same and yes hook up an inverter to run it off that. Then we can run the fridge while we travel or if the shore power goes out.

Yup, just get an inverter for it!

Thank you! Also, how much solar do you think it needs?

You would have to look at your fridge and check the amp draw. Then calculate out if it were to run non stop for 24 hours how many watts it would use per hour and then how much you could bank with solar to keep it going. You always want to oversize your solar and inverter and batteries

+jon new I have never heard of garage ready but since you won't be using it in below freezing most likely anyway it does matter. Also even though the back is exposed via the vents it stays pretty warm back there even if it were cold out. Bottom line, any fridge should be fine

Thanks. I will try to insulate the back but might think if ill close the sides in. While looking at the fridges last night i learned another new term. Lg uses inverter controlled compressor and the power is cut in half at least. Im thinking about moving and taking my home fridge but ill leave it now. Im going to check into this for central air or heat pump.

I think heat pumps for home heat save 50 percent over electric. I will check and see if cutting that heatpump bill in half by using inverter compressor will cut the heatpump bill in half. If so that would be 1/4th the bill of electric. My family in michigan is paying 500 a month . Ill do some checking.

If you’re on FB join as many RV groups as possible. I started off RVing as a single mom with four girls and the groups helped me out tremendously. Hope you were able to get it taking care of.

still works great every year when we use it.

Are you waiting to see if works all these years so you do same thing man !!!?