Good morning don't know how long it was when you did the fridge job, but we have a 2017 with a nocold 1210 and are thinking about putting a Samsung in the only thing on the video I missed was the elec. so did the outlet from the old nocold work or did you have to completely re-wire I did see you move it, but when you went to the panel and ean wire that lost me.
Hi Cliff. Sorry about the confusion. Yes, I reused the old 110 outlet and all I had to do was move the wire and breaker from the non-inverter side of the coach to the inverter breaker panel. Fortunately there was enough slack in the wire that I could just stretch it to from the main breaker panel to the inverter panel so it was super easy. Hope that helps and don't hesitate to ask other questions. I'll say that having a real fridge has been the best upgrade I have done on my RV. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video. Have the Norcold 1200 and water line to ice maker leaks now so cut water supply off and no more ice maker! Our 2006 Monaco Knight looks similar to your RV and couldn’t find a refer that was the right size to fit and the Samsung RF18 will work just like you did! Thanks for the posting, I think we can do this now!!!
Beautiful fridge. I have bought two, yes two Dometic fridges over the past year and both didn't work. I started doing a little research and found out that the fridges nowadays (some of them) are way less of a headache then the two or three way fridges. Plus they are a lot cheaper for what you get. Your new one is perfect. Chris & Steph
That and the tankless water heater were the two best investments I made in my RV! Yea, if you have the power available, residential is the way to go. Dual fuel are a pain for sure!
Thanks. Started pulling it out. Just had screws on the top and bottom trim. Done and only had 3 crews on the bottom. You made it look so easy moving. Thanks.
That's because I edited out the fight that it took to get it moving the first time. Water had leaked and the frame had rusted and essentially glued itself into the hole. Glad to hear you got it out!
I installed a GE 17.3 cu ft residential in place of my 1200 Norcold. I plugged it in the outlet and plan on using the generator to keep it cold while on the road. Will look into the inverter idea this winter. I did cover the access opening with a piece of sheet metal and then foamed around it. I couldn't see any need for an opening with the residential fridge. There is 2 1/2" of space on both sides, about 5" above, and at least an 1" in the back. Everything is working.
I like your videos on this project, now it's been 6 years since. Would you have done this any other way. My fridge is kaput my question is any other fridges available out their that require less work. thanks
Nope, it still works perfectly. Depending on what rig you have, you can probably find one to fit the existing hole if you look around. If you do, just be sure it will work with your inverter type (Modified Sign Wave or Pure Sign Wave. Some fridge compressors won't run on Modified.
Hey TR, just watched your videos, great info. Our never cold finally crapped out in our newmar. We were looking at replacing with a 12v French door. But we see you used a residential. So will the residential work while driving if we route with inverter?
Yes it will. You'll have to move the 110 circuit like I did at this point in the video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G67qov1g-YQ.html It's not difficult. Thanks for watching Michelle!
hi tr, i have been going thru the same problems as you with the never cold. funny, have had 3 previous norcolds and they worked fine. I am full time and in the north for the winters.. Replaced the cooling unit with one out of Canada. Worked great but froze up in the winter. Aded winter kit and partially blocked vents. Worked again for a couple years. Then after a defrost the refer wouldn't cool very good . Found out may be "saturated". Not properly sealed back. My bad. Nursed her back to ok then forgot to block vents this winter and refer warmed up.Freezer part works ? My question is about fitting the Samsung thru your coach door. How difficult was that? How many men needed ? You removed the passenger seat ? thinking of going with a smaller fridge, 10 or 12 cuft 2 dr and make a broom closet. thanks, Bob.
The 2 guys from Home Depot who delivered it took the doors off the fridge and it fits perfectly through the door. I did remove the screen door and the passenger seat!
There is a Tee fitting in the basement under the fridge. Cap the fridge gas line at the tee with a brass cap. I believe it is 3/8 and the cap is available at most hardware stores. Just ask for a 3/8 gas line cap.
TR - How much energy does the 120v frig use from your 12v house batteries when you are boondocking? Is it a significant drain or can you solar panels keep up recharge with a couple of cloudy/rainy days in dead of winter? You indicated it was the ‘best’ upgrade you have done in Rusty. That’s good to hear!
It consumes about 120 amp hours a day, depending on the outside temps. I have lithium batts now and lots of solar so no issues! Last summer I boondocked for over 100 days and only had to run my generator at total of 4 hours during that whole period. Before I had the solar I would have to run the generator 4 hours a day to keep my old lead acid batts charged.
I'm hating to think i may be doing this soon...... My nevercold was "fixed" three times last summer and once last winter...... now that warm weather is returning, my beer isn't cold enough......
Thanks for the great info. We are replacing ours this week. What do you recommend we do with our Norcold 1200 (failed cooling unit)? Which components have value? Thanks again!
Although I scrapped a few parts off mine they never sold on EBay so I would say just scrap it. I did keep the old plastic bins and re-purpose them but that is is. Thanks for watching and good luck!
I'm looking to change out my Dometic Refrigerator with a Residential Refer. I'm having trouble finding a refrig that will fit through door of my 2004 Dutch Star. After you took off door on the Samsung RF18, how much clearance did you have in doorway.
Plenty. I did remove the screen and detach the door prop at the top of the door so it would be a little wider. If memory serves the door to the RV is 26" wide and with the doors removed from the Samsung it was 24 inches. Takes two people to get it in but I had no trouble. Oh also I took out the passenger seat and the metal hand rail. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!
We have the same model of Samsung in our 5ver and had the misfortune of it falling out of its hole. I suggest some straps or other such device to hold it in place. These models seem top heavy, if you can rock it front to rear, it will fall. Great video.
Thanks for your comments! In my update video 1 I show how I've secured the fridge in the hole. In update 2 I mention about the doors opening and the ice bouncing out of the tray, but overall I am still happy with the unit. I agree they are a little top heavy, but the fit in the hole is so close it really cant tip more than a 1/4" front to back in my install and the way I secured the bottom keeps it from 'walking' out of the hole.. Again thanks James!
I removed our Nevercold 1200 from our 2003 DSDP 4007 to install a Samsung RF18. I watched your videos atleast 6 times and a few others. I would suggest noting the type and model of furnace that you had as that was a critical issues in my install. our furnace is 2-3 inches taller than yours and caused fitment issues. we have plenty of room side to side and front to back but the height is lacking. I have not come up with a solution yet but need to find at least an inch more for proper fit. have you run acrossed this? anyone else? I had to remove the roller wheels for clearance. the shelve height is at 8.5" leaving only 69" for the install. talk about tight fit. the upper door hinge plastic cover had to be left off and the door sensors and wiring that is had in it removed and secured to the top of the refrigerator. Thank you for the ideas and keep up the good work
I know of another 2003 owner who ran into trouble and I apologize. I'll clarify in my description for the video. I do know the person with the 2003, he used to be the international director for the Newmar Kountry Klub, the Newmar owners club. Let me email him and see if/how he resolved it.
I heard back from the fellow on the fridge. I've got some photos to share if you want to email me trbowlin@gmail.com and I'll forward them. Here is what he did: 1. I re-routed the sewer line just like you did. I left the hot/cold water lines where they were since they fit behind the refer just fine. 2. I had a 1/4 inch aluminum plate custom cut to roughly the same size as the original wood platform the old refer sat on except for allowing clearance to allow for the repositioned sewer line. I installed that plate about 1/8 inch above the furnace with the plate sitting on a couple of 4x4's and 2x4's screwed to the plate to transfer the load to the floor. 3. I removed the wheels from the Samsung refer to get more clearance. I put two stringers about 28 inches x 1 inch x 1/4 inch thick under the left and right side of the refer to allow a little air circulation under the refer. I sealed the top vent and the side vent on the coach. 4. I ran the furnace set at 40 degrees through the winter to protect against freezing (lows around here only about 20 degrees) with the refer running. When we camp we usually use a few cube heaters and use the furnace only occasionally. 5. Had to replace the ceiling light with a smaller fixture since we have about zero clearance to the ceiling. We have been camping about 8 times since the upgrade and it works well.
Hi. I'm in the process of pulling my 1200 norcold out. Have removed 3 screws in back on lower plate as well as trim around the 1200. Is there any more screws you think of? Do i need to go up top of rv. Have a Tiffin bus 2007. Thanks Gary.
Not sure on your MH. Those were the only screws I had to remove... If memory serves, four or five in each of the top and bottom flanges and a couple from the rear. They are really heavy...
Well, we got the Samsung in through the side window. Got it in the bus in 15 minutes and in it's spot and running in 2 hours but so far it hasnt made ice. Wondering if there isnt some packing tape or something keeping it from going in to ice making mode that I just cant find.
Yes, I believe the RF18 will run on a modified sine wave inverter. I'm not sure which one you have in your Coachmen, but what I could find suggests you'll be okay.
It's really hard to estimate because there are so many variables. I know it runs more when that side of the coach is in the sun... My best guess is that on average I can run for 24 to to 36 hours when I start with my batts fully charged and normal household appliances (TV, lights, etc.) (220 AH battery pack). Now I did not have a lot of solar but that is changing today... I am just finishing installing 1800 watts of solar on my coach. Give me a week to run on the new setup and I will get back to you... If your in a hurry I would plan on 80-90 AH/day for the fridge... Hope this helps and thanks a ton for watching!
In my second post install video I addressed this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--sAQhq6qrRo.html but in short I tie a towel to the handles of both doors and bungee the freezer door.
www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-33-in-W-17-5-cu-ft-French-Door-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-and-Counter-Depth-RF18HFENBSR-2/302577277 I'll have to add it to that video.
I'm replacing my nevercold 1200 and I'm using the same fridge you did. I wonder if your using an inverter and if so what size. I am considering using a dedicated inverter on mine.
Yes, I have an inverter. Xantrex 3012...rated at 3000 watts, but the fridge in no way needs that, nor do I think you need a dedicated inverter. It only draws about 120-150 watts when running, which of course is not all the time, and the inrush current when the compressor starts is about 250 watts. The Xantrex is a pure sine inverter but according to Samsung it will run on a modified sign wave inverter. I've been moochdocking at my dads for a month now and my 200 watt solar panels are keeping up with the fridge and the base load of the inverter no problem. It rained for about 10 straight days and I did run my generator a total of about 5 hours over those days to charge the batteries but other than that it is very energy efficient! Of course I've been spending most of my time visiting with my dad in his house so my electric usage has been pretty low, but again, unless you have a really small inverter you shouldn't need a dedicated unit. Be sure and check back in when you get it done and let me know how it goes, and don't forget that thumbs up and please subscribe. Hope it works out as well for you as it has for me, I am very happy I changed it!!!!
The main reason I want to use a dedicated inverter is because my coach has everything on one side of the bus run through the inverter and GFI outlets. I intend to have solar just for the fridge batteries which I also intend to add to the dedicated system this way I dont have to worry about running out of batteries. We do not boondock camp but while enroute south we do stay overnight in truck stops which is usually only 2 nights tops between being plugged in to shore power. I intend to keep you informed on our situation.
Ah I see, yea that makes sense. I'm lucky because I have two outlet breakers, a dedicated fridge and microwave, all on the inverter. I have 4-6 volt 220ah batteries in serial parallel configuration, so I essentially have about 440 amp hours of 12 volt power to draw from. Oh and I am going to replace my two 100 watt panels with 3-280 watt jobbies. I'll do that next winter when I make it back to Arizona and can get the panels in Gilbert and not have to pay freight. Looking forward to hearing more about your project... PEACE
I have another question. I have not opened the box yet, but I am wondering if there are 4 leveling feet on the fridge or 2, and if they are only in the front or rear?
First I'll say I have had absolutely NO problems with the unit. I am probably jinxing myself by saying that but... In my research of fridges that would fit I looked at Amazon, the world wide waste and on the website IRV2.com. There have been good and bad reviews out there, but frankly, when it comes to consumer reviews I have a bit of a jaded eye. I've known and said this for many years...people remember your successes for a day and your failures for years... Also, most will not comment on something or write a review unless it is a bad review and they are pissed off that they feel they got ripped off. Things I look for when I am evaluating a product on Amazon or anywhere is HOW MANY reviews does the item have. IN the case of the RF18 on Amazon, I just went back and looked because of your question, there are 15 reviews. That is not very many when you consider how many of these units have been sold by them and yes there are a lot of pissed off comments written there. I also reviewed the comments on Home Depot's, Samsung, and at the mentioned IRV2 site and the proportion of good to bad comments was preponderantly good. So I kind of ignored the bad reviews as just pissed off people who probably were not operating the unit correctly. As far as the water accumulating in the fridge, if you read the manual it tells you that when condensation starts to turn off the E saver mode (energy saver) for a couple of hours/days and this will help remove the condensation. The biggest problem with accumulating water in the fridge is not being properly leveled. IN the installation manual there are specific instructions that say the fridge needs a slight tilt from front to back to help with water draining properly. Overall I am very happy with the unit and have no regrets selecting it. Thanks for watching!
TR: Great final video on the Samsung install. I'm just starting on my conversion. Have some ABS drain-pipe that will need to be modified, but it looks like a somewhat less complicated install than you ended up with. My one concern is doing the prep-work without the Samsung RF-18 in-hand. Did you find the published dimensions adequate for preparing the "hole"? My Dometic is a tad narrower than the RF18, but the installed height, 70.85" - does concerns me a bit, as I won't have much slop to play with. I see the "computer" for the unit is on-top; any issues with that? Thanks again, for a very concise tutorial!
Thanks Brother! The manual with specifications is what I used. downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/201611/20161105150230598/DA68-01845C_20_NW2-FDR_XAA-EN.pdf See page 9. The highest point is a small box on the back. Is the 70.85" to the ceiling or top of the trim?
The 70.85" height was a dimension i found listed for the RF18 height. Thanks for the link to the RF18 Manual; will use those dimensions to prep. The "computer?" on the top-rear of the fridge "looks" slightly higher than anything else on top; that also concerned me, but I'll leave a little margin. Won't get the RF18 for at least a week, and kinda hate not being able to put "MY" tape-measure on it before prepping the cavity it will set in. And, I will need to remove a side window to provide install / removal path; my Foretravel entry door isn't an option, unfortunately. Thanks, again, for a superb tutorial! (I'm an Arizona resident; looks like you spend some time in the area...)
Yea, that is a drag that you have to remove the window, but alas every RV project has it's challenges. The computer on the front is no higher than the top of the fridge. I've been here since November, about an hour south of Phoenix. 93 here today...Ahhh...Winter in Arizona!
We're in Wickenburg; "only" 87-degrees here! My RF18 is supposed to arrive the end next week, so I have time to leisurely prepare. Thanks again for your council!
I have a samsung rf18hfenbsr in my 2016 Bounder If you are buying a new fridge do your research this fridge hates power outages. I am on my second unit in 2 years and I am going to go with a different manufacturer.
3 freaking episodes and we don't even see the new refrig being installed? You did manage to show us all how you scavanged your old frig for parts to sell second hand. This should have been one episode at 10 min max.
Because until I got GoPro to replace the camera under warranty it didn't matter what lighting or settings I used the exposure was all over the place. I didn't appreciate having to fight with them for two months on a bad camera to get it replaced. My Nikon D7200 shoots in this lighting condition perfectly. I've sold the gopro on EBay so it is someone else's POS now.. Thanks for watching
