Repair Propane Refrigerator (Dometic) or Install Residential (Whirlpool) w/Inverter?

[Rich5117]

Sounds like a bad cooling unit. Wish you luck in your conversion. Let us know how things go.

[Blackhat6mike]

Never had a refrigerator problem on any RV I've owned since the early 1970s. Guess I've been lucky so far. If I do ever find myself having to replace the unit, I will stick with the gas/elec unit. We run the gas when traveling and run it on gas for a day or two before leaving on a trip.
If I have a job on the TT [addition or repair] I will run it on gas so I will have something cold to drink while working. It will run for a long, long time on a 20# tank. We have two 30 lb tanks but I use an extra tank to run it while at home or storage.

[ScottBrownstein]

As I indicated before, Xantrex ProWatt 1000, Xantrex transfer switch, 100 amp fuse and a couple of good batteries(I would use 6 volt, I currently have 12 volt.) You can find it all here....DonRowe.com: Xantrex 806-1210 PROwatt SW 1000 Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter

[The_Rhino]

I've decided to replace the cooling unit so we can maintain greater flexibility. We booked some days at Assateague State Park so it will be our first attempt at boondocking. Also, we have camping friends who boondock on relatives' property, so our options remain open.

With the money saved by not having to buy (2) new batteries, HD cabling, inverter, etc. I bought (2) WEN 56200i 2000-Watt Inverter Generators for $379.99 each on the Woot! website. These are good clones of the Yamahas & likely made on the same Chinese assembly line... IMO generators last longer than batteries & I can use them for other projects.

I won't be doing the cooling unit swap for a few weeks, but when I do I'll provide an update. Thanks all for the responses.

[Rich5117]

We made the same decision with our refrigerator. Replacing the cooling unit is not difficult, but it is extremely important to use thermal mastic between the cooling unit and the cooling fines, so that proper cooling is transferred to the fins. In this case more is better.

[The_Rhino]

UPDATE: I wasn't happy with the conversations I had with the cooling unit sellers... So, I found a new scratch & dent Whirlpool 10.7 cu. ft. residential fridge at a local Sears Outlet for $300 & installed it this week. (small scratch on side is hidden now...) It's 30% larger than our Dometic, has room for 2 gallons of milk in the door, and fits in the same cabinet space as our 8 cu. ft. Dometic. Our 3 boys are nearing their teen years so this will help minimize grocery runs... Plus, it cools FAST!

We're all set for a local Memorial Day spot w/full hookups but I'll need to install an inverter before we travel out-of-state. With so many new inverter choices available I'm having trouble finding the best bang/buck.... Any ideas?

I'll post some pics when I get my inverter installed...