Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-16-2013, 01:20 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
Residential Refrigerator with Inverter

This post is from a non-electronically trained lady so please answer in non-technically format.
Owner of 2013 Cedar Creek, 36 MDX
QUESTIONS:
1. Does the refrigerator have its own inverter?
2. If so,what is the size of the inverter?
3. Regarding Shore Power:
Does the refrig invertor continue to run OR does invertor disconnect itself?
4. Regarding Dry Camping:
Efficiency of cooling,freezing, ice making?
Length of time in hours/days will refrig operate
until the generator is required to recharge the batteries?
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 01:49 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
trudinator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,337
Doesn't your refrigerator run on propane when dry camping?
__________________
2012 Rockwood 8293RKSS
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Cummins Turbodiesel 4x4; 2012 Ford Escape 4x4. 3 very pampered cats.
Days camped: 2011: 61; 2012: 66 Days; 2013: 69;2014: 68 2015: 90 Days camped 2016: 34
trudinator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 01:56 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
tmmar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Long Island (Nassau County), NY
Posts: 4,352
trudinator,
The OP is asking about a 'residential' refrigerator which, I'm sure, doesn't run on propane.

Gaasb,
sorry that I can't help you with your questions.
__________________
Tom and Margaret
2014 Berkshire 390bh-60

tmmar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 01:57 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
Thank you for your reply, however, the Whirlpool residential refrigerator is a new concept that Forest River is introducing in place of propane refrigerators. I'm trying to find out how they operate and how people like them.
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 02:04 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
trudinator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,337
Duh...my bad.
__________________
2012 Rockwood 8293RKSS
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Cummins Turbodiesel 4x4; 2012 Ford Escape 4x4. 3 very pampered cats.
Days camped: 2011: 61; 2012: 66 Days; 2013: 69;2014: 68 2015: 90 Days camped 2016: 34
trudinator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 06:09 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
Residential Refrigerator with Inverter

Trudinator, thank you for your response to my post. I have faith that someone must have at least some of the answers. There must be some FROG members and guests to this forum that have a residential refrigerator with inverter in their RVs. Looking forward to understanding the mechanism and acceptance to this new feature in Forest River RVs.
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 06:23 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 315
My Cardinal has a side by side residential refer and it has it's own inverter with a transfer switch. When on shore power the transfer switch will switch to shore power. When you disconnect from shore power it switches back to the inverter. Mine is a 1000 watt inverter. If the food and refer are already cold then mine will last for 36 hours on battery. When hooked up to my truck then the trucks alternator keeps the battery fully charged and the refer does not drain the battery. I just returned from a 3000 mile triop and neve had a single problem with the refer. Nice to not have to worry about driving with the gas on. I also turn the Ice maker off when I'm traveling so I don't have to leave the water pump on to feed the ice maker. The ice maker is usuall full when I break camlp so this is probably not a problem but I do it anyway. Hope this helps.
georgew48 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 07:23 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: St. Charles, MO
Posts: 213
I have had an inverter/charger (Heart Freedom 1000) on my boat for about 18 years. This unit senses inbound 110 and unlatches from the batteries after about 20 seconds, latches 110 from the inbound to the connected circuit and becomes a 3 stage charger. When disconnected from 110 it reverses this step but there is no lag latching in this direction. I have not lost digital clock time so it can't drop many cycles.
The frig on the boat is 4 cu. ft. under-counter so it has an external fan on the coils as well as a light inside and of course the compressor. What I have measured with all that running is 90 watts. 90 watts with the efficiency loss of an inverter, about 10% let's us round to 100 watts and 1amp*1volt =1watt so it takes about 100watts/12volts=8amps Your deep cycle battery(ies) probably a group 24 has about 520 minutes of continuous discharge at that rate. The good news is that the light is only on when the door is open and the compressor is only running about 1/3 of the time so one battery in good charge will probably get you through 24 hours and may not go past the dreaded 50% discharge point.
Frig doesn't care where the energy is coming from so it is as efficient either way.
The previous information is warranted to be worth every bit you paid.
Timtation is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 07:43 PM   #9
B47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Keller, Texas
Posts: 6,090
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaasb View Post
This post is from a non-electronically trained lady so please answer in non-technically format.
Owner of 2013 Cedar Creek, 36 MDX
QUESTIONS:
1. Does the refrigerator have its own inverter?
2. If so,what is the size of the inverter?
3. Regarding Shore Power:
Does the refrig invertor continue to run OR does invertor disconnect itself?
4. Regarding Dry Camping:
Efficiency of cooling,freezing, ice making?
Length of time in hours/days will refrig operate
until the generator is required to recharge the batteries?
I realize that most manuals we get with ourRVs are inadequate in a lot of areas, but did you not get any manual for your fridge?

Did you get any information about your fridge from your dealer ?

Absent any of the above, you probably need to contact either FR or the fridge manufacturer.
B47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 08:30 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
VinceU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,570
Quote:
Originally Posted by B47 View Post
I realize that most manuals we get with ourRVs are inadequate in a lot of areas, but did you not get any manual for your fridge?

Did you get any information about your fridge from your dealer ?

Absent any of the above, you probably need to contact either FR or the fridge manufacturer.
I think maybe all of her questions were outside of the reefer manual scope. It wants 120 VAC regardless of source. Questions deal with RV power supplies and expected duration.
VinceU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 08:36 PM   #11
B47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Keller, Texas
Posts: 6,090
Quote:
Originally Posted by VinceU View Post
I think maybe all of her questions were outside of the reefer manual scope. It wants 120 VAC regardless of source. Questions deal with RV power supplies and expected duration.
Maybe so, but what I can see and understand here, this fridge just didn't show up installed one day in a FR product. FR would have had to do some engineering in order for this fridge to be installed in their product and as such would/should have some operating data for it.
B47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2013, 10:02 AM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
Thank you to everyone who responded with quickness and clarity for a non-techy lady RVer. Collectively, all of you answered my questions and concerns about this "innovative idea" of installing the Whirlpool Residential Refrigerator with Inverter in some of Forest River RVs.
I've reached my conclusion that this refrig is not for me. A communication will be started today with Customer Service Dept. of Forest River Inc. With a 24-36 hours of usage from the batteries to cool, freeze, ice make and then have to run my generator for appox. 4+ hours to recharge the battery bank, just doesn't make sense for a person who bought the RV to travel, not be looking for a propane business to feed the generator every few days.
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 10:03 AM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
I believe Mr. Warren Buffett would find comments and concerns about the Residential Refrigerators with Inverters that are being installed in Forest River RVs very disconcerting. He's a reasonable man, desires his companies to uphold to a high standard to the customers, and probably can do something about this growing issue before class action lawsuits are starting to become filed.
Please email your concerns directly to Berkshire Hathaway, INC. at the following URL:
<dcray@brka.com
Phone number: 402-346-1400
I was advised by Debra at Berkshire Hathaway, INC. headquarters that all emails will be brought to Mr. Buffett's attention and also to Forest River.
Let's make our RV Forum speak collectively before the August Rally.
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 02:24 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
VinceU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,570
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaasb View Post
I believe Mr. Warren Buffett would find comments and concerns about the Residential Refrigerators with Inverters that are being installed in Forest River RVs very disconcerting. He's a reasonable man, desires his companies to uphold to a high standard to the customers, and probably can do something about this growing issue before class action lawsuits are starting to become filed.
Please email your concerns directly to Berkshire Hathaway, INC. at the following URL:
<dcray@brka.com
Phone number: 402-346-1400
I was advised by Debra at Berkshire Hathaway, INC. headquarters that all emails will be brought to Mr. Buffett's attention and also to Forest River.
Let's make our RV Forum speak collectively before the August Rally.
Gaasb the bigger picture is that most all of the industry builders have gone this route, especially in the high end coaches. The clock on the batteries doesn't start until no power is available to charge them. They are bypassed on the road by the engine alternator and in the campground by shore power. Most people that dry camp with either style of refrig bring along a power source to keep the batteries up. The ammonia reefers work on a principle maybe 75 years old, and in these threads they are problematic. Lots of folks welcome the "new" home style units, even with inverters and battery banks. People advertise they get 3 days with the new setup, that's actually better than the gas fridge with size 24 lead acid battery.
VinceU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 05:17 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 315
Love mine and wouldn't go back to the gas refer for any amount of money.
georgew48 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 05:48 PM   #16
Mod free 5er
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Concord, NC
Posts: 24,702
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaasb View Post
I believe Mr. Warren Buffett would find comments and concerns about the Residential Refrigerators with Inverters that are being installed in Forest River RVs very disconcerting. He's a reasonable man, desires his companies to uphold to a high standard to the customers, and probably can do something about this growing issue before class action lawsuits are starting to become filed.
Please email your concerns directly to Berkshire Hathaway, INC. at the following URL:
<dcray@brka.com
Phone number: 402-346-1400
I was advised by Debra at Berkshire Hathaway, INC. headquarters that all emails will be brought to Mr. Buffett's attention and also to Forest River.
Let's make our RV Forum speak collectively before the August Rally.
They just interviewed Buffett and he said he has not even visited any of the rv mfging plants and doesn't intend to. Said the pres. was doing a good job.

Why would he find it disconcerting if the customers are ordering them?
__________________
OldCoot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 05:54 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
VinceU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,570
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldCoot

They just interviewed Buffett and he said he has not even visited any of the rv mfging plants and doesn't intend to. Said the pres. was doing a good job.

Why would he find it disconcerting if the customers are ordering them?
You be too much!!
VinceU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 05:56 PM   #18
Mod free 5er
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Concord, NC
Posts: 24,702
Quote:
Originally Posted by VinceU View Post
You be too much!!
It was on Fox News just the other day.
__________________
OldCoot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 06:16 PM   #19
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 13
My fellow forum members, I've called the President twice and the Cedar Creek Customer Service Dept. twice and have yet to receive a single return call. I think Mr. Buffett may find that disconcerting to quality of customer service, so say the least. He just might be enlightened by visiting the Forest River RV manufacturing facilities. I sincerely hope the President of Forest River, Inc. is doing a good job. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
Gaasb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2013, 07:07 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
jlgail4309's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 438
Mine did not come with the inverter. The dealer installed the inverter so that the food would stay cold going do the road. Doesn't work real good. I'm getting ready to take it back in to see if they can fix the problem. Not sure if it my Jeep or the cheap battery they installed or the 50 dollar inverter they charged me 200.00 dollars for. But do your home work before they install. They did a 800 watt inverter not sure that's big enough. Might need two battery.
__________________
-----------------------------------------------------------
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel
2013 Salem Cruise light 19bh
Hensley Cub hitch ,
jlgail4309 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:21 AM.