Compressor Refrigerator/Freezers — Is it Just Me?

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by rvflyer57

.
.... Our dealer believed the 12v would be the norm in coming years. Guess he was right, as I understand Rockwood has made the 12v standard and the two-way is now the option.

I don't know if I agree it is the future norm, but it is definitely cheaper.....
Cheaper options seem to be the driving factor in several areas, even if it means going backwards in functionality.
Wouldn't surprise me to see the old ice boxes being marketed as the latest and greatest

[eric1514]

I think people are again conflating 120v residential refrigerators with 12v/120v refrigerators made for mobile applications. They are not the same thing.

One is designed for static installation and for connection to an almost unlimited supply of electricity which makes it a horrible choice for an RV. They are cheap, though. The other is designed for living in a mobile environment and the better ones have a variable speed compressor to help conserve electricity from a finite source.

I think most RV manufacturers are counting on people not knowing the difference and judging by the way some makes are installing them (poor ventilation and inadequate power supply), I'm not so sure they do either.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I don't know if I agree it is the future norm, but it is definitely cheaper.....
Cheaper options seem to be the driving factor in several areas, even if it means going backwards in functionality.
Wouldn't surprise me to see the old ice boxes being marketed as the latest and greatest

I agree wholeheartedly.

The RV industry is going with what is easiest to obtain at a lower cost FOR THEM. They’re not doing it for the benefit of those buying their RVs. Instead of installing absorption refrigerators and improving on them where necessary, they are fooling everybody into thinking a compressor refrigerator is the way to go. So, instead of the RV manufacturers making an RV ready to go out and hit the wilderness, they are installing these compressor refrigerators, causing the end user to put a ton of money into their unit after the sale, requiring them to pay more for batteries, solar, generators, slide and windshield removal and replacement, etc.

As far as the old ice box refrigerators are concerned, I would rather have one of these than a compressor refrigerator. I remember our family of six doing just fine using these in the 1960s in the mountains of Idaho

Bruce

[moose074]

We purchased a new trl with residential fridge but am waiting on it to be delivered. So I have no knowledge of how I will like it. My first fridge was propane 120 and I had the ability to choose which I wanted but it struggled in summer. My last fridge was also propane/ 120 but if I was hooked to electric I wasn’t able to switch to propane. There were a few times I wanted to run propane in extreme summer heat and even once when temps dropped very low and I didn’t want to tax the electric anymore than needed.

[Bogieboy]

Originally Posted by SmackIt

I don't care about HOW it gets cold, what I care about is THAT it gets cold... and stays cold. Absorption refrigerators do not cool as well as compressor refrigerators. If anyone wants to trade, I'll gladly give up my Norcold N8V absorption for the 12v model. We never camp with hookups, but we have massive amounts of LiFePO4 and solar.

Interesting.... Our norcold will freeze stuff on the top shelf...LOL ever try cracking a frozen egg into a frying pan?

[Chuck_S]

Executive summary:

but we have massive amounts of LiFePO4 and solar.

-- Chuck

[Flybob]

IMHO the decision is based on where and how you plan to use your RV. If you always ( or almost always) stay where you have shore power then residential is great. If you don't stay where there is shore power than you will need to spend extra money on batteries and solar or generator or both to have a residential fridge. Unfortunately many new RV owners are not aware of the requirements and fall victim of a slick sales pitch. In Rving as in most things in life there are tradeoffs and you need to make informed decisions.

[Comanchecreek]

It's all about the "camping" you do. If you're "boondocking" then a compressor type refrigerator is a ridiculous choice unless you want to spend thousands on solar/generator setup. I am also no fan of the attempt at selling 12 volt setups as a solution to that same situation. Those fridges are cheaper until you add in the solar needs to run them. They'll work for a day or two with the minimal systems the manufacturers provide, but any long term "boondocking" isn't' realistic. I have had gas/electrics for my 40+ years of RV ownership, and I love them. I've owned 4 different ones over those years and all of them have functioned well.

[lazyjj]

Our latest rig came with the 12v compressor fridge. After 6 outings, I am very pleased. We do have 50 watt solar panel so that helps with battery while traveling. To date, we have had no issues keeping food cold and meats frozen in the freezer while traveling. I like that this refrigerator cools much more rapidly than the LP/Electric standards do.