Furrion Fridge a joke!

[Dsimes]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger1

Bought a 2020 Cherokee Grey Wolf 23MKBL which features a new all electric Furrion Fridge. Worked great until I put food in it and then the fun began.It wouldn’t go below 50 and I Lost a fridge full of food due to a blown 15Amp in-line fuse. Had to take unit out of wall to fix! STILL won’t go below 50 degrees! Lost another load of food! what a piece of junk! Anybody else had a problem with this china bomb?!

We have a 2021 Wolf Pup with the Furrion fridge. We were told by our dealer that a lack of parts made the factory switch to 12V refrigerators. I couldn’t believe that they would put a 12V only fridge in an RV. We have mostly dry camped since we bought it and when we can run our generator (secluded sites) we do fine however when we are in a campground that has quiet time at night the single battery cannot keep up with the demand of the fridge. Until we bought this trailer I had never heard of a 12V fridge. RV’s have always had multiple fuel refrigerators in them, typically LP/Electric.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Dsimes

We have a 2021 Wolf Pup with the Furrion fridge. We were told by our dealer that a lack of parts made the factory switch to 12V refrigerators. I couldn’t believe that they would put a 12V only fridge in an RV. We have mostly dry camped since we bought it and when we can run our generator (secluded sites) we do fine however when we are in a campground that has quiet time at night the single battery cannot keep up with the demand of the fridge. Until we bought this trailer I had never heard of a 12V fridge. RV’s have always had multiple fuel refrigerators in them, typically LP/Electric.

To me, the only way you can run a 12V only fridge drycamping is if you have solar and a set of batteries like I do which have 200 usable AH. Doing so with a couple golf cart batteries and no solar is kinda hopeless.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by wanderingbob

If the industry is moving away from propane I would believe it is because of the cost . RV electric/propane refrigerators have been very safe for many decades . These new electric refrigerator are half the cost .

So new RV's are cheaping out with 12v fridges due to safety and cost.
I wonder what the cost to the RV industry will be when RV consumers reject the 12volt fridges because the batteries go dead?
Are the solar panel manufacturers conspiring with the 12volt appliance manufacturers to force consumers to embrace solar and eliminate generators?

[babock]

Originally Posted by upflying

So new RV's are cheaping out with 12v fridges due to safety and cost.
I wonder what the cost to the RV industry will be when RV consumers reject the 12volt fridges because the batteries go dead?
Are the solar panel manufacturers conspiring with the 12volt appliance manufacturers to force consumers to embrace solar and eliminate generators?

They give you more room inside for the same sized cavity. That's just one reason why I would want one.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by babock

They give you more room inside for the same sized cavity. That's just one reason why I would want one.

Roominess is a good reason to want one.
But I will side with the Luddites when discussing RV refrigeration.

[babock]

Originally Posted by upflying

Roominess is a good reason to want one.
But I will side with the Luddites when discussing RV refrigeration.

I had a friend who actually bought a house who still had an absorption AC unit at his house. It was enormous and used a lot of gas. I guess the people that owned the house before him were also Luddites. Was the first thing he got rid of.

[Dsimes]

Originally Posted by babock

To me, the only way you can run a 12V only fridge drycamping is if you have solar and a set of batteries like I do which have 200 usable AH. Doing so with a couple golf cart batteries and no solar is kinda hopeless.

We have solar however it is only to charge the battery. No inverter for running anything else. There is a 100W solar panel on the roof and one battery on the tongue. I’m not sure that the factory thought this whole 12V fridge thing through. The only way the battery will stay charged while dry camping with the fridge running for a weekend let alone a week or two is to run a generator.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Dsimes

The only way the battery will stay charged while dry camping with the fridge running for a weekend let alone a week or two is to run a generator.

Or have enough solar that can produce the 50 to 60AH that the fridge would use per day



With 5 hours equivalent sun a day, that would mean you would need 12A current production. If you have a portable 200W solar panel and an MPPT controller that would be all you need. If you had roof mounted panels, you would need 250 to 300W. Of course that is just the fridge so you would want panels to make up for your other usage.

[tomkatb]

My rv fridge is a larger one. 12 cubic foot capacity four door. They cost north of $2500. Plenty of room for us. We can go three days easy without a charge.

A 12 volt fridge costs less than half that plus is cheaper to install. As a heat pump, it simply is not connected outside. No gas. Cheaper to install. The owner will like the heat pump in the winter as well. No pesky outside vents.

The rv fellows are programmed to say “most folks plug in every day!”. So these work great! After going to finishing school I know the word for that is “Fantastic”.

Electric refrigeration is not really intended for use boondocking. Lowers the price of the rv more than $1000. That is great.

In the Midwest we have lots of trees and the sun does not shine every day. Humidity is also higher making ceiling fans Necessary.



.

[pjy1911]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger1

Bought a 2020 Cherokee Grey Wolf 23MKBL which features a new all electric Furrion Fridge. Worked great until I put food in it and then the fun began.It wouldn’t go below 50 and I Lost a fridge full of food due to a blown 15Amp in-line fuse. Had to take unit out of wall to fix! STILL won’t go below 50 degrees! Lost another load of food! what a piece of junk! Anybody else had a problem with this china bomb?!

Just bought a 2021 Grey Wolf 23DBH with the Furrion Arctic 12v fridge, same problem. The freezer works great but the fridge part doesn't get below 55 degrees. I put a circulation fan in there after reading how some have tried and it made no difference. Going to call the dealer tomorrow.

[jkchoice]

In my 2019 Della-Terra Dometic frig keeps a constant 55* during warm/hot summer days with groceries. (not over packed) Funny though, at dealer, they record 35-38* and say frig works fine. We are heading out for a HOT Texas camp out with friends tomorrow. I know frig and momma will be hot about this problem.

Question: does it even matter if it is on Propane or Electric to aid in this issue???????

[Ditch_doc]

Update: I got a thermometer and checked mine...On the coldest setting, it was staying in the 20s. It didn't feel that cold just to touch, but I guess it is. I had snow on the back wall haha. I think it has a lot to do with the ambient temp. My camper has been running hot since it is 90+ degrees with the AC not running.

Hopefully it will be good to go but it is definitely something I am going to keep an eye on.

[slammer]

my 2020 Grey Wolf 24JS came with a 12 volt fridge and it's worked fine, we have not boon docked yet, but on the east side of the country there aren't many places you can boon dock any way.

[root]

I have the Furrion Arctic 12v fridge as well, and it's been running non-stop since March without issue, the past month mostly 35°c+ days. You guys should check your rubber gasket, I noticed when i first got mine my latch never really latched well (was a PITA to unlatch the fridge door), and using a piece of paper, IR thermometer, and light inside the fridge - it was pretty obvious the fridge seal wasn't making great contact (freezer one was fine). It can happen with any fridge seal. You can expand it out some with a heatgun or hair dryer (search youtube). I also designed/printed a new latch that holds the doors tighter and easier to open (my wife couldn't even open it with the original one).



After doing that I've had no issues with maintaining temperature or humidity inside the fridge, middle setting in temperature is generally 4°c sitting in middle of the shelves. The fridge does have weird cooling zones, items near the back wall will always be sub 0°, near door and right side will be 8ish.

[Comanchecreek]

I'm a pretty confirmed duel fuel guy. Had four rigs and four good refers, but I'm interested to hear more on this subject as we may not have a choice in the future.

[root]

Originally Posted by Comanchecreek

I'm a pretty confirmed duel fuel guy. Had four rigs and four good refers, but I'm interested to hear more on this subject as we may not have a choice in the future.

Yeah I think it has it's place/use case. I prefer dry camping so it sucks if you don't have a good solar setup and do things like bring ice bags with you in the fridge when you leave on the trip. It draws 50-125ah/day on average though, dependent on exterior temperature. So some extra propane that probably isn't being used in the summer weighs nothing compared to a battery of that size. The 50w Furrion solar panel the factory included really didn't do much to offset the extra power usage unless you were in great sun. But at a 400w array and 2x 100ah 12v batteries I have no concerns with my power needs to be honest. I get a lot more room in the fridge then I'll ever need in my little camper compared to the dual fuels. Pretty sure it's larger then my first apartment fridge lol. So if you have a good solar setup, only camp connected to mains, or don't care about supporting weight, then it works out pretty well, especially if you're always low on fridge real estate.

[Bmvtr]

I have the Furrion everchill 12v fridge in my trailer It has performed great. These units are expensive it seems $1,100 for the 12v model vs $300-$500 for a comparable 120v 10cu Fridge that some models come with.This fridge cools down quick and stays cold. These manufactures spend lots of money on marketing and I bet a majority of the people buying these trailers are like my family they go out once or twice a month at a full hookup campground and want more space in the fridge and don't want to deal with the propane fridges. My truck keeps the trailer battery topped off while towing which keeps the fridge cold until we reach the destination I need to install a switch on the side of the cabinet so I can cut power to the fridge when I have the trailer parked but don't want the fridge running for no reason.(Just my odd preference).

[Ditch_doc]

Update #2:

We are nearing the end of our first trip. 3 states covered, two different camp sites, and the Fridge has worked great. Bag of Ice with a ton of room to spare in the freezer, and so much more room than a normal RV unit. I think it will be good. The switch for the cut off is a good idea.

[DavidWJ]

Dometic's been making "Ammonia" three way 120V/12V/Propane fridges for decades. They have three heating elements, one for each power source.


Oh yes, the fridge in my trailer was made in Sweden. ;-)

[SeabrooksFam]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger1

Bought a 2020 Cherokee Grey Wolf 23MKBL which features a new all electric Furrion Fridge. Worked great until I put food in it and then the fun began.It wouldn’t go below 50 and I Lost a fridge full of food due to a blown 15Amp in-line fuse. Had to take unit out of wall to fix! STILL won’t go below 50 degrees! Lost another load of food! what a piece of junk! Anybody else had a problem with this china bomb?!

We have the 2020 23MK and the Furrion fridge. The first trip out, the freezer and the fridge was nice and cold when we setup. About a couple of hours later the temp went down in both and things in the freezer was starting to melt. I turned the unit off for about 5 minutes. Then turned it back on to full blast like the manual says. Waited about an hour and turned it down 2-3 notches. We haven't had a problem since in Florida's 90+ degree weather.

Hope this helps.