RV FRIDGE SWAP - Norcold 2118 to Samsung RF18 - Absorption Refrigerator Died So We Went Residential
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- After 3 years of full time RV living, our Norcold 2119 gas absorption fridge stopped cooling. We decided to swap it out for a brand new residential one. In this video I share the exact steps we took to remove our old fridge, prep the RV for the new one and then install it.
🟠 EXACT SAMSUNG FRIDGE MODEL WE PURCHASED
RF18A5101SR - rebrand.ly/0gpdwty
🟡 INSTALLATION MATERIALS
Propane Cap (3/8-in Threaded Brass Flare Fitting) - rebrand.ly/nrru0i2
Foam Insulation Board (1/2-in x 4-ft x 8-ft) - rebrand.ly/bsj2emy
Shims (12-pack) - rebrand.ly/2b52tt7
Garage Door Weather Strips (9-ft x 2-in Brown) - rebrand.ly/xwdg66l
Velcro Command Strips (eventually switched from white to black which blends in better) - rebrand.ly/bs8r9zm
Smart Outlet (for automatically resetting power every other day) - rebrand.ly/ylswvbk
🟠 JC REFRIGERATION COOLING UNITS
Norcold Gas/Electric Replacement - rebrand.ly/u5dpavr
Norcold 12V DC Conversion - rebrand.ly/8z4o5j4
Norcold 120V AC Conversion - rebrand.ly/apf47ka
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Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
0:15 - RV Fridge Problems
0:45 - Troubleshooting Steps
01:28 - Repair/Upgrade Options
02:19 - Our Residential Fridge Model
02:33 - Removing Old Fridge
05:12 - Selling Old Parts
05:23 - Prepping RV For New Fridge
06:25 - Installing The New Fridge
07:25 - Required Modifications
08:14 - Testing The Fridge
08:23 - Permanently Securing Fridge
09:03 - Testing Fit With Slide-Out Closed
09:49 - Finishing Touches
10:21 - Important Bonus Tip
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Camera Gear Used In This Video
Panasonic GH4 Camera Body - rebrand.ly/alhkrti
7.5mm Lens - rebrand.ly/vhtm769
Tripod - rebrand.ly/8pwpcxj
Tripod Head - rebrand.ly/1fq74b0
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4.5mm Mic Clip - rebrand.ly/v9vs09p
GoPro Black - rebrand.ly/pq9u9b8
Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer - rebrand.ly/iww5usw
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If your RV absorption fridge hasn’t been cooling as well lately, you may be interested in swapping it out for a residential refrigerator.
Our rig came stock with a Norcold 2118 Polarmax, which is an awesome 18 cubic foot gas absorption RV fridge, which means it has the ability to run on either electric or propane.
But after about 3 years, we noticed that milk was starting to spoil sooner than the expiration date. I began to monitor the temps and noticed they were a getting a bit too high during the hottest hours of the day.
I started with the standard troubleshooting steps.
I checked the seals around the door to make sure there were no air leaks, and all was good there. I also checked the interior fan and it was blowing as it should.
The exterior fans also seemed to also be working as they should, sucking air in at the bottom vent and blowing it up past the fins and out through the top vent. But just in case the fans were running slower than they used to, I tried boosting the airflow with a powerful desk fan, but that made no difference either.
It’d also been a while since I’d defrosted the freezer, so I tried that, but still no improvement.
I tried running on electric only. I tried running on propane only. No difference.
Turns out our cooling unit had sprung an ammonia leak, which meant it was completely toast and unable to be repaired.
So, we only had a few options.
A new absorption fridge for over $5000, a new cooling unit from JC Refrigeration for $1900, a conversion to 12V DC power for $1700, a conversion to 120V AC power for $1600 or a brand-new Samsung residential fridge for $1500, which is what Grand Design is putting in all of their new RVs these days anyway.
We decided to upgrade to a brand-new Samsung unit.
In the video I show all the steps we took to make this swap work.
Are you considering a fridge swap? If so, why? Are you having problems with your RV fridge or do you simply miss the performance and efficiency of a residential one? And would you go with the Samsung RF18 model or choose something different?
Also, feel free to drop any questions you might have in the comments as well and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.
#rvrefrigerator #rvupgrades #rvfridge
Wow, so detailed. Great job!
Thanks so much! Hope it was helpful :)
Great job on the install and wonderful instruction! Thanks and enjoy!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope it was helpful :)
Great job on the install and wonderful instruction
Thank you! It turned out to be an easier job than we were expecting.
Saw your share of this video on GDRV4Life. Thanks for sharing. This video is excellent!!
Thanks so much! Hope you found it helpful :)
Good video. Thanks for the idea of using the garage door trim. Another project.
Happy to help! Never know what ideas you’ll get from just browsing around a hardware store. Good luck with your install!
Thanks for the video! When our Norcold stops working, I plan on doing the same thing!
You’re very welcome! Definitely feels like an upgrade :)
Thank you! It's a great video! My dual reclinler theater seating unit has just started to peel on the headrest of the seat I never sit in! Couldn't figure out why that chair and not the chair I always sit in. I also keep the temp inside at a cool temperature. This video has provided great replacement info. Job well done! Thank you as well to Lippert and Recpro!
You’re very welcome! So glad you found the video helpful!
Another great video!!
Thanks bro! You know we like to keep it icy over this way 🥶
Such a helpful video, one to keep in the safe. Our absorption frig stopped working, well almost, going through AZ a couple of weeks ago when it was 116 degrees outside. Threw all the food away! Got back home unhooked, made sure the trailer was level, and it started working again. Why my high interest in your video, how you replaced it, and what frig you replaced it with. Liked your verbal descriptions as you went along then. To show on video was the best. Hope it's working out well for you.
Thank you Steven! Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, the new fridge has been going strong for 15 months now and we’re super happy with the upgrade!
Awesome video!!!
Thanks Richard! Hope it was helpful!
Great video!!!!
Appreciate that! Hope it was helpful!
Very nice video. Fortunately we are still using our domestic RV residential fridge from when we purchased our DRV in 2012. Even in the hot summer it does well as long as we don't overstock our fridge.
Glad to hear it! Ours worked great until it sprung the ammonia leak. And from my understanding this is a very premature failure. Maybe it was because we spent some extended time in extremely wet and salty air and because we boondocked on propane for a very long time.
I have archived this video because our fridge is going on 11 years old and I imagine it is just a matter of time before we have to replace it. Once again thanks for the time and effort you put into this great video. @@AroundTheSunWeGo
@@terrybryant You’re very welcome!
We too have the Norcold 2118ST refer installed in our GDRV 378MBS; the fridge has been leaking since April and I can't find where the water is coming from. Seeing your video and, the issues with the cooling unit, leads me to believe that is the culprit. Great video that gives me the confidence to swap out ours if this is in fact the case. Thanks.
Sorry to hear your fridge isn’t working! But yes, definitely want to make sure it’s the cooling unit and not something else simple before you make the swap.
There is almost always a drain tube on the back of the fridge...it usually vents out the access door on exterior...if the tube cracks and it will or comes undone...it will leak the water back into the rv...that might be your issue...I have a dometic so unsure where the tube is on the norcold but review that and see it thats the issue....
I have a 2021 Norcold 1210 the freezer is more or less a cooler at this point. There is no change from LP or electric, no amonia leak. Everything ohms out correctly. No idea what is wrong, either I start spending 100's of dollars and replace boards and hope that works. Or just buy residential, since I work on the road and park for 12-18 months at a time. Great video and exactly what I needed to see for the removal. It is making my mind sit easier, if i choose to go residential.
Glad you found the video helpful! Only other thing I didn’t see you mention is airflow. Do you know if your setup is pulling in plenty of air at the bottom and forcing it up past the fins and out through the top?
@@AroundTheSunWeGo Yessir fans are flowing just fine. The freezer is around 45 degrees and the fridge is 68 degrees. Can't figure it out, but a 1l residential fridge, some foam board and gorilla tape is a great deal and easy to do .
@@Stiffy910 Roger that! Yeah, it might be something minor, but if you just can’t pin it down, the swap is easy enough. Good luck!
@@AroundTheSunWeGo Ya man im torn between swapping out all electrical components and a hope and a wish. Or just swopping residential and be care free with this foreign pain in the A$$ fridge. Thanks man
You got it!
The only thing I did differently when I replaced our RV fridge was to leave the upper vent open so heat from the fridge can escape to outside rather then inside. I know it's not an issue in cooler times but in the hot southeastern summer, additional heat can be a problem.
Definitely something to consider. My only concern about leaving a vent open would be the 24/7 exposure to humidity.
I'm about to do this same job, was wondering what I should do about the vents also. I feel like having at least one vent open is a good idea! why not both?
The residential fridges are designed to be operated inside. If the rear vents are left open, you’ll be sucking in humidity, dust, bugs, etc from outside. Not to mention any rainwater blown in during storms. You’ll also lose heat and cool air from your rig as well. The stock fridge has an airtight border/seal around the opening so this isn’t a problem. The residential fridge however has plenty of space and airflow all around it.
@@AroundTheSunWeGo smart. I'll probably do the same then. Depending on how airtight I seal the fridge to the interior of the cabinet. More than likely will insulate the rear as you've done to make it simple. Good work
@@TreyCamp I also made sure to leave space all around the fridge for airflow purposes, unlike the stock fridge. I believe the manual calls for at least an inch or two of clearance on all sides. Not sure how important that spacing is, but I didn’t want to take a chance, so there’s plenty of space all around our unit.
Enjoyed your video. Very helpful. I'm researching 12v or residential fridges. How do I handle traveling and maybe a quick pic overnight boondock with the residential fridge?
I also have a Samsung at our house, which always needs a reset.
We have an inverter along with a 300 amp hour lithium battery bank which powers the fridge any time we’re disconnected from power. I installed this system when we first purchased our RV so it was already in place when I made the fridge swap. If I didn’t already have an inverter and wasn’t interested in installing one, the 12v fridge would be an awesome alternative.
Great video gonna be coming in handy. Got to change ours out what was the thickness on the insulation board you used?
Glad you enjoyed it! 1/2-in x 4-ft x 8-ft and there’s actually a link to it in the description below the video.
This video is exactly what I was looking for. We have a 2021 GD 397th and want to install a residential fridge. You mentioned you sold some of the parts. Our fridge is still working, but the freezer doesn't really keep it cold enough for long term storage. Where did you sell the doors and parts? Getting something from the old fridge would be nice.
Glad you found the video helpful! I sold all of our parts on eBay.
I've not heard anything but bad reviews on Samsung appliances and the same with LG. I would look at other brands myself. But then again I wouldn't do a residential fridge in my camper. I like the absorption set up and if I changed my mind, I would go 12v.
I totally understand the concern with bad reviews. But I dug pretty deep and realized for every bad review, there were 99 good ones. And those who have a bad experience are usually the loudest. With that considered, a less than 1% chance of dissatisfaction sounded good enough to me. But after 2+ years and thousands of miles we’ve had no problems. Fingers crossed it stays that way!
@@AroundTheSunWeGo I have a Kenmore fridge I bought new in 1994. So far it's working flawlessly. Moved it from our kitchen to my garage. We put a Frigidaire in the kitchen and have had nothing but trouble out of the ice maker. Hope yours lasts a long time.
@@f150bft sorry to hear that! And yes, me too!
Great video. This is electric only, correct? How do you keep the refrigerator cold if you’re traveling or boondocking? I’ve been wanting to change ours, but I’m not sure how it works if not connected to electricity.
We have an inverter set up with a 300 amp hour battery bank so our outlets are pretty much powered at all times. If you didn’t have an inverter you’d need to install one.
You'd need an inverter or generator for boondocking, but you should get 8-12 hours with the fridge staying cold enough without power. Think power outages in sticks and bricks.
I have this same fridge freezer is at 20 degree and fridge is at 60 degrees I live in desert so currently 109 outside. I see no yellow powder i replaced the thermistor and still nothing and the fans in back are working and I have the Titan fan as well.
Sorry to hear that! I’m definitely no expert, so I don’t have a ton of insight to give here. Did it ever work properly in 109 degree temps? If it did, at least you know something has changed and it may be fixable.
@@AroundTheSunWeGo Did to hook yo the ice maker or the water on this fridge?
They are only $900 right now so I may jump on one.
I did not but I know other people have run a line to the slide, so it’s definitely doable. I don’t trust the water at different parks enough to consume though lol
Nice job. Those units are to be lower in the rear.
Keeps water from pooling inside the unit.
From Samsung: Samsung refrigerators are designed to lean back at a 4-degree angle. This slight backward tilt helps the doors shut easily, supports ice production, and prevents water from leaking into the fridge from the evaporator
@@patrickmelson4745 Interesting. That explains it. The tilt seemed a bit too exaggerated in my opinion. I think I’d still want to level it out even knowing this. All has been well so far. Hopefully it stays that way! Appreciate the insight!
Did you hook up water supply for the ice maker?
@@patrickmelson4745 I didn’t. We rarely use ice so didn’t make much sense to go through the trouble in our case.
Great video. I would purchase an LG refrigerator instead of Samsung.
Thanks Joyce! Is there a particular reason you’d choose an LG?
My RV fridge quit. I will be replacing it with a household model from Amazon.
Sorry to hear that! But good luck with the new install!