Replace RV Refrigerator with Residential Fridge | RV Refrigerator Installation
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2021
- Our Dometic refrigerator went out and I did not want to spend the money to repair a fridge we did not like anyway. We installed this $400 residential refrigerator instead and love it. Sometimes Amazon has this refrigerator: amzn.to/3c6wgA9
If not, check your local Home Depot or Lowes for this or a similar refrigerator:
Magic Chef: mcappliance.com/kitchen/refri...
Home Depot: www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Che...
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Replace RV Refrigerator with Residential Fridge | RV Refrigerator Installation
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Amazon: amzn.to/3xiBEs7
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We removed our broken Dometic RV refrigerator and installed a Magic Chef 10.1 cu. ft. refrigerator. Sometimes Amazon has it here: amzn.to/3RAsBuU. We got ours from Home Depot for about $400. If you have a Home Depot near you, try this link: www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-10-1-cu-ft-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-in-Black-HMDR1000BE/302245062. We love the extra space and it cools down really fast. It uses a lot less electricity also. Please like the video and subscribe to the channel if this was helpful! Thank you and take care. 👍
That $400 refrigerator seems to have had a great increase in price in only 6 months. Now it is $824
@@gowenrv3762 I think it's still about $400 at Home Depot. Sadly Amazon prices swing wildly sometimes, and I guess that is the case here. Check your local Home Depot.
@@SeidelRanch Yes you are right... and thats what we are going to do. We have the very same problem as you had. Thanks for your help and tips.
I will be do that for sure, my refrigerator don’t work, thanks so much!
@@azul4evermx66 I think you will love the new refrigerator. Ours is great.
Thanks a lot for the video it helped me a lot. Mine went out today (yellow powder under the fridge so the coolant unit was toast). Started at 6pm and got done just past midnight a little while ago (an hour of which was driving to HD). When I opened those doors and saw the size of this thing I was glad the old one broke. Ill share a few things that I experienced in case it helps someone else.
Getting the old fridge out the door was an adventure. That thing is heavy AF. It's like trying to solve one of those little mechanical puzzles except with pieces that weigh 200lbs .We ended up taking the doors off and turning it to the side. The fins on the back hit the edge of the frame a bit and we had to force it out and bend all the fins.
I was able to get the new fridge in ok by taking it in perfectly straight (fridge doors first). However, it was quite heavy to pick up to put in place, so we took the doors off to reduce the weight which helped a lot. If you do this, make sure you have clearance at the top to reattach the screws that hold the door bracket on.
I also had to remove a wood panel at the top. Be aware as well that you might not be able to push it as far back as you think. In my case for 2 reasons, one is that the wall at the back of the RV curves so the top of the fridge hits it, and second because the receptacle inside stops it from going all the way back. It sticks out about 4 inches. It's not a huge deal.
I plugged the propane line using a $5 3/8 flare plug from HD, this was an Everbilt LFA-159. You can tighten the plug and turn on the gas and spray with soapy water to check for leaks.
All I have to do now is use the old piece of cabinet to fix a 4 inch gap that is at the top. And cleaning up the huge mess I made during the process haha
Great info! Thanks.
Excellent video. In the morning we're replacing our Dometic 6 cu ft with a Frigidaire 7.5 cu ft that we picked up from Sams Club for 219.00. Helluva lot better than the 3200 we were quoted from the repair tech who told us the cooling system was shot. I love that the inside is bigger even though the two frig's are basically the same size. The new one is actually a couple inches smaller in width but an inch and a half taller. After watching your video I feel confident we can easily handle this.
Great tip about installing the shelves BEFORE its pushed in!
Yeah, it was an "ask me how I know" moment. Hope it helped.
You are the only one (so Far) who mentioned about adjusting (removing) upper insert trimwork. Our 4 year old 7 cubit foot Dometic fridge bit the dust and we didn't want to pay the outrageous amount for a new RV type fridge. Many videos mentioned the Magic Chef 10.1 cubit foot fridge as a good replacement, but they never mentioned the height adjustments required. Thanks for all the good info.
Glad it was helpful. And I know what you mean. I heard about this fridge as a replacement and never heard anything about taking out the top. When I measured it I had to make sure it would work. Luckily I had the extra space.
Good overview of the removal and getting the new one setup. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
I'm getting ready to do replace mine. Thanks for the video.
We have really liked the new fridge. Good luck.
Thank you so much!!! This is an excellent tutorial and will help us so much!! You spent a lot of time and effort doing this, and it is greatly appreciated! Hoping a $32 thermistor will fix our problem for now. If not, this is what we'll do!
Glad it was helpful. Hope you find the issue and it's cheap and simple.
In most cases if it is not the thermister its 1 of 2 things,either you need a bigger fan,or u have an internal issue in the cooling unit which does happen,on many occasions if you pull the fridge out and lay it it on its side overnight this will fix it,this usualky happens when a camper sits for long periods them chemicals need to b stirred up..while u have it out clean out that boiler to,one spider or bugs that crawl up there to keep warm can stop an absorbtion fridge from working properly...if u do go this do t block off the vents and put small fans in there to blow the heat out,
I plan to do this tomorrow. Along with a lot of other repairs due to a recent freeze here in SW MS. Thanks for this video. Big help for sure. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!
Please keep me updated. I love the new fridge. Any new RV we get will have to come with a residential refrigerator. I won't go back to a propane one.
Oh yeah, you can get that adjustable locking wrench here: amzn.to/3uM4yPN
Great job. Ended up looking great. Appreciate you posting this.
Thank you.
Thank you for telling me to take the door off the frig!!!
I'm doing this !
Can't wait to say
I DID IT MYSELF!!!
You can do it. Glad it helped. Let me know how it goes.
This video saved my day, thank you Sir
So glad I could help.
Thanks for the demonstration
Welcome. Hope it's useful.
Hi there thanks for this video you help a lot of people like me and my family.
Glad I could help
Excellent video I’m doing this today
I love the new fridge. So much space compared to the other one and way less electricity.
Thanks for this video, I just pulled my dometic out and was looking for a fridge to fit in the hole. Going to home depot tomorrow to get fridge and gas fitting.
Glad it helped. Let me know how it went.
I really wish I had seen this video a week ago lol. I just replaced my fridge in our fifth wheel. Same magic chef fridge. Fit like a glove with no modifications other than having to shim it to level it. I made the same mistake of not placing the racks before installation and had to take the door off 😂.
It's the little things that bite us. I never put that shelf back in.
Great video thank you. Very explicit you took us step by step. Incidentally, I’m picking up the same fridge from HDepot today.
Thank you. Hope it works out great for you. We love it.
How did it fit ??
@SeidelRanch how did it fit ...Any issues?
@@christopherhale5445 It fit really well. Almost like it was made just for that purpose. We didn't have any issues with it and it worked great. The one the RV came with never worked well. This fixed all that.
Nice the way that fits!
Glad you think so! I like it. Just need to finish with a better match stain.
Magic chef intentionally copied dometics refrigerator dimensions.
Nice job, I may try to go with a frig without Cyclopentane, that stuff if flammable. Will try to find a frig that will fit that uses good ol' R134a. Also like the diagnostic video you did.
The size was the issue. I had to find a fridge that would fit the hole, so the coolant it used was more of a 2nd thought. There are not too many regular residential refrigerators that will fit that size, so options are limited unless you look at RV type refrigerators.
I removed the propane switch thing from the old fridge and left it connected to the propane line as its in the closed position until the 12v switch is energized to open it which it wont once disconnected so it won't leak and is ready to go with a new fridge someday if you decide to go back to three way. Your plug works though and I was going to do that but it saved me the money and trip to the store doing it the way I did it.
Yeah, luckily I was already at the hardware store to get the items. It's nice to have available though. I just recycled mine with the old refrigerator. Wish I would have kept it now.
Excellent video, our Dometic just crapped out on us this weekend. Looks like a Home Depot run is on the agenda for this week.
Hope it goes well. Let me know how it went.
@@SeidelRanch all went smooth. What a difference, it's like night and day. Now we can use the money saved for another camping trip. 👍
Other than engine fires when driving or idiots with space heaters, the fridge is the most likely cause of RV fires. They cool by heating, that's why they can use propane. Residential fridges use electricity to run a compressor, not to run a heating element, so much safer.
I agree. Luckily, this residential fridge only gets warm when running all day. I can touch the compressor and coil with my hand, and it's nowhere near hot enough to burn me or anything around it. I love this replacement.
@@SeidelRanch oh, and though the new fridge is 4 inches shorter and narrower, I gained 3.5 cubic feet. I almost cried when the pizza box with leftovers fit in it.
@@brianvandy4002 Haha, I know what you mean. So much more fits in this new fridge. It uses space better too.
I just didn’t this upgrade today it took a little more finesse for mine but it’s in the there and it looks good and I have way more room now just need to get the trim
Yeah, it was such a great upgrade. We were very happy with it.
Nice job.
Thanks!
Nicely done. We are considering upgrading our 'Not-Cold' fridge. I was going to look at getting a 12v fridge, but the residential seems like a better (more affordable) way to go. We don't boondock, only an occasional overnight at a truck stop during trips. We have a generator for that. I like your off-colour trim. It adds character.
Thanks. Yeah, we looked at 12v but they were way too much compared to this one. I actually added a 12v inverter to mine to use when we need it, but I don't really need to hook it up much (long driving trips). It's a 500w (1000w peak) inverter and that will run it fine. It's probably even overkill because it only uses like 500w max to start then quickly drops to like 45w when running. We use an inverter generator when we need shore power and don't have it.
@@SeidelRanchwhere does the inverter connect? Do you run in from the 12v lines you took off your old fridge and plug the new residential into the inverter?
@@agunner6262 I ran new wires to the back of the fridge from the breaker/fuse box which was right under the fridge for me.
The motor gets pretty hot, I wouldn't completely close that front vent and leave it at least partially open for better ventilation. Go open it up and feel the warmth after its running a while. They make screens you zip tie to the holes to keep critters out. Good job on the install. I put the exact same unit in mine. Mine fit better though with no trim needed. I did have to cut about an 1/8 of an inch off one side but it was super easy with a jigsaw and some tape.
I will check that. We leave the RV plugged in 24/7 so that fridge is always running. I did leave the vent in the ceiling open for the heat to rise and leave. I will have to see if that was enough ventilation. If not I will do that on the outside vent door. Thanks for the info.
@@SeidelRanch It may be fine as is but I certainly would check. No biggie to drill out some small holes in that foam now to let fresh air in and no screens would be needed if the holes are super small.
@@jstar1000 I will definitely check it but I think I may drill some tiny holes in it anyway like you mentioned. Small holes would keep out the bugs and that is what I was going for with the foam. Thanks.
I added those bug screens on my fridge access door and we've never had any critters move in. I also added screen material to both my water heater door and my furnace exit.
This looks like it will work in our 2018 Forest River.
It probably would. We are loving the upgrade.
Nice video! HELPFUL TIPS:
STAIN: Generally, you want to buy the stain that is darker than original. The trim piece that you used to fill the gap, save some scraps. You can make a test batch of several different ratios of mineral spirits to stain. Mineral spirits will clean and/or dilute the stain to make it lighter. You want to test it on the trim scrap piece before you put it on the final product.
GAP: The top gap can be filled with a piece of wood with a couple of shims at the ends. The small shims can be placed to lock the block of wood. You may need a table saw to precisely cut it to the right thickness of the block to leave just enough for the shims to fit. For removable gluing, possibly for shims, you can use hot glue gun or Elmers glue.
GAS & WATER: For threaded plugs, splices, and other terminations, it’s best to use both Teflon tape with thread sealing paste. Plumbers will tell you, from experience, that threaded fittings seal best using both tape and paste. Silicone grease or plumber’s grease works best for fittings that use rubber gaskets. Make sure you coil up the gas copper line that you wish not to use and secure it with a zip tie or tape and prevent it from wiggling around from driving.
ELECTRICAL: I know you didn’t make any electrical modifications, but because I like your effort to help others, I figure I share this with you. Many electrical connections that you wish to make secure without special connectors, especially thick copper wires, you can twist them together and trim using lineman’s pliers. Then, you can use a torch, instead of a soldering iron, to heat the twisted copper to apply solder, but don’t forget to slip on heat shrink tubes first, if you wish to use them.
Thanks for the info. Very good data.
I think it looks great. Just touch up the trim later with some transparent stain. They can match that kind of stain at places like Home Depot or Lowes.
Thank you. I will try that.
Yes indeed I got some of that fake wood trim I think it's actually PVC and framed it out around the refrigerator it looks better than the factory absorption refrigerator
@@iair-conditiontheoutsideai3076 Thank you for the feedback. I need to do this.
Very good video only thing I would have done different is put some screen on that outside vent and let that back portion breathe due to that compressor will produce heat which you did mention in the video but I rather go out the vent and come in the camper. Plus if that back little plastic piece filled up with water if it's spilled from driving it can go out the vent
I sealed that up to keep insects and such out. I agree about the heat, but it's minimal from this fridge. The RV also has a heat vent above the fridge to allow heat to escape that way too. The Dometic fridge had that boiler and got VERY hot which generated a lot of extra heat. The vents were really needed with that. But this new one, even when it's been running for days it's barely even warm to the touch.
Going to Home Depot tomorrow to get one and install it in my Keystone Sydney Outback 5er.
Thnx for all the tips, I’ll let you know how it goes…..
Please do. We loved ours while we had that camper. Way better than the Dometic.
@@SeidelRanch We’ve had ours in now for a few days, absolutely love it. It matches our decor too!,
Soooo glad we made the transition over to the Magic Chef.
@@biggeejackharley77 Yeah, it was so much better.
I wonder why you would seal off that former fridge access door when it would offer escape for the humid air coming off the condensation in that tub. Our RV fridge has just died yesterday here in Houston (we're from the Reno area). Our RV guy here says the best thing to do is what YOU did, so your video has helped temper our concerns.
I did that to keep out pests and reduce the flow of air from that cover. There is still a vent on the roof that would allow the hot air to rise and leave the RV. Our RV is so leaky air wise that I am sure its getting its share of circulation.
If you wanted to, you could just put screen material on that cover on the inside to get rid of any insect issues and leave it open. I just did not want the additional air leakage. The cover is still great for access.
We also have a dehumidifier in the RV that would help with any humidify from the fridge, but so far it has not changed much humidity wise. I am loving the fridge upgrade. Hope it works well for you also.
Outstanding video. I've been searchng on how to replace our RV frig. and your explanation & video has helped tremendously. Thank you for taking the time to post the process. Have you had any issues with the new refrigerator while traveling? If so, what were they and how did you resolve them? Once again, thanks for the video. New subscriber, count on it!!
First, thank you. I appreciate that.
Most of our travels with that RV were rather close and the drive was short so I never had much of an issue keeping it cold. If we drove for a while I would run the fridge off the 12v battery using a power inverter. My truck would keep the 12v battery charged so it was not an issue. It was a 500w inverter and it did the job fine. If we stayed off grid, I ran the generator when needed and kept the fridge using the 12v battery. That was it. It was great all the way up to selling the RV and getting our new one. Our new one already has a residential refrigerator in it running from a 1000w inverter and solar.
@@SeidelRanch Thank you ever so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I never thought about an additional inverter, sounds like a great idea. There was one question I neglected to ask. As you said, you haven't made any long trips, have you had any issues with the refrigerator moving or try to shuffle out of its position? Thank you again.
That stain looks sharp I'd keep it that colod
Thanks. It has grown on me, but the wife still wants it to match better. One of these days I may add a few coats to see how it makes it look.
Just a note, that yellow residue behind the fridge is a sure i dicatir that the cooling unit is toast for anyone with fridge issues, get rid of it and replace it with a residential one, its cheaper safer and lasts longer, no brainer.
I totally agree. We are loving ours.
residential refrigerators need space around the unit to keep heat from building up. you definitely don't want to trim up against the refrigerator. most residential refrigerators need 1" above and 1/8" on the sides, check the instructions that came with the refrigerator. And you can probably close the outside vent unless that vent also provides air for gas heater combustion.
The trim just hides the gap. The walls and the top have the air gap needed.
As to the vent cover OUTSIDE the RV, you make a terrible mistake closing that off because there is "x" heat -- no matter how little -- coming off the fridge that is escaping through that vent and might actually hinder both the proper functioning of the fridge and challenge its longevity. Here's a much better solution: 1) Remove the vent cover. 2) Cover the vent with a piece of galvanized screen (you can buy a 2' x 2' roll of super thin stuff at Home Depot, etc., for $4.98). It doesn't have to fit perfectly or even completely. A gap here and there isn't going to let wasps in (well, maybe the occasional one). This now keeps most if not all wasps, ants, etc., while still allowing heat to escape.
I closed off the outside vent, but there is still a vent on top of the RV that vents that cabinet area. These usually have a vent on the outside so you can get to the back of the refrigerator AND one on the roof to let the hot air flow up and out. They have both because the RV style refrigerators have a boiler and generate a TON of heat. Residential refrigerators do not even get close to the heat created by the RV style boilers. The air coming in from around the cabinet should be more than enough flow to let the hot air rise and go out the roof vent. At least that is how I feel. Others may want to keep that open. Everyone should modify their RVs at their own risk.
It makes sense to close off the back cover, because the manual states that this refrigerator is not designed to be operated where the ambient temperature is less than 50 degrees because it hinders the compressor.
I'm going to cover the vents on the inside of the cover with aluminum foil, and put a temperature gauge back there and see what the temp is like on a cold day. In the summer I will check it as well. The manual also says the ambient temp shouldn't exceed 110.
Depending on what I find, I will decide whether it's necessary to cover the roof vent as well.
I covered all the vents on the outside access door with a 3M metallic tape there's are no any small gaps. 🤷🏼♂️
Now here's is a good question, can I connected the new magic chef fridge with the same outlet une the old fridge? The user's manual from the new one said that" THIS UNIT IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE INSTALLED IN AN RV OR USED WITH AN INVERTER ". Hope y'all help me figure out. I have the new one already set up but not connected yet.
@@juanmmiranda4308 It shouldn't be a problem, that outlet in the back should be a standard 110 outlet. It's not designed to be used with an inverter like the kind you plug into a cigarette outlet. They tell you not to install it in an RV to cover their a$$. One thing I will say to be careful, when you put in back there take care that you aren't bumping into any wires. When I checked mine again the metal track on the bottom was pinching the electrical wires that runs to the outlet. If the metal cut through those wires the outcome would be sub optimal.
Great choice those toxic absorption refrigerators are garbage when they are new
Yeah, I have never been a fan of it. Everyone I know has issues with them. I see many of the new RVs moving away from them too.
Firstly, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your video. I have a house fill of ammonia so bab i cant even stay in there & its been raining for days here in florida. First clear day so ive opened up all the windows to dissapate the smell and i will be doing this swap myself as i live alone. Secondly, I have 2 questions...(1) did you remove the wheels from the fridge? (2) i have a dometic RM2862 2 door with woodon front of fridge like yours. Having a heck of a time getting the actual dimensions of the dometic fridge to make sure the majic chef will fit in cabinet. I cant being on my fifth wheel longer than a few seconds because of the amonia and even then my tongue and back of my throat throb. I would so appreciate if you could figure that up for me before i buy the one you have.
Sorry for the late reply. This comment got flagged for some reason. Did you already get the new fridge?
I left the wheels and feet on it.
Your unit is a decent amount taller than ours was (6" or so), but it looks like it should still fit.
Your unit dimensions (per manual):
Height: 60-51/64 in
Width: 24-7/8 in
Depth: 26-1/32 in
Once full of food and cooling how many ANPS does the fridge pull. I had head like 1.3A.
Also these Magic Chef vent frim the sides. Does your keep temps?
From what I tested, the startup is around 400-500 watts and then quickly drops down to about 45 watts when running. At 120 volts that is about 0.4 amps. And of course, once it reaches it's temperatures it stops running. As for temps, it does great. Keeps it's temperatures very well and does SO much better than our Dometic did. Love this fridge.
I unplugged the electrical from the propane switch thing and removed it from the fridge and left it connected to the pipe as it stays closed until the 12v system switch on the fridge tells it to open which it wont once you remove the old fridge. Problem solved. I just tested it several times over a few days to make sure it didn't leak in any way which it didn't and just left it in place out of the way that way its ready to go if someone else decides they want a three way re-installed someday.
That is a good idea and reuse of parts.
Looks good! I read a lot of the comments below. How did you secure the fridge doors when traveling? I have friends with a large fifth wheel that has the SS residential fridge and the door(s) came open?? I was hoping you would have a suggestion in the video. Great informative video. I also watched your troubleshooting the eye brow panel and the control board video. My problem was no power to the eye brow. I replaced the eye brow circuit board... no difference. I then changed the control board and power comes on but Check light is on and the fridge is beeping twice every few seconds. I called Dometic. Dometic sent me the Service Manual the techs use. I have 13.1 volts and the 120 w is ok. Tested Thermo Fuse, OK; tested Thermocoupler, OK; tested Thermister, OK. I give up and plan to purchase a residential fridge...
Thanks for the video. Did you install the solar panels and inverter? If yes I would appreciate knowing the specs. Ie total wattage, inverter size.
Yes and no. I did not end up adding solar before I sold that RV and bought a new one, but I did have a small 500 watt inverter I would run it on when we drove for a long distance. The tow vehicle would charge the battery and the battery would run the fridge from the inverter. If it was less than 4 hours or so, I did not even bother hooking it up as the fridge would stay cold closed. It worked out well for us.
My just went out have lived in the RV 13 years running 24/7 it lasted a really long time am not putting a RV refrigerator back in
13 years is pretty good. Hope the new one lasts much longer.
No mention of performance is truly mind boggling.
What performance information are you looking for? It was a replace and install video. You referring to my performance?
My bad evidently. I thought performance would be included for some reason.
Great video. I think I have the same Dometic RV fridge. How tall is the Magic Chef that you replaced it with? The link shows a 59 in tall one, but I thought that was the height of your existing fridge? It looks like you gained close to 10 inches.
The new Magic Chef fridge is 59.5" tall. I think my old fridge was about 8" or so shorter but I had some dead space above it that I opened up to allow the fridge height. We did gain a lot of space switching them.
What is the cubic feet and what were the measurements of the fridge? I would really like to replace my troublesome rv fridge with a residential unit as well. Any help would be much appreciated. My rv fridge looks very similar. Thanks, Bruce.
It's this one: www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-10-1-cu-ft-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-in-Black-HMDR1000BE/302245062
All the specs are on the Home Depot website. It's been great.
Did you have a chimney on top of your rv? If so, was it for venting heat from the refrigerator? And also if so, could you possibly get rid of the chimney by removing the stack and covering the hole?
I have a vent on the roof that was for the Dometic refrigerator. It allowed for heat to escape out the roof. I probably could get rid of it since the new refrigerator does not create anywhere near the heat the Dometic refrigerator did, but I am leaving it there. I put foam around the back of the refrigerator to keep the heat in the back so the vent is nice to have to allow that heat to move up and out.
Removing that vent and sealing that up is probably ok, but of course do all of that at your own risk. Residential refrigerators are not really vented in your home, so I am thinking the same would apply in your RV. Are you wanting to seal that up to keep heat in the RV?
What did you do to get this to run on a 12V with inverter so it will run on the road and when boondocking? Curious about how many watts it uses then and the noise difference from the Dometic absorption fridge. Thanks!
Noise wise, I can't even hear it running. But the Dometic was pretty quiet too so I think it's about the same there.
As for 12 volt power, I am planning on putting in a small 12v to 120volt inverter but I have not yet. I have been testing it while it's been on shore power and it's a very tiny draw. Less than 100 watts when it kicks on and then seems to level out about 45 watts when it's running. Way less than the 120 volt power draw of the Dometic. I think a 150 watt 12v inverter would be fine and could be run off the 12v leads already run for the existing Dometic refrigerator. Maybe buy bigger just to make sure since these are pretty cheap under 500 watts (like this: amzn.to/3u2Z9lN). I have some more testing I want to do before then and I recommend you using something like a multimeter or a kill-a-watt (amzn.to/2VWmR6J) to make sure yours runs the same before buying the inverter just to make sure. You always have to think about things like the light inside and such, but it's much less power than the Dometic. We are loving it.
I do need to add to this. I forgot that I have read it does need a Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter. This does kick up the price of the inverter. You can get cheaper 1000w Pure Sine Wave Power Inverters for about $100 on Amazon (amzn.to/3zqFIVb). I may just put in one of these to make sure I am fully covered. To make sure the surge wattage is covered with this inverter I may just end up running new 12 volt power leads from the power panel also. It's right under my refrigerator anyway.
I already have 700 watts on the roof and two lithium batteries. I also recently went from a modified sine wave to a pure sine wave inverter, but only because I wanted to. My trusty old Cobra 2500 watt modified ran every 120 volt ANYTHING we ever had it run. Computers, cell phones, battery chargers of ANY kind, and even our propane/ac fridge when running down the road. I've just been leery of swapping over to the residential fridge since when we're home we almost exclusively boondock.
What happens if my stove also doesn’t work? How else would I drain the propane from the line? The water heater maybe? 2006 keystone
You can turn off the propane and unhook the lines, then blow them out. It's kind of a pain but helps.
What's the size like what's yiur measurements? I got the same one so I'm getting ride of it
The fridge I bought was the same width and about 6 inches taller than the one I had. I had to remove the empty space above my Dometic fridge to make it fit, but it fit great.
The one I had: Dometic DM2652
Dimensions (HxWxD) (in) - 53.8 x 23.7 x 24
The new one: Magic Chef HMDR1000BE
Dimensions (HxWxD) (in) - 59.4 x 23.6 x 25.2
Thanks so much for this video! Our absorption refrig just started leaking this summer. I’m going to pull it out and start to put in a small refrig like you did. I have a question, in your video you mentioned an inverter hooked up to the Magic Chef…is that so it will run while traveling? Did you install one? Could you make a video showing how it works and how to hook up the wires properly? Thank you!
I did get a small 500w pure sine wave inverter (something like this: amzn.to/3rw6tJV) to run the fridge if we were driving for a long time (more than 4 hours or so). On short trips I usually did not hook it up since the fridge would stay cold.
The breaker and fuse box was right below the refrigerator, so I ran some new 12v wires down to that to run the inverter. There is a converter next to the breaker box that charges the 12v battery, so I hooked into that. The 12v wires that were already there for the old fridge were small gauge and I did not want to risk them getting too hot, so I ran some 6 gauge wire to be safe. That was probably way bigger than I needed since it was a short run but I had it and felt safer with it.
When I wanted to use the inverter for the fridge I would just take off the vent cover and plug it into the inverter and turn it on. When I wanted to run it on shore power, it would plug it into the wall outlet and turn off the inverter.
In theory, I could have left it on the inverter always, but I wanted to keep the inverter for just when needed. I tested the fridge with a watt meter and it would peak when starting at about 400 watts and then drop down to about 40-60 watts when running. My setup was probably way overkill for that, but I wanted to be on the safe side.
I would do a video on it, but I have since sold that RV and purchased a 5th wheel. Good luck on the switch. I only wish I would have done it sooner. I did not like the Dometic fridge that came with the RV.
@@SeidelRanch so one more question. Do you think the 12 volt wires are too small to use even if I only use the inverter while traveling? I’m I hard time following the wires to the source. Also my 12 volt wires are purple & black is the blk wire always the neutral wire. Thanks so much.
@@jerrydegan1601 From what I remember they 12v wires that were already there were pretty small. I would not risk that. They could get really hot and start a fire if they are not big enough. As for which is positive and negative, get a multimeter and test them. You never know with RVs. Mine were white and purple I think. It's best to test them to make sure.
👍👍👍👍
Thank you. Hope it was helpful.
By looking at the date it has been a couple years now. So my question is How do you like it so far and would you change anything that you did or did not do on the install. I am loking to do the same shortly. Please let me know! Thx
The only regret really is not doing it sooner. I hated the Dometic refrigerator from the start. It's been great and uses so little power compared to the other one it's not even much of a drain on the battery when using a 12v to 110v inverter. I wish the trim would have matched better, but as far as the refrigerator swap it's been awesome. If you travel with anything in the refrigerator, make sure you make a strap for it to keep the doors closed.
You may have already answered this, but I didn’t see anything. When you disconnected the propane line, how did you cap it do propane was no longer going through the line?
I put a copper cap on it and used gas rated teflon tape on the treads to make sure it was sealed. Than spray it with soapy water with the propane on to make sure it's not leaking. Don't take chances with flammable gas. Make sure it's sealed well.
How do plan on keeping the doors closed while in transit?
I have a small strap I can put on it. I do recommend strapping it.
Any updates on how things are working?
I to replaced my rv fridge with the magic chef.
It worked awesome all the way up to us selling it. The new RV we got has a residential refrigerator in it already.
@@SeidelRanch thank's for the reply
How are things going? I know it's just been a few months, but any updates? Also - how big of a deal is the type of coolant? Would you recommend *trying* to fine one with regular coolant? I know - you mention the size / general reality of sizing.
I love it. It's been doing great and keeps everything nice and cold. It shows me how bad our other one really was. I am not worried about the coolant in it. I get its flammable but I am sure its not much different than the flammable one it replaced. At least this one does not use a boiler and it really does not have much of an ignition source back there. I still have the vent in the ceiling for the back of the refrigerator to allow any fumes and heat to escape. As far as longevity, many have been using this refrigerator for a while with no issues. If it goes out I will just put another one in, but I have a feeling it will last as long as the RV.
What kind and size of fridge did you replace your RV fridge with? I’m facing the exact same problem that you did.
We put in this one: Magic Chef 10.1 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator in Black
www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-10-1-cu-ft-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-in-Black-HMDR1000BE/302245062
Thank you so much.
How do you latch doors locked when moving down the road..?
I put a strap across the doors that had small eyelets screwed in the wood.
My friend just pissed out the yellow ammonia mixture. Crazy expensive so I may do straight electric too. Say you drive 2 hours to a camp site. That length of trip is it really terrible that your freezer thaws out? I'll miss the propane for road trips
2 hours should not be noticeable. Your refrigerator is insulated really well. It will be like traveling with a nice ice chest for 2 hours. If you change it out for one like we did you may want to look into putting in a 12v to 120v inverter if you do long trips to keep the fridge running all the time from the battery.
Could you send me the link on the refrigerator? The link through Amazon isn’t a valid link, thank you in advance
Try this link. Home Depot seems to have the best price on it right now: www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-Chef-10-1-cu-ft-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-in-Black-HMDR1000BE/302245062
Have you had any issues with the doors coming open going down the road???
Not really, but I did make a simple strap that went from the top to the bottom to help secure it. The seal is pretty tight on ours and holds well. It might be an issue with a full load on the door shelves but we have not seen it.
NEVER use teflon tape or thread sealant on flare gas fittings
The threads don’t seal, the flare does & you’re possibly keeping the flare from making connection to the fitting
How do you use that when you're boondocking?
We have a 500 watt pure sine wave inverter that pulls from the 12v battery for short trips. We always have an inverter generator with us if we are off grid.
So do you use solar to charge your batteries? And how long does that last if you don't have a solar charger?
I have 2 batteries. And a 200-watt synergy solar panel set up, and a 2000 W convert
@@G_RAThbun I did not have a solar setup in that RV for that. I had some panels, but they were just laid beside the battery box to keep the 12v battery topped off.
With your setup I would think you would have no issues. That fridge pulls about 30 to 50 watts of power when it's running and it does not run all the time. It was very easy on the 1 battery we had in that RV.
How’s the fridge working out since you installed it?
Awesome. I wish I had done it sooner.
Can you please find me and let me know what size of fridge I can put on our Sierra by Forest River 365SAQ I want to switch it to a residential fridge like the same size. Thanks 🙏🏻
From what I can see from pictures on the internet, your RV is a lot like a 5th version of our RV. I bet it has the same sized refrigerator.
Thanks for the answer we are going to check it out. I will going to cheer this video to our families and friends! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@juanmmiranda4308 Hope it works out for you. Thanks.
Thank you for the video. I had the same issue with my Dometic. Also replaced with the Magic Chef. I have a couple of concerns: the users manual states the appliance is designed to be free standing and to allow 5 inches on sides and back for ventilation. I used screen over the RV factory vents to allow some air flow and keep bugs out.
Do you think the snug fit in the built in slot will diminish the life span of the fridge?
I don't think it will be an issue. I had/have the same concern about the space, but I have seen other RVs with these type of refrigerators and they have little to no space also. I think it's more of a general message to users than a real issue, but only time will tell.
There’s a vent above the fridge right? So basically the air would go up the wall and through the vent. Most houses have the fridge right up against the wall surrounded by cabinets.
@@rachaelb9164 Right. I think the vent on the roof should allow the hot air out.
So I just did this yesterday and when I removed the ac/dc lines my lights went out. One fuse was burnt and I replaced it but all lights don’t work. AC outlets oven microwave work just the lights seem to have stopped. Any suggestions?
Do those ac/dc lines need to be grounded? I just put a cap on them. They haven’t not touched each other
Some RV makers go cheap and run other things off the 12v wires to the fridge. You may need to hook up the wires that came off if you have multiple. I have heard this from other people that when they unhook the wires for the 12v on the fridge, something else 12v stops working. Check what/where they are connected.
You always want to wrap and cover the 12v positive wire at least. I usually wrap both very well and tuck them somewhere safe. They need to be seperated and insulated well. They can not touch or you will blow a fuse or worse burn the RV down.
what was the model number of the reefer you took out?
It was a Dometic DM2652. I show it in this video: ua-cam.com/video/HvO0RzfxhzI/v-deo.html
What did you do to keep the doors closed during travel?
I did a little homemade bungie cord strap from the top to the bottom on the fridge. I got a stick on hook from Amazon ( amzn.to/3Lim0lo ) and put it on the top left corner of the fridge and then put in a small eyelet hook ( amzn.to/3uxppHs ) under the bottom left of the fridge. Then I used a bungie cord ( amzn.to/3Grztny ) to hold them shut. It goes from the top to the bottom on the left side of the doors to hold them closed while driving. So far its been working well, but we have only taken 1 rather long trip in it since we installed the new fridge.
@@SeidelRanch ok, awesome idea. My Hubs and I are considering this. We are going to have a tech look at it first...I think it is the pilot light...idk.😂 Regardless, we need something other than our cooler.
@@thegovandynasty4641 Oh yes, a cooler only gets you by for a little bit. We had to do the same thing on one of our trips when the old fridge stopped cooling. What a pain. I hope it's not a major issue on yours, but those RV fridges never last long. Good luck.
@@SeidelRanch thank you!
Great idea. But Wow. Did you pay as much as the one shown in the link ? Over 900? For that fella. ?
Is there something special about that one that makes it twice the price of similar sized others ?
No, I got mine from Home Depot. I don't know why that link changed. When I linked it I think it was about the same as Home Depot. Mine was about $400.
The previous owners installed a residential fridge in our motorhome. Unfortunately they did not close up the vent so it’s COLD and drafty. The vent also lets moisture in and part of the fridge is rusty. So dumb. The doors are also super thick and stick out into the walkway. I hate it honestly and would like to upgrade to a 12 volt fridge so we don’t have to deal with inverters on long road trips or when boondocking. Your fridge fits the space a lot better than ours and looks like it belongs there.
Thanks. Sorry to hear about the bulky fridge. If this one did not fit as good as it did I would have went another route. Space is already an issue in an RV, no need to make it harder to move around. There are some nice 12 volt ones out there, but they are going to be much more expensive.
just keep applying cherry stain and it will get darker.
I will try that. I have a lot of it. Thanks.
I live in a stationary travel trailer that is not on the road. My Norcold Refrigerator went out---the cooling system. I want to replace it with a residential refrigerator. I am a senior lady and I need someone in my area who knows how to do this particular conversion. Do I buy a residential refrigerator then search for a technician? I am in Long Beach, California which is near Seal Beach and 10 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. Thank you.
I would find someone before you buy it. I am not sure who would would do this, but if you can find someone that works on RVs they might do it for you.
Dometic should be put out of business. Terrible products. Furnace never worked right. 2 years and ammonia smell was the tell-tell sign that the frig was toast. Things should last longer. going with this same set up. Thanks SeidelRanch!
I understand your frustration. Our fridge never worked well. It worked, but that was about it. Then dies at 7 years and cost more to fix it then it's worth. I give away our household refrigerators and they are still working after 20 years with no issues.
@@SeidelRanch Do you remember the opening size dimensions? I have the same model dometic in my rv but the magic chef seems to measure too tall to fit.
I did all of this today and now my furnace will not come on. The propane is running bc my water heater and stove are working. Any ideas??
The only thing I can think of is if your RV had the furnace using the same 12v circuit that the fridge was using. If that was the case, I would try following the wires you unhooked for the fridge and see where they go. You may want to also power up those wires again to see if the furnace turns on. Be careful not to burn up any wires or blow fuses.
Let me know what you find. Mine was pretty straight forward as you could see in the video.
I connected the wires and now blowing fuses back to back. I’m at a loss.
Haven't had this issue yet but just curious if you found the solution, did the back of yours wiring look like his in video?
On mine I just disconnected the 12 volt wires to control panel on fridge instead of cutting them then in screwed the little black junction piece where wires connected and then I disconnected the ground wire or ring terminal from fridge (2 wires on that 12 volt deal that he cut)
I also took the fridge fuse out before starting the job.
Just wondering what was different on yours @@rachelleevans7117
You went from a made in USA to made in Chine. Sad really but I understand as I did too.
Are they really made in the USA? I have a feeling that had "made in china" stamped all over it. Probably "designed" in the USA and send abroad to build, but not sure. It seems everything is made in china these days.
@@SeidelRanch Mine clearly says made in USA but its from 2007 or so so not sure about new ones.
@@jstar1000 Cool. I like to see those stamps. I just wish the fridge lasted longer.
Do not foam up the sides,that is where u dissapate the heat...u would be wise to put screen on your vents as well
We did check that and it looks like the heat is all coming from the back of the refrigerator. We left the top vent open that vents to the roof and the sides still have lots of space open to let heat out. It's been doing great.
VRAIMENT trop long vidéo!
I thought everyone loved long videos.
Hurts your resale value now.
Maybe, but I think everything hurts my resale value now that it's almost 10 years old. We plan to keep it.
@@SeidelRanch Not everything does. But we buy them to use them.
Worst idea ever. It needs ventilation. Bet that thing only lasted a month or two.
It has been running great, and it has ventilation. Before you crap on people's ideas, you should know what you are talking about. New RVs have these type of fridges in them from the manufacturer.
Some people who make videos should learn to condense their words, so they don’t repeat themselves
Blah blah blah! Being redundant IS THE BEST DON'T YOU KNOW THAT. 😂😂😂😂😂 TRUMP 2024. BIDEN SNIFFED ME TOOO😅😅
Blah blah blah.... RV fridges are the best thjng... EVERYTHING ON A RV FRIDGE CAN BE REPLACED EVEN THE COOLING SYSTEM.. I'm not a tech but I have fixed my furnace, AC unit, installed a soft start, worked on my fridge as well. I'm not talking 💩 but you have to do your homework.