The Pros and Cons of a Residential Fridge in an RV
05-30-2018
Author: in Education
Recently, a friend of ours upgraded from a 3-way fridge to a residential fridge in her RV. “That’s interesting”, I thought, and immediately wondered if the change would make it difficult for her and her family to do things like boondocking.
With my curiosity sparked, I began to do my own research, and what I found was surprising: There are actually very few cons to having a residential fridge in your RV. Still, there are some drawbacks.
Here’s a list of all the pros and cons of switching to an electric-only refrigerator in a motorhome or travel trailer.
More Space
Perhaps the most irritating thing about RV refrigerators is their size. These little fridges just don’t hold enough for most full-timers, forcing them to visit the grocery store every few days.
Residential fridges, on the other hand, tend to be bigger. In fact, even a refrigerator that fits perfectly into the hole left by your RV fridge will offer more storage space. This is because RV refrigerators require more components to function, and those consume some of the space that could otherwise be holding food.
Better Cooling
Another enormous bonus to having a residential fridge in you RV is better cooling. It’s no secret that RV refrigerators don’t cool all that well. Parking the wrong direction on a hot day or taking your trailer too high up a mountain can be enough to result in a fridge that is less than cold.
This issue is fixed when you replace your RV fridge with a residential fridge. These appliances actually work very differently from their RV-specific counterparts, and the residential versions tend to be much better in most instances.
Less Maintenance
RV refrigerators are a pain. They require manual defrosting every few months, and this is a task that gets old fast. If you hate defrosting your RV fridge, you’ll be happy to hear that residential fridges require no such maintenance.
As far as cons go, the most obvious and most frustrating one is the fact that boondocking is made more complicated. You see, residential fridges have no propane setting, which means the appliance must be run off of electricity. Clearly, this presents problems when you want to camp off-grid.
Fortunately, there are ways around this problem. Adding solar power and an extra battery bank to your rig should work just fine. However, if that sounds too difficult, you can always switch to ice chests for short trips into the wilderness.
May Require Modifications
The second con is the fact that putting in a residential fridge may require you to make some modifications to both the RV and the fridge itself.
For starters, it isn't likely that you’ll find a residential fridge that fits perfectly into the hole left by your RV fridge. This means cutting a larger hole or filling in gaps by creating new cabinetry.
Additionally, you will need to add some sort of latch to keep the refrigerator door closed while driving. Many people have used baby latches for this purpose and say they work just fine.
Lastly, you may want to switch out the shelving in your new appliance. Glass and plastic have a tendency to vibrate during travel and will eventually break. Wire racks are much less likely to vibrate, meaning your food will stay in place much better and you won't be left with cracked shelving.
I hope this list of pros and cons helps you make the right refrigerator choice for your travel style. After all, a camper with good food is much more likely to be a happy camper.
With my curiosity sparked, I began to do my own research, and what I found was surprising: There are actually very few cons to having a residential fridge in your RV. Still, there are some drawbacks.
Here’s a list of all the pros and cons of switching to an electric-only refrigerator in a motorhome or travel trailer.
Pros
More Space
Perhaps the most irritating thing about RV refrigerators is their size. These little fridges just don’t hold enough for most full-timers, forcing them to visit the grocery store every few days.
Residential fridges, on the other hand, tend to be bigger. In fact, even a refrigerator that fits perfectly into the hole left by your RV fridge will offer more storage space. This is because RV refrigerators require more components to function, and those consume some of the space that could otherwise be holding food.
Related Read: 7 Tips for a Cleaner, Healthier RV Fridge
Better Cooling
Another enormous bonus to having a residential fridge in you RV is better cooling. It’s no secret that RV refrigerators don’t cool all that well. Parking the wrong direction on a hot day or taking your trailer too high up a mountain can be enough to result in a fridge that is less than cold.
This issue is fixed when you replace your RV fridge with a residential fridge. These appliances actually work very differently from their RV-specific counterparts, and the residential versions tend to be much better in most instances.
Less Maintenance
RV refrigerators are a pain. They require manual defrosting every few months, and this is a task that gets old fast. If you hate defrosting your RV fridge, you’ll be happy to hear that residential fridges require no such maintenance.
Cons
Upgrades Required for BoondockingAs far as cons go, the most obvious and most frustrating one is the fact that boondocking is made more complicated. You see, residential fridges have no propane setting, which means the appliance must be run off of electricity. Clearly, this presents problems when you want to camp off-grid.
Fortunately, there are ways around this problem. Adding solar power and an extra battery bank to your rig should work just fine. However, if that sounds too difficult, you can always switch to ice chests for short trips into the wilderness.
May Require Modifications
The second con is the fact that putting in a residential fridge may require you to make some modifications to both the RV and the fridge itself.
For starters, it isn't likely that you’ll find a residential fridge that fits perfectly into the hole left by your RV fridge. This means cutting a larger hole or filling in gaps by creating new cabinetry.
Related Read: 4 Tips for Using Your RV Fridge
Additionally, you will need to add some sort of latch to keep the refrigerator door closed while driving. Many people have used baby latches for this purpose and say they work just fine.
Lastly, you may want to switch out the shelving in your new appliance. Glass and plastic have a tendency to vibrate during travel and will eventually break. Wire racks are much less likely to vibrate, meaning your food will stay in place much better and you won't be left with cracked shelving.
I hope this list of pros and cons helps you make the right refrigerator choice for your travel style. After all, a camper with good food is much more likely to be a happy camper.
Comment
ArthurDavisJune 1, 2019 | 08:13 AM
Thanks for the information. One can also check this site https://www.santabarbarahvaccontractor.com to hire refrigeration maintenance Santa Barbara experts if you are looking to provide proper maintenance service to your refrigerator.
Author: Chelsea Barron
