Can I replace my dead RV refrigerator with a standard refrigerator?

[SHobbs]

Now that I look at mine I think black would work. My current fridge is trimmed in black. How do they hold up to traveling and shutting off the power supply from time to time?





AJ,

If I understand correctly, the Whirlpool would have everything accessible from the bottom rear incase of repair?

 

[DLineberrys]

The refrigerator travels great. You just need to secure it during installation. I think we have that info here in the thread. Listen, we took a major blow coming out of Cornville, AZ onto I-17. We hit a cattle guard which was sunken more than usual into the pavement. There was a warning sign for bump but it was not early enough to make a difference. All of our toiletries came out of our cabinets and everything was disheveled. The frig was fine. Having some of those things you can buy to keep things inside the refrigerator from flying off their shelves can be helpful however since there is more room for food to shift around and want to come falling out the door when you first open it. What we do on moving day is unplug the refrigerator at the back panel once the compressor cycles off. When we get to the new destination, we plug in our rig, confirm the electric, then we plug in the refrigerator again. Our little Walmart plug in fan bit the dust... . LOL. Since winter is coming on, we are going to wait on replacing it for now. Will post our new fan get-up when we make a decision. We may buy one of those solar fan vent covers for RV refrigerators (not available at Camping World ).

 

[litespeed]

AJ,
If I understand correctly, the Whirlpool would have everything accessible from the bottom rear incase of repair?

With either, you can access the compressor and other components from the "lower rear". The only real difference is that the Whirlpool has coils on "outside rear" of the unit. The Magic Chef has the coils built in to the sides of the unit. Because the coils are on the 'back" of the Whirlpool, you will need a little more space behind the unit. I believe it is something like 3 inches longer than the Magic Chef because of this. This could be an important factor in a smaller camper. Just be sure to measure everything before you buy.

The fridge has no problem being moved around or taking bumps while the unit is off. Ours has also seen many power outages at our current spot with no issues.

Black works good in most campers. All of our appliances are black. This is the color I wanted, but could not find locally. The stainless look is ok but it is a little "loud" looking.

I'll see if I can put up a picture of the rear access for you later today. With the outside fridge access panel off, you can see the compressor and how I bolted it down using existing holes in the bottom of the Magic Chef. I used aluminum angle and bar stock to secure the front and trim the unit on the inside. Looks factory.

Edit: Pictures below...

 

[litespeed]

SHobbs,

Here are some pics for you...

Here is the rear of the unit with the access panel removed:

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Here is the lag bolt detail. I used a spacer between the floor and the bottom of the unit to keep from deforming the bottom panel. This keeps the lag bolt from coming loose:

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Here is the Piece of angle aluminum trim at the top. I used a piece of long angle in case the fridge decides to rock back and forth in the hole. The 2 lag bolts and this piece actually hold the fridge in the hole. I overexposed the all the photos a little so you can see the screws and other things:

#ad



Here is the top with the door closed:

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Here is the bottom piece of straight straight aluminum:

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Some other things... I made the fridge a VERY tight fit. There is only about 1/16" between the sides of the fridge and the wood on the sides. I used black electrical tape to trim the sides since the gap was so small. The flat black tape matches the fridge and trim perfectly. I also used carefully cut "Swim Noodles" for insulating the gap behind the trim on the top and bottom. This Magic Chef fridge has about 2 to 3 inches of clearance on the sides (inside the opening), 2 inches of clearance on the bottom, 2 to 3 inches of clearance to the rear and about 1 foot above in this particular unit (Travel Supreme). I forget the exact measurements. But it is plenty of room and the unit never gets hot.

Luckily all the wood work inside our camper is solid maple and is very difficult to damage. The old fridge leaked pretty bad as it was on its last leg. So, there is a little water damage on the cabinetry beneath the new fridge. If not for this one little problem, the unit actually looks like it came this way.

Regards,

AJ

 

[SHobbs]

AJ,



Thanks for the pictures and information. Looks I will replace my current fridge instead of the repair that the recall calls for. I thought about doing the recall but I have noticed a couple of small cracks on the interior walls of the current fridge and since its out of warranty I won't get any help. With a little planning I should have no problem doing the install. I have a few projects to get done at the same time, the shower has to go and the mirror doors for the closet are coming out as well. Have to wait till after the first of the year to start everything.

 

[CharlesHoward]

The only problem encountered with installing the Whirlpool is that its 24" width was not quite the same as the Dometic's 24" width, which necessitated some minor and extensive sanding of the surrounding woodwork. The Whirlpool was apparently shorter as I had room at the top and room for the adjustable feet on the bottom. I added more insulation to fill the gap at the top and recycled the metal top external trim piece from the Dometic with a little modification. For the now "large" gap at the bottom, some more insulation and a piece of wood that was notched for the hinge on the Whirlpool door was was installed to provide a clean looking installation.

 

[litespeed]

Yep...



Ours actually fit "as is". But, it was really tight. Too tight in my opinion. So I ran a saw blade down 1 side to "open it up 1/16". Took about 1 minute. Maybe 5 minutes, if you include finding the saw and plugging it in.



Top and bottom was about the same as the Norcold. A little looser at the bottom than the top.



The top and bottom do not matter if you take the time to measure, insulate and trim it properly. It will look just like the factory unit if it is done right.