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Old 06-26-2017, 08:32 PM   #301
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Old 06-26-2017, 08:44 PM   #302
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Santiago View Post
Leon,

As you might have read in another thread, my 2016 21 ft has a 12vdc 6.8cf refrigerator - I installed it.........As you mentioned it's a low power unit using dan floss compressor technology. On average requires 50 to 60 amp-hours per 24 hour day and works well with solar.
Santiago, WAY TO GO! I must have missed your thread on the build. I know it was a big step for you because I also have a 12VDC refrigerator I installed but I have the batteries and solar to support it even with poor sun during rain in the winter. For my installation I had to pull the old piece of $%#^ and open up the space for mine but it has run flawlessly for the past few years and I mostly boon-dock now. I know what a big job it was for you and commend you for it. You and I now have the only (that I know of) 12VDC refrigerators that have the highest performance refrigerator cooling in Escape trailers. I would like to personally see your installation the next time I head up to camp near Morro Bay.

Steve
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Old 06-26-2017, 10:54 PM   #303
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Santiago View Post
Leon,

As you might have read in another thread, my 2016 21 ft has a 12vdc 6.8cf refrigerator - I installed it.

When ordering the trailer, I asked that the standard 3 way Dometic be deleted, no other changes needed to be made by ETI. The cabinet and electrical were standard, no modifications other than NOT installing the 3 way Dometic were made by ETI. No kitchen cabinet framing changes required, no electrical changes required, etc. ETI had to have been pleased as they did not have to extend the propane line from furnace to the refrigerator cabinet, saving them time and money. They did not have to cut side wall and roof vents and attach vent door on wall and cap on roof. Again saving them time and money. They did not need to QA the unit making sure it ran as designed, saving them time and money. They will never need to field questions, concerns and problems from me regarding the refrigerator. Again saving them time, aggravation and money.

The electric refrigerator went through my trailer's classic style curved entry door as is with nothing being removed and right into the standard opening that was to be filled by the standard Dometic 3 way.

Lastly using the existing standard 12vdc wires within the cabinet I connected the electric refrigerator. This existing power line is labeled as "Refrigerator" on the 12vdc fuse box. I changed the blade fuse to 10 amps.

The electric unit works better than anticipated. There is no going back to propane. Heating and cooking yes, food refrigeration never again. In light of modern solar panels, I don't have solar by the way, it's a matter of time before more people think of electric refrigeration as a viable solution.

As you mentioned it's a low power unit using dan floss compressor technology. On average requires 50 to 60 amp-hours per 24 hour day and works well with solar.
Hi Santiago you and Hot Fish Taco's are pioneers . If this Refrigerator ever gives me any more grief I was looking at Truck fridge . I really don't want a big refrigerator because I still will do a cooler as I have for about 40 years now . But I got to hand it to you fellows and thinking outside of the box ! Pat
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Old 06-26-2017, 10:56 PM   #304
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Santiago View Post
Leon,

As you might have read in another thread, my 2016 21 ft has a 12vdc 6.8cf refrigerator - I installed it.

When ordering the trailer, I asked that the standard 3 way Dometic be deleted, no other changes needed to be made by ETI. The cabinet and electrical were standard, no modifications other than NOT installing the 3 way Dometic were made by ETI. No kitchen cabinet framing changes required, no electrical changes required, etc. ETI had to have been pleased as they did not have to extend the propane line from furnace to the refrigerator cabinet, saving them time and money. They did not have to cut side wall and roof vents and attach vent door on wall and cap on roof. Again saving them time and money. They did not need to QA the unit making sure it ran as designed, saving them time and money. They will never need to field questions, concerns and problems from me regarding the refrigerator. Again saving them time, aggravation and money.

The electric refrigerator went through my trailer's classic style curved entry door as is with nothing being removed and right into the standard opening that was to be filled by the standard Dometic 3 way.

Lastly using the existing standard 12vdc wires within the cabinet I connected the electric refrigerator. This existing power line is labeled as "Refrigerator" on the 12vdc fuse box. I changed the blade fuse to 10 amps.

The electric unit works better than anticipated. There is no going back to propane. Heating and cooking yes, food refrigeration never again. In light of modern solar panels, I don't have solar by the way, it's a matter of time before more people think of electric refrigeration as a viable solution.

As you mentioned it's a low power unit using dan floss compressor technology. On average requires 50 to 60 amp-hours per 24 hour day and works well with solar.
Wish you did this before I bought mine; would've done same. Great job!
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Old 06-26-2017, 11:05 PM   #305
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hotfishtacos View Post
I would like to personally see your installation the next time I head up to camp near Morro Bay.

Steve
Hi Steve, I am in Anaheim and yes would be happy to show you.

You were the first to convert and were my guiding light on fitting the Nova Kool into the classic Escape 21. As I recall you have a similar Nova Kool model - 6200 or 8320 forgot which you told me. I have the 6800 which might be why it was a piece of cake taking it through the door.

If I ever get another RV, the manufacturer will need to offer electric or at least allow me to install my own after giving me credit. I really like the Nova Kool unit.

I don't use solar now and can boondock 4 days without firing up the generator upon reaching the 50% discharge point. It works out since at this stage in our lives we don't stay in one place very long, the Ram recharges as we drive to another location. An exception are national and state parks where a week is desirable. In the years to come if boondocking more than 4 days and I want to avoid using the generator, I will consider a solar mast similar to Ron in BC.

By the way, unlike you having to replace an existing propane fridge, I did not, ordered new trailer without the propane fridgeand as a consequence do not have the propane fridge vents on the side wall nor roof. I did add extra insulation around the unit before inserting into the cabinet as there was plenty of room, thank God.

Looking forward meeting you in the near future. By the way Rossue is the the Morrow Bay Escape owner.
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Old 06-26-2017, 11:11 PM   #306
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Thank you Ross.
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Old 06-26-2017, 11:12 PM   #307
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Thank you Pat.

Yes Steve ( Hot Fish Taco ) is the pioneer that inspired me. After reading about his work, I knew I could do it too.
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Old 06-27-2017, 10:51 AM   #308
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Santiago, I installed a 7.3 cuft Nova Kool RFU8320 and it also went through the door sideways with the doors and hinges removed....love that big freezer!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Santiago View Post
Hi Steve, I am in Anaheim and yes would be happy to show you.

You were the first to convert and were my guiding light on fitting the Nova Kool into the classic Escape 21. As I recall you have a similar Nova Kool model - 6200 or 8320 forgot which you told me. I have the 6800 which might be why it was a piece of cake taking it through the door.

If I ever get another RV, the manufacturer will need to offer electric or at least allow me to install my own after giving me credit. I really like the Nova Kool unit.

I don't use solar now and can boondock 4 days without firing up the generator upon reaching the 50% discharge point. It works out since at this stage in our lives we don't stay in one place very long, the Ram recharges as we drive to another location. An exception are national and state parks where a week is desirable. In the years to come if boondocking more than 4 days and I want to avoid using the generator, I will consider a solar mast similar to Ron in BC.

By the way, unlike you having to replace an existing propane fridge, I did not, ordered new trailer without the propane fridgeand as a consequence do not have the propane fridge vents on the side wall nor roof. I did add extra insulation around the unit before inserting into the cabinet as there was plenty of room, thank God.

Looking forward meeting you in the near future. By the way Rossue is the the Morrow Bay Escape owner.
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Old 06-27-2017, 03:13 PM   #309
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Pat, too bad that you and many others did not get the later RMD8555, as it is working very well for most of us with no changes needed. Ironically, that was the last refrigerator while Escape was in the planning for a new generation to have a trailer door that would fit other refrigerators.

Of course, they have their choice now but many of us are glad to have classics with a refrigerator that works. That said, I will have to see if that holds up in extended Texas weather. Did have it in Texas quite a lot but only some time was hot weather.
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Old 06-27-2017, 04:04 PM   #310
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Pat, too bad that you and many others did not get the later RMD8555, as it is working very well for most of us with no changes needed. Ironically, that was the last refrigerator while Escape was in the planning for a new generation to have a trailer door that would fit other refrigerators.

Of course, they have their choice now but many of us are glad to have classics with a refrigerator that works. That said, I will have to see if that holds up in extended Texas weather. Did have it in Texas quite a lot but only some time was hot weather.
Hi Cathy . After I had to fix our refrigerator with lots of help too, it has been working fine . Really didn't want a larger refrigerator to take up space . We always bring a cooler too. The last 2 summers traveled In Temps in the high 90's to over 100 in summer . Refrigerator worked great . On 4 always , in morning down to 31. Up to 36-38 later in the day . If We had door opened in heat she might get up to 41-43 . But the refrigerator recovered real fast unlike before . Once in the 70's , refrigerator in the shade at beach , refrigerator got up to 56 and took forever to go down . Have never experienced temps like that again . We do put the frig guard in at summer . No need in winter camping . I even made ice cubes my last camping trip . I insulated the whole cavity , added fans in and out , moved the thermistor to dangle and use fridge quard in summer . This is our 3 rd Dometic and not the best to start out . But the first thing I noticed was how insulated the other 2 were . This one was not . The outside temps could really affect the refrigerator . Extreme coolers , which we have have one have thicknwalls , now our refrigerator does too . If it ever becomes a problem there are refrigerators out there that will fit through the door . May even go to a truck frig . Not worried about it anymore and have been fine Otherwise you would hear me complaining . Pat
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Old 06-27-2017, 04:37 PM   #311
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Pat, I know that you did all of those fixes though. But glad to hear that yours is working well now!
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Old 06-27-2017, 05:07 PM   #312
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Santiago, I installed a 7.3 cuft Nova Kool RFU8320 and it also went through the door sideways with the doors and hinges removed....love that big freezer!
Steve, I see why you need to remove so much to get your unit into the trailer - it's a 7.3 cf unit. I did not want to do more work than necessary and went with the 6.8 cf. This one went through the trailer door without removing anything on the fridge nor the trailer. It was the same width as the standard ETI propane one and did not required enlarging the refrigerator cabinet.

Would have preferred the larger one but not as gung ho as you.
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Old 06-27-2017, 07:39 PM   #313
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Before leaving home in April I made the following mods to my RMD8555:

- put baffles in the roof vent and side vent
- unmounted the thermistor inside the fridge and let it hang
- shorted the small fans in the back so that they run all the time

One or more of the above seems to have done the trick. My fridge has performed well so far. It did get warm yesterday while I was towing along the Salmon River in Idaho-- my truck's thermometer read 100 F, and later I saw that SensorPush had recorded a fridge temperature of 49.8 then. But normally it stays below 42, so I'm happy. After all, if it's that hot outside I need to be somewhere else, which is why I bought the trailer in the first place.
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Old 07-02-2017, 09:33 PM   #314
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Well, I haven't left Hell's Canyon yet, and it's still hot. But the good news is that the fridge is holding up. The high temperature today and yesterday was around 100F. My fridge has stayed in the 30s. Good! It's on line voltage at my current location, Woodhead Park.

I've noticed that one sure way of raising the temperature in the fridge is to put something in it that is at room temperature. I have a 1.5 gallon container with a spigot that I cold-brew tea in, then set it in the fridge. I can count on the fridge temp to go to 50F for a while. On the other hand, the large volume of liquid in the fridge probably helps to moderate its temperature, once it's cooled off.
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Old 07-07-2017, 12:42 PM   #315
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So is this aquastat that turns on at 110deg F and off at 90deg from posting page 279 still working for you? So you feel it is not coming on too soon to start the cooling process?
Do you know what is the OEM aquastat setting? The numbers on mine suggest it comes on at 70 celsius which is 158deg F., but I can't read what might be the cut off temperature.
Thank you,
Larry
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Old 07-07-2017, 01:39 PM   #316
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My fans never came on and I figured like you the orig. fan set start point was 70C. The aquastat is installed on the return line to the boiler at the bottom of the compartment. It now takes about 10 min. to turn the fans on this summer. The aquastat is located at the coolest point in the service compartment and I think the fans have helped.
The Casita Forum and FGRV Forum both have frig. performance threads going on now.(Very long threads.) Keeping the flue heat away from the condensing coils and getting the flue heat out of the service compartment has delivered the best frig. results. Some are using passive chimneys and baffles and others are using fans at the upper vent.
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Old 07-08-2017, 07:21 AM   #317
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
Before leaving home in April I made the following mods to my RMD8555:

- put baffles in the roof vent and side vent
- unmounted the thermistor inside the fridge and let it hang
- shorted the small fans in the back so that they run all the time
Do you or someone on the forum have photos of the baffle design you fabricated? I am concerned about keeping the draft going and safety but at the same time I understand the potential issue of too much draft.
Thanks,
Larry
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:14 AM   #318
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Here's mine.
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