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Old 04-10-2020, 02:07 PM   #1
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Best choice on fridge ??

My 19 build sheet is due april 14th and i still haven't decided on the fridge. I like the idea of the bigger freezer for our use i believe that be the only plus for us to upgrade. how much more room in the freezer?
I know they had some fridge problems in the past is one of these unit more prone to problem?also it looks like the bigger fridge would draw to much power to run on 12 volt while traveling. Looking for suggestions . Thanks


P.s any one know the mode of these 2 fridges ?
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Old 04-10-2020, 02:20 PM   #2
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Most people do not use the 12 volt function on any model fridge as the tow vehicle’s wiring is not thick enough to carry the amount of current required.

We are always out and about and can pick up stuff at a store so we have the normal fridge. If you are a person that stays a week in the bush...then you might want the big fridge.
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Old 04-10-2020, 02:42 PM   #3
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I had the smaller unit in my E19 and the larger in my E21, personally, I was happy with the smaller unit. easier to cool down and the freezer was basically only for keeping ice and ice cream which can easily be done in the smaller single door unit in the E19. Propane is the best way to cool with 120v if you have hookups. The 12v function should not be used for various reasons mentioned already.
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Old 04-10-2020, 02:52 PM   #4
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We like the big fridge in our 19. Keep quite a bit of frozen meats, etc so we can prolong shopping on longer trips. Easy to carry extra dry goods in back of truck for resupply, but fridge has to be able to store enough perishables to make the plan work.
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Old 04-10-2020, 02:56 PM   #5
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If you do get the stock single door unit, that space above the refer is a nice dry goods pantry. Otherwise the microwave goes there,
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Old 04-10-2020, 03:32 PM   #6
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As I'm working through my own Build-Sheet with ETI at the moment, one way I look at this sort of choice: "What's the cost / difficulty of an after-purchase upgrade if I 'go small' and later suffer remorse?"

In the case of the reefer both are high. There's mods that can be done to increase the efficiency ('effective capacity') of general storage in the E19; not so when it comes to reefer capacity.

Me, I'm looking forward to much more generous cold-storage capacity (as well as storage in general) in my move from the Casita to an Escape.

Just for your consideration, YMMV.
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Old 04-10-2020, 03:50 PM   #7
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The large fridge option in our E19 works great. Camped few times for days where daylight temps went above 100 and the fridge didn't miss a beat. I tested it on 12v (22-24 amp) just to see it actually works but when out camping always use it on propane.
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Old 04-11-2020, 05:42 AM   #8
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I’m not going to pull any punches here. I have had small refrigerators and large refrigerators in various trailers, all have been absorption refrigerators, and they all have, for lack of a more descriptive term sucked.
I did not find either size cooled down any faster but even the larger sized refrigerators are still relatively limited in their capacity. I typically relocate the thermistor off of the internal fins to promote better performance, and I find it takes 4 or 5 hours on 120vac when starting up after a period of non use to get to operating temperature. When possible, anything going inside gets pre-chilled. Honestly, for me this is a no-brainer. Refrigerator capacity is better to have and not fully utilize than to not have and wish you did. I would go with the larger size.
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Old 04-11-2020, 07:12 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
I typically relocate the thermistor off of the internal fins to promote better performance, and I find it takes 4 or 5 hours on 120vac when starting up after a period of non use to get to operating temperature. When possible, anything going inside gets pre-chilled.
Carl: Are you suggesting this is abnormal? Sounds pretty reasonable to me for an absorption fridge. I believe most campers turn the fridge on to pre-cool the day before a trip. I have found that pre-chilled food is key as well for initial stability of temperature.
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Old 04-11-2020, 08:38 AM   #10
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does anyone know the model numbers of these fridges ?I am trying to figure out the freezer capacity of both units.
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Old 04-11-2020, 08:43 AM   #11
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My 2017 21 refrigerator is a DM2663LBX S# 72792560 958687005.
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Old 04-11-2020, 08:50 AM   #12
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Escape should/would be able to give you model numbers. The Dometic models are a 5 cu/ft 3 way and a 6 cu/ft 3 way according to their website. So it appears to be a 1 cubic foot difference in the refer/freezer section. I know the available space above is more than 1 cu/ft so there must be some dead space above the unit.
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Old 04-11-2020, 09:13 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Escape should/would be able to give you model numbers. The Dometic models are a 5 cu/ft 3 way and a 6 cu/ft 3 way according to their website. So it appears to be a 1 cubic foot difference in the refer/freezer section. I know the available space above is more than 1 cu/ft so there must be some dead space above the unit.



I will get them out a email, but was hoping to finish my build sheet over the weekend. as stated i only interested is the increase size of the freezer. if the freezer not twice the size I will just stick with the smaller unit, as i like to have that space above. If i could get model number i could probably find out the freezer size on both units
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Old 04-11-2020, 09:15 AM   #14
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Reefers

Quote:
Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
I’m not going to pull any punches here. I have had small refrigerators and large refrigerators in various trailers, all have been absorption refrigerators, and they all have, for lack of a more descriptive term sucked.
I did not find either size cooled down any faster but even the larger sized refrigerators are still relatively limited in their capacity. I typically relocate the thermistor off of the internal fins to promote better performance, and I find it takes 4 or 5 hours on 120vac when starting up after a period of non use to get to operating temperature. When possible, anything going inside gets pre-chilled. Honestly, for me this is a no-brainer. Refrigerator capacity is better to have and not fully utilize than to not have and wish you did. I would go with the larger size.
Hi Carl
Like you, we precool the refrigerator, use the freezer for meat and frozen goods when out for an extended period of time and get by pretty good in "normal weather". When it is in the 90s or above the refrigerator in the 2013 21 Escape struggles.The freezer may warm up some but stays frozen well. For guaranteed 34 degree F refrigeration performance we have an Engel 12v/120V freezer/refrigerator that works great. It has a very low amp draw. something like .8 to 2.8 so the solar keeps the batteries up easily when needed. If we have hookups we switch over ( change cords) to 120 V, We've had the since the fall of 2017 and wouldn't be without it. During the holidays we also use the Engel to keep the beer cold.
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Old 04-11-2020, 09:19 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY View Post
does anyone know the model numbers of these fridges ?I am trying to figure out the freezer capacity of both units.
I asked on 2/21/2020 I was given the following in an email from ETI:

5 cuft = Dometic RM2554
6 cuft = Dometic DM2683
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Old 04-11-2020, 09:39 AM   #16
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Hi Carl
Like you, we precool the refrigerator, use the freezer for meat and frozen goods when out for an extended period of time and get by pretty good in "normal weather". When it is in the 90s or above the refrigerator in the 2013 21 Escape struggles.The freezer may warm up some but stays frozen well. For guaranteed 34 degree F refrigeration performance we have an Engel 12v/120V freezer/refrigerator that works great. It has a very low amp draw. something like .8 to 2.8 so the solar keeps the batteries up easily when needed. If we have hookups we switch over ( change cords) to 120 V, We've had the since the fall of 2017 and wouldn't be without it. During the holidays we also use the Engel to keep the beer cold.
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Kinda like comparing apples and oranges for your original fridge vs the ones Escape uses now. The RM8555/RM8551 shouldn't have been used by Escape as it was not intended for the US/Canadian market but for northern Europe. It had cooling problems from the start.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ling-5344.html

Escape uses the DM2683LBFX for the 6 cu ft model.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post318590

The last I heard, they were using the RM 2554 for the 5 cu ft model.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ions-7403.html

Hope this helps. For what it's worth - I've had both fridges and would pick the DM2683 in a heartbeat over the RM2554. The freezer in the DM2683 can hold a lot more and the double doors keep the freezer from loosing cold as much.
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Old 04-11-2020, 10:03 AM   #17
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I am aware that the new Dometic units are superior to what we have. I was not comparing them, just reporting on our operation and successes and failures. If any Dometic refrigerator/ freezer exhibits a catastrophic failure when I own it, I will not hesitate to reconfigure the space to accommodate a second Engel of whatever model. I am not impressed with Dometic. The swing compressor is superior to absorption cooling in my opinion. Hope everyone has good results with whatever they use. I’ve also used the Engel loaded in the cargo area of the Highlander to haul frozen, farm raised chickens for 400 miles, and for day trips as an alternative to icing down a conventional cooler.
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Old 04-11-2020, 10:19 AM   #18
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I am aware that the new Dometic units are superior to what we have. I was not comparing them, just reporting on our operation and successes and failures. If any Dometic refrigerator/ freezer exhibits a catastrophic failure when I own it, I will not hesitate to reconfigure the space to accommodate a second Engel of whatever model. I am not impressed with Dometic. The swing compressor is superior to absorption cooling in my opinion. Hope everyone has good results with whatever they use. I’ve also used the Engel loaded in the cargo area of the Highlander to haul frozen, farm raised chickens for 400 miles, and for day trips as an alternative to icing down a conventional cooler.
Sorry, I just wanted to point out that for the OP - your fridge problems are not ones that should be worried about as Escape no longer uses the problematic RM8555/RM8551 series in the trailers. If I had owned a RM8555, I would be ticked off as well and would likely never buy another of their products again.

The Engle does seem to be a great fridge - as long as power is available. I still would pick a propane model for boondocking myself. Everyone's camping styles are different and necessitate different needs.
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Old 04-11-2020, 10:20 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Centex View Post
I asked on 2/21/2020 I was given the following in an email from ETI:

5 cuft = Dometic RM2554
6 cuft = Dometic DM2683
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
Kinda like comparing apples and oranges for your original fridge vs the ones Escape uses now. The RM8555/RM8551 shouldn't have been used by Escape as it was not intended for the US/Canadian market but for northern Europe. It had cooling problems from the start.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ling-5344.html

Escape uses the DM2683LBFX for the 6 cu ft model.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post318590

The last I heard, they were using the RM 2554 for the 5 cu ft model.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ions-7403.html

Hope this helps. For what it's worth - I've had both fridges and would pick the DM2683 in a heartbeat over the RM2554. The freezer in the DM2683 can hold a lot more and the double doors keep the freezer from loosing cold as much.

Thanks you this is very helpful



The Dm2663 has 1.70 cu FT freezer and 4.6 cu.ft fridge. I cant find specs on the RM2554 But as TDF-Texas pointed out its much larger
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Old 04-11-2020, 10:41 AM   #20
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All gas absorption reefer/freezers have their inherent quirks, pros, and cons.

The primary alternative to that technology for RVs is the several reefer/freezers utilizing the long-proven Danfoss compressor technology, which has it's own quirks, pros, and cons. Danfoss is of course electric only, available configured for 12VDC, 24VDC, and/or 120VAC operation. Size-for-size Danfoss units consistently have significantly lower amp demand than gas absorption units operating at comparable voltage in the electric mode (that mode utilizing a resistance-heating element to drive the gas absorption cycle).

Nova Kool, refrigerators, freezers, Marine, RV, Truck is one reputable company offering RV reefer/freezers using the Danfoss compressor, and offering similar capacity units which fit in the cutout dimensions for many Dometic models.

No, ETI will not install a Nova Kool in lieu of the Dometic, I asked; I have not asked if ETI would deliver a trailer sans reefer, or if they would, what what sort of <$deduct> that would involve.

While I might like to try a Danfoss technology reefer in my new RV, I've managed just fine for many years with Dometic gas absorption units as have many, many others. For me at least they've been reliable, albeit quirky with their pros and cons. YMMV.

FWIW I'm in the camp that would opt for the largest reefer available when ordering any given RV.
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