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Old 10-08-2016, 11:31 PM   #1
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"Tropical" refridgerator?

When in Australia (where "mains power" is 240volts) our "caravan" (camp trailer) had a 3-way "tropical" rated refrigerator*. Does anyone know if such can be purchased in North America?

Do the "tropical" refrigerators have a different cooling unit or are they just better insulated?

Could we us an Aussie refrigerator in a 19' Escape (with a step up transformer to get the needed 240v)?


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*(which was gas/12v/240v)
See Caravan Fridges - Making Them Work Efficiently , the last part.
Also search for Dometic RM2453 or RM2553 or RM4601
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Old 10-09-2016, 02:40 PM   #2
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Escapes with the new style body (with the wider flat door) use this series of refrigerator - the Americana series, as discussed earlier. With the new body you don't need to adapt an Australian model; with the original body the door is narrow to get these refrigerator models in.
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:09 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Escapes with the new style body (with the wider flat door) use this series of refrigerator - the Americana series, as discussed earlier. With the new body you don't need to adapt an Australian model; with the original body the door is narrow to get these refrigerator models in.
Sorry to be a bit slow on this...
I can't find where the Americana Dometic refrigerators are climate class "T" or "ST". One post says that they are reputed to be equivalent to climate class "N", but that is still 32 deg C.
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Old 10-09-2016, 07:19 PM   #4
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I can't find where the Americana Dometic refrigerators are climate class "T" or "ST". One post says that they are reputed to be equivalent to climate class "N", but that is still 32 deg C.
Those ratings are not used in North America, so it's hard to tell. It is possible that Dometic makes a refrigerator by the same model number but with different cooling units or insulation for two different markets, but that doesn't make much sense to me. The only difference between 240 volt and 120 volt appliances would be the style of the plug on the cord, and the heater (an easily replaceable part).
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Old 10-09-2016, 08:44 PM   #5
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Dometic main site and the Australian site told me to talk to the North America group, which doesn't seem to know anything about "tropical". Wish they had them here.

The supplier we use while in Australia (caravansplus.com.au) said "To be honest, I have no idea. The US and Australia share some very similar climates, so I can\`t see why they wouldn\`t be available there. "

Easiest thing for me to do is just order the 19 with standard fridg and see if it meets my needs before I spend the $ to get an Aussie one.
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Old 10-09-2016, 09:50 PM   #6
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Tropical is just a word unless there are specific data for comparison.
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:00 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Those ratings are not used in North America, so it's hard to tell. It is possible that Dometic makes a refrigerator by the same model number but with different cooling units or insulation for two different markets, but that doesn't make much sense to me. The only difference between 240 volt and 120 volt appliances would be the style of the plug on the cord, and the heater (an easily replaceable part).
There are some differences. For example, most of the Tropical versions add a vent to the outside at the top of the heater. This takes the hot flue gases from the top of the heater and vents them to the outside, rather than running them across the rest of the refrigerator coils. See Dometic 3776 White Flue Kit. This is available in Australia, but not in the US & I have not found anyone willing to ship one to me.

Here is a PDF that shows how it is installed.

I'm sure there are other modifications to increase hot weather performance...
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:06 PM   #8
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See Caravan Fridges - Making Them Work Efficiently , the last part for data
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:17 PM   #9
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There are some differences. For example, most of the Tropical versions add a vent to the outside at the top of the heater. This takes the hot flue gases from the top of the heater and vents them to the outside, rather than running them across the rest of the refrigerator coils. See Dometic 3776 White Flue Kit. This is available in Australia, but not in the US & I have not found anyone willing to ship one to me.

Here is a PDF that shows how it is installed.

I'm sure there are other modifications to increase hot weather performance...
Sounds interesting. Have you asked caravansplus.com.au if they would ship you one? They have always been helpful for me when in Australia. Would be nice to see someone try one of these kits to see if (1) it could be retrofitted to our North America models and (2) how much difference it makes.
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:26 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl View Post
Sorry to be a bit slow on this...
I can't find where the Americana Dometic refrigerators are climate class "T" or "ST". One post says that they are reputed to be equivalent to climate class "N", but that is still 32 deg C.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Those ratings are not used in North America, so it's hard to tell. It is possible that Dometic makes a refrigerator by the same model number but with different cooling units or insulation for two different markets, but that doesn't make much sense to me. The only difference between 240 volt and 120 volt appliances would be the style of the plug on the cord, and the heater (an easily replaceable part).
Brian is correct. "Climate Class" ratings don't apply to North America, so the manufacturers don't publish them for fridges made for the North American market. The "Americana" line of fridges is a case in point.

However, studies of the fridge performance against fridges which do have a climate class rating are able to come up with a climate class "equivalent". The Americana fridge offered now by Escape has an equivalent to "N" or Normal. Much more suitable for the North American market than the previous model, which was rated "SN" or sub-normal.

The biggest difference seems to be the enclosure itself is much better insulated in Tropical rated fridges, and as Jon pointed out, they exhaust heat better. The cooling units appear to be similar. To hear some refrigeration technicians tell it, the cooling units are actually identical.

Unless the fridge is intended for sale in Europe, Australia, etc, it won't have a Climate Class rating. I know of know reseller who offers a Tropical rated RV absorption fridge in North America. If they did, I suspect they could not keep up with demand for them.
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