Just ran across this for converting an absorption Domestic or Norcold to a residential compressor driven fridge?
Products | JC Refrigeration (http://jc-refrigeration.com/products/)
Very interesting...
I just read that also. Frozen ice cream? Hmmm
DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D We just got off the phone with them!!! They are in the final stages of manufacturing the compressor cooling unit for a Dometic RM 7832; all the testing has been completed and it works beautifully, they said.
We are ecstatic to announce that we are on the books to get it installed on May 16th, and will be one of the first to try out this new system!!!!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance:
The appointment is tentative on them getting it finished, but they are fairly certain they will be ready to install. We said that we'd be much happier with a little delay over installing a new absorption cooling unit! b^.^d b^.^d b^.^d b^.^d b^.^d
I'll be watching this with interest, it sounds good. I wonder if they will do a Dometic Dnr1282
Very interesting indeed. We had our cooling unit replaced last Labor Day with the traditional Amish Cooling Unit. Working great so far and hope to have many years of full timing with this unit. If it ever fails, this new unit would be something to consider if they have one for my RM2862.
Progress, isn't it great? ^.^d
I would give them a call...I see a ndr-1292 listed
Siren was your freezer compressor dead? Or is this for the refer side?
Siren, very interesting.
We will also be at JC Refrigeration May16 having our cooling unit replaced.
Sounds very interesting and could be a nice option depending on price to convert.
But I wonder what their statement "It pulls less than 1 Amp" actually means in real world usage.
Siren, would you mind telling us what the cost and process involved once you're done? IOW do they pull out the fridge and install the new compressor inside your coach? Or does it have to be taken outside?
They do everything from inside.
This appears to be a 120v only conversion. 1 amp at 120v is 120 watts. Our Samsung 19 cu ft refrigerator has averaged 74.6 watts per hour. Peak loads are 135 watts or 1.125 amps. The conversion is a much smaller cooling unit.
At 12 volts (nominal) the inverter will use about 10 amps plus some for inefficiency plus whatever it takes to just operate the inverter (which for older inverters may be several more amps).
This is a good application for a small (4-500 watts), very efficient inverter.
There are also marine style conversions that some have used. These are typically high efficiency, and 12 volt is available. The dometic box looks to be well insulated compared to most domestic refrigerators, so a pretty good candidate for retrofit.
So what are we looking at in rough dollars to convert?
Thanks,
Len
I read $900 plus install.. $300..
That's what I read on another forum
This seems like the right thread to share our great service from JC Refrigeration.
I traveled to Shipshewanna in October to have a new Amish cooling unit installed. I enjoying the area and JR and his team did a great job. I returned home and put the coach in storage, indoors and plugged in.
We headed out for a month in February. A few days after arriving in Ft Desoto the fridge warmed up, freezer stayed cold. I spent some time on the phone with JR troubleshooting. We tested a few things but saw no improvement.
JR dispatched a brand new cooling unit and a shipshewanna trained tech to my campsite., arriving 3 days after our first call. Knowing we were on vacation the tech came out the day he received the unit. He was booked for days but came after hours, arriving around 7:00PM. He stayed until 2:00AM, after he made sure my fridge was cold. He also called the next day to make sure everything was working.
JR was truly apologetic. He said it's a rare occurrence but once in a great while a bad one gets out of the factory. He paid for everything and extended my warranty before I had a chance to ask.
They stood behind their product and in my case went above and beyond to address my situation right away. We are happy customers and give them two thumbs up.
I believe that's about $400 more than the standard cooling unit. I think we paid $600 plus $200 for installation. This included one exhaust fan and an ARP install... I provided the ARP.
This new unit seems like a good value. No cabinet work needed.
The standard warranty on a new residential or dometic is 12 months. I have 5 years on Amish unit, 2 years standard and I paid a bit more for 3 more years.
If one is interested in the popular 10 cu ft Whirlpool-style fridge from Lowe's, price is around $400.
Fits in a 2' x 5' space without cabinet changes.
Serving us well for last 6 years, even with a couple of weeks of Quartzsite Lemon Gathering desert camping and full-timing all year.
Home Depot has it on sale for $300
https://goo.gl/ZWeMhz
Had Keith Davis At MOT change mine to full size Samsung . Best money ever spent.
Do not waste money on dometic.
I also have the one from Home Depot. If you need a small unit this one is great.
This is what a "game changer" looks like me thinks.
If this had been available last year I might not have went to the Samsung replacing our Dometic 1492
And copied from another source... a response from the mfg ..about a "fitment & electrical draw/usage" question..
"Good evening, I will try to answer all your questions, yes your 1210 is replaceable with our Hvac unit, and all your electronics such as board, ice maker etc. stay the same, all your doing is changing the cooling system, the reason you need at least a 1000W is it takes 8A in a split second to kick it then it drops down to less than 1A.........
As far as clearance, this unit is not as deep as your existing unit, your compressor is the deepest but that is mounted to where it will be in the side vent and therefore your unit can be all the way back against the wall and still fit.......... believe me that has all been worked out
Thanks for asking JR"
http://jc-refrigeration.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/New-Unit_wiring-from-top.png
I've seen many of these in boats, an standard liquid cool plate with in this case 120v compressor instead of 12 or 24 volts. I would like to know what refrigerant they are using and the design parameters, curious about energy requirements during high ambient conditions.
Yup, with "less than 1 amp draw" after initial startup, gotta be a small compressor, but it may just have to run longer to achieve the needed cooling..
No idea at this time how this will do in 110+ deg heat..
I'm not smart enough to know if this would be comparable to an absorption fridge electrical usage. during 110+ deg heat...
I don't see this conversion as a comparable replacement for a modern residential refrigerator. Yes, it uses a conventional compressor/freon system that will probably cool better, not be as sensitive to being perfectly level, be safer than the ammonia system, etc. If those are the main concerns then this might be a good choice.
The extra interior space and, more importantly, the automatic defrosting of a new refrigerator are a huge benefit that would not be gained by this conversion. Before replacing my Dometic with a Samsung, breaking ice or defrosting the freezer cooling unit might be required as often as a couple times per week, and the internal fridge fins maybe once per week. A major hassle. Adding internal fans helped but didn't eliminate that issue. Maybe other model Dometics or Norcold are better at defrosting than mine was? Now, it's a total non-issue.
My Dometic also already had a separate, dedicated freon compressor system for the icemaker. I wonder if they'd combine the 2 cooling circuits or run both compressors?
To me, losing the flexibility of propane without gaining the full benefits of residential would not be a good investment.
I'm with bdale.
10 amps is a LOT of juice unless you are ALWAYS plugged-in somewhere.
The lack of a propane fridge could be a drawback when one tries to sell their coach.
It would be a deal breaker for me.
Converting propane absorbtion fridge to electric compressor is a brilliant idea. Fins will still freeze up and need defrosting. Our Whirlpool has an electric heating element for automatic defrosting, one of the better features of buying electric. Our hair dryer is gathering dust.
I think it's wonderful that there are so many options available, that while not all of them are perfect for everybody, usually everyone finds something that works perfectly for them.
Our reasons behind choosing this new residential cooling unit are unique, and perfect to us.
1. We cannot install a full size Samsung fridge, because our cat condo access hole is underneath the Dometic. As long as we have kitties, this will never be an option to give up that space.
2. We like having an ice maker built into our freezer; going with a Whirlpool or similar smaller residential, or even a Vitrifrigo unit would not have that feature.
3. We love the wood paneling that matches the rest of our beautiful walnut interior.
And as far as defrosting, we only need to defrost the freezer maybe once every 3 months; I can't remember the last time we had to tend to the fridge. Installing two of those fans made all the difference. ^.^d
Our installation date of this awesome new cooling unit has been moved up to Tuesday, May 15th. :dance: :dance: :dance:
Today is the day!!! :D :D :D
We are pulled up to the door and J.R. is going to bring us in in just a few mintues. We are getting one of the VERY FIRST EVER residential cooling units for Dometic 7832 installed NOW! YAHHOOOOOOO!!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
Parking lot is full. :giggle: :giggle: :giggle:
Great. We are scheduled to have our Dometic cooling unit replaced tomorrow.
We are currently at the Van Wert fairground campground and are 1:30 away. Will be there this afternoon.
Hoping to meet you two.
Ask for a factory tour, it's pretty awesome!
Can't wait to learn more about these new units. Be sure to fill up your new freezer at Yoder's Market. I enjoyed my trip to Shipshewana so much that we are headed back in September to go to the flea market and Yoder's.
Amanda,
Please take/post a lot of pictures of the conversion.
Thanks.
Two Foretravels passing at JC Refrigeration, Shipshewana, Ind.
Dan & Amanda had their conversion/upgrade done today and we are in line for tomorrow.
Yes, we'll take pictures.
Wow, a sailor and a photographer!
Can't beat that.
I can do one, Dianne, the other!
Great picture!
Our first morning waking up to our new "residential" fridge, and MAN, is it CCCOOOOOLLLLDDDD! We are SO pleased with the workmanship and quality of product and person at J.C. Refrigeration. ^.^d ^.^d
It was nice seeing another Foretravel pull into the parking lot behind us. We enjoyed meeting Dick & Sue, and chatting about all things Foretravel & Sailing. We also got to peak inside their 1999 U320 36', and saw some of the upgrades they have done to their coach. :)
Definitely would recommend J.C. Refrigeration. JR was a stand up guy, and he and his boys worked flawlessly. We are so grateful to add them to our list of "absolutely would return" if we needed any other refrigeration work done.
Now to go grocery shopping...... :dance:
Here are a few pictures I took during the process. Having 4 guys working in the coach with the fridge out doesn't give you any space to walk around and take pictures, so I waited until lunch break.
Here is the old absortion cooling unit, looking sad and dirty sitting outside the coach.
And here are a few pictures of the AMAZING new "residential" style compressor cooling unit.
Was our turn today. Into the garage at 6:45am and out by 9:00 am!
Amanda beat me to posting pictures, but I have a few to add.
Woke up this morning to 2 additional coaches in the parking lot.
A 2003 BlueBird went in right after us.
JR had us stay in the parking lot for a couple of hours just to make sure everything was working. The freezer is now at Zero degrees.
JR suggested that we add a fan ($25) to the upper end of the cooling unit. Said that it would work better.
and we did.
Spent some time with Dan & Amanda before they headed off to their next adventure.
I attached some pictures of our install and tried not to duplicate Amanda's posting.
Some of the shop area
Last 2 for now.
The shop...all run by a generator.
Smart business man.....he sees the writing on the wall :)
I think that the quote of the day by JR was "Ammonia, the smell of money" .
Amish living off the grid.
Total cost out the door?
Our total cost, out the door was $1,357.65.
$895 for the residential cooling unit
$62.65 for 7% Indiana Sales Tax
$400 for the install
We are getting ready to make the move to either Amish, residential or this conversion. Would very much appreciate an update on your experience so far as to power usage. I am not trying to revisit the propane/residential discussion.
I spoke with JR recently and they can do this for our Norcold 841R. When I look at the residential, I think the larger interior is at the expense of insulation. Currently we do not run the propane while underway and have not had a problem with warming being outside of acceptable norms to us. I think this insulation should translate to lower total draw. While this would seem obvious, it would be invaluable to have your experiences. I very much appreciate your pioneering this technology. Thanks!
Good Morning George,
The Norcold 841R at least has some usable freezer space. The side by side Dometic we had in our coach was so limited in freezer space that it was a big reason we switched to a residential. It was so narrow that even a small 7" pie wouldn't fit on a shelf let alone a frozen pizza or anything bigger. And it wasn't cooling very well.
The smaller apt sized residential refrigerators probably are not as well insulated as the bigger ones. Our 19 cu ft Samsung is about the smallest full sized cabinet depth one you can get. The doors and handles stick out into the interior space compared to the almost flush OEM refrigerators. But we went from about 9.5 cut ft to 19 cu ft. and much more freezer space. For us it was a great move. Our Samsung averages about 75 watts (6 amps from the battery) per hour and runs on a smaller inverter. This is not an insignificant power use. We sold our Dometic which made the total cost about $800 including a 5 yr extended warranty on the refrigerator.
Interesting choices now. This electric conversion would be appealing with your refrigerator configuration.
The JR conversion says it uses less than 1 amp. NovaKool refrigerators about the size of yours with a variable speed Danfoss compressor draw about 5.2 amps running.
Roger
We have one of the (smaller size apt fridges) at 11 cft and are very happy with the performance running off a 1000 watt separate PS inverter. We can live very well off the contents for a week with no problem. Stacking a bigger fridge with lots more food is not the way we live as we like to buy as much fresh food as possible, when possible. I would say the total cost of the purchase and install was around $400 as I did it myself and the weight of it is less than the old one. If you live off frozen food then a bigger one is needed for sure, but this one has a very decent capacity for it's size.
FWIW
JohnH
Many of the smaller res refrigerators use about the same amount of power as the bigger ones. Our Samsung weighs less than 1/2 of the Dometic we took out. We make a lot of stews, soups, chili, roasted peppers, roasted corn and other stuff in bigger batches and freeze it in smaller containers for use as we need it. We make pies in the fall from our apple trees, usually 25 or more. We bring a couple of those to share. We smoke ribs in bigger batches and freeze those too. When we leave for elsewhere our freezer in the coach is pretty full. Our old Dometic just didn't work for that.
You can put in whatever you want. Lots of choices and options.
Roger,
From the sounds of your freezer, I sure hope to cross paths with you one of these days.
We will be in Michigan for August and the UP into September. There is always room at Camp Hastings as well.
George & Steph - we LOVE our new residential conversion. To answer your question specifically on power draw, we don't know exactly. I'm not sure how to calculate that. We don't have to go from power pole to power pole, but choose it most of the time. Our conversion fridge doesn't require a separate inverter like the big residentials do. Our inverter in generally on all the time. When we are driving, it is on because we are using the Bose surround sound and charging our cell phones and computers, so that means our fridge is on and running all the time. I'm sorry we can't be more exact on what power it is drawing.
Regarding insulation, JR really does a great job refoaming the entire compartment. We used to feel a slight draft from the corners of our fridge before, and it is solid and air tight now. The fridge is cold and the freezer is rock hard. The only downside to us not going with a new residential is that we still can't freeze one of Roger & Susan's strawberry rhubarb pies or one of their famous delicious apple pies - we have to eat them as soon we receive them because they simply don't fit. :P
I'm assuming that since you have a U270, you can't go full Samsung big size fridge because of space limitations, correct? So if you are considering a "residential," you are looking at one of the smaller units, right? That may work fine without any cabinet modifications, I'm not sure. But yes, I'm not sure about the insulation, and power draw of those units either. I know they didn't come with an ice maker, so that was a deal breaker for us.
Of the 3 options you are considering, I would eliminate the standard Amish cooling unit. If you aren't running propane when you drive anyway, there is no added benefit of going this route. It weighs a TON more than the new Amish "Residential" conversion unit, and I'm pretty sure this is just as power efficient as the standard absorption units, even though I can't back that up with numbers. I also don't hear the "hum" that people discuss with standard residential fridges.
Deciding between a standard residential and this conversion is totally your decision. Price wise, for sure you can get a small residential for cheaper than this conversion; just not sure about the insulation and the power draw and cabinet size alterations.
I'm sure this didn't help you at all. :P
Speaking of strawberry rhubarb pies and your really big RV freezer.....whatcha think about putting an extra pie in there for us when we see you in Michigan in a few weeks? ^.^d We can eat it together over a game of Quiddler or Uno.
Thank you Amanda and Douglas so much for your feedback on the conversion. This winter we definitely felt air invasion around the unit.
Yes we have the smaller fridge with no room for anything larger with the CS floor plan. But we are very similar to John in that we are fresh food devotees. We don't need a larger unit.
We spend as much time as possible off the post. Rodger has posted some excellent studies of power usage and we are fairly confident of our power resources. Just checking to see if anything unexpectedly popped up after you left the shop. Or had any regrets. I think it is probably a good fit for us and we are leaning in that direction. Again thanks for taking the risk of being an early adopter and sharing your experience.
Apple pie, yes. Strawberry rhubarb probably. The rhubarb is late June. Fresh is best but they might freeze OK.
I have one of these, I will bring that along with the pie.
Amazon.com: Extech DC400 Mini 400A DC Clamp Meter: Home Improvement (https://amazon.com/gp/product/B000K2CWLI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Very handy for measuring current flow. Your refrig probably has a small steady state load and a higher load while running.
I would still be very interested in seeing the real-world power consumption of the JC Refrigeration conversion unit.
JC-Refrigeration Conversion, Measured Power Consumption (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=35170.0)
Does anyone know if they have a compressor solution for a Dometic NDR1492? If so and installed, how well has it worked?
I have an email out to JC Refrigeration to find out.
12v or 120v?
We have scheduled our conversion at JC Refrigeration for April 2023. We are undecided between the 12v and the 120v compressors. Any/all feedback or experience would be greatly appreciated.
if it where me id go with the 12v no inverter needed, if you dry camp much. 120v if you run pole to pole. But you will need to run your generator or inverter while traveling.
12 volt much better. You said compressors, would that be one for the fridge and one for the
freezer would be awesome as you can run the freezer as a fridge if you don't need the freezer.
I would get the system that the motors slows down and speeds up to maintain temperature as
it is more efficient.
JR conversion a nice option. It solves the problem of getting the old unit out and the new unit inside. It requires no engineering of how to mount a residential unit safely and providing the correct airflow around the unit. Plus no cabinet work required! It's safer than propane and rather efficient for a compressor fridge. Also the doors don't fly open when you turn a corner. My 10.1 Magic Chef res refrigerator averages 2.2 amps per hour which includes auto defrost. Our Norcold box was falling apart and not a candidate for converting. We love our Magic Chef but it would never have worked off grid with our old house batteries. Thank you Roger for your help in thinking through our lithium upgrade.
Has anyone considered a Peltier cooler for the coach basement ? A fellow bought one at an estate sale but without cord so advertised it for free. I picked it up, bought a 12V cord for the car and 110V to 12V adapter in case we want to use it in the house. It holds 48 quarts and does an amazing job keeping things cold. We throw it in the back of the SUV for trips to Costco/Winco and in the basement of the coach for trips. Amazon has examples here: Amazon.com : electric coolers for vehicles (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=electric+coolers+for+vehicles&crid=10MX3DNAVADUS&sprefix=electric+cooler%2Caps%2C203&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_15) Ours draws 6 amps.
No moving parts so it can be mounted at any angle and should last forever. Not as efficient as a compressor fridge but the kits are cheap so one could build a well insulated box for little $$. Not much skill required to make these work. Amazon.com : peltier cooler kit (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=peltier+cooler+kit&crid=3IRTFKU4GZBLX&sprefix=peltier+cooler+kit%2Caps%2C210&ref=nb_sb_noss_1)
Pierce
That's easy: 12V. This saves you the conversion loss of running an inverter for the 110VAC.
I want to think that JC is using the Danfoss rotary scroll compressor and variable frequency drive as this is state of the art and the most efficient way to use scarce electricity. But I don't know and I'm happy with my Amish cooling unit. As long as the outside air temperatures stay out of the 90s I have hard ice cream.
Another vote for 12v. Why take 12v power and invert it to 120v at way less than 100% efficiency when you can use 12v power and not have to have your inverter on 100% of the time?
We had JR install the 120v conversion and had him take it out a year later to install the 12v system.
The one comment I would make about installing a new cooling unit in an old refrigerator has to do with defrosting. We updated our old Dometic with a new propane/electric cooling unit from JR Refrigeration had major frost issues when camping for extended periods in Florida and the cooling unit failed after about 5 years of use. I don't know whether or not I defrosted it improperly, but it failed while in Florida. I replaced it with a Samsung RF18 and have been extremely pleased with the larger size, the lack of frost and the overall improved cooling performance.
Thanks. I totally get the concept of the 12v being more efficient and eliminates the inverter. I am leaning that direction.
I was hoping to find people with experience with the 12v and 120v conversions. It seems the 120v conversion is very popular in other RV forums.
While I know it is an option, I am not interested in a residential conversion. We want to maintain the wood cabinets that match the coach.
While I certainly appreciate your opinion, there ar three key factors that make the residential refrigerator the appropriate choice for us.
1. The much larger capacity serves us much better for our extended stays in the motorhome.
2. The significantly improved cooling is a major plus.
3. The automatic defrosting when in the humid Southeast is nearly a necessity.
We had JC Refrigeration install their Amish cooling unit in our coach. The unit died on our first trip, to Ft. Desoto in Fl. To JC's credit they overnighted a new unit and sent a tech to do the replacement on site. We still had cooling issues when facing the sun and we were always worrying about keeping it cold enough. We did have an ARP unit but still worried about fire...not worried but ait was always in the back of our minds.
We didn't want to cut into the cabinetry and installed a Hotpoint 10.1 CF residential fridge. We have never looked back. The fridge takes up the same footprint but is much larger inside. Everything stays cold, even if the fridge side is in the sun.
Now we wonder why we waited so long to go residential.
Has anyone had MOT install the JC Refrigeration 12v unit?
We need a bunch of things fixed and Shipshewana, IN. is pretty far out of the way. We're considering having it shipped to MOT and having them install it.