Has anyone had experience with the Vitrifrigo refrigerators? The time has come to replace our NDR 1062. Can't do any cabinet modifications because hydraulic wheelchair lift is next to refrigerator. (In my profile photo you might be able to see the side door ForeTravel built-in for the bus style lift).
I have considered converting the Dometic NDR 1062 to electric, or replacing the absorption cooling unit but neither are feasible for me. And I think we have enough power to have a 12v / 120v refrigerator.
Our setup is: Freedom SW Inverter/Charger 12VDC 2000W, with 400 amp hours of Battleborn batteries and six panels of solar. (I'll have to get the specs on panel production off computer at stick house). During daylight, current setup easily runs microwave etc. (Xantrex too small to run microwave at night).
Overnight I'm charging my wheelchair batteries and running a CPAP, computer, LED lighting. Depending on how late we stay up, come morning the Victron BMV shows 50-60% battery capacity left.
Thank you for reading my post! The wealth of knowledge on forum is a blessing. I wish I was more experienced with our Foretravel to contribute more. There's always something new to learn everyday!
Best to everyone here,
Michael
Definitely take a look at Don & Tys' installation posts Marine Style Refrigerator Installation 36' U270 (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=21511.0)
Here's another install from 10 years ago (I believe this was done by FOT) Heading to FOT for Shadow Beast's major renovation and service visit. (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=23857.msg191619#msg191619)
Double check as standard home 10 cu ft fridge that is 2' x 5' fit in place of the original propane fridge. Works great, even has auto defrost. Look for a model with rear exposed coils.
Thank you, Michelle, for the reminder on Don's post. I was aware of his earliest postings on his refrigerator decision/choices. However, I hadn't seen his follow up install, photos etc. Always a pleasure to follow his work.
Barry, you are absolutely on target with your residential suggestion. I did a lot of looking and wanted the 10 cubic foot capacity since my old NDR is in that range as best I can tell. And can't beat the cost! So reasonable. It is tough to go Vitrifrigo. The cost and shipping is nuts.
Decision will ultimately be a compromise:
1. On price the most economical choice possible since any of the truly made to fit custom-built options are beyond reach.
2. Unit needs to be high efficiency and two-way functioning.
3. Unit needs to blend into the look of our coach, wood panel doors.
4. Ease of installation, minimal cab mods and secure doors.
Our space is small without slides and very tight with my powerchair. Having a black, white or stainless refrigerator would be too large a visual mass. We are kind of retro in taste. Our decor is exactly the same as when the coach was built except for LED lighting and the TV which now lives as an electric drop down hidden inside an above dash bookcase. We get lots of questions about life without a TV only because it's concealed from view. I have loved the quiet of the absorption Dometic when off grid in the woods, but propane is more hassle than the electric Danfoss compressor would be running off our solar & Lith batteries. I wish I had found a residential that met our desires and if money had not been a concern, a custom build would have been fun. The Vitrifrigo model that Don installed has been a top candidate thus far.
I have not purchased a refrigerator yet. Maybe Don and/or someone will see this and share a comment on how they like or dislike the Vitifrigo brand or model they have. Always good to hear how things work out for the family of ForeTravel owner's past & present on the forum.
Hey Mike I know you said you considered a conversion but have you seriously looked at JC Referigeration's unit for your fridge? Living in Oregon, I am sure you could get Oregon Motorcoach to do the install.
Dometic 1062 Hvac 12V DC Replacement Unit (FREE SHIPPING) - JC Refrigeration (https://jc-refrigeration.com/product/dometic-1062-hvac-12v-dc-replacement-unit-new/)
Your batteries are a little light, you might consider adding a couple hundred amp/hr. 2-way will always be a problem pricewise.
Jerre
Hi Jerre,
Thanks for stepping in on this! Yes, I've looked into the JC rebuild and electrical conversion cooling units. Discovered them through researching the ARP safety system we installed on our Dometic. There has been lots of back & forth here at our stick house about what to do about a refrigerator.
Some info: I tested separately running fridge on elec and propane. On both, our ARP shut down refrigerator due to high boiler temps of 208C or 407F. Ran multiple cycles. I've thought of bypassing the ARP using only electric to see if any cooling at all takes place. I'm not sure if that has any risks. I would never do that running propane!!! I know that is a for certain FIRE risk.
Oregon Motorcoach has been our go to shop for years. The owners, Matt & Elaina, have been very good to us. Called them this morning and waiting to hear back.
Your suggestion of the JC cooling rebuild either elec or absorption is definitely getting us more excited about this decision. We don't want to deal with the cabinet mods or looks of residential fridges... and losing 2 cubic feet of refrigerator space to something like the Vitrifrigo is tough to swallow after having lots of space for leftovers.
Have you, or (anyone else) had any experience with the JC products? Is elec conversion better than absorption? Pros and cons on either?
Thanks!
Say Mike! Yes we had our old coach put in their 12v unit to our dommetic refer(larger than yours) while at Shipshewanna. Very good people. We know OMC's Matt and Elena well as our other coaches were Country Coaches. I wasn't aware thet JC had any units that keep propane. Their install took about 4 hours at their shop and went very well. They have significantly improved their product line since then. You can also stay behind their shop. Our out the door price was 1600 in 2019. Unfortunately that coach was consumed by the Devil in 2023. There is also a great write up on install just posted.
Jerre
Hi Jerre!,
Do you ever get to Oregon anymore? Be great to meet. We're in Ashland. We keep our travels in the west now.
Spoke with OMC staff. They haven't done a rebuild or conversion of absorption cooling unit for a long time now. All refrigerator requests are going residential. They use Samsung and rebuild cabinetry to fit. Not an option for us because wheelchair entrance door is next to refrigerator and we also want to keep original FT look to coach interior.
Our decision has narrowed down to either absorption or electric JC cooling unit. (We have a dear friend, he retired, sold his Rv shop. He has done 100s of absorption cooling unit replacements of our vintage). He can help us with absorption or electric cooling installation.
Tipping point for us is based on how much sound does the 12v compressor make? Absorption cooling is silent. Tuff to beat that. We're hoping a JC conversion wouldn't be as noticeable as a residential refrigerator since residential are designed to exhaust into living space bringing compressor noise (and waste heat) into the coach.
The compressor on JC electric conversion is outside living space and shouldn't that help sound level inside? I understand sound is a very subjective experience. It's personal just like our coaches are.
When you had the JC electric conversion was the compressor sound noticeable inside your coach? Please forgive me if this is an unrealistic question, ...what would you compare the sound to? Maybe a forum member could post a recording of theirs from a sitting position right in front of refrigerator and one from 3-5 feet away.
Much appreciated!!! :)
Mike, to be honest I don't ever remember hearing the compressor on when in the coach. It is even hard to notice it when looking thru to outside port access. I had to put my fingers on the housing of the pump to make sure it was running. They have significantly upgraded their product line with improvements that we never had, like interior controls, fans and lighting. If we had a Foretravel with the adsorption unit, I wouldn't hesitate to go with JC, especially with your unique requirements.
Jerre
Thanks Jerre,
I'm calling JC Refrigeration on Monday. I have a few remaining questions about fan noise. Why they chose axial fans instead of squirrel cage SCF fans? Axial usually louder. We currently have the ARP 5.1 system SCF fans inside and outside refrigerator which are temp activated. Never any frost build. So quiet inside fridge, I have to reach in with my finger to physically confirm the tiny fans are running. The much larger outside SCF is multiple times quieter than my desktop computer. I'm glad the JC conversion is back on our list of choices. We've loved the quiet of the Dometic but also wanted to get away from the absorption system for years. Success now maybe a JC conversion with SCF fans?
Really good news is we have help now from an experienced installer here in Southern Oregon that has done hundreds of Dometic cooling unit replacement/rebuilds. He is a very good friend that owned an Rv repair shop for years, now retired. I wasn't expecting him to step in and help us. Retirement is doing what you want to without expectations from your friends for what one's former "working life" was all about. We have a long history, he helped me design/install wheelchair access modifications to my first Rv... a 14 foot trailer. Big step up in travel comfort to our 36 FT we now call our traveling DogHouse.
I'll follow up here what I learn from JC Refrigeration on Monday.
Thxs, Michael
Posting to close out this thread. Went with the JC Refrigeration 12v conversion for Dometic NDR 1062.
We're into the 2nd of two cooling units now. First one I refused due to extensive damage to the shipping carton. Front ripped off. Punctures large enough for my arm to reach all the way into carton. JCR felt I should unpack, take photos and if they determined there was no damage then cooling unit is good. I questioned that procedure given they could not assure me that the cooling unit would not prematurely fail due to the rough treatment during shipping.
I believe their packaging is minimal at best. I made inquiries with cartage agents I know. They concurred. While that is just an opinion,... I find it interesting that JCR advises customers both before and after purchase to ignore the condition of the boxes they ship product in.
JCR was reluctant but did agree to ship a 2nd unit. I requested an additional sheet of cardboard to cover the front & back of this replacement. I greatly appreciate JCR willingness to do that. The new one arrived with another arm sized puncture. This time on the side in the same area where the box front was peeled open in the first shipment. Whatever did this began to tear off the front again but the extra cardboard prevented it from going any further.
I suggest extra packaging is a good insurance ask for anyone purchasing a cooling unit, unless you're going to JCR in person for installation.
We are looking forward to having a refrigerator again! Especially since it will keep the interior look of our coach the way the mothership in Texas built it. Just the way we like it!
I will be posting this summer about our installation/results once we have put some miles on the refrigerator.
Best to all, MK