Compressor fridge on a slide in a 190P Roadtrek

[mikedominick464@gmail.com]

Has anyone taken the Dometic fridge out and put in a compressor fridge on a slide mount in the same space. I am just getting a 2007 190P Roadtrek and really like the ARB or National Luna cooler style fridges. Thanks for any advice!

[hbn7hj]

Personally I would stick with the RM2354 it comes with.

You will have to upgrade the electrical system to run a compressor fridge so start with that. I would say at least 200AH of lithium with 300 watts of solar. Then work on the fridge thing.

To start with you would need to determine how much depth you have to work with and see what sizes are available. I think the depth dimension available is somewhat limited.

[booster]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

Personally I would stick with the RM2354 it comes with.

You will have to upgrade the electrical system to run a compressor fridge so start with that. I would say at least 200AH of lithium with 300 watts of solar. Then work on the fridge thing.

To start with you would need to determine how much depth you have to work with and see what sizes are available. I think the depth dimension available is somewhat limited.

I agree, and we have a 2007 190 with a compressor frig that is not chest type. A 2007, even if it has the two gp27 battery option will be very marginal without solar or driving at least every other day way. For most frigs you could get by with 200 watts of solar most of the time, as we did that for quite a while, and unless you have high amp use items you could also get by with AGM batteries instead of lithium. You would plan on taking them down to 20% state of charge if needed, ignoring the 50% rule which is mostly bogus.

[hbn7hj]

Upgrading your power system is not trivial. You are looking at $2500 and a year of messing with it. We can suggest how to do it but you would be better served by buying propane for your fridge and hitting the road.

Many of us have done it and no two systems are the same. You will have to invent your own. I have 100AH of lithium with 100 watts of solar in parallel with 100AH of FLA (flooded lead acid). Works for Starlink but not for a compressor fridge.

[justducky]

I use an a 42 QT iceco portable chest fridge/freezer sitting between front seats (04C190P).Perfect for my use. 2-3 day useage in my casae so it only runs when needed. Portable is best feature along with fast cool down. ! AGM house battery. Still have the 3 way Norcol and generastor if that doesnt work.

[mikedominick464@gmail.com]

I'll look at that, that sounds like the best solution. My ARB has been the best fridge I've ever used after several Dometic 2 and 3 way fridges.

[ChicagoTom]

My two cents, stick with what you have. Running off the propane is very fuel efficient and works great if you understand how to use the Dometic.

[hbn7hj]

I carry an Engle fridge between the front seats. Don’t always use it but it is there. Go ahead and do that for a year and see which one you favor. You can always turn the RM2354 off and use it for warm food storage.

Someone else recommended that and I agree. When I use it I use it for cold drinks during the day and turn it off when the engine isn’t running. Running it 24/7 will give you some insight on power usage. I run the Engle 15. Were I doing it over I’d measure and see if something larger would fit. It also makes a good backup if the Dometic propane fridge falters. The Engle 15 doesn’t hold much.

I hard wire it to the coach battery and do not use the dash power source.

[rvsprinterguy]

I removed the Norcold 3-way refrigerator that came with my 2004 LTV Free Spirit and replaced it with an Engel compressor-type unit. I used the same 12-volt wire that powered the Norcold, and the same 120-volt plug as well.

I like the thermostatic temperature control. I like that the Engel, with the same refrigerated volume, takes up less room (it's shorter than the unit it replaced), so I gained some shelf space below it.

On the downside, the Engel's compressor is noisy compared to the dead silent operation of an absorption-style refrigerator.

Sometimes we supplement the Engel with an Iceco chest-type compressor refrigerator sitting behind the passenger seat. It's powered by an Anderson jack I wired into the house battery, which is under the passenger seat in my van.

I didn't replace my existing 100-ah AGM battery and have found its capacity sufficient for short durations. For boondocking, I use a Goal Zero power station, charged by the onboard generator or solar panels if I have unshaded room to deploy them.