Son of Norway
Denver, Colorado
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Joined: 10/12/2011
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I bought a new cooling unit from David Force at RV Cooling Unit Warehouse. The replacement is a straightforward procedure and isn't very difficult. Like you've figured it costs about a third of the price of a new fridge. I did get a two-year warranty. The actual box of the refrigerator has no value, so in my mind it doesn't make that much sense to trade up to a new box unless you want newer features or a different size. Each RV will only accept a certain size fridge. Also in my case I would have to remove half of the windshield to trade the refrigerators out.
Miles
Miles and Darcey
1989 Holiday Rambler Crown Imperial
Denver, CO
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michelb
Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Joined: 04/11/2007
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We replaced our cooling unit 2 years ago and it looks like it's failing again. If it was me, I'd probably seriously think about replacing it with a residential fridge (I wanted to only to discover that the fridge I ordered didn't fit through our door (it fit through the opening but not through the 3/8 border that overlaps the door)).
Replacing the cooling unit isn't complicated but it's not an easy job as you have to remove the fridge from the inside and lay the fridge flat. If you don't have a slide, you might have to take the fridge out of the mh completely. You also need two pretty strong people to get the fridge out and back in.
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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Joined: 07/22/2007
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Son of Norway wrote:I bought a new cooling unit from David Force at RV Cooling Unit Warehouse. The replacement is a straightforward procedure and isn't very difficult. Like you've figured it costs about a third of the price of a new fridge. I did get a two-year warranty. The actual box of the refrigerator has no value, so in my mind it doesn't make that much sense to trade up to a new box unless you want newer features or a different size. Each RV will only accept a certain size fridge. Also in my case I would have to remove half of the windshield to trade the refrigerators out.
Miles
2x on David Force and the job not being hard other than it being the first time. We let out our sofa and did the install with the frig face down.
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Jerry B
Lake of the Ozarks
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Joined: 06/11/2001
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I replaced one myself. Easy job. I took it outside to do it, but next time I will do inside the RV. The cooling coils(unit) cost about $450.
Jerry B
1996 Dolphin 535,F-53.
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farmer_boots
Weirsdale, Fl
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Joined: 11/20/2003
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It's a piece of cake, have done several. I purchased from PINES RV the guy there was extremely helpful. He gave me his personal cell phone number and said to call any time, he meant it and I took him up on his offer on the first cooling unit. The hardest part is removing the unit from the coach and then removing the doors. You want to remove the doors so you don't damage them while it's laying on its face to remove the cooling unit. Took pictures so I would remember how everything went back together. Once everything is disconnected I had to lift the unit from the back using a crow bar through the big coils and give it a quick jerk. The old cooling unit popped out with no problems. Cleaned things up in preparation for the new cooling unit. The new coil will come with a tube of thermal compound apply per the directions and if possible get a second tube, more is gooder. Apply the thermal compound per the directions. The hardest part of the reinstall is getting the freezer coils aligned with the holes in the back of the freezer, get those screws started first so you know you are aligned. Then press in place (body weight) and reattach all the fasteners (mine had 4 screws). You are now ready to reconnect everything and place it back into the coach. Let stand for 24 hours to allow everything to settle back down in the boiler area.
One other thing: There was something different about the operating temperature of the replacement cooling unit; I think had to do with pressure density. The reason I say this is the old unit had a much higher temperature setting before the fan would turn on. The replacement I had to add an adjustable attic fan switch and mount it near the top of the back of the refrigerator box set at about 95 deg for the thing to work properly. In any case with the fan installed the freezer on triple digit hot days would operate around 12 degrees (very good).
Talk to the guys at pines they will help every step of the way.
I paid the extra money and got the new cooling unit not the rebuild ones. A new one has thicker tubing and Pines says does not need all the recall stuff because of leaking of the demetic units; talk to them.
2006 Monaco Diplomat
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turbo38sfi
NH
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Joined: 07/08/2011
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Welp, I pulled the fridge last night. New one will be here in 2 days. Looks like I have to pull a window to get it out! Not hard to do really, did them all on my last coach to reseal, but was definitely not planning to do it on this coach!
There's no way it will fit through the door way, never even thought of that before now.
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Jerry B
Lake of the Ozarks
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Can't you lay it on the floor??
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turbo38sfi
NH
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Decided to replace fridge. Gotta pull a window to get it out!
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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Joined: 07/22/2007
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turbo38sfi wrote:Decided to replace fridge. Gotta pull a window to get it out!
We decided to just replace the cooling unit so there was no requirement to remove the frig from the MH.
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John & Angela
Full Timers in Canada, USA and Mexico
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Joined: 02/18/2003
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Another consideration would be to replace it with a residential. This is highly dependant on the coaches ability to have at least 4 batteries and an inverter. For many of us who have gone through the change there is no looking back. Its not for everybody but it might be right for you and the cost is comparable or less.
Good luck and if you need more info on this avenue feel free to ask. You will get lots of replies.
John
2003 Revolution 40C Class A. 2002 Vanguard 22 foot Class C. Diesel smart car Toad or pulling a 2009 Timeout Tent Trailer.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away.
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