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Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197

Yahoo Message Number: 74251
We are considering replacing our 1200 Norcold with a Samsung RF 197. The height seems to be a problem with the top refrig area. We could remove the drawers, that are below the Norcold, but that still makes the Samsung 6 inches taller. That appears the lowest you can go because of all the plumbing and other pieces below the drawers. What have others done who have installed the new refrig? Thanks for any info.
Ned Herrmann
06 Inspire 51677

Re: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74252
I am just curious about using residential refrigerators in an rv, I am not sure but aren't the rv type refrigerators built to withstand a lot of bouncing going down the road that a house refrigerator isn't subjected to in a anchored down home? It would seem to me that would be the case, has anyone had long term history with a residential refrigerator in an rv? Just curious.

Ray

2000 Intrigue 11040

Re: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74260
Ned,

I am not sure what you have going on in the drawers below your existing refrigerator in terms of plumbing. I know some coaches have some heating ducts back behind the drawers. That could be a problem....well not for me, but I am not the one thinking of converting. You need 70 inches of height to replace a norcold 1200LRIM with a Samsung 197. The width and depth are the same as the Samsung 197 so no problem there. The gas plumbing and water hose for the norcold are easy to remove or move. The existing electrical wiring is easy to move around to get out of the way without having to cut any of it.
With regards to weather a Samsung residential refrigerator will outlast a frost heaved Alaskan highway or Pennsylvanian turnpike at 70 mph that is another good question presented by Ray. I don't know. I do know that it survived me banging it around inside the coach while installing it, the last 5000 miles and the few times I went airborne in a Safeway parking lot finding a place to park.
I suspect since it is a really tight unit with no noticeable moving parts and small compressor that it is pretty stout. I will be really disappointed if I don't get 25 years or one million miles out it in the motor home.
There were sure allot of double takes at the RV park we were in this weekend when they saw the refrigerator in the motor home. Usually the wives will let out a sigh when they see all the room in the refrigerator and freezer.
If you want, you can send me a picture of what your refrigerator wall looks like and a picture of what the space behind your lower drawers look like (under the refrigerator that is) and I can tell you if you are going to be eating rock hard ice cream and drinking warm milk for ever more while contemplating how much hydrogen buildup it takes from a corroded pipe with and open flame nearby to change the dynamics of your coach.

All in fun

Dallas 2004 intrigue 11688

Re: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74262
Dallas

The problem in the Inspire is the reefer is next to the kitchen slide, so the supply water hoses and drain hose are there and need to move when the slide goes in and out. Yes there are the water, gas line, and some electrical for the ice maker which can be moved around.
The Norcold is 63 inches high and sits on a shelf which is 13 inches above the tile floor. I could remove the current shelf and move it down to ( removing the draws ) say maybe 4 inches above the tile, but that still makes the top of Samsung at 74 inches.
Is your Samsung at the same level as your tile or above? Do you find it too high? Thanks

Ned Herrmann
06 Inspire 51677

Re: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74271
Hello, I am also changing to the Samsung 197. After reading all the info, I think it will be the best way to go for me. My Norcold gave up and is leaking ammonia from the cooling unit. I ordered the Samsung which will be deliverd next tuesday.($998) . I just removed the Norcold in less than an hour. All I need todo, is get help to carry it out of the coach. Looks like I will remove the pass. side seat for extra room just to be safe. I will keep my lower drawers in place and trim the upper cabinet to 70 inches as you suggested.

Howie

2005 Allure 31156

Quote from: Dallas
Ned,

My samsung sits at the same place near the ceiling as the norcold
(about 2 inches down from tnhe ceiling) and it clears the over head lights when the doors are open. I dropped my floor about 5 inches to accomidate the hieght of the 75 inch Samsung.

Quote
>

The total height between the floor/shelf that the samsung sits on and
the top of the opening needs to be 74 7/8 inches.....nothing less and perferably 75 inches. If you clear the lights when you open the door then you can go as high as you want. The upper 3 inches of the refrigerator is nothing but electronics. The freezer is on the bottom and very nice to cram full of frozen food and easy to retrieve. My wife is 5 foot something and she has no problem getting to the back of the upper shelf of the french door refrigerator. The Samsung 197 also comes in single door but the french door is more energy efficient (one less door to open to get to food, and it does not take up hall way space to open doors.

Quote
>

So you would need to figure out how to get 75 inches. If you can, you
will be very happy with the results. It will run on modified sign wave conversion if you have not changes over to a pure sine wave inverter.
You can easily get about 14 to 18 hours on (2) 8D batteries and witht the alternator on the main engine you can more than keep up with the 12 amps it draws on the batteries.

Quote
>

Dallas 04 intrigue 11688

Quote from: Ned" nedherrmann@

>

> Dallas

> The problem in the Inspire is the reefer is next to the kitchen
slide, so the supply water hoses and drain hose are there and need to move when the slide goes in and out. Yes there are the water, gas line, and some electrical for the ice maker which can be moved around.
Quote
The Norcold is 63 inches high and sits on a shelf which is 13 inches
above the tile floor. I could remove the current shelf and move it down to ( removing the draws ) say maybe 4 inches above the tile, but that still makes the top of Samsung at 74 inches.
Quote
Is your Samsung at the same level as your tile or above? Do you find

it too high?

Quote
Thanks
> Ned Herrmann
> 06 Inspire 51677
>
>

Quote from: Dallas"\[br\
\[/quote\]\[br\]] > > >

> > Ned,
> >

> > I am not sure what you have going on in the drawers below your
existing refrigerator in terms of plumbing. I know some coaches have some heating ducts back behind the drawers. That could be a problem....well not for me, but I am not the one thinking of converting.
You need 70 inches of height to replace a norcold 1200LRIM with a Samsung 197. The width and depth are the same as the Samsung 197 so no problem there. The gas plumbing and water hose for the norcold are easy to remove or move. The existing electrical wiring is easy to move around to get out of the way without having to cut any of it.

Quote
>

> > With regards to weather a Samsung residential refrigerator will
outlast a frost heaved Alaskan highway or Pennsylvanian turnpike at 70 mph that is another good question presented by Ray. I don't know. I do know that it survived me banging it around inside the coach while installing it, the last 5000 miles and the few times I went airborne in a Safeway parking lot finding a place to park.

Quote
>

> > I suspect since it is a really tight unit with no noticeable
moving parts and small compressor that it is pretty stout. I will be really disappointed if I don't get 25 years or one million miles out it in the motor home.

Quote
>

> > There were sure allot of double takes at the RV park we were in
this weekend when they saw the refrigerator in the motor home. Usually the wives will let out a sigh when they see all the room in the refrigerator and freezer.

Quote
>

> > If you want, you can send me a picture of what your refrigerator
wall looks like and a picture of what the space behind your lower drawers look like (under the refrigerator that is) and I can tell you if you are going to be eating rock hard ice cream and drinking warm milk for ever more while contemplating how much hydrogen buildup it takes from a corroded pipe with and open flame nearby to change the dynamics of your coach.

Quote
>
> > All in fun
> >
> >

> > Dallas 2004 intrigue 11688
> >

> > -

Re: [Bulk (8.86) ] [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Replacing Norcold with

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74273
Thanks for the posting, Howie. I wonder where you were able to find it for delivery as I see several options online.

Thank you.
Mike

06 INspire 51784

[Bulk (8.86) ] [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Replacing Norcold with Sam

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74274
Mike:

Just by chance I saw a sale flyer for a Labor Day sale at Grand Appliance that listed the exact model number we needed. Check Grand Appliance.com to see if there is a location near you. I think the sale ended on Monday. I went to our local store and placed the order and for $15 they said they would bring it to me and said that they will try to get it inside the coach for me.
Howie

2005 Allure 31156

Correction: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197 Requires 70 inch f

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74301
I seem to have made a error in one of my previous post and state that the Samsung 197 refrigerator required 75 inches when in fact it requires only 70 inches. I just went up to my coach and found that I had made mine 69 3/4 inches like the manufacture suggest but that makes for and extremely tight fit and 70 inches would be better.

Dallas

Re: Correction: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197 Requires 70 in

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74455
Dallas, Could you tell me how/where you jumped the wire to the fridge to power it off the inverter. I thought you had the info in another post, but I can not find it. Thanks.
The samsung was deliverd today and they set it inside the coach for me.
Now move some wires and trim the cabinetand I will be set.

Howie

2005 Alluer 31156

Quote from: Dallas

> I seem to have made a error in one of my previous post and state that
the Samsung 197 refrigerator required 75 inches when in fact it requires only 70 inches. I just went up to my coach and found that I had made mine 69 3/4 inches like the manufacture suggest but that makes for and extremely tight fit and 70 inches would be better.

Quote
Dallas
> -

Re: Correction: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197 Requires 70 in

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74462
I am not Dallas.

I just modified mine to work off my inverter.
All I did was find the circuit breaker that operated the microwave, which I know works from the inverter, I replaced it with a twin breaker (2 in the space of one) and moved the wire from the refer circuit to the new circuit. Took less than ten minutes once I had the breaker in hand.
I still have my old Dometic but I can now travel with the propane turned off.

Bob Wexler
SOB

Re: Correction: Replacing Norcold with Samsung RF 197 Requires 70 in

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74463
I am not Bob Wexler. I am Dallas

But I did the same thing as Bob did except I went one step further and got rid of the real problem the necessitated the change in the first place..... warm milk and rock hard ice cream.
:) When you take the trim cover off the circuit breaker panel you will notice that it is split into to sections going across. One is for operating off the shore power/generator only, and the other is off the inverter/shore power/and generator. When plugged into the shore power, both sides are energized but when not on shore power the shore power side does not have an power unless the generator is used which operates as if you were on shore power obviously.
As Bob said, find a curcuit breaker slot on the shore power side that you really don't need or as I did switch a double breaker with the other side that has a single breaker. You may need to make a 'pigtail' wire to make the transition because in my case the wiring was 6 inches too short to cross over to the other side. I just used 6 or 8 inches 12 gauge house wire and wire nuts to make this extension.
What is critical is that you need to find the white 'neutral' wire that belongs to the same outlet as the black wire that you just moved over, and change that over to the inverter power side neutral bus bar of the circuit breaker panel, or you will not have power when using the inverter because it will not have a nuetral wire to off set the live wire.
As Bob said, it will take 10 minutes to do unless you forget to change over the neutral (white wire) to the same side of the breaker panel that you moved over the black wire to.

Regards, :)

Dallas (I am not Bob) 2004 intrigue 11688