14' Series Swapping 3 way fridge for a compressor fridge

[Marv_mart]

Hi Pandas, saw an advert from Home of 12Volt Adelaide about upgrading from the usual 3 way (gas, 12V, 240 V) to a 12V compressor fridge.
My Panda is a 14.44-5 OB 2013 build with the larger fridge.
Has anybody done it?
Can it be done? ie can the old fridge/ new fridge swap be done without major structural impediments?
Don’t really want to have to pull my van apart to get the old one out and the new one in.
Marv Mart

 

[rags]

Hi MarvMatt , I replace my Dometic RM2350 3 way fridge around 2 years ago with an equivalent size Dometic CRX 110, so went from a 90 litre fridge to 110 lt capacity. It has been the best modification ever, with no decision on how you run the fridge , swapping power source at camp etc. The fridge sorts out the power supply as to whether 240v is installed or otherwise running on 12 volt. The only thing you need to ensure is that you will have a decent supply of battery power to keep the fridge running. I’m running 280 amps of battery and 320 watts of solar managed by Enerdrive systems. The fridge has basi been running 24/7 since the swap on the batteries. Occasionally I swap to 240v.
I didn’t need to do any alterations to cabinet at all as it was close to a size to size swap.
The Dometic web page is a useful site to compare fridge sizes.
Not sure about what fridge you have but I do think there maybe an issue getting a fridge out a van door if it is a larger fridge. It is a design floor that a van builder would build a van with no expectation that you may need to remove the fridge. It is why Dometic and other manufacturers now offer narrow fridges.

 

[Drover]

Measure everything up and compare the dimensions of the 2, if you look at the Installation manuals they will show how to remove/refit, usually a 3 way has a couple of screws at front and back, I would cap the gas line at the tap to ensure its sealed up in case tap was accidentally turned on. The only fridge I have pulled out we had to remove the door to gain the few mm's needed to get the fridge out... My 186lt job would need the door removed...

Dometic is good at having its manuals online.............. The price of the things is the scary bit for something at that price you would really be wanting to get a lot of use out of it.