refrigerator problems

[Tim Hannink]

OK, I'll bite. My replys will be interspaced between your comments

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Tom Warner
wrote:
>
> Tim its difficult to understand where you are coming from since
you
> use numbers like 750 watts and 1/3 of the time etc but don't say
> where you got this information from.

<http://www.psnh.com/Residential/ReduceBi...eusage.asp>
<http://www.otpco.com/SaveEnergyMoney/app...yUsage.asp>
<http://www.city.ames.ia.us/ElectricWeb/e...iances.htm>

Those were three that came up in a Yahoo!Search for 'Appliance
Energy Usage'

> But to set the record straight
> I did not accuse you of disseminating false information.
>
> So lets discuss just 2 facts.
>
> 1. The energy guide numbers noted on appliances are seldom
> accurate. Where do I get that? http://tinyurl.com/8fd8z
>
> Understand the Energy Guide and Energy Star labels. The Energy
> Guide tag you'll see on dishwashers is meant to show how much
water
> and energy a particular model is likely to use. However, Consumer
> Reports tests have found that those numbers tend to underestimate
> real-life consumption. Likely reason for this discrepancy: The
> government tests with cleaner dishes than we do and assumes that
> consumers run fewer than 322 loads per year. The Energy Star
labeling
> program cites dishwashers that are 25 percent more energy
efficient
> than the minimum government standards. Consumer Reports doesn't
> highlight which models carry the Energy Star label but bases its
> dishwasher ratings on its own, more rigorous testing. See the
> <http://www.eco-labels.org/greenconsumers/ratings.cfm?
product=dishwasher>Green
> Ratings section.

Hmmm, dishwashers vs refrigerators. I went to the refrigerator
section of that same website and didn't see the same opinion on
their ratings for refrigerators. Did I miss something?

> 2. Almost all refrigerators manufactured today ARE energy star
rated.

That may (or may not) be true, but the GE model I found that most
closely matched the one we were talking about was here:

<http://products.geappliances.com/ProdCon...ispatcher?
REQUEST=ITEMID&itemid=310805_gms10aar_c2>

The EnergyGuide sticker is here:
<http://products.geappliances.com/ProdCon...ispatcher?
REQUEST=ITEMID&itemid=GMS10AAR>

No EnergyStar qualification here.

> Where did I get that from? http://tinyurl.com/bn2qx

This link wouldn't work for me. Here is a link to the Energy Star
website <http://www.energystar.gov/> and a definition of what it
takes to have an refrigerator Energy Star Qualified.

Just for fun, I went to the GE website <http://www.geappliances.com> and
did a little research.

Out of 140 side-by-side refrigerators, 87 are Energy Star Qualified
Out of 6 side-by-side built-in refrigerators, 6 are Energy Star
Qualified
Out of 90 top freezer refrigerators, 25 are Energy Star Qualified
Out of 43 bottom freezer refrigerators, 37 are Energy Star Qualified
None of the 7 compact or the 2 partial and manual defrost
refrigerators are Energy Star Qualified.

I guess it depends on your definition of "almost all"

> Energy Star
> According to the government, As of January 1, 2004, all
refrigerators
> and refrigerator-freezers 7.75 cubic feet or greater in volume
must
> be 15% more efficient than required by the minimum federal
standard
> in order to meet the Energy Star criteria. Residential freezers
7.75
> cubic feet or greater must be 10% more efficient than required by
the
> minimum federal standard in order to meet the Energy Star
criteria.
> All refrigerators and/or freezers less than 7.75 cubic feet in
volume
> and 36 inches or less in height must be 20% more efficient than
> required by the minimum federal standard in order to meet the
Energy
> Star criteria .
>
> Now the bottom line and this is my opinion. If I were
> contemplating buying a motorhome such as a Bluebird I would
> immediately shy away from anyone that had a regular household
> refrigerator installed, for two reasons.
>
> 1. I would figure that the person who had installed it, is
attempting
> to save money and if they saved money on a refrigerator they might
be
> doing the same thing on the coaches maintenance.

I can think of a lot of other items I would look at before the
refrigerator to determine the maintenance level of the coach. Mine
actually came with a 12-VDC marine fridge (NovaKool) which will run
for a week on my aux. batteries. It performs well as a refrigerator
but marginally as a freezer. It uses a 12-vdc Danforth compressor
and R-134a.

My personal experiences with Dometic 3-way refrigerators (especially
the propane-way) has not been positive (VW Campers). The two-way
Dometic (12VDC/120VAC) in my current Camper is excellent.

> 2, I want a refrigerator that is economical and efficient to
operate
> when boon docking. In other words I want one that can be operated
on
> propane, battery or 120VAC without running my generator for long
> periods of time. And the addition of large expensive battery banks
> with associated chargers/inverters is not economical or desirous
in
> my opinion. But then this is my personal preference and it may
differ
> from yours.

True, my coach already has separate house and chassis batteries; I
have added battery isolation and an inverter/charger. The primary
reason was to run the rear roof air without running the genset.