BCM Community
Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Paladin on February 13, 2008, 03:27:27 PM
-
Is a 25 cubic foot too large?
-Dave
-
Not for me to say. We had a 6 cubic foot in our cabin years ago, but there was only the two of us. Worked OK, but was always very full. It would depend upon your needs and life style. Traveling with six teenagers? No reefer would be big enough. :) :) :)
-
If it fits, and it holds the food you want, and performs the other functions required.... FOR YOU..... use it.
You seem to be asking a lot of questions lately that want the affirmation of the other members of the board or the RV nuts in general... do it your way, see if it works for you, if it does, post and let us know how and why, if it doesn't, do the same.
None of us can tell you that this is right or this is wrong on many different topics.......... we can only tell you what works for us.
Personally, I use a 12 cu ft fridge with a 4 cu ft freezer. It draws 3.9A and my inverter/battery can support it solo for 30 hours. It's 20 years old, I have covered it with blue styrofoam insulation, it runs about 3 times per day.
Dallas
-
I'm concerned about physical size, depth mostly. That's why I asked what others may have used and if they fit well without being enormous.
I apologize for asking questions. I'll shut up now.
-
Life changes, I had a motorhome with a 6 cu ft, it was a bit small. I built my bus with a 12 cu ft, more than enough I thought. I looked at guys putting in great big reffers and wondered why? I got married, nowIknow why!!
Typed words often do not convey the real meaning of the typest. I'm sure DAllas did not mean you are asking tooo many questions, ask away.
-
Palidin, you said; "I apologize for asking questions. I'll shut up now."!
Whatever you do...don't shut up. I for one...and I'm sure a lot of others are learning from your questions. I don't think Dallas made that comment with you shutting up in mind!
Jack
-
Without being confrontational, I really don't care how others do things but if they happen to have done
something the same as I am thinking then I'd like to hear of pro's and con's before I do it myself.
Saves hassle, time and possibly money for me which I thought was a good thing. I can learn, modify and adapt to lessons learned by others.
-
^^^^^^^^^^ I think this is what this board has been created for. I think the point to Dallas' comment is that it can be hard for someone to answer some questions as it is different for different people. IE how many people are in your family, how long do you camp for, what kinds of food do you bring, etc. The fact that we can build everything to fit what we intend on using the bus for is why many of us have started this. We dont fit into the traditional lump sum category. I could be totally wrong here but its my .02.
-
I have a 16 cu foot. It seems about right, always enough space, but then I've not trraveled with more than several other people. When i go the desert, I always have enough root beer floats for all the kids (adults too)
-
Palidin, we have a 12 cu. ft. household refrigerator in our bus (Silversides) It has a freezer Door and a refrigerator door. There are only the two of us and that is a tad small for a four day go away. It requires using a cooler for the beer and spare supplies.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say that our coach is only electric, by that I mean we are either plugged into a wall or the gen set is running.
Dave Siegel
-
Paladin,
For gods sake don't worry about any,all and every question you may have. We all benefit. I have learned also the hard way what we are saying here, keep em coming. I am sure nothing was meant, again it is easy to take different meaning in text written by one person and read by another at times. So what else can we help you decide to do, heck I am sure I will beneifit from what you ask.
Personally I enjoy all you have to say.
Gary
-
I'm concerned about physical size, depth mostly. That's why I asked what others may have used and if they fit well without being enormous.
I apologize for asking questions. I'll shut up now.
If you shut up I'll send 14 stray young male tom cats to infest your bus!
My point mainly was to let you go measure and fit it and see if the size was sufficient for you. We don't know if you decided to make the walls plumb or work with the curve of the wall. We don't know if you are gonna feed 20 people per sitting or 2, we don't know if you'll have 1 battery out of a toyota corolla, vintage 1978 to run your inverter, or a 15Kw Genset.
I had no intention whatsoever of wanting you to stop asking questions, I only want you to stop and think about all the parameters and implications of what you are asking... All of us have different needs and different uses.
Dallas
-
We had a 14 cu.ft. house type reefer. It just did not work right after falling over on an off camber turn (when we first got it, we made a short weekend trip witout anchoring it.. A BIG MISTAKE!) Anyhow we replaced it with a 15 cu.ft. house type Energy Star from Lowe's. The reefer runs off the inverter and battery bank when dry camping. We run the generator 2 hours in the morning & 2 hours in the evening. Typically it is just the 2 of us in the bus and we only go to the store about once a week. We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon and will not return till a week from Sunday. We will be dry camping at an antique tractor show that is 15-20 miles from any stores.
What you need depends on several factors including how many people are on the bus and how often do you plan to shop for food. Also do you plan to do mostly dry camping or connect to power pole. You may also find that your needs will change as you use the bus. When we converted our bus, we were mostly camping with power hookups, but lately we have been doing much more dry camping.
Please do not stop asking questions. As was mentioned, not only you, but also others benefit from the answers. Although we cannot tell you what is right for you, we can tell you what works for us and give you a brief explanation of how we use our buses. Hopefully this will help you make an informed decision. Jack
-
Paladin
I think you may do like me. I like to see what others have done and hear their opinions ally it to my situation and then see what sticks. There are so many variables related to what we do it is hard to have a cut and dried solution to a problem. I agree with Dallas though, don't do it because someone else does, do it because it works for you. Which I'm sure you already do that.
Good Luck!
-
In our first bus, we used the fridge from our 73 Winnie. This was the "full size" RV type with a small separate freezer. We almost never used the freezer until we had our son and we needed to freeze breast milk. We filled it pretty quickly! We usually did a good job filling the fridge and it would last about a week. In the new bus, we will use a bigger Norcold from a 1995 travel trailer. I don't know what it's exact size is, but it it a little bigger than the old one, especially the freezer. If we need to move the "beverages" to a cooler, that's no big deal. We usually need those outside anyway! I also have a tiny cube freezer from Michigan State salvage that I can take or may install in a bay.
-
18cf two door, stainless Frigidaire. Mounted in the center of the coach, facing forward.
http://www.zoto.com/site/#USR.jsbird69::PAG.detail::ec210378664cdf4a7d2edfd2768ea300 (http://www.zoto.com/site/#USR.jsbird69::PAG.detail::ec210378664cdf4a7d2edfd2768ea300)
Jay
87 SaftLiner
-
So most of you are buying home 'fridges and runing them off either a generator or an inverter or shore if plugged in?
-
I could have worded my question better, given more info but I didn't want to be wordy.
The bottom line is simple, it seems like a 25 cu ft reefer is physically rather large and may stick out in the isle but I've seen large ones installed before. I just didn't know if 25 cu ft is real enormous in a bus. I just have the opportunity for one cheap but it's very hard to visualize in the bus as it sits now so I thought I'd ask the board. I thought it was a valid question myself but I'll rethink my ideas of validity now.
As for wanting affirmation from others. No, I come here for knowledge not affirmation. Likely I'll never meet most folks here so why would I care right? I'm just trying to learn as much as I can and avoid wasting time and money by learning from those who have been there already, it's a well of knowledge.
It also seems to me that by one person asking a question it can form a basis of understanding for others who don't want to ask or haven't thought of it yet.
I could make all sorts of silly know it all or sarcastic statements like I've seen certain others here do (I don't mean Dallas at all!) but I'd rather ask and learn.....unless it's verboten.
Like I said, I'll think longer before I ask in the future and try to avoid the appearance of asking a lot of questions looking for affirmation instead of knowledge.
-
Many people do, but I want to be able to run off of propane while dry camping. This requires 2 holes being cut in the bus for ventilation. Household units don't need it. Tell us more about what your plans are for how you plan to use your bus.
-
As other folks are indicating, the necessary reefer space depends on how many people are traveling/eating, and how long between grocery stops. Even traveling with a family of five, we get by pretty well with only a 6 cu footer. That covers us for about 5 days nicely, and if we wanted to put some better thought into our meal planning we could easily stretch that. Even when we are home, it seems like my wife is running to the grocery store every other day.
For trips longer than a week, I generally pack an ice chest, too. I'll start the trip with some frozen meats (roasts, steaks) and perhaps a frozen tray of homemade lasagna. Some of these denser foods take a long time to thaw. I seal stuff in ziplock bags and pack them in ice and put the chest in one of the bays. Two or three days later, the food is still refrigerator temperature (or colder). When the food in the chest gets used up or transferred to the refrigerator, the ice chest gets cleaned out, fresh ice, and lots of my favorite beverages ;D
Having only a 35 footer, I don't want to give up the interior space for anything too much larger. Sometimes I think a 10 cu.ft would suit our needs a little better, but I definitely wouldn't go above 12 cu ft in my 4104.
-
Hi Guy's,
23 CF Frigidaire Energy Star Side-by-side Counter Depth 24" deep, 36" wide
Nick
-
Paladin, We have an AC/DC/Propane 12cu with top freezer. I would love nothing more than 25cu inside. Instead, we have an AC/DC chesttype freezer on a joey bed in the 3rd bay. We're fulltimers and stock up at times (deer season, fish, uncles beef, etc) It seems the main question you're dealing with is whether you can live with an AC only fridge, and not so much the size. If you can fit it in, you'll use it, guaranteed. I sure hope no one ever tells me I ask too many questions LOL
Good luck (BTW-How good a deal is it?)
-
Trevor,
Another thing to consider it the curve of the ceiling. If you get that deal on the bus you had posted about, your walls are almost flat. In a bus like mine, I have a fair amount of curve that pushes the fridge away from the wall, especially when needing to have room to vent out the roof.
Don't worry about long posts! I can't imagine how many people don't give enough info to help us give good info! Besides, it's really fun to share in someone else's dream!
-
I think your question is a good one. Hey Nick how far out into the room does that big fridge protrude? What does it leave someone with a 96 wide. that six inches could be the difference.
We are a fulltiming family of six and could sure use more fridge space. We use a gallon of milk a day!
I also think you have to be willing to have an electrical system that will support that size fridge. again "how are you going to use the coach?"
Devin
-
I think your question is a good one. Hey Nick how far out into the room does that big fridge protrude? What does it leave someone with a 96 wide. that six inches could be the difference.
We are a fulltiming family of six and could sure use more fridge space. We use a gallon of milk a day!
I also think you have to be willing to have an electrical system that will support that size fridge. again "how are you going to use the coach?"
Devin
Hi Devin,
It's Counter Depth.. 24" deep. no deeper then your cabnits
Also, It's energy Star. 4.3 amps in refrigeration and 6.7 in defrost 1 to 2 times a day
Nick-
-
We have a 7.5 cubic foot Novakool. It has always been more than enough for us -- we can go two weeks on our water tankage, and the fridge holds at least that much food. We selected the Novakool because it runs on 24 volts and is super-efficient, drawing about 2-3 amps when running, with duty cycle varying by how often we open it.
The other nice thing about a small fridge is that we don't have to worry about items slamming around while we drive. Louise wrote a nice article about how we use our fridge here:
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/08/small-space-saturday-making-most-of.html (http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/08/small-space-saturday-making-most-of.html)
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com
-
We have a smallish Magic Chef 'stainless look' 2 door frig (not frost-free) from Home Depot. The frig is 18" square and about 50" high,with the freezer compartment about 1/3 of that. The book says 4 cu. ft. ,but I think it must be more like 7.5 cu ft total. I can't remember the amp draw on it, but it is low (~2.5 amps on 120vac). It is always connected to the modified sine-wave inverter, and the 3 deep cycle battery bank handles it just fine, and for several days without recharging. Its plenty large enough for the two of us, and the price ($288) was right!
Keep asking questions. I'm learning lots here too, and can relate to many of your queries.
Regards.
Mark
-
I chose a 24 volt sunfrost refrigerator, 16 cu ft. Its big and not shaped like other refrigerators. I used it to create a modified side aisle floor plan that I really like a lot. You can't see straight back from the front to teh back of hte bus, creates a lot of privacy, yet is easy to walk around. It also has floor to ceiling cabinets in the aisle, and they hold a lot of stuff. My electdrical panel is also in the aisle. Its very economical, I just leave it run 24/7 and the solar powers it all, never dropping by more than 15% of battery capacity overnight, but usually less than 10%
This first pic shows before the refrig was fastened down, but it gives you a good look at its size and how the floor is laid out. Its also before the cherry wood was stained and finished.
You walk to the left of the regfrigerator, and after the large cabinet that's behind the dinette (bus seats). Thats the microwave haniging on the right, there is now a kitchen counter in that area.
-
This next pic is from the rear looking forward. The man in the white shorts is standing in the aisleway. Yes the toilet is permanently mounted in that position.
Thats my better side in the foreground, standing where the bathroom sink is now located.
Both these pics give you a good idea of how the refrigerator affects teh floorplan. I think you can use any size, as long as you plan for it ahead of time. space is really at a premium, so I would counsel to get what fits your design, not just use what you can get - as a little more effort could turn up a cheap one that's the perfect size.
-
Paladin,
It was mentioned that you need a vent, two actually, behind even a AC powered refer. You may not do that but if you don't you will have to dump that heat load with air conditioning in the summer. In the winter it will help you stay warm and maybe that is a building feature you might want to consider. Not a lot of energy there but still.
What Jack said.
HTH,
John
-
We also have a household fridge and plan on a larger one in the new bus. Another thought when all electric, is the defrost feature. I have heard other people say they had a switch installed so the defrost and the gasket heater could be turned off when running on the inverter. This would help save the batteries. When on shore power or the generator, just turn the switch back on.
Don and Cary
GMC4107
Neoplan AN340
-
Hi Don & Cary,
It's not as easy to put a switch on the newer refrig's because most have a electronic curcuit board that controls the defrost cycle. [no more timer motors]
You now need a diagram to trace down the heater wire that is in a bundle... But it can be done! Just don't know what the control
board would do with no amp draw on the heaters...
Nick-
-
I have a 2 door 6.3 cu ft Norcold compressor type reefer that only pulls 5.5amps at 12v when running. Also have the Norcold 100lb chest reefer/freezer under the back seat of the dinette that works well for additional reefer storage. Would do the same again. Good Luck, TomC
-
Does anyone build top-opening cold-plate boxes into countertops anymore? I've seen several on boats that seemed to be quite practical for those who don't need huge refrigerators.
-
Someone mentioned anchoring the refrigerator, anyone have pictures showing how or explain how you anchored yours?
-
We went with a 14 cu ft house type refrigerator, the main reason is that with the doors off, we could still get it into the bus without bringing it in thru the windshield, we could have gotten a counter depth one that would have gotten in thru the door but the cost at that time was too much for us, we built it in, anchored it with angle brackets and use a temp sensing blower to exhaust any heat build up from the cabinet.
-
If any of my comments came across wrong, I humbly apologize and ask the forgiveness of the board in general and Paladin in particular.
There was no detriment meant by these comments. What seems like a good idea and coherent observation when typing and thinking doesn't always come out in the same tone of voice when being read later.
By all means, KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!
Dallas
-
Dave,
I am using a 10 cu ft apartment size refrigerator.
It has the freezer over the cooler section.
I wanted this size for a few reasons;
I wanted all the frig I needed, but not any more. I chose the size, based on about 5 years of using our Class C and what worked for us. This unit has about double the space of our previous one.
It easily runs of of my inverter and house bank. I didn't want a propane fridge, My experience is they don't do the job, especially when you travel with 4 and 2 are kids.
Since it is not as tall as a standard house unit, I built a 1' tall drawer underneath and it raised the whole unit up to standard height. Less bending to get all the stuff on the bottom.
If you need 4 cases of every beverage cold at all times, this unit wont work for you.
Oh yeah, Not thought of all the time, they go in easy during construction, but when everything is in and finished, removal or maintenance can be an issue, when we are a little more worried about scratching stuff.
Just some thoughts
Cliff
-
I have a temporary 4.3 cu. ft. counter-high fridge now. It's way too small. It works great for cool drinks while under construction and has run fine on a 1,000 watt MSW inverter for three trips so far. My 'real' fridge will be something around 12 cu. ft. that runs on 120 volts (no propane). I now have a nice 3600 watt sine wave inverter that will run it even better. I also want one that can be brought in the bus through a window - I still have my original windows in front - or the door. It took way too long to stop all the leaks around the windshields to remove one to get a fridge in. Plus, I want to be able to replace it without removing a windshield if I'm on a trip.
We spend a lot of time outside, so I also wanted something convenient for drinks. I got a 2.7 cu. ft. fridge from a local surplus sale and mounted it right behind the driver's seat. It has the coils in the back, unlike most of the newer ones, and will be enclosed to make an end table. It's nice to have something that much closer to the door when we're outside and need another beverage (though I still have to stumble up the steps to get one!) I'm sure it's not as efficient on power as having one slightly larger fridge. I'm going to add some foam insulation to the sides and back before I enclose it. If I load it full of drinks and cool them 'til it cycles off, it'll stay cool for hours. This could help out when on inverter and batteries and trying to maximize battery life, as I don't keep things that can spoil in this fridge.
David
-
We have a 6.3 CU FT Norcold. It has worked really well for us the couple of times that we have taken the bus out while we were working on it. It has easily handled food for the four of us. We like to go to the beach so we usually have a cooler with us anyways for all of our beverages.
Amy
-
I used about a 10 cubic foot apartment size refrigerator. Part of the reason was size, but the main reason is the manual defrost and the 1.2 amp draw. I never stay in RV parks/campgrounds and don't even have a shore power connection right now. My frig runs off the inverter or generator.
I had a lot of problems with the RV refrigerator in my travel trailer and wanted to get away from absorbtion refrigerators. A 24 volt compressor refrigerator would be ideal, but the cost is way too much compared to the $250 or so I paid for my 120 volt refrigerator. The problems with my RV refrigerator turned out to be a bad termistor, but I wrecked a lot of food before that was determined to be the issue. Even a properly working RV refrigerator has issues with long cool down periods and inability to maintain temps if folks are in and out a lot.
It might be nice to have a little bit more space, but we managed to pack food for seven for a week in the refigerator I have with drinks in a cooler.
-
You may want to think about 2 small refrigerators. One in the coach and the other in one of the bays. Keep what you need in the coach while traveling. Get to your destination you can acess the bay refrigerator. Saves space in the coach. Gives you an outdoor refrigerator without going in and out of the coach when spending time outdoors.
Kenny
-
TomC,
What did you have to pay for that Norcold chest freezer, with four kids I need to be able to buy meat in large quantities to save.
FloridaCliff wrote "Oh yeah, Not thought of all the time, they go in easy during construction, but when everything is in and finished, removal or maintenance can be an issue, when we are a little more worried about scratching stuff."
This is a very important factor if you ever have to replace the fridge or just relocate it later. I got a deal on a villa leather dinette and when I put it in I knew that it wouldn't allow the fridge to slide out enough, but I said "screw it I'll deal with it when and if the time comes". needless to say...
Also, on anchoring the fridge, I made little plates that slide on top of the leveling bolts under the front of the fridge and extend out to be bolted through the floor. I also replaced the standard pad footed leveler with a grade 5 bolt with a large head.
At the top I made a piece of the cabinet faceframe removable to be fit tight to the fridge. This keeps it from tipping any.
HTH
Devin
-
13.6 ,as i recall, Magic Chef from HD. Been in service several years. No problems, upper and lower freezer/fridge,only 2 of us but it holds a bunch....including a nightly dose of Ice Cream :D
FWIW
RCB
'64 Crown Supercoach (HWC)
-
We threw out the RV type when I got tired of no ice cream.
We installed a Whirlpool counter depth household side by side through the door of the Eagle. It might not have fit if our step wasn't circular, it was close.
I would never have a rv type again.
I've attempted to post some photos but not sure if they made it.
-
Well looks like one of the photos made it so I will do one more of the steps.
If you want more I can email them since I don't know how to post more than one at a time.
-
Devin & Amy you can buy the Engle chest freezer for less money and they manufacture the Norcold also Weaco makes one check the web for The Cellar Store they have specials from time to time
http://www.thecellarstore.com
-
We have magic chef, 9 or 10 cu ft, 1.9 amp @ 120V on Tag, there cheep too at HD, our trace 4024 has search function so it is in standby until load is needed, not sure how long i could go on 4 golfcart batteries.
you would prob have to take windshield out for 26 cu ft
make provisions to remove
consider door swing when you want to put smething in it.
i like beverages in cooler (with a little rock salt in the ice sometimes) outside any way cause the awning is really the best room in the house, the bus is just used to hold it and take it from place to place ;) and i like the cooler by my chair
we have 2 boys and usually take 2 - 3 gallons of milk plus grilling supplies we usually bring leftovers and extra food home from 3 day weekends after feasting al weekend.
and you shouldn't got your feelings hurt by dallas, He was typing in Idahoreian :D :P
if it is cheap enough, stick it in there that's my vote!! it'll be asier to find one to fit if u ever have to