replacement refrigerator 24 x 52?

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Roamer Blue

Senior Member
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Aug 27, 2016
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128
Location
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My head is sore from searching...

In my dreams, auto-defrost and up to 24" wide and 52" tall to fit in the old space.

Boring store bought 120V AC electric refrigerator?

Thank you for any help in sourcing such a gem!!
 
Who have you checked with? Would save a lot of effort if you told us a bit more about what you have already looked at.
 
For undersized fridges the RV folks have models that fit various sizes over the years.

Refrigerators Refrigeration | Dometic

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/food-and-beverage/.../refrigerators

There should be some with compressors in your width , the height might vary.

RV fridges are built for motion, shelves and doors can stand tossing about.

Many brands to choose from,

You might find using 2 units one above the other would allow a dedicated fridge and a freezer , and still fit in the same space.

Sadly they may cost 4x what dirt house units cost, but are at least built for efficiency ad motion.
 
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Frost free is going to be the fly in the ointment. Marine/RV are rarely self-defrosting. As far as size, take accurate measurements, google is your friend, there are plenty of sources, start with Defender for a good overview. If you're looking at 12V, make very sure you have adequate power supply. Pay particular attention to wire size, as most of the 12V marine/RV fridges are sensitive to low voltage. Wire that is marginally sized can create a voltage drop that may not appear to be significant, but can cause the fridge to behave in unpredictable ways. Depending on the length of the run, you may need to go to #8 AWG conductors (both + & -) to prevent problems. The additional cost for 12VDC/120VAC may not be worthwhile, when do you NOT have 12V available? Pier queens are perhaps the exception, but for a cruising boat, 120V isn't high on the list.

The other side of that coin is to use a 120VAC apartment fridge that you can buy at any of the home centers for 1/4 of the cost of a "marine" fridge, and simply run it off the inverter or power it from an independent inverter dedicated to the fridge. More availability in frost free, efficiency is good, although you'll have overhead from the inverter. There's a lot to be said for that option.

Most everything "marine" will be using the Danfoss compressor, likely BD35. They are proven, and reliable. Power supply is key, they DO NOT tolerate marginal wiring.
 
Beard Marine group has a great selection but even more knowledge. They carry the same that many others do but if you call them with what your trying to do they may send you in a better direction then what you have found so far

Refrigeration | Beard Marine Group
 
We just had to replace our refrigerator, same width but we had a little more height to work with. The problem with most household refrigerators is the air gap needed at the sides and top for ventilation. Our old one was 120v only and ran off an inverter when anchored. We went with a dual voltage marine unit from Vitrifrigo. Expensive, but probably the last one we will buy.
 
Thank you for the help!

Funny how these marketing peeps think...

Don't we all, no matter boat, RV or house, have to fit the refrigerator into an existing space?

And that's the most time consuming info to find buried in the advertising?

Interior volume means diddle if it won't fit...

RB
 
I think the Nova Kool RFU9000 is the right size in 12VDC for your space. I have had two on two different boats without any problems over 6 years of operation. It comes with a cutout a little over 52 7/8" tall, 23 1/4" wide and 22 3/4" deep. and has a mounting flange. The best feature is a front exhaust for the compressor making installation simpler.

Tom
 
"The best feature is a front exhaust for the compressor making installation simpler. "

And the unit more efficient.
 

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