Refrigerator Repair

I recently called a Camping World service center to make an appointment to get my motorhome's refrigerator worked on. The service advisor asked me if it was a residential refrigerator or RV style. When I told him RV style, he replied good because they couldn't work on the residential kind. He said they would have to get a third party for any repairs.

Residential refrigerators, another good RV industry idea, added weight, additional batteries, dealers can't repair. The old RV style refrigerators are now an extra cost option!

The RV reefer on my HitchHiker II failed and I was quoted $1,000 to repair it or $1500 to replace it. Found a "residential" (regular) reefer at Home Depot for $300 that was an exact fit and works like a charm. Neighbor with a large Winnebago MH intentionally replaced his RV reefer with a similar size regular reefer. His checks found that the new reefer on average loses 1 degree of temperature in 8 hrs. if the door is kept shut.

Joe,
you said it lost only 1 degree in 8hrs but what was the ambient temp? wonder how would it do if it was 90 degrees in the sun in August?

Jim