Switching out ice box for fridge?

[shechelle]

I have a line on a used 13' Scamp I'm going to drive 7 hours to go look at. It's in my price range and seems good from pics I've seen. The only thing I'm not so excited about is he says it has a new icebox, not a refrigerator. I was really hoping for a propane/electric refrigerator. I'm not sure if it's possible to change this? It shows a picture of a plug outside presumably to power stuff inside with electricity but if there is nothing else electric I'm not sure what it would go to. Thanks for any noob advice.


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[sarahspins]

It can be done, but depending on how handy you are,it might not be particularly easy - especially if you aren't comfortable handling the electrical, plumbing, and venting side of things and have to pay someone else to install it.

My scamp originally had an icebox (only assuming because there was no wiring or propane line present for a fridge), which was removed by a prior owner and replaced with a dorm sized fridge, and the cabinet was cut slightly to make that fit (the opening was widened by about an inch and a half)... which conveniently left me with a hole the correct size to install a 12V solar-friendly Engel fridge (when the compressor is running it only uses 2.7 amps, and it only averages about 18 amps for the day), which is what I currently have in my scamp.. but it only runs on 12V so it may not be what you are looking for. I didn't really want to cut extra ventilation holes in my scamp and I wanted to be able to run my fridge completely on solar power, which is why I opted for the specific fridge I have.

[shechelle]

Wow solar sounds great. No, I'm not handy enough to handle gas lines or electricity so I would find someone. I actually just found another Scamp listed that I may go for instead that already has a refrigerator but this is useful information. Thanks!

[ericw]

We wanted a 13' scamp that slept 4 people also. We bought one without a fridge and with bunk beds in front. I then bought a Norcold 120V/12V fridge to replace the ice box. You have to hook up the electric, but there is no propane or cutting vents in the outside of the trailer.

Good luck with your search!

[David Tilston]

A 12 VDC compressor fridge, and enough solar and battery seems to me to be the perfect fridge solution. Not cheep though. Fridge, $800, 100 W of solar, $300, Battery, $100.

[shechelle]

Now I'm torn between that 13' which is a 2007 and a 1992 16' with fridge, new A/C and a bathroom. I've never hauled anything before so kind if wanted to keep it smaller but AC would be really nice since we are in AZ and even in high country it is hot at night. I love the idea of solar though.

[DrPork]

Hi,as far as swapping out the ice box it is a major job, I did it some years ago. There is probably only one available which is on Amazon and it is the same Dometic that I installed. It doesn't have a thermostat on the propane side only a "high Med low" control that seems to never be in the right position. I would suggest you keep looking for a rig with one already in it, Good Luck, Don

[Bob Miller]

Keep in mind that all "Solar" will do is charge your battery(s), what you do with the battery is up to you and, if you need the A/C, you won't be depending on solar or batteries to power that, it will require a 120VAC hook-up or a generator of appropriate size.


However, that bathroom will add substantial weight to the tongue, you will lose the front bunk bed and, as I have often commented, they get real small inside, especially with kids.

[MRClaus]

buy the 16 you will be happier

[shechelle]

It has the small side bath so still has front bunk. He says it's 2000 lbs which seems really heavy to me. The ice box 13 is now off CL and he never responded so I guess he sold it. I'm just wondering now if a 23yo scamp will need a lot of maintenance. Seller says excellent condition.

[Bob Miller]

Ooops, I was thinking that both were 13'ers...


BUT 2000lbs might be the empty and dry weight for a 16', but it will never be the ready-to-camp weight. Take a look at our listing of weights here:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html
and you will see that 2500+ lbs is an appropriate weight for a 16', especially with an a/c on top.


While sellers almost always say that their rigs are in "Excellent Condition", there is no reason why a 23 y.o. FGRV can't be in that condition, but there are a lot of reasons why it might not be. Only an on-site inspection can bring out the answer to that question. And, as a tip, always have the frame inspected right where it comes out from under the body into the hitch "A" frame area. There has been frame cracking reported in that area,


I looked back and you didn't mention what you will be towing with. Let us in on that info as well.

[shechelle]

Just bought a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder 4wd with tow package rated to 5000 lbs.

[Carl Pa]

Your good, Get the 16 scamp, or any other FG brand in that weight class of your TV. Length in the 13-17-ft are not much difference in handling, if you are thinking the smallest would be less of hassle to handle. Good luck, Carl

[Brentsdeal]

Originally Posted by shechelle

Now I'm torn between that 13' which is a 2007 and a 1992 16' with fridge, new A/C and a bathroom. I've never hauled anything before so kind if wanted to keep it smaller but AC would be really nice since we are in AZ and even in high country it is hot at night. I love the idea of solar though.

Go with a/c

[FRED SMAILES]

Originally Posted by shechelle

I have a line on a used 13' Scamp I'm going to drive 7 hours to go look at. It's in my price range and seems good from pics I've seen. The only thing I'm not so excited about is he says it has a new icebox, not a refrigerator. I was really hoping for a propane/electric refrigerator. I'm not sure if it's possible to change this? It shows a picture of a plug outside presumably to power stuff inside with electricity but if there is nothing else electric I'm not sure what it would go to. Thanks for any noob advice.


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If you want fridge and have to pay a shop to have it done,, is another 1500-2000 dollars in your budget?
How much more trailer can you get for that much more money?
Fred

[Missdj]

I have a 96 13' in excellent condition. I am at least the 3rd owner. It also came with just an ice box. I just had a Dometic RM2193 installed by Camping World. I got the RM2193B (black frame) as it was $300 cheaper on Amazon and free shipping (with Prime). the install was pricey, but I could not manage the electrical/gas lines so paid the price to ahve it done right and be warranted. One thing to keep in mind is a 2 way fridge need to be isolated, so they needed to build an enclosure that was not previously there for the ice box. all in all is was 6 hours of labor @129/hr, plus parts, plus the fridge I had purchased myself. about $1600 for the exchange. on the flipside..no more lukewarm meat and dairy and I managed all of the other upgrades and mods myself, so I felt able to splurge on the fridge.

[Tina in AZ]

We were living in AZ when we bought our 14' Burro. We were not looking for one with AC, since we prefer dry camping. But I am so glad we have one. We use it most of the time.

As far as a fridge, we just have an ice box and its a bit frustrating. The ice box itself is inefficient, especially in warm climates. We are getting tired of stressing about how much ice has melted in the ice chest and if we need more. So if you want a fridge, either work it into your budget or buy one with a fridge already installed.

Best of luck finding your new egg!


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[Jon in AZ]

Agree. If a fridge is what you need, best to find a trailer with one already in place. Retrofitting is very costly unless you have the skills to acquire a used one and do the installation yourself.

With only an icebox, we have found it more efficient (and convenient, since we cook outside) to use a portable ice chest for perishables and the trailer's built-in icebox (without ice) for dry storage. Ice lasts longer in a good quality ice chest and a top-opening design loses less cool air when you open it. On our first trip we used the same size ice block in both, and the chest lasted almost twice as long as the trailer's icebox. We now have two: a small one for drinks, which tends to get opened more often, and a larger one for everything else. Crackers, bread, chips, etc. go in the trailer's icebox.

Even if we had a fridge I doubt it would be big enough (in a Scamp 13') for our family of four.

[sarahspins]

My Engel SB70 is 60quarts - that's on par with the size of the cooler (Igloo Ice Cube on wheels) we typically take on camping road trips for food (we also carry a smaller cooler just for drinks). Obviously we can't stock up on groceries for a full week or anything, but as we rarely stay in one place more than about 4 days, it hasn't yet been an issue for us, and I don't anticipate that being much different in our scamp - since we can stock the cooler just fine for 4 days, with enough ice to last the duration, I expect that the Engel fridge will serve our needs just fine since we won't be losing some of that space to ice like we would be in the cooler, so we may actually be able to pack "more" food with us than before. We still plan on taking a smaller cooler with drinks in our tow vehicle because we tend to do that anyways

For the record, with the ice cube + drink cooler combo we successfully "road trip" camped for more than 3 weeks a few summers ago with 5 of us, buying block ice where possible when we stocked up on food, and we made/cooked ALL of our meals, no fast food or dining at restaurants... we ate lunch at a lot of rest stops and random city parks, and it worked out very well, and nothing we purchased went bad, and no one got food poisoning along the way.