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National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Good morning LD fam -

I have a 2000 LD with the original fridge. Seems to be working ok. But in interest of preventative maintenance thinking of getting the cooling system rebuilt.

I will be passing through Shipshewana IN and have heard good things about these guys. FAQ - National RV Refrigeration

Any thoughts pros / cons about having this done? Anyone have experience with this company or doing a rebuild? Anything I should be prepared for or extra I can do in that space when they have the fridge out?

When I called the owner said I should just wait till my fridge fails then get it fixed but I cant afford the downtime and potential drive to get it done at an inconvenient time.
Jodi, Kevin, and Lincoln (the crazy doodle dog)
2011 TK - also the "DogHaus"- adopted October 2023
2000 30IB - the "DogHaus" - adopted April 2020 - rehomed October 2023
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #1 –
If having the replacement buys you some peace of mind, it's not crazy to preemptively replace the cooling unit on a 20+ year old RV fridge.  You will probably notice a performance improvement. 

I personally would keep using a working fridge and maybe save some extra money for a full fridge replacement (not just the cooling unit) when the original fails.  Even with a replacement cooling unit, all of the plastic bits and pieces are still old.  Replacement bins, latches, and so on.... are getting harder to find each year.

I think it's a good idea to upgrade/replace the insulation around the fridge at time of replacement.  Larry has posted some helpful pictures : Reinstalling refrigerator | Flickr

One thing that makes a fridge different than say, a fuel pump, is that you can keep traveling with a broken one.  I spent one trip (in a different rig) buying ice every few days and using the fridge as a cooler.  It's not ideal, but the trip doesn't have to stop just because the fridge does. 

Rich
2003 MB
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #2 –
Quote from: JodiH  - 
Good morning LD fam -

I will be passing through Shipshewana IN and have heard good things about these guys. FAQ - National RV Refrigeration


I've kept in touch with a couple from North Carolina who during their travels around the coastline of Lake Erie, developed a problem with their Frig.  Their options were to install a new cooling unit or completely replace the Frig with a new one.  They got a quote from Camping World for $1,800-2,000 and it would take 5 days.  Then they found out about National RV Refrigeration (Leon Hershberger).  His price was 50% less.  They drove 6 hours down to Shipshewana and it took 2 hours to replace the Frig (Their Frig was 15 years old).  They were greatly impressed with them.  They had a Amish buffet lunch and resumed their Lake Erie coastline journey.
Glenn & Joan Lambert
Redford, MI
2017 27' Mid-Bath
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #3 –
"I think it's a good idea to upgrade/replace the insulation around the fridge at time of replacement."

Amen! When I took out the fridge from my 2000 Lazy Daze, I was shocked at how skimpy the insulation was: one inch of cheap styrofoam. By all means replace and add to that while the fridge is out.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #4 –
The National RV rebilt cooling units are not new, they are old units with the defective parts replaced, as opposed to the Amish new units.
Not sure if the rebuilts are as good as the totally new units. This does explainthe price difference between the two..

https://rvcoolingunit.com/Dometic-Cooling-Units-Amish-Built-Brand-new-C4436.aspx?sid=298

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #5 –
Thank you all for your input! I will let you know how it goes. Scheduled date is October 11th.
Jodi, Kevin, and Lincoln (the crazy doodle dog)
2011 TK - also the "DogHaus"- adopted October 2023
2000 30IB - the "DogHaus" - adopted April 2020 - rehomed October 2023
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #6 –
Update after my visit to National RV Refrigeration....

Met with Glenn and his son - they took a look at my functional but old fridge and suggested not doing anything at all to it. I asked if it would be worth it to refurbish the cooling unit preventatively and they said it could easily run another 10 years and to leave it alone.

They offered to have me look at the new (scratch n dent) models that would fit in case I wanted to go that route (although they recommended against it). All the new fridges seemed poor quality with flimsy handles and thin trim and didn't seem like anything I would want to replace my old fridge with.

Since I had the fridge off and at room temperature in case we were going to take it out to do the replace / refurbish they suggested I leave it for a few hours to assess proper cooling. They took the cover off the back side and blew out the dust and cobwebs. I showed them the area on the cooling fins that were getting coated with ice so they assessed the seals. Commenting how nice the seals still were the son did find a fold in one of the seals near the hinge side of the door. He took a hot air gun and warmed it up to mold the crease out / taped it in place to help it hold its shape. I will take the tape off when it comes out of storage.

We also discussed installing a new A/C since the current one is original. They suggested not doing this especially at this time due to the new units having all sorts of manufacturing issues and tons of warranty work needing to be done on them after install. They said the new units coming out during the big rv explosion during pandemic has made the quality horrible.

They charged me $50 for the time it took to evaluate, discuss everything, and fix the seal which I feel was pretty fair.

To summarize - great experience with these guys and I wouldn't hesitate to go back if I need work.

For what its worth - other great experiences in the northern Indiana Shipshawana / Elkhart area:
Oil change and RV wash at Marv and Tom's Truck Service and Wash
Mobile winterizing from Jon - Great Lakes RV Service
Jodi, Kevin, and Lincoln (the crazy doodle dog)
2011 TK - also the "DogHaus"- adopted October 2023
2000 30IB - the "DogHaus" - adopted April 2020 - rehomed October 2023
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #7 –
Quote from: JodiH  - 
Update after my visit to National RV Refrigeration....

Met with Glenn and his son - they took a look at my functional but old fridge and suggested not doing anything at all to it. I asked if it would be worth it to refurbish the cooling unit prophetically and they said it could easily run another 10 years and to leave it alone.

They offered to have me look at the new (scratch n dent) models that would fit in case I wanted to go that route (although they recommended against it). All the new fridges seemed poor quality with flimsy handles and thin trim and didn't seem like anything I would want to replace my old fridge with.

Since I had the fridge off and at room temperature in case we were going to take it out to do the replace / refurbish they suggested I leave it for a few hours to assess proper cooling. They took the cover off the back side and blew out the dust and cobwebs. I showed them the area on the cooling fins that were getting coated with ice so they assessed the seals. Commenting how nice the seals still were the son did find a fold in one of the seals near the hinge side of the door. He took a hot air gun and warmed it up to mold the crease out / taped it in place to help it hold its shape. I will take the tape off when it comes out of storage.

We also discussed installing a new A/C since the current one is original. They suggested not doing this especially at this time due to the new units having all sorts of manufacturing issues and tons of warranty work needing to be done on them after install. They said the new units coming out during the big rv explosion during pandemic has made the quality horrible.

They charged me $50 for the time it took to evaluate, discuss everything, and fix the seal which I feel was pretty fair.

To summarize - great experience with these guys and I wouldn't hesitate to go back if I need work.

For what its worth - other great experiences in the northern Indiana Shipshawana / Elkhart area:
Oil change and RV wash at Marv and Tom's Truck Service and Wash
Mobile winterizing from Jon - Great Lakes RV Service
Sounds like  $50 well spent, Jodi. Thanks for sharing.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: National RV Refrigeration - Rebuild
Reply #8 –
Quote from: JodiH  - 
Update after my visit to National RV Refrigeration....

Met with Glenn and his son - they took a look at my functional but old fridge and suggested not doing anything at all to it. I asked if it would be worth it to refurbish the cooling unit prophetically and they said it could easily run another 10 years and to leave it alone.

They offered to have me look at the new (scratch n dent) models that would fit in case I wanted to go that route (although they recommended against it). All the new fridges seemed poor quality with flimsy handles and thin trim and didn't seem like anything I would want to replace my old fridge with.

Since I had the fridge off and at room temperature in case we were going to take it out to do the replace / refurbish they suggested I leave it for a few hours to assess proper cooling. They took the cover off the back side and blew out the dust and cobwebs. I showed them the area on the cooling fins that were getting coated with ice so they assessed the seals. Commenting how nice the seals still were the son did find a fold in one of the seals near the hinge side of the door. He took a hot air gun and warmed it up to mold the crease out / taped it in place to help it hold its shape. I will take the tape off when it comes out of storage.

We also discussed installing a new A/C since the current one is original. They suggested not doing this especially at this time due to the new units having all sorts of manufacturing issues and tons of warranty work needing to be done on them after install. They said the new units coming out during the big rv explosion during pandemic has made the quality horrible.

They charged me $50 for the time it took to evaluate, discuss everything, and fix the seal which I feel was pretty fair.

To summarize - great experience with these guys and I wouldn't hesitate to go back if I need work.

For what its worth - other great experiences in the northern Indiana Shipshawana / Elkhart area:
Oil change and RV wash at Marv and Tom's Truck Service and Wash
Mobile winterizing from Jon - Great Lakes RV Service

It's so nice to hear about folks in business who are honest, rather than driven by the quest for the dollar.  Altho I'm rather far away from them (Missouri), I will think of them first, at least to talk to, if I need their type of work done.  Thanks for the report.
2004 MB