Appliances Feedback - RV versus Apartment

[Musicforge]

Our first bus was all rv appliances, propane stove, propane/12VDC fridge, RV a/c. Stove worked fine, fridge worked fine on propane until it did not, we decided to use it as a 12VDC and again worked fine until it did not The AC was 120VAC which worked fine with shore power but still needed a hefty cord to power it from shore power (melted a 16ga cord in Mexico) even with a 6000 watt sine inverter we did not have the juice to overcome start-up amperage. Second bus we went with all apartment size appliances in propane which worked fine and propane was hit and miss in 3rd world. Our third bus (building now) is a propane on-demand HWH that runs through a solar coil on top of the bus, so we don't use propane unless we need to for HWH, The stove is propane but we have a large solar oven for use when bivvied but will break down for transport, fridge is all electric 120VDC (physically changed compressor from AC to high efficiency scroll DC compressor) AC is going to be a stand alone units you find in home depot but I am going to re-configure it completely. My choices were made because I will be mostly out of country and no matter what I put in, parts will not be readily available nor will they be speedily available in other countries so its a question of which is more reliable RV or home appliances and where you will be located for parts replacement. Also I have solar panels that I am building in a curved containment that matches the bus roof curvature that will run the complete length of the bus with only top center of bus roof clear for walking and these charge a 120 volt 26kw bank of lithium LG 18650 batteries inside the bus behind drivers seat.

[Drew Bru]

We've been bouncing down forest service roads for the last year with a residential fridge and 20" residential gas stove converted to propane. We cook every meal and have been off grid with solar the entire time, we haven't had any problems with the appliances

[Ranchorossa]

I'm a fan of 12 volt and propane. We don't do RV parks so we are off grid all the time. I've never had a problem with an propane refrigerator. Plug it in to 110 before you leave the house to get it cold, then propane when on the road. Tankless water heater, propane. For the stove, any natural gas can be converted to propane. Generally, RV stoves are smaller. If you have the room, get a house oven and convert it.

I have never had a problem using propane. You do read some horror stories about it sometimes. Propane is one of the things that you really want a qualified person to install. About $300 on our bus, materials and labor. Well worth it. And, you don't have to worry about a massive solar array. We only have 200 watts of solar.

[Caplansail]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Operator errors leading to grease fires, oven controls malfunction and can go boom if you don't pay attention all the time it is on.


Yachts that have been damaged or not seaworthy can be had cheap if you check around. Full of appliances and other goodies, electrical, plumbing, cabinets, horns etc.


John

John, where are you finding boat salvage? I’m on the western Long Island Sound (NY/CT) and not finding salvage locations on Google.

Barbara

[TomA]

Hey Barbara:


Former White Plains resident here, hope all is well for you in Larchmont...


Years ago my sister kept a sailboat in City Island, which in those days had a string of little marinas and storage yards running the length of it, filled with all manor and condition of boats from day sailers up to 100 footers.
City Island may have changed A LOT since the early 1980s, but between you and Mystic Seaport there are plenty of smaller yards and shops, like around the Connecticut River outlet. I would just call them at random and see if they know anyone giving up on a project that might have what you need. Nobody is that busy right now.



Better yet, put together a list of what you want with your contact info and take copies with you on a drive from seaport to seaport. Makes for a nice afternoon, providing CT is open to such a thing these days. Have a lobster roll in Mystic for me.


Off shore gear and appliances are so pricey, and worth so little used, that you need to have your info in front of somebody close to that stuff who can keep an eye out for you to get it when available, IMHO. Anyway, that's what I would do if I were still in White Plains.


Wishing my Westchester & Fairfield friends and family the very best through these horrible months...


Tom

[TomA]

What's the problem with 3 way refrigerators?


A school friend of mine who was on independent insurance agent told me they are far and away the largest single source of total loss fire damage in the RV industry. Nothing else burns RVs to the ground more often. That was 20 years ago, but that gear is mostly still in use today and the newer stuff hasn't changed much.



If the stove starts the curtains on fire, you're there and awake and have a fighting chance to put it out, save the rig and your family. If the back of the fridge catches fire, by the time you know about it, you may be fortunate simply to get out before the entire interior flashes over. You might not even be on board when it burns.



Not saying a 3 way fridge fire is a common occurrence, but when it happens its frequently (and statistically) a disaster.

[BlackJohn]

Originally Posted by Caplansail

John, where are you finding boat salvage? I’m on the western Long Island Sound (NY/CT) and not finding salvage locations on Google.

Barbara

Hi Barbara, I will say that salvage yards are not common for marine as they are for cars and trucks etc. Not here in Canada anyway but take time to visit marinas or I often see boats put up in folks yards sitting for God knows how long. You don't need to buy the whole boat, some are beyond repair but the goodies inside might be available of you ask.


There must be a lot of boats wrecked every year from hurricanes down the eastern seaboard, along the intracoastal waterways is probably a gold mine for insurance write-offs.



You should have a good idea of what you might want, will it work in your application, will it fit physically in your space.

Marine type materials and equipment are generally very good craftsnmanship can be found so these do interest me, but not for everyone I guess.
Good luck in your quest.


John

[BlackJohn]

"If the back of the fridge catches fire, by the time you know about it, you may be fortunate simply to get out before the entire interior flashes over."


I had this happen actually. Stepped out of the shower,dripping wet and saw flames licking out from the edges of the fridge opening. Wrapped in my towel went outside and got the bottles shut off, back inside and used my wet towel on the flames.
Apparently in the back outside fridge access, was a loose connection on the main gas valve. Gas escaped and somehow the whole compartment was burning. Well shutting the tanks off helped extinguish to a point but I smothered the rest out, not having an extinguisher handy and being, nude, stunned at what just happened. Another minute or so would have been my demise,trapped in an inferno.

And then the blowoff valve started screaming as the absorption gases vented, man never heard anything like it or wish to hear that sound again.
Besides that episode, electronic boards on these type fridges in RV's seem to fail more often than not at the most inconvenient time.

Said fridge did keep things very cold in my experience but I used up one of my 9 lives for sure.
You have to be on top of these things all the time for proper operation. You don't just turn them on and hope they function as supposed to cause they will do you in.
The only propane appliance I trust is maybe the stove top burners and a water heater. Furnaces are scary also so I would never use when sleeping or under the influence as some campers tend to get.

Hope this helps everyone using these appliances, stay safe!


John

[Ranchorossa]

It does happen. That's why I recommend a licensed person to do the install. One less chance of things going wrong. And always have an operable smoke, CO2 and propane detector.

[Caplansail]

TomA and BlackJohn, thank you! I lived on Minneford Ave at the bridge end of City Island 1982-84. I ran an adaptive sailing program on the Eastchester Bay side of the island for another eight years. Sadly, it’s changed a lot. Once the first luxury condo complex for Manhattan commuters was built in the mid-80’s, the inevitable happened. UK Sails closed and moved, and one of the venerable yacht clubs is gone. Some old favorites are still there, the two fried grease pits at the end of the island, the Lobster Box, and The Black Whale for dessert. The traffic is ungodly, though, and I spent half an hour from the bridge to drop my sails at Doyle’s last fall.

White Plains has changed as well, for the better imho. Nice condos targeting the 20something commuters and young families coming out of the city, but quite a few singles/couples are downsizing there as Mamaroneck Ave is full of restaurants and shops.

Anyway. I will do as you both suggested. I have a lead on a bus, I’m not in a hurry, and I love a good boatyard!

Barbara

[Ricksy]

In my experience, there are a bunch of apartment appliances that work just as well with an RV or a skoolie. A couple of years back, I upgraded my kitchen's range from a 20" freestanding gas model to a recent 30" GE electric range. Not that it had any issues back then; I had it planned all along to upcycle it in my new found interest of building a cool skoolie. Besides, I added a compact single induction cooktop from NuWave to enhance the look of my tiny kitchen. It didn't turn out quite as I thought it would though. Had I known that regular pans don't work with these new induction based cooktops, I wouldn't have thought to add that bit at the time. Thankfully, my kitchen arsenal had a cast iron pan that worked with the induction cooker [worked but not ideal, see this: https://bestkitchenbuy.com/does-cast...tion-cooktop/], so I suppose it wasn't a bad investment after all.
I also reused my older refrigerator in the skoolie later on. While you can certainly reuse most of your apartment appliances in your motorhome, these new compact ones they're introducing now sure take the cake for best compatibility.