Isotherm Elegance 65 Installation

jebelhafit

We have 2015 U-shape T@B with the Norcold 3163 3-way fridge which has served us well except at high altitude and very hot temps.  Back in 2020 I was looking at replacing the Norcold with the Isotherm Elegance 65 and finally got around to making the switch.  With the 45 degree cut-out on the lower back of the E65 fridge, it is a perfect fit for the T@B.  The 30% extra capacity, the Danfoss compressor technology, the addition of a small freezer, the reduction of heat generation were all factors in the decision to make the change.  We have two 6-volt golf cart batteries along with 120W of mobile solar panels, so lack of power should not be an issue.

Removing the Norcold was a bit of a tussle, but after removing the stove and disconnecting the input and exhaust pipes, the fridge came out in one piece.  The next step was to cover the intake and exhaust holes in the front of the trailer.  I cut an oval piece of diamond plate and used marine grade caulk along with stainless steel nuts and bolts to make it secure and watertight. I then insulated behind with Styrofoam to complete the process.  I removed the extra gas line and capped it at the source under the trailer with a 3/8” female flange cap.  In the future this port could be adapted to external LP gas outlet.

The empty cavity for the fridge had a large ventilation hole up front, so I added ½ inch plywood to the base and cut a ventilation hole in the back to the left of the fridge.  I added plywood walls on either side of the cut-out extending back about 12”. This created a small cupboard on the left-hand side with the air vent behind. I inserted a 1” filler strip on the right-hand side of the cut-out to allow more room for the fridge door to swing open.  To further secure the fridge, I also added a 2” wide strap to go around the body of the fridge that can be accessed through the upper vent on the side of the trailer.  This was probably overkill, but the E65 will not be moving within the shell!  One small warning about the shell cut-out dimensions - add 3/16” to the front side width to accommodate the thickness of the flange.  Otherwise, it fits like a glove.  I left the small computer fan in the side vent connected for use in hot weather if needed. I also covered the exposed gas line in the new cupboard with an electrical conduit for extra protection.

For the finishing, I bought a 4’ x 5 ½” x ¾” piece of maple from Lowes and used a router to try and replicate the pattern of the door under the fridge. Matching the colour was a challenge since the original colours have changed with time and exposure to sunlight.  The side cupboard will have shelves or a pull-out once we decide what will be going in the space.  The upper cover is also hinged to allow access to the underside the stove and possibly access to a very small storage space.

Reno complete and the fridge is working as expected.  Cools quickly, very low power draw so it seems like a good exchange.  Happy to answer any questions.     Gary

Denny16

Came out looking very nice.  Looks like a factory install.  I think you will get more use out of the new AC/DC fridge, and your battery/solar setup should be just fine.  We run our two-way compressor fridge on a 200 amp AGM with 193-watt solar and have no issues keeping the battery recharged in the day from power drain during the night.

gulfarea

@jebelhafit great job! I moved mine to the left then made the door on the right held on with magnets. All I had to do was champfer the right edge of the vertical door so it woulf fit behind the door screen frame.  I use that compartment for trash. Need to order the Art

fstop32

Very nicely done @jebelhafit!  My Norcold recently passed and I'm researching my options.

Bayliss

@jebelhafit, the Isotherm installation instructions require venting of the refrigerator from the top or sides of the refrigerator (instruction 4.2).  It sounds like you may have a side vent on the passenger side of the trailer.  Am I correct about that?

I recently had a lot of rain intrusion through the two passenger side vents (stock installation by nuCamp for the previous Norcold refrigerator), so I need to close those off.  However, I still need to ventilate the refrigerator.  I included an opening at the bottom of the refrigerator cabinet for fresh air intake (my installation is essentially identical to yours), but to accommodate the venting requirement, I am thinking I will add some small round or oval vents in the cabinet face above the refrigerator.  Can you confirm how your Isotherm  refrigerator is vented?  A photo would be very helpful.  Thanks!  (Greg)  

P.S.  The Isotherm worked flawlessly for 91 days straight (including temps in the 90s and high humidity during the first three weeks) while we were on our trip.  I have a 100 Ah Battleborn Lithium battery and it did great as well.  I just made sure I had electrical hookups every two to three days to recharge the battery up to 100%, but it could have easily gone four days, if necessary.

AldebaranJill

For the isotherm owners, is it possible to report 24 hr Amp Hour total usage numbers and maybe high and low ambient temps? Would love to see if this an option for me (2013 T@B with 3 Way Fridge, 100 AH battery, 100W solar).

@jebelhafit  @Bayliss @gulfarea
Jill

Denny16

The 2-way fridges in the TaB400, including the new Isotherm Elegence, is vented into the trailer cabin area from the sides, no outside vents required, just some good space around the fridge area to let air into and out.  You could put a small grill at rye bottom to let air in.  

Cheers 

jebelhafit

@BaylissYes, the 2015 T@B u-shape has an external side vent on the upper portion of the fridge with an added computer fan controlled by a switch inside the camper.  It also has an external floor vent in the cupboard below the fridge, hence the need to cut an air hole on the back left side of the fridge.  This allows an external air flow over the back coils of the fridge.  

Bayliss

@AldebaranJill, I did not specifically keep track of Ah usage, but when not connected to electricity to charge the battery, I would say the Isotherm was using approximately 15% of its capacity each 24 hr period, or less in colder weather.  However, there are many factors that impact tracking the Ah usage, including whether we were using the battery for other purposes, such as charging the phone or other device(s.)  When we did not have hookups (generally over a 48 hr period max, but sometimes 72 hrs), we were also towing the trailer for a chunk of that time.  Therefore, the tow vehicle was charging the battery and I would see different battery capacity levels throughout the day.  We spent a number of nights at rest stops, and twice at a Wal Mart, mainly because it was more convenient and we had driven more hours those particular days.  Our fresh water pump was not pumping fresh water due to a water line blockage (discussed in another post), so we generally tried to have hookups every couple days so we could take a shower.

I suppose the best test would be while boondocking in different weather conditions, but that isn't easy to do, because we tend to camp in the same location for days at a time when we don't have hookups.  When it was hot and humid at the beginning of our recent trip, we had hookups most of the time so that we would have air conditioning.  Hotter ambient (outside) temps lead to near continuous cycling of the refrigerator compressor, particularly if we did not have air conditioning.  Regardless, the Isotherm performed very well and was always operating in the 36-40 degree range.  We really love that the Isotherm has a freezer.  If the ambient temp was quite a bit cooler overnight, I occasionally adjusted the refrigerator thermostat slightly to keep the refrigerator around 36 degrees, but we never had an issue with liquids (or eggs) freezing overnight, which is something I have experienced with previous propane-operated refrigerators during very cold nights.  One last note........we brought our Renogy Solar Suitcase (100W) along for the trip, but I only used it once.  Every time we had hookups, the battery was back to 100% by the morning, if not earlier.