RCA Chest Freezer FRF470 7.0 Cu. Ft.

 UPDATE: After I took the video I posted with my review, I unplugged the freezer for 24 hours before plugging it back in, the noise hasn’t happened again since then. I’m not sure if that’s something that might just happen the first time it’s turned on, or if it might’ve been shaken around when it was being delivered, but just to be on the safe side let this freezer sit for about a day after you receive it before plugging it in.

So far it works great, it didn’t arrive damaged, and the cup of water and ice cream I put in as a test both froze over completely as expected, the only thing I’m concerned about is every now and then the freezer will turn on and make this noise for about 30 seconds, this is my first time owning a chest freezer so I’m not sure if this is normal which is why I’m bringing it up here, if this is what chest freezers do than as of right now I can definitely recommend this. If they aren’t supposed to be doing this, then, well, I’ll update the review based on how hard it is to fix/replace

It’s big and spacious, and it most likely works. I’m just pissed that it has a dent in it, especially in the front. The packaging was fine so it must be a factory issue!

The freezer was significantly damaged on delivery, see attached. It still turns on and gets cold, but I am concerned about the seal and aesthetics long-term. Would the seller be open to a partial refund for the damage?

Update 4/25/2019 — HAD to repair this with a new start relay, part QP2-4.7 three-pin model — It is available on Amazon, two pieces for just over ten bucks.

It has been about 20 months, and like so many others have experienced, this freezer died on me. I took a chance with all the bad reviews, though there were not so many when I bought it.

My unit would power on, turn the compressor on, then shut the compressor off after a few seconds. This cycle repeated, with no cooling whatsoever. On the reviews for the white version of this freezer, someone had done a similar repair.

Once I received the part, it took less than 5 minutes to fix. If your remove the old relay, and it rattles when you shake it, you know it is bad. It is located on the side of the compressor, under a plastic cover, towards the front of the machine. Remove the access cover near the cord to see the compressor.

Easy fix. they should have included an extra one with the freezer–it would have saved them a lot of headaches over at RCA/Igloo.

So far, so good. UPS delivered this without any damage at all, and the freezer seemed packed well enough that it would take some pretty good lumps. The UPS guy in my area is great, and always treats packages with respect, but sometimes the guys at the warehouses/sorting centers can be a bit less gentle. I waited over 24 hours to plug it in, due to the unknown orientation during shipping, and, so far, it seems like it is cooling down properly. We will see in a few hours.

So– my takeaways:

The freezer is surprisingly light–really easy to maneuverer by myself.
The dimensions are spot on, which is great, because it fit though my 22-inch travel trailer door, without removing the thing.
This thing is super quiet–no fan noise and just a mild hum from the compressor while it pumps refrigerant.

Some grievances I have:

I bought this for an off-grid travel trailer, to use as a fridge. I am running it off a 12 volt solar system, through a Power Bright 1100 watt (2200 surge) inverter.

The first thing I found upon unpacking this freezer was the EnergyGuide label. Unlike the 172 kWh of energy usage pictured on the product listing, this uses 196 kWh a year, according to their tests. OK, that is just a bit more, but it is still far less than other similar models.

Second, most of the time you figure 8-10 times the startup draw than the running draw for inverter usage.

On the back of the machine, the amperage while running is listed as 1.1 amps, at 115 volts. It also lists the startup current— 18 AMPS! Or 2070 watts. I have been waiting anxious to see how my new inverter will handle this, since I figured the startup watts would be at most 1200 or so.

Surprisingly, the small Power Bright inverter handles it fine. There is an initial surge– according to the inverter’s built-in watt meter– of just over 900 watts, then it drops down to about 114 watts while the compressor is running. The fan on the inverter does not even come on unless it is hot out!

Now I just have to wait for my extra panels and batteries to run this constantly, and I will be set. I plan to use a 12 volt temperature relay to replace the on/off switch of the inverter, which will turn the inverter and freezer on only when the temperature rises above 38 degrees. This will minimize the noise of the inverter/freezer at night while I am sleeping, while eliminating the extra power draw from the inverter when it is not actively being used.

I will update this review as I go along to note any changes/problems.

UPDATE: I upgraded to a pure sine inverter to run the freezer. My Power Bright 1100 watt modified sine inverter starts and runs the freezer fine, but this freezer seems to be especially sensitive to power quality. I was struggling to get the freezer down below 40 degrees, even after running it all day. I noticed the compressor kicked on and off often, so I deduced that it was probably triggering the overheat protection on the compressor. With modified sine waves, the harsh changes between peaks can cause compressors to overheat easier.

With the pure sine inverter, the compressor stays running longer, and it takes only a few hours to drop the freezer below freezing. So If you are having problems running this on solar, consider upgrading to a pure sine inverter. I went with a 2000 watt model from Power TechOn, and it seems to work really well.