Customizations on new 2552

My 3 Block lights arrived.  They are nice and bright with the 2-4-6 LED settings, and very compact as expected.  My complaint with them is that they separate from the battery too easily.  Electrical tape solves the problem, but at $5.75 each, I expected better.  I can spend much less for a finicky flashlight.  Oh well.   

I should have bought a $30 Mag light for the entry door.....Might still do it.

The custom dinette is 69" long, the spec for that bed says 68" long so that fits fairly close.  Anyway it fills the space where the driver side bed was.  Width is 26.5" for the seats.  The table is 25" wide by 27" long (long being forward to backward, wide being driver to passenger).

They asked if I wanted it to fold into a bed because if so they would need to changed the table dimensions a bit.  I had no interest in another bed so told them no.  But if you needed the extra bed I suppose they could make it that way.

It is perfect for two people but would never work for more.  We also had them add two very shallow drawers under the front seat to hold our laptops.  The shallow drawers are just right for our laptops, chargers, mice & such.  The original drawers were about two inches too short to fit the laptops.  When I pointed this out at the factory Bobby took them out, went away for about 15 minutes and came back with two new drawers custom built to fit perfectly.  Really nice having a full shop to work with   and guys that want things done right.

Note that this customization requires losing the sliding bathroom door and replacing it with the accordion curtain.  No big deal for us, just FYI.

Hi Jatrax, I'm currently in the research stage for an extended 2552 and am wondering why you chose the refrigerator you did.

Thanks!

Gary

Hi Gary,
When we were researching I found many complaints about the absorption refrigerators catching fire, not lasting long etc.  I understand now that this issue seems to have been relatively recent and is most likely corrected after the class action suit.  However, at the time it scared me.  We also noted many posts from people who said they turned on the refrigerator 2 or even 3 days before leaving so it would be cold.  Not sure if that is true or not, but it was a factor in the decision.  We also noted many people replacing their old absorption units with residential style refrigerators, and just a general feeling of dissatisfaction with the old absorption units.  Keep in mind that on the internet you hear lots of complaints and few satisfied customers.

Pros:
- avoids the fire issue with absorption units, whether a real issue or not
- very fast start up, under an hour to operating temperature
- more usable interior space
- runs on 12 volt or on 120 volt, so no need for an inverter
- unlike residential units it is designed for marine use thus running while in motion is not an issue.  Not sure if it is really a problem with residential ones either but some people think so
- 12 volt use is about 30 amp hours per day, so 48 hours off grid with no generator is possible
- since it runs on 12 volt, can be operated while driving for extended periods without an inverter or use of LP

Cons:
- slightly more expensive
- installation is different than a regular absorption unit as it needs to vent to the interior, not the exterior
- does not run on LP so extended boondocking might be an issue unless solar or generator is used

It has worked well for us and we are very happy with it.  It may not be for everyone.  However, if Phoenix corrects their installation process for it I am comfortable recommending it to others.  The process they used on mine required considerable work on my part to correct the venting.

Thanks a bunch for your very informative response!