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residential fridge install question


lockmup68

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Depends on the necessary minimum clearances for the residential fridge. I glued heavy plastic to the back side of the vent doors to block air infiltration then glued batt insulation to that to improve the insulating a bit (not much).

 

If your fridge will have the clearance behind it for the cooling fan to work OK then go for it. Mine has the coils underneath and the fan in the back at the bottom right so I still need access from behind to clean the fan and coils I cannot reach from the front.

 

I would like to just replace those outside door panels with solid ones with some blue insulation stuck to them but they have decals that match the siding so they would look pretty tacky if I did that.

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Closed mine off when Res fridge installed. Be sure to create some airflow in behind vented to interior. Fridge designed to operate at inside room temps.

 

I was able to make openings inside cabinet drawers next to fridge. Allows intake air hidden from sight. Outlet is above fridge top mine has crown molding and flat top behind Just put 2" holes in it allows natural convection heat rise air flow. No issues. 4 yrs now.

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I was thinking that other than providing air for the compressor on the new refer, the vents should be addressed if only for the fact that when heating or cooling the rig, that will provide a place for leaking of that conditioned air. Other subjects here have addressed P-seal leaks, slide gaps etc., so dont want to create a good sized leak through oversight.

Marcel

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  • 3 weeks later...

How does your fridge vent? Side, rear, or front?

Might be wise to know that before you block a vent.

Just thinking out loud.....

front. The Teton has vents in front and side in addition to the rear exterior vents.

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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What brand and model did you buy as a replacement? Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks.

 

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I just bought a stainless Samsung bottom freezer, french door model for the house a few months ago. If my measurements are correct, I can use it by losing the bottom drawer in the Teton fridge space. The Samsung model I have has separate cooling units for freezer and refrigerator. Supposed to last longer and cool more efficiently than most of the units that use the freezer to cool the refrigerator. Been happy with it so far.

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2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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Model # and install information requested. Needing to make a decision soon on repairing or replacing. All suggestions appreciated!

 

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We replaced our Norcold 1200 refrigerator with a Samsung model RF18. Width and depth closely matched the Norcold but the Samsung is taller. We were fortunate to be able to remove a drawer to accommodate the extra height. You'll want to measure your space and compare it to the spec sheet. For several reasons, very pleased we made the change.

 

To secure the refrigerator and we made a couple brackets to hold the top and put a couple bolts on the front "feet" anchoring it to the floor. It isn't going anywhere!

 

Original Norcold

IMG_1550.jpg

 

Norcold and drawer removed

P1090298.jpg

 

One of the upper brackets I made out of some scrap aluminum

P1090499.jpg

 

Samsung installed

P1090508.jpg

IMG_3217a.jpg.c718bc170600aa5ce52e515511d83cb7.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
24 minutes ago, dan412 said:

Does the old fridge fit out the door and the new one in if you take the doors off.

I also had to remove the door frame on the RV to get the clearance I needed but that was the easiest part.  Remember, once a unit is partway in or out of the door, no one else can get in or out to help from the other side so be sure you have enough help inside and outside before starting to move it.  Many times this is not a huge issue but for some, like mine, the counter and wall opposing the RV door inside made for some difficulty in turning the units to transition the doorway both ways.

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On 1/14/2018 at 8:59 AM, dan412 said:

Does the old fridge fit out the door and the new one in if you take the doors off.

FIlled in the vents with foam board and HVAC foil tape over all seams and then put roll reflective insulation over everything. I did cut the foam boards so the vents could be removed from the outside if needed (the tape would have to be cut). I then ran thermostat controlled heat tape on the ice maker line. And I also ran the power to another outlet accessible under the sink that will be on a separate inverter for rolling down the road. 

PGoKQaFl.jpg

Took window out and went in through window hole. That way you do not have to take refrigerator doors off or RV door apart. Window is easy to take out.

2dTmIHjl.jpg

 

Fridge in place:

 

I had to cut about one inch off of each side and top, along with taking the drawer out of the bottom for it to fit. My cabinets are all residential grade, solid oak, so I used a router to take an inch off everything. I also put a 3/4 inch subfloor over the existing subfloor as the wheels on the new refrigerator were about 1 inch in front of the existing subfloor. I screwed blocks in front of the wheels as an extra measure to keep it from rolling forward in addition to the angle brackets at the top. 

The samsung vents on the bottom front and have vents out both sides of the bottom to draw air and about an inch extra gap at the top for the heat to escape. 

Since this particular refrigerator does not have handles, we simply run a strap over the top two doors and one over the bottom two doors before we pull the slide in. Simple insurance. 

It is a cabinet depth refrigerator and only the doors stick out past the frame (have to to open). Love the 21 cubic foot capacity and the flexibility of this model for one of the bottom sections to be freezer or refrigerator. Runs on a small 1000w inverter while going down the road or can plug into the truck genset if not plugged in for a few days. 

 

HTH,


 

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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 Our 2017 Mesa Ridge came with a Frigidaire Residential and on our 8 wk 6k out west trip in Sept it really made the trip more enjoyable. The extra room in both the frig and the freezer really helped but I'll say the ice maker got the biggest workout! It really made the toddy for the body a lot easier to make! And it was always ready.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

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On 1/15/2018 at 2:00 PM, lockmup68 said:

FIlled in the vents with foam board and HVAC foil tape over all seams and then put roll reflective insulation over everything. I did cut the foam boards so the vents could be removed from the outside if needed (the tape would have to be cut). I then ran thermostat controlled heat tape on the ice maker line. And I also ran the power to another outlet accessible under the sink that will be on a separate inverter for rolling down the road. 

PGoKQaFl.jpg

Took window out and went in through window hole. That way you do not have to take refrigerator doors off or RV door apart. Window is easy to take out.

PGoKQaFl.jpg

PGoKQaFl.jpg

Fridge in place:

PGoKQaFl.jpg

I had to cut about one inch off of each side and top, along with taking the drawer out of the bottom for it to fit. My cabinets are all residential grade, solid oak, so I used a router to take an inch off everything. I also put a 3/4 inch subfloor over the existing subfloor as the wheels on the new refrigerator were about 1 inch in front of the existing subfloor. I screwed blocks in front of the wheels as an extra measure to keep it from rolling forward in addition to the angle brackets at the top. 

The samsung vents on the bottom front and have vents out both sides of the bottom to draw air and about an inch extra gap at the top for the heat to escape. 

Since this particular refrigerator does not have handles, we simply run a strap over the top two doors and one over the bottom two doors before we pull the slide in. Simple insurance. 

It is a cabinet depth refrigerator and only the doors stick out past the frame (have to to open). Love the 21 cubic foot capacity and the flexibility of this model for one of the bottom sections to be freezer or refrigerator. Runs on a small 1000w inverter while going down the road or can plug into the truck genset if not plugged in for a few days. 

 

HTH,


 

Not sure if you intended this, but you have the same picture pasted in four times.  Based on the labels, I think you meant to paste some different pictures in?  I'd like to see how it came out.  Is this your last remodel project, or are you still working on others?

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4 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

Not sure if you intended this, but you have the same picture pasted in four times.  Based on the labels, I think you meant to paste some different pictures in?  I'd like to see how it came out.  Is this your last remodel project, or are you still working on others?

Not sure why that happened as I uploaded the pics separately. Let's try that again:

Through the window, rounded up some help. Of course, it started raining...

tdEq8akl.jpg

2dTmIHjl.jpg

 

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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I have a 93 Jayco. IT came with this small fridge and the vents open to the inside. In the summer I couldn't keep it cool and when it was cold out we couldn't keep warm. I sealed the outside vents but then the fridge over heated. Above the fridge was a decorative panel. I popped that out and put in a vent and then on either side of the wall I put another vent as seen in the other picture. The vent on the other side is by the stove. I don't have a picture of that. I have since installed a larger fridge. But that posed another problem. It sits above the furnace. It collapsed one day. I had to rebuild the shelf it sat on to take the weight of the bigger fridge. The factory fridge screws into the wall so there is little to no weight on the shelf.

14182237_10153623676601017_345953132_n.jpg

14159741_10153623676296017_1940335806_n.jpg

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My apartment size fridge fit in the same hole as the original factory one with little modification. The biggest deal was removing what the former owner did to install that smaller one. However I am still using bungee straps to hold the doors closed.

 

What do you use to hold them shut?

Farmer, Trucker, Equipment operator, Mechanic

Quando omni flunkus moritati-When all else fails, play dead
I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess.

 

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