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Residential Fridge travel tips


Walking thunder

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Hi all

I'm getting ready to take my first trip in my new unit with a residential fridge that has glass shelves. Does anyone have any experience as far as how well they travel with items on them what you do to make your fridge safe so that when you stop at your first place you don't open up the fridge to broken shelves etc.

Any help would be much appreciated. This is the only fear I have of a new fridge. I'm sort of missing my metal slotted shelves at this point.

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I put the non-skid shelf liners like you use on your cabinet shelves in my residential refrig. Bought spring tension curtain rods from WalMart to place in front of each shelf. Cheaper than the RV refrig. bars, and also the RV ones aren't as long as the curtain rods, which you need for the larger width of the refrigerator. You'll LOVE having frozen ice cream instead of soft serve ice cream. <G>

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We probably have 50K+ miles on our residential fridge.

 

We put the crossbars you can find in CW or Walmart (curtain rods) across the shelves. They are REQUIRED.

 

You also have to have a VERY secure method of keeping the door shut. VERY SECURE....or you will regret it. :(

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Like most people have mentioned, spring tension rods (curtain rods) work great to keep things from sliding around.

note: do not or a whole uncut watermelon on the fridge, even with tension rods. I know how that works and it's not good.

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We didn't like the curtain rod (our opinion only). Instead, we have used a combination of these:

 

- make sure "pocket shelves" inside frig doors are full enough any catsup/soda etc won't rock & roll too much

- we keep empty Gal. (washed w/soap etc, milk or OJ containers) w us, and use these empty ones as spacers to make a 'back row on bottom glass shelf' filled side to side. FWIW we usually keep 2x gal Milk, Tea, OJ "on hand" in Frig so we won't need to make more frequent groc/wally visits. YMMV :-)).

- we also use plastic tub (?maybe 10"x14"x4"h on sides) if we have smaller items that need to ride on main glass shelves.

- what we choose instead of curtain rod is a folded, bed blanket, placed at front of tall bottom glass shelf in frig; put in place before travel / removed as soon as we arrive & set up in cg. (it keeps items on shelf " in place," not allow items to push against frig doors & never have anything 'fall out to greet us' at rest stop or when opening refrig at cg on arrival. YMMV :-)

 

Also, our frig is a 3-door style, and so our MH mfr adds "clips" at top of upper frig doors, and adds a 'rotating lever type latch external to freezer dwr' to help secure from accidental opening frig doors while driving. However, we chose to add a "bungee" wrapped through two top frig door handles 'just in case.'.

 

Love the space a res frig provides!

 

Best wishes for many happy travels!

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Guest THE TRAILERKING

I'd be more worried in a trailer than a motorhome. You're more aware of the ride in a motorhome. However dragging a trailer behind is another thing. You may feel like a smooth comfy ride in the truck but the trailer is doing a "Shake'n'Bake".

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We use clear plastic refrigerator trays with sides about 3" high. We lose so shelf space but we don't have surprises when we open the door after traveling.

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Alie uses a variety of containers and trays. Mostly the plastic style baskets with a few old style ice buckets- rectangular 5-6" high from the old ice makers. It's her system and it works great as long as I don't move things around too much! :angry:

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Thanks for all the tips. Defiantly going to make sure glass bottles are in door with non skid. Actual frozen ice cream was in my top ten for a residential fridge as well as ice and water in the door. I though dometic is now offering the dispensing door idea. I'm sure at a very high price. Had to replace 1 door on my four door norcold for $700 CRAZY STUPID

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F350 KingRanch using B&W Companion Hitch

 

And my funny little dog

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That non-skid shelf liner is as versatile as vinegar and cat sand buckets! For those of you who have not yet gone full-timing and are just packing up (as we are) and who have non-skid shelf liner in your cupboards, just remove it and pop it in the washing machine - washes up beautifully! I have used my now clean shelf liners for non-skid rug backing, packing material, pet food dish control, and now, lol, refrigerator shelves! Thanks for the tip.

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The Samsung French door fridge in our unit has a latch on the fridge doors and a snap strap on the bottom freezer. We use those only. Our fridge came with the fifthwheel. No problems in the 4 months we've been on the maiden voyage. No tension rods inside either. Wife opened the door too quickly once and lost the eggs. Now we make sure the first time we open the door, at each new locale, we do it slowly.

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