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Changing out Norcold to Fisher Paykel residential


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2 hours ago, Ivylog said:

Turn the inverter off instead of just the refer. Doubt you’ll see a 4 degree rise.

Probably a better idea since the inverter does have a draw whether anything connected to it is working or not, I know there will even be some with the inverter off but in idle mode but overall it will save battery power.

I'm getting ready to leave on a trip so I turned the refrigerator on this AM before I went to the store and running some other errands.  Got back with my groceries ~2 hours later and the fridge was already at 38F and freezer was 22F.  Gotta Love It!!

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  • 9 months later...

I've just replaced our Norcold with a Fisher & Paykel RF170.

I lowered the platform about 4 inches to just above the furnace.  I Just got the refrigerator placed in the motorhome this morning.  Three of us pulled it through the drivers window.

Now I'm starting to consider how to bolt it in.  I see there's a steel plate at the floor level in the back of the refrigerator, accessible from the outside through the fridge access panel.  I'm considering drilling holes in that plate and screwing down to the plywood platform.

I'm not sure that's enough to hold it solidly.

What have others done to secure the fridge in place securely?

Thanks!

Dwight

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The Samsung fridge in my previous Windsor has one lag screw up through the front platform into each of the feet plus lag bolts and fender washers into the rear platform down through the fridges metal plate located back there.

I have no idea how the very same fridge is mounted in our current Dynasty. Hopefully it will never need to come out.

Edited by Dr4Film
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I secured the bottom of the Samsung I installed using heavy brackets located under the leveling feet, just unscrewed the leveling foot, mounted a bracket underneath with a hole drilled in the right location and then reinstalled the foot. 

At the top I used some 1.5X1.5 aluminum angle ~10" long.  I used the really strong 3M adhesive tape on one side attached to the fridge and the other I put 3-4 screws into the the wood trip around the front of the fridge. 

Prior to pushing the fridge into place I had installed some blocks of wood that centered the back of the fridge in the opening and some on the back to hold if off the back wall.

I've been on some really rough roads last year and the fridge hasn't moved at all.

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What's doing most of the holding on mine are 4 large brackets held on to the side of the fridge w heavy double sided 3m tape.  Then I have multiple small brackets also attached in various places front and back.  Also in front I have 2 pieces of iron attached to the frame, but inserted into the wheel spacing for added support.  See pics 

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This applies to any refrigerator.  Mine has the following.

Tom Johnson (CW now) did the install.  They liked my design and said they were going to use it in the future.  I should have taken pictures.

There were some 2 x 2” strips on the sidewall inside the old Dometic cavity.  You can add them anywhere.  This is the theory or concept.  You use the back bottom to keep the refrigerator from sliding back.  Several ways.  Use blocks from the outside wall (slide) to prevent the refrigerator from moving back.  Use 3M clear VHB double stick tape (Amazon) or the 3M emblem tape….not as strong, but close.  Use a piece of sheet steel…not galvanized sheet metal duct work.  Thickness should be minimum of 1/8 - 3/16”.   Past that…too hard to use. Maybe a 2” wide piece.  Double stick it to the sides near the bottom so it sticks out about 2 inches to the rear.  One on each side.  With the refrigerator in place…if on a slide…EXTENDED….and then put a wooden shim or a steel bushing between the plate and the sidewall.  You have to be creative.  You want the plate to stay parallel to the sidewall and NOT pull away from the refrigerator.  Then drive 1 or 2 screws through the plate and the shim or bushing or spacer and into the side wall.  That will hold it….without fail

The top is how I did mine.  I chose to anchor it in from the back.  Now, I had an advantage as I had a rear vent and not a top exhaust.  I cut a piece of decking (5 quarter) that was maybe half an inch shorter than the sidewall to sidewall length.  I had two vertical 2 x 2 stips….one on each side.  That was about a foot from the rear and on top.  I put the piece of decking on top of the refrigerator and that was on the back or exterior side of each vertical piece.  When you secure the piece of decking to the top….the refrigerator can NOT slide forward.  To secure it, I bent two pieces, maybe 6” wide, of the same sheet stock and had a 90 deg lip sticking up.    I put double stick tape of the top of the refrigerator.  Basically, the brackets were attached…so, that when I put the cross strip of decking back down onto,the refrigerator top, I inserted two screws through two pre drilled holes and each.  Then screw the decking to the plates.  The decking was tight against the outside edge of each vertical piece….and the refrigerator is locked in place and will not slide forward.

You can use a bent bracket, like in the photos that has a 90 deg bend or tab.  As well.

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