Fridge issue

[silverloaf]

Ok, I just ordered this fridge online:

http://www.avantiproducts.com/products/id/578

After tax (shipping was free) it was $366.75 which I think is reasonable. Its slightly bigger than the original fridge (7.4 vs 7.2 cu. ft ), yet its 2" narrower. After days of Google'ing I could not find a fridge that was 23 1/2 " wide and 55 1/2 " tall (the dimensions of the fridge recess). All the fridges that were 23" wide were taller and I did not want mess with the cabinet above the fridge. The fridge I ordered is 55 1/2" tall and exactly fits in the recess height wise. I plan to buy rigid insulation sheets, so width wise, its a snug fit. Here is what Home Depot sells (the exact width of the sheet is to be determined. This is 1" I believe):

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corni ... /207179253

These sheets also add to the R value of fridge. Finally, I need to fasten the levelers to the floor so fridge would not slide out. The fridge arrives next week. I will take photos to document the installation.

P.S. I also need to add 1" trim to each side of the fridge recess, to hide the gap filled by insulation sheets.

Rostam -
You might want to take a look at the install instructions for the fridge before encapsulating the cavity in foam board. They say:

Allow 5 inches of space between the back and sides of the appliance, which allows the proper
air circulation to cool the compressor.

http://www.avantiproducts.com/manual/ra ... 16pst1.pdf

I might be inclined to keep the exterior vent grille active and add a high grille on the interior side wall.

[KYAvion]

Agreed. I kept both the intake and exhaust vents open when I used a residential fridge since I had it built in and sealed on the front side. I didn't add a grille on the interior though since I didn't want the heat gain/loss during hot/cold temps.

[Rostam]

Ok, I just ordered this fridge online:

http://www.avantiproducts.com/products/id/578

After tax (shipping was free) it was $366.75 which I think is reasonable. Its slightly bigger than the original fridge (7.4 vs 7.2 cu. ft ), yet its 2" narrower. After days of Google'ing I could not find a fridge that was 23 1/2 " wide and 55 1/2 " tall (the dimensions of the fridge recess). All the fridges that were 23" wide were taller and I did not want mess with the cabinet above the fridge. The fridge I ordered is 55 1/2" tall and exactly fits in the recess height wise. I plan to buy rigid insulation sheets, so width wise, its a snug fit. Here is what Home Depot sells (the exact width of the sheet is to be determined. This is 1" I believe):

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corni ... /207179253

These sheets also add to the R value of fridge. Finally, I need to fasten the levelers to the floor so fridge would not slide out. The fridge arrives next week. I will take photos to document the installation.

P.S. I also need to add 1" trim to each side of the fridge recess, to hide the gap filled by insulation sheets.

Rostam -
You might want to take a look at the install instructions for the fridge before encapsulating the cavity in foam board. They say:

Allow 5 inches of space between the back and sides of the appliance, which allows the proper
air circulation to cool the compressor.

http://www.avantiproducts.com/manual/ra ... 16pst1.pdf

I might be inclined to keep the exterior vent grille active and add a high grille on the interior side wall.

Thanks Silveloaf,

Yes, I will not fill up the cavity with insulation to allow air circulation. I may add a couple of strips of insulation on each side to hold the fridge i place better. I am not getting rid of the access door, and there is also a vent right above the fridge that should also help.

[Rostam]

So, I finished installing the new fridge

I removed the old fridge and cleaned up the recess and plugged the LP line and 12V.

The fridge was narrower than the recess and I initially wanted to use insulation sheets but decided against it after several people said it blocks air circulation. I bought boards from Lowes, cut them to match recess' depth, attached them together to fill up the gap at both sides (both at the top and bottom of the recess -- see the attached photos). This way fridge could not move side to side.

To prevent the fridge from moving up and down, I used the levelers in front of the fridge to raise the height slightly so the front of the fridge became flush against the top of recess. The rear of the fridge sat slightly lower. I put a board across the recess, and put the metal board under the fridge on the wooden board so the back of the fridge would rise and also be flush against the top of the recess. This way the fridge could not move up and down.

Finally, to prevent the fridge from moving forward and backward, I did the following: 1) Used 4 large screws to affix the metal bar under the rear of fridge to the board I added (across the recess) and the plywood under it, and 2) affixed 2 metal plates to the front of the recess too the prevent the front-bottom part of the fridge from moving forward.

I attached 4 hooks to the trim and use 2 bungee cords to keep the doors shut when travelling (I don't expect the doors to open, but this is to guarantee that).

We traveled over 500 miles last weekend the the fridge did not move one bit. Compared to the old Rv fridge, I like that the new one cools so much faster. Next, I need to buy an inverter so I can run the fridge if we go for a long trip. Also, need to buy a trim to hide the gap (trim/mesh should allow air circulation).

p.s. I added a mesh to the fridge access door to prevent insects from getting it

Cleaned up recess

Boards the fill up gaps

Extra board across recess the raise the back of the fridge

Boards on top of the recess

Screws used to attach the metal bar under the fridge to board + plywood.

There was already a hole in the bar.

Completed work! you can see 4 hooks for bungee cord (2 on the right and 2 on the left)

[KYAvion]

Looks great! Nice write up too!

[Rostam]

Thanks!