Haier Refrigerator Install in a 2019 315RLTS

[howson]

Day 2 (Post 4 of 4) It Fits--Almost Perfectly!

At the top there is (literally) just enough room for the refrigerator to install with the hinges installed.


This is the top right side of the refrigerator.



Top left of the refrigerator. The back of the refrigerator hits the refrigerator electrical outlet. If you go back and look at the earlier pictures you'll see the refrigerator outlet faces INTO the cabinet space. (It's OK that the frig is hitting the outlet--I know if is not rubbing against the propane line.)



Nuisances and Other Notes

Those feet on the refrigerator sure make it harder to move around as they stick out. Manageable--just a nuisance.



Scraping all the black sealant off all the surfaces was time-consuming. A combination of finger rubbing, scraping with the plastic panel tool, and a lot of patience got most of it off without damaging the paneling.

There are staples that stick out of the wood on the left side of the cabinet. I grabbed each one with vice grips and, with the tool braced against the wood, rotated it down and the staple pulled out easily. Rinse and repeat for each staple.


What's Left To Do

1) Wedge the refrigerator in place to ensure it does not move. I'm going to try two rubber doorstops between the ceiling and top of the refrigerator and see if they fit/work as I'm envisioning. I'd also like to screw something into the floor right in front of the feet that will ensure the frig stays in one specific spot and doesn't move.

2) Figure out a way to keep the doors from opening while traveling. The doors have "grab handles" that are set back. I *think* I can make something that will install vertically, then rotate horizontally, to "lock" the door in place. Maybe out of a floatie? Will be experimenting tomorrow.

3) Trim on the left side of the opening, then staining to match the interior.

4) Misc other projects like fixing the threshold and reinstalling the fire extinquisher (it was removed to get the refrigerator through the door).

5) Improve the insulation between the OEM exterior vents and the refrigerator. I most will leave the OEM vents installed since they have screens (no chance of critters entering). Still thinking about it.

6) Test the power draw and temperature consistency of the Haier in its new environment.

As always, constructive comments and/or questions are very welcome.

Howard

[howson]

Have you run out at all yet? I’m curious how the draw is.

I ran the 'frig in the house for about a week. As shown in post #1 it was a super low power draw. But that's in a perfect home environment. I'll be experimenting once complete and will post the results.

I did forget one "nuisance" note--the refrigerator had a bad chemical smell in the interior. My DW put baking soda boxes in all the compartments along with bottled items (seltzer, brews, etc). She said if there'd been food put in the frig all of it would have been ruined.

[ncitro]

howson


As far as fastening, I shot two screws through the front feet into the floor. The rear of mine had an access cover for service. I removed this so that I could get to those parts through the outside access if needed, and since this was open I was able to shoot three screws through the bottom pan (had to make sure not to go through the condensate tray). After 15,000 miles I am confident it isn't going anywhere.

For the doors I tried a few things, my fridge had two doors and to drawers (one fridge and one freezer), for those I screwed pieces of strap to the sides of the fridge and put snaps on the sides of the drawers. Simply snap the straps in place and its good. For the two doors I went with a piece of strap with a plastic loop on one end and velcro on the other. I pull it around the two handles, into the loop and back on itself. Tightens everything up nicely.

One word of warning, I found mine was good and secure with the slide out, but with the slide in it rocked something fierce. I thing what was happening was my fridge was on the extreme end of a fairly long slide, so not over a roller. When out all the way it was flush against the side of the rig and all was well, but when in and sitting on the roller it was essentially hovering supported only by the plywood floor. I stick a piece of plywood I had laying around (probably 18"x3'x1/2" or so) in front of the slide before I bring it in. As it comes in it rests on the plywood like a shim and takes all of the bounce out. Then as the slide goes out it leaves the plywood behind. Not elegant, but it gets the job done. No scuffing or anything on the floor so far, so I think it works. You may or may not have this issues depending on your slide and fridge layout. Just something to check.

[ncitro]

I ran the 'frig in the house for about a week. As shown in post #1 it was a super low power draw. But that's in a perfect home environment. I'll be experimenting once complete and will post the results.

I did forget one "nuisance" note--the refrigerator had a bad chemical smell in the interior. My DW put baking soda boxes in all the compartments along with bottled items (seltzer, brews, etc). She said if there'd been food put in the frig all of it would have been ruined.

Huh must have been a coating on the plastic inside?

Thats right, forgot about that. Still curious on your real world results. I find mine draws a lot more (through the inverter) than I had calculated, but its well worth it to us for the full set of residential features. Need more batteries lol.

[howson]

howsonAs far as fastening, I shot two screws through the front feet into the floor. The rear of mine had an access cover for service. I removed this so that I could get to those parts through the outside access if needed, and since this was open I was able to shoot three screws through the bottom pan (had to make sure not to go through the condensate tray). After 15,000 miles I am confident it isn't going anywhere.

I like those ideas! Thanks!!!

howsonOne word of warning, I found mine was good and secure with the slide out, but with the slide in it rocked something fierce. I thing what was happening was my fridge was on the extreme end of a fairly long slide, so not over a roller. When out all the way it was flush against the side of the rig and all was well, but when in and sitting on the roller it was essentially hovering supported only by the plywood floor. I stick a piece of plywood I had laying around (probably 18"x3'x1/2" or so) in front of the slide before I bring it in. As it comes in it rests on the plywood like a shim and takes all of the bounce out. Then as the slide goes out it leaves the plywood behind. Not elegant, but it gets the job done. No scuffing or anything on the floor so far, so I think it works. You may or may not have this issues depending on your slide and fridge layout. Just something to check.

Fantastic info--thank you. I'll definitely check/inspect for this condition.

[Cate&Rob]

[B] I did not use any tape on the threads (I seem to remember Cate&Rob saying not to on this type of thread...hope I remembered right!).

Absolutely correct Howard. Fridge installation looks amazing. Well done !!

Rob

[howson]

ncitro (Neil),
I did a quick couple of tests this morning. This first screen shot from Victron's VRM website shows the refrigerator at idle (ran all night). There are also misc loads on in the trailer including the Winegard WiFi.


Now the same but with the refrigerator off (to show the other loads). I also opened the refrigerator doors so it would warm up. So with a little math...only 22W(!) of the AC Load above was for the refrigerator at idle.


After ~ 30 minutes I turned the refrigerator back on and closed the doors. It is obvious the compressor is running, but even at full tilt the 12A being pulled from the batteries is less than 1/2 of what the Dometic typically pulled. (I tracked inverter consumption over 29 separate trips with the Dometic running, so I know the average was 29.8 amps per hour.)


Very, very pleased so far with what I'm seeing.

Howard

P.S. Update--drawing a bit more power at this point after typing all the above. Still well below the Dometic but creeping a bit higher. Here's a current snapshot:

[ncitro]

howson

Very nice! I don’t have numbers on me but I feel like my Samsung draws over 20 amps DC when it’s running. I’ll try to check next time I’m over at the rig. Since mine was essentially free standing, I was able to get whatever I wanted that was counter depth and it’s quite a bit larger. Still their “inverter motor” but I think it’s 23 cu ft, so I’ve always attributed the increased draw to its size as well as the ice maker and whatnot.

[Canyonlight]

Yes, Howard howson - another great project well documented; well thought through; and well executed ! Thank you (and Fran) for sharing with the forum community all that you do.

Dan

[Calbar]

howson Howard this is an awesome job as usual and extremely well documented. I know where I'm coming when it comes time to do mine!!

Rob

[howson]

Calbar (Rob), Canyonlight (Dan), Cate&Rob (Rob). and of course ncitro (Neil),

Thanks for the kind words. Nice when all the planning and research actually produces a good result. I am not recommendating--at least at this point--that anyone copy what I've done until I discover any "unanticipated consequences". Destin (from the Smarter Every Day channel on YouTube) had an engineering term for that...forget what he said...but in layman terms it would be expressed as an "oops".

Day 3 Finishing Work--The Morning (Post 1 of 2)

As suggested by Neil, drilling a pilot hole through the feet and screwing the refrigerator to the floor worked perfectly. I repurposed screws I removed during the demolition. The pilot hole through the feet was a 5/32" drill bit. I double-checked the position of the refrigerator (slide in and out) as well as door swing before screwing it into the floor.



To keep the doors closed while traveling I ended up with four short pieces of pool noodles. Works perfectly. Easiest to "see" in this 1 minute (short!) video:

In the front top I also shoved two black noodles as far back as I could manage. Definitely takes up some of the space and isn't visible unless you're really looking.

17 Oct Update: Based on @ncitro's input about refrigerator movement, I tested the "noodle" arrangement below with the slide in. Not good--there was too much motion as the noodleS "gave". So they were removed. See post 36 for an update.




This afternoon I hope to add a few more to the back. (More later on that subject.)

In the rear I removed the lower vent and removed the temporary Reflectix I'd installed. This gave me access to the rear to ensure everything was OK and to secure the refrigerator in place.

To keep the refrigerator from attempting to move back (and crush the outlet in the process) I used two repurposed strips of wood. The first one tucked perfectly under the refrigerator and stopped when it contacted the rear rollers. A second piece was then placed, pilot holes drilled, and two more Robertson screws (again, repurposed from the demo) drilled into the floor. The refrigerator will now not slide forward or backwards. I highly doubt there will be lateral movement since the front feet are screwed to the floor and the rollers are 90 degrees to any lateral movement.




More in next post...

[howson]

Day 3 Finishing Work--The Morning (Post 2 of 2)

For the Dometic vents I decided I wanted to continue to have access to the rear of the refrigerator. Took a good bit of time to wrap everything and arrange it "just so" including cleaning up old sealant, etc, but it turned out OK.

This picture is with the entire frame removed. I cleaned all the old sealant and re-sealed before installing the outside frame part.



17 Oct Update: What I show below didn't work as well as I'd hoped. The removable section doesn't seal well. I could see copius amounts of light at the back (thus heat and possibly bugs could enter) when looking around the edge of the refrigerator inside the camper. I've updated the pics with "Xs" and posted a new method in post 35.)
Underneath all that tape is Reflectix. This is the frame that screws to the camper. (I sealed all the screws with silicone, too. All of them showed evidence of rust, thus water intrusion, on the threads.)



With the quick-removal panel covered in Reflectix and reinstalled in the frame (test fit).


Reinstalled. Can't even tell there's been a change. (That's good!) But I can still remove the vent panel to access the rear if I need to do so.


A close up of the screens and Reflectix insulation. Should keep the bugs and heat out. Time will tell if I have a moisture issue...will keep a close on on this as sealing up this area may have one of those "unintended consequences".



Howard

[tgodrich]

Day 3 Finishing Work--The Morning (Post 2 of 2)

For the Dometic vents I decided I wanted to continue to have access to the rear of the refrigerator. Took a good bit of time to wrap everything and arrange it "just so" including cleaning up old sealant, etc, but it turned out OK.

If the fridge is gas too, then blocking the vent could create a carbon monoxide issue within the trailer as well as the possibility of the flame getting starved for oxygen. In a gas fridge you actually have a flame in the process of cooling and circulation. The fridge also has the job of removing heat from the inside to the outside. As such, this heat needs the ability to be cooled and removed. I would be concerned with the fridge having adequate cooling for the motor and cooling fins. Just a thought, but my concern is blocking the vents, which are there for a reason. By blocking them, you are actually keeping the heat in. Even on hot days, the fridge still needs to get rid of excess heat. Just my two cents worth.

[ncitro]

If the fridge is gas too, then blocking the vent could create a carbon monoxide issue within the trailer as well as the possibility of the flame getting starved for oxygen. In a gas fridge you actually have a flame in the process of cooling and circulation. The fridge also has the job of removing heat from the inside to the outside. As such, this heat needs the ability to be cooled and removed. I would be concerned with the fridge having adequate cooling for the motor and cooling fins. Just a thought, but my concern is blocking the vents, which are there for a reason. By blocking them, you are actually keeping the heat in. Even on hot days, the fridge still needs to get rid of excess heat. Just my two cents worth.

He has converted to a residential, no gas and no need for outside venting. Just like in your house. The RV fridge seals against the walls to keep bugs and outside temps out, but the residential does not so the wall needs to be closed up.

[tgodrich]

He has converted to a residential, no gas and no need for outside venting. Just like in your house. The RV fridge seals against the walls to keep bugs and outside temps out, but the residential does not so the wall needs to be closed up.

Thanks for clarifying. I saw the image stating "gas lines hooked up" and it raised a red flag with the sealed vent. I am not familiar with the fridge itself. Personally I like running mine on gas as it stays cooler, plus with only 30amp RV service at some parks, I do not have to worry about overload when the AC is on, using the microwave, etc. I also do dry camping a lot and do not really want to run a generator all the time. Usually just a few hours a day to charge the batteries and run lights, etc. at night.