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Stuck drawer

Pot & pan drawer under the stove seems to be stuck solid. When I got the coach it was opened and full of pans that went with the coach. Any ideas?

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #1 –
Quote from: Old phart phred –
Pot & pan drawer under the stove seems to be stuck solid. When I got the coach it was opened and full of pans that went with the coach. Any ideas?
Our bottom pot and pan drawer does the same thing!  The trick on ours is to lift the drawer at the same time as you pull it out (with the lock lever released of course).  I have the drawer out now while I do some wiring behind the galley cabinets.  I'll take a look at the release and see if I can find the cause.

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #2 –
Sometimes the weight of the pots and pans causes the bottom of the drawer to become separated and "droop" from the drawer face. Or there was moisture in the drawer at one time or another that caused the bottom to delaminate some.  This "locks" the drawer in place. Using a thin putty knife to push up the bottom will usually help open the drawer. Once opened a repair is in order to prevent recurrence.

Roland

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #3 –
OR, if you have the little spring steel drawer catch thingies, they can sometimes break or bend so you can't push them up far enough to release the drawer.  I have had to replace a couple of them in our coach.

If this is your problem, use a putty knife like Roland said, or a butter knife, to push up on the catch and release the drawer.

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #4 –
Ok while polishing the wood tonight with howards, i finally opened the stuck pan drawer after mucking with it for about 30 minutes. Inside was a very heavy 10 piece set of $$$ stainless pans with heat conductive cores I am guessing, with heavy lids and closeable steam vents for nearly waterless cooking. Along with a $$ very well seasoned cast iron 12" skillet. I am guessing about 35 lbs worth. Is there a good alternative latch when the bottom sags? Or bite the bullet and upgrade this drawer bottom.

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #5 –
Get lighter pans or start munching are your choices.

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #6 –
Would be rather easy for a quick temporary fix. Just cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to the drawer inside dimensions and put in in the drawer.

Roland

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #7 –
Roland's idea is a good one, but why consider it a temporary solution? Get the drawer all the way out, empty it out, cut the plywood to exact inside dimension, then glue and screw it to the original drawer bottom, putting the screws up from below. Actually, I don't think you'd have to go with 3/4 inch plywood - anything 3/8 inch or thicker should work.

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #8 –
Has anybody found a good way to secure the lower drawers at the top instead of the very bottom. I can release them just fine, but the dw with back issues has problems.
 

Re: Stuck drawer

Reply #9 –

I took off the bottom spring latches and put catches on the sides of many of the drawers.  One side or the other usually has a bit more room than the other.

Southco C3 Series Passivated Plastic Grabber Catch Side Mount Concealed...

They come in 3, 5 and 10 pound.  There is enough room on the side of the drawer for these to fit.  Latch goes on door frame, hook on the front of the drawer.  Works great.  I also replaced most of the drawer slides with self closing slides.

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