What small residential fridge fits through the door?

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What small residential fridge fits through the door?

November 01, 2018, 09:07:37 am

I would like to go to a standard Refer unit that fits through the door.
Maybe i should also ask does the stock Dometic go out the door?
Looks like abut a 13CF may be about the right ,OE size ??
Thanks,MM

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #1 – November 01, 2018, 09:41:40 am

Mike,

How wide is the door on your '88 GV? If you have a screen door, can you remove it to gain a little width?

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #2 – November 01, 2018, 12:25:23 pm

24 wide and 26 or less deep should fit the OE hole. Home Depot shows a few .

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #3 – November 01, 2018, 12:26:32 pm

The Samsung 18 cu ft French 3 door is 24 5/16" deep with the doors removed and is the smallest Samsung counter depth 3 door French refrigerator. I chose the Samsung as I found it the most trouble free in a rv, from all my service contacts

My front door measures 24.5 with the door trim still on. The installer of the new Samsung said by the time they take the trim off to bring thru the door, they can bring it in thru the side window safer and easier in the same time. A forklift and 4 guys were used. The old one was out the window and the new one in the rv, taking less than two hours including removing and re installing the window.

It is the same width as the one I removed. The window opening is 27 1/2" high, so I went with 20 cu ft. RF20HFENBSR/US, (two inches deeper) approximately 26 1/5 deep.

I and the wife are totally happy with our new refrigerator. Again, the 18 is 32 3/16 wide x 24 5/16 deep, same depth and width as the one taken out. Freezer now at -2 F and the refefrigerator a constant 38 F. I especially like the almost quiet bell that goes off after a few minutes with a door ajar.

I showed the pictures because I wanted you to see how much more room in this 20 cu ft, the same width and only two inches deeper than the unit taken out has. A piece of 2" trim around the unit makes it look factory.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #4 – November 01, 2018, 12:29:30 pm

Just remember 97 and up have a wider door then the 96 and below.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #5 – November 01, 2018, 12:41:54 pm

Mike, try Home Depot, we have a Vissani that's 24" wide and fits just perfect in our 88 where the Dometic was, you will need to build a platform about 12" tall.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #6 – November 01, 2018, 01:53:59 pm

I have an 86 GV and this unit fit through the door and works great. All I needed to do was build a wooden based for the fridge to sit on.

Avanti RA7316PST 2-Door Apartment Size Refrigerator, Black with Platinum Finish

Mike T

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #7 – November 01, 2018, 02:06:03 pm

Mike,
I've been seriously thinking about a fridge upgrade myself, I also thought that if I'm going to do it I should remove the forced air heater assembly as well. We never bother with it, for the good it does and the noise it makes, nah' the extra space created increases the fridge size and purchase options.
Mick

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #8 – November 01, 2018, 02:15:23 pm

Just a heads up-- Some of the smaller Refrigerators that Lowes and Home Depot carry do not use freon they use propane
It is called something else but it is propane. I installed one in SOB last coach had, thought it was freon but upon doing more research it was propane-- found out after the installation . It did go through a 24 inch door was the reason for choosing it to start with.
I think it was 10.5 cu.ft., and I only had to take 1/2 inch off one side of trim for it to fit the hole left by old dometic. It worked good, I was just never comfortable with propane used as coolant. Others that are expert may say it is fine to use, I just wasn't comfortable.
Just saying
Chris

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #9 – November 01, 2018, 03:34:12 pm

Interesting Chris. I know that many, or at least some, gear heads are using the hydrocarbon based refrigerants in R-22 units with great success and haven't heard of any problems.
With a residential fridge using this with a compressor system there is no heating element as in a Dometic/Norcold. So the only way for the HC to escape would be to leak out and then be ignited by a spark. So I guess you need to make sure that there is no way for the coils to rub against anything.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #10 – November 01, 2018, 06:51:18 pm

My wife and I were able to wrestle a Bosch 300# stainless, side by side, counter depth fridge through the narrow 95 front door.
Removed the passenger seat, and door handle. Took the doors off the fridge.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #11 – November 01, 2018, 07:10:47 pm

Be sure to get a countertop depth refrigerator. It was just a lot easier to get the old Dometic out and the Samsung in through the LR window. Much less chance of damag8ng the dash or chairs or other upholstery. Reinstall the window using using a rubber gasket (available at Xtreme). Allow an hour to get the window out and all the sticky gealant cleaned up and a half hour for the reinstall. The LP refigerator weighed twice what the Samsung did. I rented a manual material lift (fork lift) for about $40. Well worth it for the ease of the transfer and the number of folks involved.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #12 – November 01, 2018, 08:35:11 pm

Thanks for all of the notes/tips. I currently have the Dometic 3801 and it works fine . It appears to be the OE install, 1988 .
I was under the wrong impression that it would not catch fire when run on 120V. I should have looked deeper when I failed to hear a compressor run. Thanks to the forum for the education.

Next questions; it looks like the current fridge has a surround that is screwed into the cabinets. Simply remove the screws and unplug it..? BTW the plug looked a lot like the burnt one in the other thread pic.

How are you fixing the residential unit in place? ;
. I have a 24 in wide hole and about 26in from the back wall to the edge of the door. 60 in tall or a little each way. My door is 24 .5 with the handle and stuff removed. ;

I like this one so far; https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-9-2-cu-ft-bottom-freezer-refrigerator-black/6220705.p?skuId=6220705

And this one ;LG Electronics 23.5 in. W 10.1 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator in...

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #13 – November 01, 2018, 08:50:54 pm

We did this a few years ago. A friend and I removed the old refrigerator out the door. In order to do so I took off the table top and both grab bars by the door. Refrigerator went out very easily. Ordered an apartment-sized refrigerator from Lowe's. First one was damaged by the delivery man, so the next week a replacement arrived, delivered by the same delivery man AND his boss. This time he used the power lift, and no damage. Took the doors off of the new refrigerator and it went in through the door. Same friend helped me bring it in. We nailed it down temporarily so that Jo Ann could decide how she wanted the cabinets around it to look. Then Foretravel made the new cabinets. Pictures are in the picture link in my ad. The cabinets cost several times what the refrigerator cost.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #14 – November 01, 2018, 11:56:22 pm

The dometic will have a couple screws into the floor on the back side. LP gas, 120 volt plug and some 12 v wires, maybe a water line and a drain tube to disconnect. You need to close up the side wall vent and probably the roof vent. My refrigerator is held in place by the screw down leveling feet that fit into a recess in the base and a metal strap on the back side. It never moves. Secure the doors. Make sure the top of the doors clear what is near so that they open all the way.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #15 – November 02, 2018, 10:59:58 am

Quote from: Protech Racing – November 01, 2018, 08:35:11 pm

Thanks for all of the notes/tips. I currently have the Dometic 3801 and it works fine . It appears to be the OE install, 1988 .
I was under the wrong impression that it would not catch fire when run on 120V. I should have looked deeper when I failed to hear a compressor run. Thanks to the forum for the education.

Next questions; it looks like the current fridge has a surround that is screwed into the cabinets. Simply remove the screws and unplug it..? BTW the plug looked a lot like the burnt one in the other thread pic.

How are you fixing the residential unit in place? ;
. I have a 24 in wide hole and about 26in from the back wall to the edge of the door. 60 in tall or a little each way. My door is 24 .5 with the handle and stuff removed. ;

I like this one so far; https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-9-2-cu-ft-bottom-freezer-refrigerator-black/6220705.p?skuId=6220705

And this one ;LG Electronics 23.5 in. W 10.1 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator in...

The LG 15 cu ft is 23 3/8 D with door off LBNC15221V Weight 183 lbs it is 46 5/8 deep with door open, D door closed 27 3/8
H 67 3/4, W 27 5/8
My refrigerator is out of hole-- going to look at what makes DW happy!
Chris

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #16 – November 02, 2018, 11:09:02 am

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – November 01, 2018, 11:56:22 pm

The dometic will have a couple screws into the floor on the back side. LP gas, 120 volt plug and some 12 v wires, maybe a water line and a drain tube to disconnect. You need to close up the side wall vent and probably the roof vent. My refrigerator is held in place by the screw down leveling feet that fit into a recess in the base and a metal strap on the back side. It never moves. Secure the doors. Make sure the top of the doors clear what is near so that they open all the way.

Roger, did you leave the end holes on the outside vent open for extra air circulation or had you just not got around to closing them up? Also, did you raise the new refrigerator up to clear the wires and water lines behind it?
Thanks
Chris

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #17 – November 02, 2018, 12:28:20 pm

Chris, my current unit is 26 deep and the position requires a similar depth and no handlebprotrusion . I hope to git the new unit in the same hole by removing the vacuum and building some sort of box to hold it up above the stuff in the floor . That little 9.3? looks like the right size and our price 😊
Two of us can't pass each other in the hallway as it is. We are both slim btw but the bus is old and narrow .

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #18 – November 02, 2018, 06:09:00 pm

Everyone of these installs is slightly different. The biggest thing I had along the outside wall was the drain line from the kitchen sink, 1.5" ABS plastic. I loosened up and rearranged all of the 12v and 120 v wiring and the LP gas lines as well. There was some wiring up near the top as well to tidy up. I made a set of wooden tracks that ran from the front trim piece towards the outside wall. The front wheels on the refrigerator are a bit further apart than the rear ones somthe track is wide enough to make them fit. The refrigerator sitting on flat ground tips back a couple degrees, probably to help make the doors close on their own so my trackes are slightly higher at the wall end, about 3/32" so that the front of the refrig is parallel to the face of the cabinet.

The top of the tracks are about 2-1/2" above the floor. Room for some air movement and not high enough that the doors and the sliding door track interfere with with other.

I made a frame around the side wall vent and added a vertical sliding insulated panel. With the refrig in place it comes all the way back to within a half inch of the sliding panel. I would like to get rid of the original side wall vent but access into that space in nice to have. All of the holes in the removable parts are sealed up but not in the fixed part. I removed the screen in the roof top vent and put in a sliding louverd vent with a screen. When it is closed it seals up pretty well and open in the summer improves ventilation around the refrig.

And I added a floor to ceiling 2" deep x 4" wide pantry in the extra space.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #19 – November 03, 2018, 11:00:54 pm

Nice work Roger.

I removed the Dometic today . The cooler parts look pretty good . Just a little rust around the flue . No sign of leaks at the base. IF anyone wants it , come and get it. Jai Lai beer preferred.

It was probably a low time unit, sitting and corroding the insides. The roof vent system has leaked water for a while it appears and I need to address some areas there.
I had to dissemble it to get it clean out of the door.
The hole it sat in measured 23.6 in - wide same as the new unit. I am in the middle of opening up the hole to 23.75 + to get an easy fit of the new unit. ;https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-9-2-cu-ft-bottom-freezer-refrigerator-black/6220705.p?skuId=6220705 375$ with tax. Fits our small budget.
This is the one we got (only white.) The door is proud of the unit about 2.5 in, non counter depth, but I could not find a similar size , bottom freezer , 23.5 wide . Chris is right and it uses Flammable refrigerant, Pentane or so..
I built a 3/4ply base to sit on, remove the front feet and inserted a bolt with spacers on the aisle side with a small hourseshoe shaped bracket to retain the rear mounting tray .
It looks to be the perfect size for the early small body coaches. I hope to fit it within 1.5 in of the ice maker door protrusion.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #20 – November 04, 2018, 10:53:27 pm

Mol finished today

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #21 – November 04, 2018, 11:05:53 pm

Looks great, Mike.

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #22 – November 04, 2018, 11:53:56 pm

Nice fit, you did your research well

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #23 – November 05, 2018, 08:56:00 pm

Read the tag. 1.74 amps max and 200 watts on defrost .
My simple math says about 17 amps or less from the inverter?
2-8D Batteries should run the thing for 12 hrs easy?
Is that possible?

Re: What small residential fridge fits through the door?

Reply #24 – November 05, 2018, 09:01:03 pm

I like the tag

The part where it lists the "Deforsting Power", maybe they meant deforesting power

Don

Quote from: Protech Racing – November 05, 2018, 08:56:00 pm

Read the tag. 1.74 amps max and 200 watts on defrost .
My simple math says about 17 amps or less from the inverter?
2-8D Batteries should run the thing for 12 hrs easy?
Is that possible?

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