New to us 2000 U320

Topic: New to us 2000 U320 (Read 6389 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #25 – July 18, 2019, 12:48:17 pm

That's the same refer we put in our kitchen during our remodel.

Your coach can take a 36" wide refer.

The earlier coaches had 32" wide opening that the rf-18 fits well.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #26 – July 18, 2019, 10:13:28 pm

@ Caflashbob,

Yeah, it had a 36" wide Dometic from FT. We really don't need a 36" wide residential fridge, but I'm a cocktailer, and an ice dispenser on the door is a must have. ...uh, want. Not only for convenience, but for efficiency too. Pulling an ice bucket out of the freezer means opening the door twice for every cocktail. If we could have found a reasonably priced 30" unit with ice on the door we would have gone with that and built a slide out pantry in the 6" of extra space. As it is, our coach has enough pantry storage for our needs.

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #27 – July 18, 2019, 10:27:06 pm

The thing we noticed and was mentioned on the Samsung web blog was the icemakers slow and low output and capacity. 110 small cubes. If we have a party I need to bag up ice in advance.

Pull the ice tray out. Tiny.

We hooked up our pristine hydro water system to our refer and removed the internal charcoal filter.

We have been drinking their water for many years and other than all the great tech stuff it tastes fantastic.

LivePristine® by Design - Tools for Total Wellness

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #28 – July 18, 2019, 11:20:37 pm

Great info on the filters. Thanks, Bob.

The ice makers seem to always be the shortcoming on these counter-depth units. We plan to keep some ice in the freezer, just in case. Besides, the ice maker might not keep up, in the event I go on a "binge"

Getting to be rare... but not outta the question. There's an aftermarket out fit that sells fridge filters at a fraction of the outrageous cost of the factory ones. Might give them a try if we don't install a whole coach filter. I put one in our last rig... simple charcoal filter but it worked OK for us.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #29 – July 18, 2019, 11:23:18 pm

600 gallon rating of the oem charcoal filter.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #30 – July 31, 2019, 02:11:09 am

Finally got to working on the roof. The rear 2/3 has been hand scrubbed... will look great after a light polishing and seal. Pulled the front heat pump and discovered the reasons for the poor performance and excessive noise. Someone replaced the fan motor and must have been in a hurry. The evaporator plenum top was bent, causing a large opening to outside air on the intake side. When phred said to check for air leaks, it never occurred to me to check the units, themselves, for leaks. Both units filthy coils are getting a good cleaning. Noisy front unit is due to the compressor tray making contact with the bottom pan (metal on metal noise), and a harmonic vibration in one of the lines (buzzy noise). To be corrected tomorrow. The rear units blower motor isolators are shot. ...parts en-route.

Got a call from Lowe's, last week, to notify of a delay in getting the fridge. We were at Lowe's today for other coach stuff... decided to check on our fridge. Salesman tells us Lowe's is no longer selling that model (as of a few days after we bought it) and the warehouse says they don't have one. Ended up buying the display model (unused, no issues) for 10% off the original reduced price

. Due to the delivery delay, I put the fridge opening remodel on hold. I did get the fridge roof vent capped, and installed a roof HVAC condensate drain, and conduit for the roof PV to the basement.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #31 – July 31, 2019, 08:20:26 am

Quote from: MisterEd – July 31, 2019, 02:11:09 am

I did get the fridge roof vent capped, and installed a roof HVAC condensate drain, and conduit for the roof PV to the basement.

Nice clean looking vent hole cover. Where does the (future) roof HVAC condensate drain deposit the water?

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #32 – July 31, 2019, 11:01:06 am

Thanks, Chuck,

It passes through the house floor, into the third bay. From there, it will pass through the third intermediate bulkhead, into the wet bay. I'll add a removable (cleanable) P trap and pass it through the bay floor.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #33 – July 31, 2019, 11:05:45 am

Hope we all get to see some pictures when your finished😁

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #34 – July 31, 2019, 11:49:38 am

Quote from: MisterEd – July 31, 2019, 11:01:06 am

I'll add a removable (cleanable) P trap and pass it through the bay floor.

HMmm... I wonder if a P trap is necessary, or desirable, in this application. A trap is normally used to prevent bad odors from coming up the pipe into a living space. Obviously not a concern here. If the trap stays full of water it will encourage the growth of mold. If it dries out, it won't do anything. Would not a "straight through" drain pipe be simpler and just as effective?

I'm not criticizing your idea or your planned execution - just thinking through the concept for my own enlightenment.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #35 – July 31, 2019, 09:49:19 pm

Quote from: rbark – July 31, 2019, 11:05:45 am

Hope we all get to see some pictures when your finished😁

Noted, and will do. I've never been a big picture taker; cuts into time I could be getting something done. Also, I'm notorious for forgetting to bring the camera to the job site.... or up to the computer.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #36 – July 31, 2019, 10:00:46 pm

Quote from: Chuck & Jeannie – July 31, 2019, 11:49:38 am

HMmm... I wonder if a P trap is necessary, or desirable, in this application. Would not a "straight through" drain pipe be simpler and just as effective?

I'm not criticizing your idea or your planned execution - just thinking through the concept for my own enlightenment.

Chuck,

The idea of the P trap is to stop air flow through the drain lines, (hopefully) reducing buildup of dried crud and eliminating air flow counter to the direction of the condensate flow. The drains are on the low pressure side of the evaporator blower; not blow-through, like a typical residential HVAC (which should, also, have a trap).

Most likely would work well without a trap but, IMO, a trap is the right way to do it... and easy enough to eliminate if I'm in err.

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #37 – August 25, 2019, 03:37:24 am

Progress: slow, but steady.

Both ACs have been pulled, serviced, and cleaned. The LR unit no longer has the compressor mount rattle and harmonic line vibration, but one of the blower wheels is out of balance ... will have to get Cathy to run it, while I'm on the roof, to get it balanced... (Save what's left of my anatomy, going up/down the ladder) I verified that the air flow through the Roof AC condensate lines does inhibit, to some degree, the flow of condensate. The test was to run the AC and observe the flow. High monsoon humidity made this possible, otherwise I would die of old age waiting for flow. 5 min after running the AC, I had no flow from the line. I "plugged" the line with my thumb, to inhibit reverse air flow, and immediately got some condensate from the line; actually, a lot of it.

(Billet condensate catches in pic 1) Yeah, I read Michelle's thread about Dometics, short lived, plastic condensate catches, and decided to make ours from aluminum.

I plan to put the residential fridge in the "new" hole on Monday. This turned into a career project, Partly because I was working on roof items, partly because I'm too damned picky, and partly due to finding a better way to do it. The platform for the fridge started off being 3-1/4" above the floor. Version 3

has it at 1-1/8" off the floor. The intent of keeping it low is to make it easier for the vertically challenged half of this duo to reach into the back of this cavernous critter. Another obstacle of this install is that the fridge is installed from the 26-1/2" wide aisle (DGFE with LR slide) and could not be placed in position, even with all the doors off... the outrigger feet made it over 27" wide... so I modified them to be flush with the front of the cabinet, and provide a means to secure the unit in place. Access from the rear is limited, so I made a couple of T nuts to attach to the back of the fridge, and slotted cleats, attached to the platform, that will receive the T nuts, and keep the fridge from flopping over in those 1G

left handers... OK, 0.8G. The original fridge air intake will be plugged with a flush fitting door (hopefully). We'll see how that goes... I made a jig for the router and plan to cut the mortise tomorrow, AM. The insulated door will attach with a couple of 90 deg, flush fitting, draw latches. I need access to the back of the fridge, so the door is a must have. Otherwise, I would build a plug and glass it in. The goal is to retain the access, but make it as transparent as is practical. I don't know how much worth this install will have to others (unusual floor plan), but I'll document it in more detail, later (and if it works as intended).

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #38 – August 28, 2019, 01:17:06 am

My friend wasn't able to help on Monday, so I had to wait til today to install the fridge. It went in without a hitch. I'll make some walnut trim for the sides, and a slotted walnut vent grill for the top. I also plan to place some open cell foam between the back of the fridge and the back wall, sealing the back from the condenser intake air, with the intent of reducing the recirculating of intake air, pulling most of same from the bottom, and sending most of the exhaust out the top.

I was able to finish the mod to the original fridge intake vent. It went better than expected. Later this week, I'll go to Lowes for a piece of .090" FRP to make the face of the cover.

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #39 – August 28, 2019, 03:03:08 am

"I also plan to place some open cell foam between the back of the fridge and the back wall, sealing the back from the condenser intake air, with the intent of reducing the recirculating of intake air, pulling most of same from the bottom, and sending most of the exhaust out the top."

I know yours is a different model than mine, but what does your pdf install manual show for required rear clearance?

Mine is, and from the pdf: "4. Allow 1" minimum clearance at rear for proper air circulation and water/electrical connections. Allow a 3/8" minimum clearance at sides and top for ease of installation."

I too sealed my top and rear vents two years ago with HVAC metalic tape, and it has worked terrific with 1" clearance on the back. Today was 102 with bright sun on the driver/refrigerator side, with side facing south. Back of refrig did not feel hot.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #40 – August 28, 2019, 12:11:45 pm

Jack,

Samsung wants 2" clearance, back and top. In the back, ours has 2-1/2" until above the original intake vent, and 1" above that (Due to 1-1/2" insulation). The exhaust air can also pass through the 3/4" clearance on the left side, to make it out the top. There's about 55 Sq. In. of area for the exhaust to vent.

Great to hear yours works well in hot weather. Hopefully, we'll get similar results.

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #41 – August 28, 2019, 02:36:31 pm

Greg, did you check the pdf from Samsung? My install instructions say 3/8" clearance side and top, 1" on back. Even their brochure shows this for mine. (See #4 in brochure).

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #42 – August 28, 2019, 04:42:53 pm

Greg,
In the first pic of your reply 21there is, what appears to be a Unimog, is that your Towed?

Tim

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #43 – August 28, 2019, 09:41:44 pm

Quote from: TGordon – August 28, 2019, 04:42:53 pm

Greg,
In the first pic of your reply 21there is, what appears to be a Unimog, is that your Towed?

Tim

That's a '79 Pinzgauer 710M. It can be flat towed but, with the cost of parts for the portal axles, I'll trailer it when the time comes. I can do that, now, with the FT... couldn't with the SOB. (had 5K max towing)

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #44 – August 28, 2019, 09:46:23 pm

Quote from: Jack Lewis – August 28, 2019, 02:36:31 pm

Greg, did you check the pdf from Samsung? My install instructions say 3/8" clearance side and top, 1" on back. Even their brochure shows this for mine. (See #4 in brochure).

Thanks, Jack. That's not the one I saw. I'm confident I have enough airflow with our install. Venting area is multiples of the actual area of the fridge vents...plus, my mods to the flow path should promote convection venting superior to just stuffing it on a hole.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #45 – October 14, 2019, 12:31:38 am

No, I haven't thrown-in the towel.

I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted an update. Where did summer go?
Less talk, more pics:
Typical roof condition, before.
Back of fridge vent plug.
Fridge vent plug installed, sans paint.
LiFePo4 house battery, in progress.
824 Ah. Almost finished.
Charge controller. 1 installed, 1 on B/O
Roof, after. Ready for a light polish and seal.
Refurbed, modified, $10 Sensar. Chuck, what's wrong with this picture?

New Zip Dees on order. The Girard, and it's shameful shlocked-on sealant, will have to wait til next year; along with a bunch of other stuff. Speakin of shlocked-on, who gets away doing this kind of work and, more importantly, who would pay to have it done?

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #46 – October 14, 2019, 08:18:38 pm

Can you post up the balancer you are using and why did you choose it?

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #47 – October 15, 2019, 12:42:55 am

David,

The units I bought are ECPC-238BVB-Lithium-3V-1S, from Electric Car Parts Company: 3V 1S Battery Voltage Balancers for EV Batteries | Electric Car Parts Co.

My reasons for choosing these are:
Capable of 6A continuous balance current.
10mA idle current. (each)
10mV balance tolerance.
Simple to install.
Good customer reviews.
Reasonable price.

How well do they work? ... I haven't a clue. I manually balanced all cells to about 6mV, so these balancers have yet to do anything, except to continuously draw 40mA from the pack.

They offer some other balancers including one that is similar to these except it has LED status indicators, draws 20mA at idle, and doesn't have as tight a balancing regulation.

Greg

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #48 – October 15, 2019, 04:00:33 am

Greg,

Very impressive work. Can you post more details on how you fabricated the fridge vent plug please.

Re: New to us 2000 U320

Reply #49 – October 15, 2019, 09:22:39 am

I have the separate packs as you.. mine have the built in BMS basics for over and under charge/Voltage .. I need something to keep them balanced so this will work.. I have been looking for someone that had the same basic setup so I could glean from it.. thanks for the help

Quote from: MisterEd – October 15, 2019, 12:42:55 am

David,

The units I bought are ECPC-238BVB-Lithium-3V-1S, from Electric Car Parts Company: 3V 1S Battery Voltage Balancers for EV Batteries | Electric Car Parts Co.

My reasons for choosing these are:
Capable of 6A continuous balance current.
10mA idle current. (each)
10mV balance tolerance.
Simple to install.
Good customer reviews.
Reasonable price.

How well do they work? ... I haven't a clue. I manually balanced all cells to about 6mV, so these balancers have yet to do anything, except to continuously draw 40mA from the pack.

They offer some other balancers including one that is similar to these except it has LED status indicators, draws 20mA at idle, and doesn't have as tight a balancing regulation.

Greg

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