Casita: Range Cover Not Riveting Back In

[L3Range]

The range cover came off. I got a rivet gun and I was able to reattach one rivet, but the second one isn't holding...it looks like a bit of the fiber glass has come broken off, making the hole slightly bigger so that it will no longer hold a 4.8 rivet. Not sure what to do, any suggestions would be very appreciated.

[Rocketrichard]

My stove cover had always fit kind of sloppy because the original rivets were loose. I removed them and replaced them with a couple of stainless steel round head phillips bolts with washers and nuts. Remove the drawer and reach in to hold the nuts while you tighten the bolts. It all fits nice and tight now.

[Casita Greg]

I never liked that ugly cheap sheet metal stove cover from day one. It was one of the first things I got rid of, (along with that gaudy clunky oversized "head-banger" range vent hood.) IMO, it wasn't worth a hoot from the "git-go," so bye-bye stove cover. I much prefer my upgraded replacement Dometic stove with sealed burners, which works so much better than the original Suburban stove, (and also my new deeper galley sink,) and topped it off with my new cut-to-fit bamboo cutting board for a nice big galley prep area. Just me. Easy to clean the stove too. Just lift the grill off and easy to wipe out around the burners.

[Casita Greg]

Installing the HepvO drain line bladder and the elbow drain line under the sink also allowed me to off-set the drain line to the side, and get rid of the "P" trap under the sink drain, which provided me with more usable space under the sink to add a deep shelf to store long rolls of Aluminum Foil, Saran Wrap, Parchment Paper, Zip-Lock Bags, etc. that never had a really convenient place to be stored anywhere else in the trailer. For reference purposes, the shelf is installed at the top of the wheel well hump.

[L3Range]

Originally Posted by Rocketrichard

My stove cover had always fit kind of sloppy because the original rivets were loose. I removed them and replaced them with a couple of stainless steel round head phillips bolts with washers and nuts. Remove the drawer and reach in to hold the nuts while you tighten the bolts. It all fits nice and tight now.

Thanks so much for the suggestion! Bolted it in. On nice and secure now.

[L3Range]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

I never liked that ugly cheap sheet metal stove cover from day one. It was one of the first things I got rid of, (along with that gaudy clunky oversized "head-banger" range vent hood.) IMO, it wasn't worth a hoot from the "git-go," so bye-bye stove cover. I much prefer my upgraded replacement Dometic stove with sealed burners, which works so much better than the original Suburban stove, (and also my new deeper galley sink,) and topped it off with my new cut-to-fit bamboo cutting board for a nice big galley prep area. Just me. Easy to clean the stove too. Just lift the grill off and easy to wipe out around the burners.

Looks like a great new kitchen area! Definitely something to consider for the future. Thanks!

[Meadowlark]

Hi, Greg!! Where did you get the bamboo cutting board, and how does it sit on the burners? I'm sure it's not ON the burners, are there 'feet' to keep it just abouve the range?

I've always hated the OEM range cover, too, it's flimsy and, as one poster noted, the rivets are loose. I've never dared to use it as Casita seems to have intended, that of an 'extension' or a work place. It just can't handle any sort of weight.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Meadowlark

Hi, Greg!! Where did you get the bamboo cutting board, and how does it sit on the burners? I'm sure it's not ON the burners, are there 'feet' to keep it just abouve the range?

I've always hated the OEM range cover, too, it's flimsy and, as one poster noted, the rivets are loose. I've never dared to use it as Casita seems to have intended, that of an 'extension' or a work place. It just can't handle any sort of weight.

Well, first off, I love my Casita, so this isn't about "Casita bashing." But I will say that they really dropped the ball on many standard features, and that silly metal range cover is no exception.

Yes, it does sit on the burner grate. The cutting board was just a Walmart "generic bamboo cutting board" that I trimmed down to fit inside the lip of the top recessed area of the new Dometic stove.
If you look at the first photo above in Post #3, you can see the recessed lip of the stove around the edges of the Dometic stove, where the cutting board nests into the top.

Obviously, as you can imagine, the stove top iron grill must be allowed to cool off before putting the wooden cutting board back on the stove.

[Meadowlark]

Thanks, Greg. I agree, letting the range cool off is probably a really good idea. The smoke detector is at ear level and built for a large house, not a tiny little Casita.