Bar fridge install?

[maxypantsinyk]

I've searched through the forums to find an answer for this, but I can't find one so I'm posting.

I'd like to install a bar fridge into my Trillium, but I'm wondering how to secure it into the cabinet so that it doesn't move and fall out while traveling. In my other trailer it was an RV fridge so it had flanges along the perimeter that were then screwed to the front of the cabinet?

Do I just get flanges and screw them into the sides of the fridge? Or glue? Help!

[The Minimalist]

Before you go farther in your consideration, I suggest that you look at the installation requirements for the bar fridge. Most compressor fridge installations specify minimum clearances between sides, top, and rear, to allow air circulation for proper cooling, whereas with RV fridges all of the space requirement is at the rear and consequently are installed in some pretty tight spaces.

Some compressor fridges actually have coils in the sides to dissipate heat.

Good luck in your search.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by maxypantsinyk

I've searched through the forums to find an answer for this, but I can't find one so I'm posting.

I'd like to install a bar fridge into my Trillium, but I'm wondering how to secure it into the cabinet so that it doesn't move and fall out while traveling. In my other trailer it was an RV fridge so it had flanges along the perimeter that were then screwed to the front of the cabinet?

Do I just get flanges and screw them into the sides of the fridge? Or glue? Help!

Why not just put a proper fridge in the trailer? You'll have to be plugged into electric or have a good solar system to keep a bar fridge running. An RV fridge costs more but run on electric and propane. It makes the value of your trailer worth more also. You'll need a good amount of clearance around all the sides of a bar fridge for air circulation or it won't work correctly and won't get cold as it should.

[Eddie B.]

While I had my new Igloo refrig.out,I drilled two holes in bottom plate of refrig.Put 5/16 inch bolts thru the plate thru the wood base the refrig. Sits on.Used double nuts to secure.
Cut a four inch round hole in the wood base also,where it would cool the compressor,installed a 5 inch infinity ac fan on the bottom of the base,making sure the air flows upward thru the compressor area.Blocked off sides of refrig.bottom.Added a ac switch that would separately turn on refrig.and fan.I blocked off the two opening vents behind the refrig,with thin aluminum.No water leaks.So the Igloo will cool down in about one hour,mine works great don't draw much current.Since then have installed a speed control on the fan speed.Working on a small thermostat that will cut the little fan off when not needed.
Don't have any photos yet,fell and knocked my shoulder out of joint,so hobbies are waiting on the list.

[mary and bob]

I put a Haier dorm fridge in our Uhaul. Had to build a platform for it to sit on. The platform is screwed to the floor, and I made up some brackets that bolt to the fridge and to the platform. I left some space at the counter face opening above and to the sides of the fridge, plus there is space all around it under the cabinet area. We had this trailer in one campground for 3 months , two years in a row, plus other traveling and it works great.

[Buggeee]

I had a bar fridge for years, but it was in the place of what had been a much larger fridge so it had plenty of room around the sides and top.

If you are putting yours where a propane fridge had been you probably already have those vents to the outside. Just make sure you've got some room around the sides and top so the air can circulate around the shell of the refrigerator if you have one that dissipates heat that way.

One way to tell if you have a refrigerator that dissipates heat through its shell, is to look on the back of it. If you have one of those large grills across the back of the refrigerator that dissipates heat back there then that's how it's doing it. If you look on the back and there's not one of those large grills attached to the back of it, then those tubes are running through the sides of the fridge and it's dissipating heat out the shell.

Either way, I don't think I'd be piercing the skin of the fridge with screws. I'd be scared of busting into a freon line or whatever. Maybe look underneath to see if you could attach some flat steel strips, like the ones with the holes in it, to where the feet of the fridge attach to the fridge. Then use that to attach it to the camper.

Just some thoughts. Good luck

[Eddie B.]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

I put a Haier dorm fridge in our Uhaul. Had to build a platform for it to sit on. The platform is screwed to the floor, and I made up some brackets that bolt to the fridge and to the platform. I left some space at the counter face opening above and to the sides of the fridge, plus there is space all around it under the cabinet area. We had this trailer in one campground for 3 months , two years in a row, plus other traveling and it works great.

That is great

[Eddie B.]

Originally Posted by Buggeee

I had a bar fridge for years, but it was in the place of what had been a much larger fridge so it had plenty of room around the sides and top.

If you are putting yours where a propane fridge had been you probably already have those vents to the outside. Just make sure you've got some room around the sides and top so the air can circulate around the shell of the refrigerator if you have one that dissipates heat that way.

One way to tell if you have a refrigerator that dissipates heat through its shell, is to look on the back of it. If you have one of those large grills across the back of the refrigerator that dissipates heat back there then that's how it's doing it. If you look on the back and there's not one of those large grills attached to the back of it, then those tubes are running through the sides of the fridge and it's dissipating heat out the shell.

Either way, I don't think I'd be piercing the skin of the fridge with screws. I'd be scared of busting into a freon line or whatever. Maybe look underneath to see if you could attach some flat steel strips, like the ones with the holes in it, to where the feet of the fridge attach to the fridge. Then use that to attach it to the camper.

Just some thoughts. Good luck

Ours had a steel plate on the bottom,plus you have the leveling screws,I also turned the refrig.thermostat housing where it would come out on the side,where I could get to it.But different types and models are different.
Eddie

[Digger89]

Related question from a newbie in western Canada: I'm also considering installing a compact (ie: bar) fridge in my older RV (replacing the 3-way Dometic fridge might increase the value of my rig by about 30% !!) because we only use the RV for several weeks in the summer. Cooling down the fridge on 110v for a day before travelling would work for us ....and we never 'boondock' so would almost always have access to 110v at a campground (or in a relative's driveway!). My question is: could I use a 12v DC to 110v AC inverter to keep the fridge running while we're driving ...or even while stopped for a while enroute to our camping destination?

[Dave Fish]

Originally Posted by Digger89

Related question from a newbie in western Canada: I'm also considering installing a compact (ie: bar) fridge in my older RV (replacing the 3-way Dometic fridge might increase the value of my rig by about 30% !!) because we only use the RV for several weeks in the summer. Cooling down the fridge on 110v for a day before travelling would work for us ....and we never 'boondock' so would almost always have access to 110v at a campground (or in a relative's driveway!). My question is: could I use a 12v DC to 110v AC inverter to keep the fridge running while we're driving ...or even while stopped for a while enroute to our camping destination?

I tried that on mine and the invertor i used would not even power the fridge. I'll admit, I didn't really check out the capacity of the inverter or the draw on the fridge..

Theoretically, you might be able to do it. Some of the big RVs have residential fridges powered by an inverter but their inverters and battery banks do not compare to ours.

So far, we have been able to keep the fridge relatively cold during travel.

[Mollie]

Bought this electric wine fridge at Canadian tire and used it 3 camping trips thus far in close to 30 degree weather and the drinks are cold! It fits the existing hole perfectly and all I did was screw a wood piece to the floor of the trailer right in front of the back legs of the fridge so it doesn't move then I framed the front in as you can see in the pic and it doesn't even budge

[Buggeee]

Originally Posted by Digger89

Related question from a newbie in western Canada: I'm also considering installing a compact (ie: bar) fridge in my older RV (replacing the 3-way Dometic fridge might increase the value of my rig by about 30% !!) because we only use the RV for several weeks in the summer. Cooling down the fridge on 110v for a day before travelling would work for us ....and we never 'boondock' so would almost always have access to 110v at a campground (or in a relative's driveway!). My question is: could I use a 12v DC to 110v AC inverter to keep the fridge running while we're driving ...or even while stopped for a while enroute to our camping destination?

Yes, but...

You need a pure sine wave inverter. The compressor motors on fridges and freezers are of a special kind, and they do not run well, or usually at all, on a modified sine wave (sometimes called step sine wave) inverter. Almost all the inverters you run across are modified sine wave inverters because they are less expensive to make. If you use a super huge modified sine wave inverter you might be able to get a fridge to start, but it would run real hot on that kind of electricity and you would ruin the compressor motor. Look close at the specs to ensure you are getting a pure sine wave inverter.

Fridge/freezer compressors also have a huge surge at start up. The smallest pure sine wave inverter I have gotten to work is a 2000 watt surge 1000 watt continuous rating. With that one I will usually get a brief warning light at start up but it works. I'd probably go 2500 if I didn't have this one sitting around already. I run four 6v true deep cycle 215 amp hour golf cart batteries in a 12v configuration (resulting in a 430 amp hour battery bank). With some solar assistance, I can boondock a converted freezer (freezer with a fridge thermostat) for three days before my low voltage cut off (11.8v). If just traveling, I can drag it 3 or 4 hours without any appreciable loss at all in the battery bank.

Converted freezers are the way to go in my opinion, the insulation is astounding.

Have fun!!!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Digger89

Related question from a newbie in western Canada: I'm also considering installing a compact (ie: bar) fridge in my older RV (replacing the 3-way Dometic fridge might increase the value of my rig by about 30% !!) because we only use the RV for several weeks in the summer. Cooling down the fridge on 110v for a day before travelling would work for us ....and we never 'boondock' so would almost always have access to 110v at a campground (or in a relative's driveway!). My question is: could I use a 12v DC to 110v AC inverter to keep the fridge running while we're driving ...or even while stopped for a while enroute to our camping destination?

If this is just for a days' trip to a campground, you can freeze bottles of water and pack them in the fridge with the food. As long as you don't open the door it should be good for several hours up to a full day depending on ambient temperatures. Pre-cool thoroughly and pack tightly with minimal air space.

If this is for multi-day trips, you might be better off putting your money into a proper RV fridge, either a 3-way absorption fridge or a 12V compressor fridge with solar and larger battery bank. Running high-draw appliances through an inverter is inefficient. You're converting AC power to DC to charge the battery, then inverting it back to AC power to run the fridge when unplugged. There are operating losses at each step.