I finished getting our new 3.0cf Isotherm frig put into our 07 Roadtrek 190P last weekend. Not a bad fit or terrible job, except for the extreme out of square and level of the Roadtrek itself. I had to either pick the dropped floor, van floor, counter top, bolster tops, or the frig cutout as a starting point, as they were no where near on the same plane of level. I chose the counter top, as it is the easiest to use for level when setting up, and DW doesn't really like all the kitchen stuff rolling onto the floor or into the sink. I put the van on jack stands setup to make the counter top level, so it didn't change as the weight inside moved around. Here is how it worked out.
Here is what it looked like with the old frig out. The only interference with the new frig would be the water lines.
Here is where they come out in the storage next to the frig.
Here they are moved, which turned out to be very easy with the stainless lines RT used.
Again inside the cabinet.
Here is a pic looking up into the top of the cabinet. The caulking is over two slots that hold wood tabs on a divider by the sink, above the frig. The slots were not caulked at all from the factory, and the hoses in the previous pics were not completely caulked so there was a gap into the cabinet. We had always had hot burner smell in the van when on propane, so this would surely show us why.
I used two pieces of aluminum angle 2 X 3 X 17 ($10 at the discount materials place) to support the frig. It would have been easier to block up from the floor, but I wanted to try to get some storage under the now smaller frig. The right side is bolted with 1/4" bolts and t-nuts to the cabinet wall, but the water heater was in the way ont the left side, so it got a bunch of #10 sheet metal screws into the two layers of plywood on that side. I spaced in the opening with 1 X 2's on each side and about 1 X 5 on the bottom, let into the side pieces.
The Isotherm I bought came with a "3 sided flange, flush mount" kit, but, unfortunately, it was way too wide to use on the left side, so I decided to mount it homemade style. I used a short piece of 1/2 X 1/2 ready angle on the front to hold it in and square. For the bottom, I removed the feet it came with (the mounting screws were stripped anyway), and set it on rubber pads of varying thicknesses, to get square and not rock. I drilled holes in the angles and screwed the frig down with #10 sheet metal screws until the rubber was just a bit compressed.
The squarness/level issued started to show pretty badly at this point. In these pics the frig is level to the counter top. the side gaps are very different, at the frig would bind going in and not sit flat on the pads. I decided to let the frig go a bit off level to get it to fit better in the opening (the original was way off level in turns out), as it doesn't matter any more (compressor).
I used silicone on the sides and bottom to seal it up, and packed fiberglass in the top, which was a bigger opening. The frig has been taken off level here so the gaps are much better and it isn't binding.
I made some trim out of some 1/4" poplar, that was around and cheap, to see how it would fit up. Color didn't match up very well, but neither does the other stuff RT used. If it bothers us much, I will order some 1/4" maple or birch and remake them, as they are pretty simple. This is the finished product.
We did gain storage underneath that is big enough for the heavy, clumsy, Chevy jack plus a few rarely used extra leveling blocks. I still need to add a strap down for the jack and blocks, and a barrier to keep everything away from the gas lines if they were to move around. I also have to get a cap for the gas fitting.
All in all it was not a bad job, took about 16 hours total, not rushing, and about $25 beyond the frig cost. The frig is very quiet, cools down in minutes, not hours, and holds temp very well. Most of all, NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT LEVEL. I checked the amp draw, and it started at 4 went down to 3.5 and then back up to 3.7 in the 5 minutes I checked. The garage was pretty cool, so how it will do in the heat is still to be determined.
* This post was
edited 11/10/09 10:27am by booster *
I also had a fit of head scratching when I built my cabinet. I finally put a level on the bumpers, front and rear and jacked it from the frame until it was level, then built the cabinet level and plum.
I accounted for side to side level, not front to back, because with the airbags, I figured that was variable anyway.
That Isotherm looks like a nice unit. Does it have that feature where it senses extra available current and stores it in a cooling plate?
That seems like a neat feature.
Mine 1.7 cf Norcold is listed as a 2.7 amp draw. When New this was about 2.9 amps and 3.2 for the first minute. Now, 30 months later it is about 2.7 on startup and about 2.35 a minute later.
I have rezeroed my Shunt several times thinking this indicated an abnormality. It reads the same before and after. I know amperage consumed changes with battery voltage, but I accounted for that.
My fridge uses less current now than when new.
Enjoy all those unlevel parking spots now available to you, and warm beer magically becomes ice cold in under 5 hours.
I'd be interested in your duty cycle. And compare noise levels with my Norcold. I bet you'd win on the noise level despite all the measures I've taken to absorb noise/ vibration.
Landyacht- Ours doesn't have the "ASU" feature which does the overcool and storage when the extra power is available. It is a very expensive option and adds a lot of electronics to go bad. It also sets the frig temp at 41 to 43 degrees when in the power saving mode, which is a little high for my liking when we have things like dairy or uncooked poultry in the frig. Still would have been neat to have. We plan on doing a manual routine that is similar to the ASU, when we are going to be on batteries. With a couple of cold bags in the freezer and the temp turned down while we drive, we should be able to gain some on the duty cycle when we stop and go on batteries. We will see how well that works next summer.
Duty cycle in the 60 degree garage, with the frig empty is only about 10-15%, but that will go up substantially in the heat, I presume.
The lower current as it got older is pretty common, as the compressor has a breakin just like a car or any other pump. Things get a little smoothed out and have less friction.
Yeah, the ASU is and expensive option. I do the same thing by turning the fridge up after the solar charge controller goes into float, or I am driving a good distance.
I like to keep mine below 40 degs as well. It is usually between 38.5 and 36.5 on a setting of 2 out of 5. 3 brings it to 33 degs f. Anything above 3 and things start freezing, unless it is over 95 degs ambient.
Only when the ambient is above 90 degs does my duty cycle approach the 33% mark. Or if I stuff it with warm items or constantly open the door.
Booster, nice install especially with the leveling and squareness issue. Even though it’s relative, you’ll have to let us know how loud you think it is. I’m in the middle of trying to quiet mine so that it’s barely noticeable when sleeping; tough to do in a B. My duty cycle use to be around 35%, but this last trip it was over 50% with a full fridge. I’m hoping that the gap in the door seal and the low voltage was the culprit. I’m getting two solar panels to compensate for any DIY effects!
From what we have seen so far, the noise is about the same as the Snyder fan kit was on the old frig. If it is louder, it is not much. Our garage/shop is very quiet so you can tell pretty well. With the Snyder kit fan, we could hear it at night, but not enough to bother us. It ran continuously, however, so the on/off thing may be more noticeable to us. It is definitely louder outside than inside.
Seems like the sound level is about the same as ours. “The on-off thing” – good observation. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before: Create some white noise to mask the on off cycle because that’s really annoying too. If all else fails – earplugs!
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