Residential Refrigerator installed in a Slide

[lwasouth]

05 Itasca Horizon 36RD. Has anyone had success installing a Residential refrigerator in a coach, where the refrigerator is mounted in a slide? The maximum height is only 65" and the width is 32". No residential units fit this size.

[BFlinn181]

Apartment sized refrigerators would fit.

28" W x 62.73" H 14.6 cu. ft.

Whirlpool 14.6 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator in White-W5TXEWFWQ - The Home Depot

[gonefishin77]

Thanks for the link to the fridge, when the time comes will se that one.

[BFlinn181]

I can't speak for that particular brand or model, just to show that you need to look at apartment fridges. I'd also check weight of the refrigerator you're removing and compare it to the new model you're shopping for. I think a residential fridge would be lighter, but I've not really studied them. I'm sure you don't want to go too much heavier than what you've got for proper operation of your slide.

[Bumps]

We have done what you are asking. Choosing the right refrigerator took a little bit of research. Getting it through the door was the only challenge (had only 3/8" to spare). Sliding it into the cabinet where the Norcold had been required very little modification (the fridge was deeper than the slide so had to build a "shelf" for it to sit on).

Our model is the Whirlpool ED2FHEXVS and we run it on a PSW inverter.

Did you have any specific questions about the swap?

\ken

[sdlowe11]

We installed a Frigidaire FFHT1817PS into our slide. It weighs about the same as the Norcold - around 200 lbs - although it holds so much more food that there's no doubt it weighs more when it's full.

This unit is 66.5" tall. We ended up losing a drawer that was under the old unit to get this one in, but we love the extra capacity. Perhaps you can extend the height slightly at the top or bottom of the opening to accommodate something taller?

Good luck with your project. I took my time and had all of the tools I needed to do the job except for a power saw. We detailed our installation here.

[bruceisla]

Search the IRV2 site ... there are lots of examples. For the most part, the refrigerator spec will be "counter-depth" meaning the front-to-back dimension is less than a typical large refrigerator. You also need to consider "door depth", handle location and size, and swing.

For instance, in the pic provided above by Bumps, when the doors are open, do the hit the wall? do they hit the seats? if so, can you remove the crispers and shelves? can you get the icemaker tray out?

When shopping, bring some pictures of your current reefer (and surroundings) with dimensional annotations.

[movin-on]

Goodbye Norcold, hello Frigidaire - page 1

[Bumps]

...For instance, in the pic provided above by Bumps, when the doors are open, do the hit the wall? do they hit the seats? if so, can you remove the crispers and shelves? can you get the icemaker tray out?...

Fridge door on the right opens far enough to move all shelves around and remove/use crisper and drawers (it will hit the wall if we open too far). Freezer door on the left opens only about 90% of the way. To pull the ice bin below the ice-maker we need to remove the freezer door handle (slides upwards and pops off)(only do that when winterizing). If we want to pull the mechanism all of the way out [for service] we would need to move the dinette bench.

The advantage of the split doors is that either door can be opened with the slides in. A full-size door would open just fine with the slides out, but be difficult to use when in travel-mode and slides in.

Ice dispenses through the door. Or you can reach into the bin and grab it, I guess.

\ken

[Billy S]

I installed a Whirlpool 15.9 cu. ft. in our slide, it is a lot lighter than the Norcold, and has all kind of room.

[artpe54]

Our 2015 Forza has the refrigerator standard install in the slide.