Comments on refrigherator

If the solar panels are going to be more than 25-30 feet from the batteries you will need to have a different sort of setup to reduce voltage loss by wiring the solar panels in series and using an MPPT solar controller instead of a PWM controller.  In general MPPT controller setups are more economic on larger solar installs over about 300-400 watts in total size, though they are getting cheaper all the time.

As to the furnace, there should be a shelf to block airflow out the vent, the air from the vents should only be able to get to the back side of the refrigerator, and not to the interior of the RV.

If you are mounting solar panels up to about 100 feet away form the RV you should be able to do it with something like this:
3 of these wired in series (daisy chained together)

https://smile.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel-Design/dp/B078J42WL7

connected to one of these
https://smile.amazon.com/Victron-Energy-BlueSolar-Charge-Controller/dp/B076N5PTBN/

Plus mounting bracket, MC4 cable, etc. that was included in the kit in the first post mentioning solar.

If you want more solar power the above mentioned solar controller can handle up to 4 100 watt panels wired in series, and will automatically lower the output voltage to battery charging level.  This is the big difference between PWM and MPPT, with MPPT you can run higher voltage solar panel input, so reduce voltage loss from remote mounting.  When running DC any distance 24V is better and 12V, and 48 is better than 24, ... within reason, though for safety reason most people don't like the idea of running DC higher than about 48V.

Ike

I'm sorry but what do you mean shelf?

I've got my furnace working, I've got my fridge, I've got to reinvent my enclosure and I'd like to do it properly. Thanks

I mean it looks like you need to fabricate a plywood shelf or at least a board to go across the back to sit the refrigerator on.

perhaps this video will help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yx10ZeNQ0E

1930 said:

Thanks, I understand the vents are there to help the refrigerator do its job AKA it needs an inlet to help cool, I just still dont see how the furnaces heat isnt escaping out those vents to some degree as well.

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The refrigerator is supposed to sit in a box that's completely sealed off from the interior of the RV, i.e. with a solid floor separating it from the furnace and a hard seal around the front of the refrigerator.  Your cabinet may have been modified when the original refrigerator was replaced, if so you have to rebuild it so it's an airtight box except for the outside vents.  There should be no way for interior air (and heat) to get to the back of the fridge, and no way for the air behind the fridge to get inside the RV.

There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, the lower vent in the outside wall and the roof vent form a chimney, when the coils on the rear of the fridge get warm they heat the air which rises and carries the refrigerator heat away through the roof vent.  At the same time cooler replacement air is admitted through the lower vent.

The other reason the back of the fridge must be sealed off from the interior is the propane combustion gasses are exhausted back there.  The rear of the fridge must be sealed from the interior of the RV to keep these gasses from seeping into the interior.

Isaac-1 said:

I mean it looks like you need to fabricate a plywood shelf or at least a board to go across the back to sit the refrigerator on.

perhaps this video will help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yx10ZeNQ0E

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Ok I get it, the way you worded it had me confused but yes there was and there will be again a shelf. Thanks

Lou Schneider said:

The refrigerator is supposed to sit in a box that's completely sealed off from the interior of the RV, i.e. with a solid floor separating it from the furnace and a hard seal around the front of the refrigerator.  Your cabinet may have been modified when the original refrigerator was replaced, if so you have to rebuild it so it's an airtight box except for the outside vents.  There should be no way for interior air (and heat) to get to the back of the fridge, and no way for the air behind the fridge to get inside the RV.

There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, the lower vent in the outside wall and the roof vent form a chimney, when the coils on the rear of the fridge get warm they heat the air and make it exit through the roof vent, carrying the refrigerator's waste heat away while cooler air is admitted from the lower vent.

The other reason the back of the fridge must be sealed off from the interior is the combustion gasses when you run on propane are exhausted back there.  The rear of the fridge must be sealed from the interior of the RV to keep these gasses from seeping into the interior.

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Perfectly clear and thanks

Isaac-1 said:

I mean it looks like you need to fabricate a plywood shelf or at least a board to go across the back to sit the refrigerator on.

perhaps this video will help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yx10ZeNQ0E

Click to expand...

Thanks for link, so far excellent video, Im not sure I have those 12 volt wires still back there, I have a feeling this is gonna be a bigger project than I was thinking but Ill get it done. 

Im on part two now, they should offer a fridge installation kit of some type that fastens/seals around the box of fridge and then screws into the face of the cut-out of your cabinet ensuring an air tight seal. Maybe they do? If not I will make one.

Working with my hands is what I do. I can and will do a nice job

The airtight seal around the fridge is normally at the back corners, not the face.  It is critical that the very hot air behind the fridge (around the cooling unit) not be allowed to get around the sides or top of the fridge itself because it will heat up the fridge interior faster than it can be cooled.  It is also critical that there be unobstructed air flow in the lower outside wall vent and up to the upper vent (usually on the roof).  Some fridge installations require baffles to help direct the rising hot air.  All that should be covered in the installation instructions for the fridge.  Both the roof vent and the lower air louver must be screened to prevent bugs and critters from making their home in the rear of the box.

I've never heard of a Norcold 1500 nor can I find any info on such a model, so maybe it is a 1500 btu/hour cooling unit?  If so, its probably a 600 or 800 series unit. In any case, this manual shows installation requirements for ventilation, power and gas, and it's pretty much the same for all Norcold (Thetford) abosrption-type fridges. Use it for a guide, even if your model isn't exactly the same.

http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/newestnseries.pdf

Gary RV_Wizard said:

The airtight seal around the fridge is normally at the back corners, not the face.  It is critical that the very hot air behind the fridge (around the cooling unit) not be allowed to get around the sides or top of the fridge itself because it will heat up the fridge interior faster than it can be cooled.  It is also critical that there be unobstructed air flow in the lower outside wall vent and up to the upper vent (usually on the roof).  Some fridge installations require baffles to help direct the rising hot air.  All that should be covered in the installation instructions for the fridge.  Both the roof vent and the lower air louver must be screened to prevent bugs and critters from making their home in the rear of the box.

I've never heard of a Norcold 1500 nor can I find any info on such a model, so maybe it is a 1500 btu/hour cooling unit?  If so, its probably a 600 or 800 series unit. In any case, this manual shows installation requirements for ventilation, power and gas, and it's pretty much the same for all Norcold (Thetford) abosrption-type fridges. Use it for a guide, even if your model isn't exactly the same.

http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/newestnseries.pdf

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Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was saying it was a 1500 dollar fridge that I paid 400 dollars for as a scratch and dent. This http://www.valuervparts.com/norcold-norcold-ac-dc-lp-refrigerator-5-3cf-grey-right-n3150agl/# is the model and unit online.

I understand, I hadnt looked before but I just did now and sure enough there is the vent in the roof, I will be sure the refrigerator is sealed good at the backside.

Im assuming that from the backside forward I can have heavy foam insulation resting against the sides of the unit?

Ill take pictures as I go along and post them.

Yes to the sealant.