Samsung RF18 Installation

Well, I finally tore into the coach last week to make room for the new residential refrigerator.  All in all, it wasn't too bad of a task.  Not easy, but not as bad as I thought it would be. 

Chrystal and I have talked about installing a residential refrigerator for nearly two years now, waffling back and forth, but our Norcold 1200RLIM has actually done a fair job.  We convinced ourselves that we didn't want it to be like the last coach where it went out two days before leaving for a trip and we were scrambling to replace it.  We were all set to replace it come next spring before it actually did go out on us. I have heard of many, many people very dissatisfied with theirs, however, ours has actaully performed quite well.  That is until the past two trips this year.  The first half of the season there were no issues at all, almost had us thinking we were over-reacting, ALMOST.

In July in Salmon, ID and Glacier NP the first three days of the trip it didn't seem like it was working properly but after checking everything over and not having my IR thermometer with me I shut it down for a little bit and turned it back on where it worked fine for the remainder of the trip.  It worked very well actually.  I didn't give it another thought.

Two week ago we went on our annual trip to Ouray, CO and there again the first half of the week it was not working up to par.  I had my IR thermometer and recored temps in the box in the mid to upper-40's.  That was it, I told Chrystal when we returned home the Norcold was going out the door, even though I didn't really have a plan yet for the new one.

It seems the Samsung RF18 is a popular choice, and for good reason.  It is fairly close in physical size to the Norcold but nearly doubling the cubic foot capacity.  We went and measured one and Chrystal really liked the model so we purchased one in black.  We chose black (or Chrystal chose black) because the microwave and the televisions are black and we (she) thought it would match the walnut woodwork better than stainless steel.

First picture is of our original Norcold prior to being removed.

Second picture is of the motorcycle jack/lift we used to roll it out of the way.  I was going to build a small cart on casters which is what I saw some other people doing but Jared (our son) had the idea of using the motorcycle jack that was sitting there not being used at the moment.

Third picture is of the floor of the cabinet after removing the Norcold, the subfloor and the insulation.

Fourth picture is of the gas line after removal.  I was able to gain access to the "T" from the main gas line in the compartment below and remove it as well as cap it off right there.

More pictures in following posts.

Mike.

Continuing.

First picture is of the original roof vent hole plugged.  I put a piece of 1/4" luan up snugly into the hole, stuffed it with insulation, then another layer of 1/4" luan and finally adding another longer support piece screwed to the ceiling to completely close off the opening.

Second picture is of the start of framing up the floor.  I needed to gain approx. 7" in height but I settled on 6.5" by using a 2x4 stood on its side, then another layer of 2x4's aroudn the perimeter lying down tying in the corners, followed by two layers of 3/4" plywood screwed down on top of those.  All of that made for a very solid sub-floor in which for the new refrigerator to sit on.

Third picture is of the cabinet floor completed and ready to accept the new fridge.  It turned out rock solid.

Fourth picture is of the trim around the two sides and top of the opening.  I had to cut some of the right side and the edge was not perfectly straight.  I used some 1/16" x 1/2" angle aluminum where I forty-fived the corners and then scuffed and painted semi-gloss black.  It looks almost like it come from Monaco that way.

More to follow.

Mike.

Continuing.

First picture is of the exterior vent cover after I taped around the perimeter and used some spray foam to fill the center.  Looks like a box of popcorn.

Second picture is with the foam cut down even (somewhat even) and installed into the opening.  I also used some garage door weatherstripping to line the perimeter of the opening to cover that transition area between the wall of the coach and the vent door.

Third picture is of the mounting brackets that I needed to fabricate to attach the bottom of the new Samsung to the floor.  Chrystal came home to find me lying on the floor of the coach staring at the bottom of the fridge.  Although she was excited to see the fridge in the hole, she was concerned to see my lying on the floor.  She asked if I was ok and I responded saying I "was thinking".   Trying to figure out a game plan of how to fasten the new fridge to the floor.

Fourth picture is of the mounting brackets fastened to the floor and ready for the final placement of the refrigerator.

More to follow.

Mike.

Continuing.

First picture is of the new Samsung RF18 in its new home and the front of the unit bolted down to the floor.

Second picture is of the rear brackets that I come up with to mount the rear of the unit.  I have seen many merely use long lag bolts/screws down through the refrigerator base and into the wood floor.  My concern with this was the lack of surface area in which the load or weight would be spread over and the possibility of the screw head pulling through and then not holding anything.  I measured and determined that the wheels were spacing the bottom of the fridge approximately 1.475" from the floor.  I used two pieces of 1.5" aluminum square tube to place under each side of the rear of the fridge next to the wheels.  I then fabricated two hold down brackets that were .060" short of the distance it was held off the floor.  This in turn would clamp down and preload the base of the refrigerator against the aluminum tubing creating a large amount of force as well as the 2" wide brackets would spread the load over a larger area for clamping force.

Third picture is of the rear mounting brackets fastened in place and the refrigerator solidly mounted in the opening.

Fourth picture is of the new Samsung completed and installed, ready for power.

All that remains is to cut down some trim and install under the refrigerator so it will look factory and to re-attach the refrigerator's lower kick panel.

I then need to work on machining or fabricating a door latch to keep the doors closed during travel and a restraint system to hold items in the fridge while in motion.

Project pretty much complete and moving on to the next one.

Mike.

We installed the Samsung RF18 (had it done, didn't do it ourselves) to replace the Norcold 1200 which died. We were going to do it anyway. The fact the Norcold died just pushed us to get it done. It's fabulous. You're going to love it.

Mike, as usual, another great job by a good fabricator. Is there nothing you can't do? After installing two of them now, I always tell people it is not rocket science, but it is a lot of work, not something I would want to do every week. By the way, I got my Jeep back from the shop yesterday and I'm all smiles. Already having them work me up a quote for phase three of my build. Counting the days until St George.

Dance Chick said:

We installed the Samsung RF18 (had it done, didn't do it ourselves) to replace the Norcold 1200 which died. We were going to do it anyway. The fact the Norcold died just pushed us to get it done. It's fabulous. You're going to love it.

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Thanks for your feedback.  We are anxious and excited to try it out on our next trip.

Mike.

Becks said:

Mike, as usual, another great job by a good fabricator. Is there nothing you can't do? After installing two of them now, I always tell people it is not rocket science, but it is a lot of work, not something I would want to do every week. By the way, I got my Jeep back from the shop yesterday and I'm all smiles. Already having them work me up a quote for phase three of my build. Counting the days until St George.

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Thanks Gary.  I really appreciate the compliment.  I actually didn't mind it by the time I got to the metal fabrication portion but I am NOT a carpenter so the woodworking had me nervous.  My biggest concern is that it wouldn't look factory and would look like an afterthought.  I wanted it to look like it came that way which is why I stressed about the trim and woodwork so much.

Glad to hear you are happy with your Jeep.  What is Phase 3 going to involve?  We too are looking forward to the St. George rally.  This will be our first FMCA 4-wheelers rally and to be honest I really don't know what to expect, I am a little anxious about it.

Mike.

Man you do good work Mike! I dare say that you took more care and concern putting your refer in that most manufacturers do at the factory! And you saved a bunch of money doing it yourself.  And it does look like it came that way. That's my yardstick too for completing any mod. I don't want it looking like a quick add on, it's got to look factory.

Mike, the thin metal body panels forward of the front doors are already bulging out. Looking at something to stiffen those side panels up front and rear along with strong steel fenders to replace the stock plastic fenders that I have already had to wire tie back on after coming loose. Not sure yet what is available or what to go with. I welcome any ideas anyone has.
   
    Gary

Mike, I forgot to say, I am certain you guys will absolutely love the FMCA 4-wheelers group. They are a great bunch of folks, and I can't wait to visit with them again.

Wow, that is awesome looking work Mike! We've already got a RR but I always like to look at other people's work to see what I'd do differently. I don't see anything I'd do differently at all. It looks great and well thought out, and I really like the way you insulated everything. Do you boondock much? Any plans to increase the size of your battery-bank?

Kev

SargeW said:

Man you do good work Mike! I dare say that you took more care and concern putting your refer in that most manufacturers do at the factory! And you saved a bunch of money doing it yourself.  And it does look like it came that way. That's my yardstick too for completing any mod. I don't want it looking like a quick add on, it's got to look factory.

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Thanks Marty, I appreciate the compliments.

Mike.

Kevin Means said:

Wow, that is awesome looking work Mike! We've already got a RR but I always like to look at other people's work to see what I'd do differently. I don't see anything I'd do differently at all. It looks great and well thought out, and I really like the way you insulated everything. Do you boondock much? Any plans to increase the size of your battery-bank?

Kev

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Thanks Kevin, I appreciate that.  I boondock some but not a ton.  I just didn't want to hamper my ability to boondock when I choose to.  I am waiting to see how it does before any changes.  I am planning on new batteries next spring so if I do need to increase my battery bank, I will do it at that time.

Mike.

Finished up the trim on the bottom of the fridge Friday night which completed the new Samsung RF18 installation.

I also then began machining some components for interior item restraints.  I have seen on a few forums where people were using tensioned curtain rods and having great success but I wanted something that had that "kool" factor and was different or unique.

I am going to machine some tension rods from .5" aluminum and that will engage into some aluminum strips that have .5" holes machined into them.  This will create a more "positive" engagement of the rods and they will be less likely to slip or move when going down the road, therefore be less likely to have something come tumbling out when the doors are opened after driving.

First picture is of the bottom trim installed and the bottom kick panel of the new Samsun refrigerator.

Second picture is of the .125"x1" aluminum strips that I am trueing up in the mill after saw cutting.  I am doing four at a time and clamping them into the mill vise.

Third picture is with a screw jack placed under the end hanging out from the mill vise and the four pieces clamped together with a small clamp.  This will ensure that the four pieces stay together and that they don't flex while machining to keep the holes perfectly sized.

Fourth picture is of the holes nearly completed on the first set of four.

More to follow.

Mike.

Continuing.

First picture is of the first four pieces removed from the vise and ready to debur.  I also ran some Scotchbrite pads over the side that will show inside the refrigerator to give them that "brushed" appearance.

Second picture is of the strips wiped down with acetone and they have the 3M automotive double sided tape applied.

Third picture is after using an Exacto knife to cut out the holes that were covered by the 3M tape.

Fourth picture is of the strips applied in the refrigerator.  Prior to installing them I wiped the sides of the fridge down with some alcohol to aid adhesion and then stuck them on each side.

Next up will be machining the aluminum rods and Delrin ends that will be spring loaded to postiviely lock into the holes and hold things in place while traveling.  I have to order some compression springs as well as some Delrin as I don't have any .750" diameter in stock.

I will post them up when completed.

Mike.

Last night I burned the midnight oil trying to get my content restraints completed before the upcoming trip.  I started with some .500" 6061 aluminum rod and machined the end down to accept a 2.8 pound compression spring.  Located at both ends of the tension rod are machined Delrin pieces, one end will be stationary and turned down to .490" to fit into the .500" holes in the aluminum slats that I installed into the refrigerator prior.  The other Delrin end will be machined to slide on the rod with spring tension and a stainless steel socket head screw to keep it retained when removing or changing from hole to hole in the refrigerator box.  The stationary end measures 1.125" OAL and the spring loaded tension end measures 2.250" OAL.

First picture is of the .750" Delrin chucked up in the lathe and starting to machine the stationary end.

Second picture is of the stationary end that will engage into the slats in the refrigerator box and has the 10-32 stainless steel socket head cap screw mounted so the head is recessed below flush.

Third picture is of the .5" end that will slip over the aluminum rod.

Fourth picture is of the aluminum rod machined down to provide clearance for the spring on the moveable end.

More pictures to follow.

Mike.

First picture is of all five moveable ends and all five stationary ends machined and ready for installation on the rods.

Second picture is of an exploded view of the moveable end, showing the machined surface of the rod for the spring, the machined Delrin and the stainless steel socked head cap screw.

Third picture is of three of the tension rods completed and ready for installation.

Fourth picture is of one of the rods installed in the refrigerator box.

When we get home I will pull the rods back apart and polish them providing I don't need to do any "tweaking".  This trip will be a test run.

Mike.

Mike, as I state often, and others do as well, your skills in so many different area's are truly amazing. If I had just one tenth of your skills I would be a happy man.

Becks said:

Mike, as I state often, and others do as well, your skills in so many different area's are truly amazing. If I had just one tenth of your skills I would be a happy man.

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Thanks Gary.  I really appreciate the compliment.

Although sometimes I think it is just as much a curse as a blessing.  
Mike.