Surprising fridge installation error by Cruiser -- easy fix!

profdant139 · 08-06-2012, 05:32 PM

I love my Fun Finder, as you know, and am very impressed with its quality. But as a result of the recent flurry of fridge-related projects and questions, I wondered why Cruiser left two inches on either side of the fridge and almost seven inches on top, under the cabinet. It did not seem to make sense, but I figured there was a good reason.

Well, I think they did it wrong. Here is what the installation manual says for my Dometic 2351, at page 21:

"8.2 Ventilation. The installation shall be made in such a manner as to separate the combustion system from the living space of the mobile home or recreational vehicle. Openings for air supply or for venting of combustion products shall have a minimum dimension of not less than 1/4 inch. Ventilation is a critical requirement for proper cooling unit operation. The coach vent system must be able to provide a way to direct the hot air, produced by the action of the cooling unit, out away from the installation of the refrigerator. The refrigerator extracts heat from the interior of the refrigerator cabinet and dissipates the heat out through the vent system.

"In a proper installation there should be zero (0") clearance surrounding the sides and top of the refrigerator to achieve proper air flow. Clearance from the back of the refer to the outside wall must be kept less than 1 inch. All potential dead air pockets should be blocked or baffled to ensure that heat won't be trapped in these spaces and reduce efficiency."

So this means, I think, that Cruiser did not follow these "zero clearance"
instructions. Fortunately, my mad desire for storage has inadvertently fixed the problem -- I have now filled in all of the voids with my storage cubby and with big wads of fiberglass insulation, coupled with my metal heat deflector.

Bottom line -- I am not sure that these instructions apply to all fridges, but those of us with newer X-139 units might want to investigate and take action. I hope that Cruiser monitors our forum so that they can pick up this problem and notify the dealers.

Your thoughts and reactions would be greatly appreciated -- thanks!!

FFX160_CT · 08-06-2012, 06:18 PM

I wish I lived next door to you! I really enjoy your posts and your
improvements!

profdant139 · 08-06-2012, 10:44 PM

Be glad you don't live next door -- I am the old guy who is always working on his trailer and his car and his power tools. Noisy and unsightly. I feel sorry for my neighbors. I try never to work on my toys before 9 am or after 8 pm.

profdant139 · 08-06-2012, 10:45 PM

mistake -- sorry

shadow · 08-08-2012, 05:45 PM

I did the same on my 189fds also moved the blower fan up about 5 " to improve airflow on heat exchanger. Also insulated under bunk using 1.5" foam board. Improved things from a cooling /heating and noise perspective

profdant139 · 08-09-2012, 10:20 AM

Shadow, our fridge flue has no blower at all -- the "draft" supposedly takes care of the heat and exhaust. I think the no-blower system is probably adequate for a very small fridge, such as the one in the X-139. So far, so good . . . . .

fischnet · 08-09-2012, 11:32 AM

I think perhaps Cruiser pays some attention to suggestions made on its web page, I doubt that they spend any time looking at any forums. Same goes for the Owner Forums of all the other RVs out there. Had occasion to talk with the salesman we dealt with last year when bought our 214WSD, and he cannot believe that factory wouldn't be monitoring these complaints. But I told him that if factories are in such a crunch that they have so little eye to design and QC in the first place, why are they going to PAY someone to sit and read these posts?

As far as design and space usage around the fridge, after looking at MANY different makes and designs, spouse and I are pretty positive that in the 'spirit' of cost cutting, the various cabinets, drawers and 'holes' for appliances, etc. are ALL designed to be of 'stock' dimensions and for speed of installation by moderately talented and experienced installers. Thus, functional space usage is no longer a critical aspect of design as much as efficiency of build time (notice word Quality is absent) and 'gaps and holes' are more common in these rigs. That changes as you go up in price somewhat, but even there you still find much of the same.

I will need to dig into my fridge manual and look at my installation as profdant says to see if I can improve on the install too! Thus far, it has proven to be very efficient and has held its temp when turned off, even in the freezer, for 8+ hours of travel.

profdant139 · 08-10-2012, 09:00 AM

Fred, you are right about most manufacturers -- it's all sort of "lowest common denominator" quality. I have crawled around and under a lot of different trailers, and I really think that Cruiser is different -- overall, better quality control. Not perfect, not infallible, but satisfactory, especially in light of their pricing. So this little fridge snafu is out of character.

And I do suspect that someone at Cruiser does lurk on some of the forums, some of the time. Heck, if we as end-users read all of this stuff without getting paid for it, I bet that some highly motivated design engineer does, too.

If you are interested in seeing a very extensive series of videos showing Cruiser's advanced manufacturing techniques (produced by a very excited Australian guy), click on this link -- you will end up knowing a lot about how the foam is bonded to the paneling, and so forth:

[/url]http://www.cellcaravans.com.au/product-videos/part-1-cruiser-rv-factory[url]

Niner · 08-12-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by profdant139

If you are interested in seeing a very extensive series of videos showing Cruiser's advanced manufacturing techniques (produced by a very excited Australian guy), click on this link -- you will end up knowing a lot about how the foam is bonded to the paneling, and so forth:

http://www.cellcaravans.com.au/produ...ser-rv-factory

fischnet · 08-13-2012, 01:26 PM

Ha! I came across those Aussie videos last winter! They were pretty impressive overall. I even have the guy's email with intent to write him about them! I was even given an Aussie version of the Suburban water heater manual (one of the manuals I DID get...) instead of the correct US version! The Cruiser products are good, I agree among the 'better' brands, but I don't know that they are a cut above many of the other good brands we looked at ... Keystone Cougar, Outback, Dutchmen Denali etc. In polling several service centers, I got that same input from Service Managers, most of whom said they get very similar warranty issues with all the makes, somewhat less from higher end rigs, but still similar issues. All in all though, once I get everything done, I think we will be very pleased with the product. However, one should not have to rely upon the dealerships to do SO much to correct what should & could have been done correctly at the factory.. But you are right about "Not perfect, not infallible, but satisfactory, especially in light of their pricing." not sure if I'd say 'satisfactory'. I've found way too many little items that are simply 'speed of work' issues.

A portion of the major QC issues we've had with ours off top of my head include: 2 windows leaking & totally removed to reseal due to inadequate factory sealing; defective plywood underlay requiring vinyl to be cut out to access the floor for repair; rain cutter improperly installed that would not drain water off roof properly; major slider leak due to improper caulking and sealing of slide box at factory; numerous small cabinet fit issues [that I just fixed myself]; all but one drain trap connector ring not even finger tight; miss-wired stereo speakers; 12V wiring rubbing on sharp metal edges in AirCond ceiling access; primary bolt attaching a rear jack was snapped off during install; TV mounted poorly (screws over tightened, stripped threads); holes in floor and exterior seal fabric for plumbing not sealed with foam -- an invitation for rodent access; screws attaching fresh water tank not properly seated/tightened against frame; improperly installed exterior shower water lines that leaked inside trailer; front running lights that were improperly installed .. I removed, caulked and re-installed; and finally, I still do not have the full owner's manual package! Dealership has tried, I have been working with a person in Parts @ Cruiser and have yet to have a full packet of all the manuals for the trailer! I'm sure I'll get them eventually, but these are things that just were not an issue in my past 2 trailers.

As said, once all these are taken care of, I know we'll have a fine trailer that should last a while for us. I have fun improving and modifying, etc. so once those projects are done .... I'll likely find some more 'improvements' we need!

profdant139 · 08-14-2012, 07:56 PM

Fred, you will live a long time -- you are a cheerful and optimistic person. If I had that list of bugs, I would be pretty upset, especially the leak-related stuff.

Hang tough and keep smiling!