When I tested the tiny fridge in my tiny vintage trailer, it didn’t seem to work. So I decided to swap it out with the larger fridge in the old motor home. Seemed simple enough. Murphy’s Law (whatever can go wrong, will go wrong). First of all, there were a few hiccups in getting the refrigerators out of their respective RVs. But not as big as getting the bigger fridge into the tiny trailer.
The new fridge was too big to fit in the door. Or the window. We removed the door, all 60 some screws of it. Then we had to scrape off the weatherseal putty from the door frame and the trailer siding. And widen the doorway a teensy bit. Then there was the dry rot around the door frame and along the bottom of the trailer. That got replaced. Once we got the fridge in the door, the door frame had to be rebuilt where we widened it. The door was re-installed with new weatherseal putty all around and 60 some screws to hold it in place.
Next, the cabinet where the fridge was to go had to be remodeled. The man of the place took his handy multi-tool and cut away. Here he proudly shows off the big new hole in my trailer. And rightly so, he did a great job.
Once the refrigerator was in place it had to be properly fitted. Some 1x3s were installed to support the shelf it would sit on. As you can see, it sticks out a few inches farther than the old one, which was flush with the cabinet. A couple 2x4s solved that problem and further stabilized the unit.
I had some cement board laying around, for a woodstove I had not yet installed in my workshop. We cut a piece to fit on the side of the fridge next to the stove, since the new fridge sits a bit closer to it than the old one.
On the outside, all the electrical wires and propane lines were hooked up and tested. The propane pilot is not working, but I will be hooked up to electricity for a while, so that can wait. And here is my beautiful new refrigerator, custom installed and ready to roll.
I guess I’ll have to save the windows for next time – that was another project with a lot of photographs. Until then, come on by Mrs. D’s Homestead, and see my new book, “The Working Parent’s Guide To Homeschooling”.