Removing TM fridge pics

[TMfor4ofus]

Thank You for this! Our fridge was not working well on gas. I wanted to clean the burner tube but the way its in there its next to impossible to do it in place. So I followed these easy instructions to get it out, then found the slits in the burner tube for the flame were almost shut due to corrosion. Only a razor blade will get in them to open them up. Shoehorned it back in there and it works like a charm now. I suggest to anyone it's not working well on gas to do this. Also was leaving a sooty unburned fuel smell in the trailer and actually set off the CO alarm. Thats when I had enough and knew I had to address this. Lots of soot built up in the flue. Also fixed a few other problems while I was at it. Thanks again.

 

[Wavery]

Question;
1. Did you keep the old fridge fan. was thinking of removing it to aid in installing the new fridge further back.?..... Yes but I'll probably remove it for the same reason. Although the fridge isn't in the way at all.

2. But thought it might help in removing the hot air that the compressor makes on very hot days......... We just this minute got back from 5-days of desert camping. It reached in the 90s during the day. I never turned on the fridge fan.


3. Plan on fiber glassing the inside of the vent covers too. As those will not be needed. Will help with insulation of the camper....... I left the fridge vent covers in place. However, I did put some screen on the inside. When we desert camp (often) we tow the trailer down some rough dirt roads and haven't had an issue with dirt getting inside.

4. What did you do with the radio?....... I put it on a shelf in the garage. I may sell it. I've owned TMs for about 15 years and we've never turned on that radio.

I planned on removing the vent fan but sold that trailer before I got a "round tuit".

I don't see a reason to F/G the fridge vent covers. Some ventilation is needed.

80% of our camping is in the desert also. We go out to a place called "Truckhaven", near the Salton Sea. Lots of towing down washes etc and haven't had any dirt intrusion issues.

I totally removed the radio and it's in a box in the store room.

 

[rickst29]

TM-sized "compressor-type" refrigerators have smaller "condensing radiator" structures than the condensing portion of the tubing within the non-motorized OEM absorption fridge. Mine is built as a bunch of heat-radiating fins, with a fan pushing ambient exterior through the spaces between fins.

The combined structure (condenser motor, exterior condenser coil/fin assembly, electronics, and condenser fan) is mounted horizontal along the rear top of my model,. The existing UPPER per fridge vent assembly is an almost perfect match for that location.

Some other models and manufacturers place the assembly along the exterior bottom, instead of the top. In that position, the LOWER fridge vent (the horizontal one, not the vertical fan blower) provides the cool ambient air flow.

The best-fit compressor fridge models have a "depth" measurement which leaves almost no room at the back of the main fridge, towards the street side wall and vent covers. That's why the interior can be about 30% larger. But there's no room for the old bottom-to-top flex tubing 'vent pipe', driven by the big and noisy fan.

While travelling with shells down, the lowered shell blocks both vents. If you have a "compressor structure below" model, the old fan might provide some assistance to keep relatively cool ambient air flowing through condenser, with warm air leaking out between the street-side low wall and the lowered shell wall. For my "compressor structure above" model, I modified the upper vent to add a large 12V fan on only one side (exhaust-only), pulling air inwards from both the other side of the vent side and from the floor-mounted fan port below. That fan (with added foil tape to block wrong-direction airflow is show in the thread I wrote about it, CR-1110 upper vent fan (an add-on).

 

[Turkoise]

Good morning. Story:We bought this cute retro 110V refrigerator to currently run it on campsite electricity and later to run it with an inverter. Haven’t installed the refrigerator yet.
Question: Need to disconnect the gas line and cap it but instead of capping it inside the trailer, thinking about capping the line from the tee underneath the tm to prevent possible leak inside. Or should i just take tee off and splice the line that goes to the heater? Is it 3/8” brass flare cap?
Thanks.

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Frigidaire ft Retro Mini Refrigerator in Mint Green with Freezer you need to keep your lawn green season after season while saving water.

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[Wavery]

Yes.......3/8” brass flare cap, if you are capping it at the "T". If you are capping the pipe, it's a 3/8" flare plug.

 

[rickst29]

For either change, you will need to acquire a cheap flaring tool first. Autozone has an adequate one for less than $20, and Amazon has a lot of them. But you can expect to pay too much at a local big box store.

Most TM owners doing electric-only fridge upgrades have cut the fridge pipe above the floor, flaring that cut and capping up there.

I replaced the underneath "T" with a brass "flared union" Union instead, because my compressor fridge was so wide that the pipe "stud" would have prevented its installation.the "T" fitting with a Underneath TM, there is plenty of extra pipe length to cut out the OEM "T" with a bi-metal 32 TPI hacksaw, and then clean the hacksaw marks from your your two 'open' pipe ends with very fine sandpaper. (You probably can't fit a rotating pipe cutter in there.) Then flare the two loose ends with a cheap 45-degree flare tool.

You then slightly change the bending of the OEM pipe at the front street side corner to bring the front-end flare close enough for a brass flared union connector to fit. The union fitting and the nuts are available at any big box store, or online.

Don't use any 'easy' compression union on gas supply lines. You'll also want to add a tiny amount of sealant (made for gas lines) on the threads when assembling the union.

 

[Turkoise]

Thank you. But can’t i use same ends where they meet the t and replace it with non t coupling instead of cutting and making new flared ends?

 

[Wavery]

You can use a flared union to replace a flared T. Just be careful to check for leaks and not not over-tighten. Snug it up, check for leaks and tighten just enough to overcome the leak. If you accidently over-tighten, you can crack the old flare. You will then have no other choice but to cut that flare off and make a new one.

Personally, I would just remove the pipe going to the fridge and put a cap on that T. You can safely tighten that cap without fear of cracking the lines. Be sure to hold the T with a vise grip pliers when tightening..

Autozone (and some other auto parts stores) have a tool lending program. You buy the tool from them (it may be new or used), complete your job, then return the tool for a full refund.

 

[rickst29]

Thank you. But can’t i use same ends where they meet the t and replace it with non t coupling instead of cutting and making new flared ends?

You can try that, I found my that my horizontal pipe ends did not pull from the "T" after I loosened the nuts (although I didn't try adding any anti-seize too with help that.) The desired coupling is called a "flared union". In this case, both ends are sized the same.

If you can't pull a pipe smoothly, with its flare undamaged, you will probably find the flared end to be a bit damaged. It depends on the kind of sealant TM used on the Threads of the "T" assembly nuts at the factory.

But, as Wavery explained -- if you can pull the vertical pipe (the old fridge supply) out clean after loosening the nut, you can leave the other intact and simply plug it with a flare cap (with sealant on the Threads, of course). One removal instead of messing around with two.