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Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, January 21, 2011

Reefer update…part two

Bright and early this morning, Cory, was back to do the prep work for the installation of the new fridge.  The first thing he did was notice how I had covered up the vent with plastic wrap and the thick towel.  I think he was impressed, as he didn’t think it was going to get so cold last night.  He also began to refer to me as MacGyver.  That made me think of Dennis and Donna at CAVE DWELLINGS, and Donna’s comment about being vertically challenged.  It’s funny, but I have always thought of Donna as being rather tall and statuesque!  Just from reading her blog and seeing some pictures, I figured she was about 5’9”.  I don’t consider that short.  I’m probably around 5’2” these days (you do shrink with age:)), so this surprised me.  Anyway, I digress…

IMG_8658After doing all sorts of measuring, Cory built this flooring platform for the new fridge, and found a way to run an electrical line to my inverter in the subfloor.  I’m not very good with technical jargon, so I hope you’ll give me some leeway with my descriptions tonight as I try to answer several of the questions that readers asked in last night’s comments.  That took almost all day to accomplish.  Cory is obviously one of those people that has an eye for detail as he even painted the front of the fridge flooring black to be more aesthetically pleasing once the fridge was moved in. 

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Just before 4:00, the move began.  It took three men to hoist it up into position.  That’s the owner, Billy Thibodeaux, in the back with his son, Cory, in the middle, and cousin Colby in front.  I told you this business was a family affair.  :)

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Cory hopped outside to do the plug in and make some final adjustments as it was pushed into place.  There were a few slight glitches, but in the end Cory’s knowledge and perfectionism ruled…

IMG_8666and this was the result.  The fridge is installed, and I still have my pots and pans drawer underneath!  Yes, it is frost free (hooray!!).  It is connected to my inverter, so I can run it off of battery power.  It also weighs far less than the Norcold reefer, and I’ve been told has better insulation.  The temperature remains at a constant 38* in the frig portion and –2* in the freezer.  If I was a big fan of ice cream, I’m thinking it would be rock hard!  It has 17.8 cubic feet of space, and, most importantly for me, won’t ignite and burn the rig down.  That’s the plus things about it.

 

Now, after having it in place for a whole three hours, here are minus things for me so far.  Considering my height, or lack there of, I probably should have eliminated the pots and pans drawer and had it dropped lower.  The top of the freezer comes to about 4” above my waist, so the top shelves of the fridge will remain a challenge.  Since it is just me, I always keep my bread in the fridge to prolong it’s life.  Bread will now occupy the top shelf along with seldom used items!

In my almost five years on the road, I can count on one hand the number of times that I’ve had the former reefer on gas, so that was not a big loss for me.  Having the fridge, an electric space heater, and the TV turned on last night at the same time did not trip the breaker for the inverter, so Cory assures me that this shouldn’t be a problem if I don’t have electric hookups.  I just don’t know how long the batteries would last.  I’m sure not long were I to use all these items.  My alternatives would be to run the generator or eliminate the TV and heater.  I’m used to that.  My last rig didn’t even have an inverter, so since I don’t boondock very much, I think this will not be a problem for me.   Also, in all my travels before I went fulltime and since, I have never traveled with the fridge on while I’m moving down the road.  It’s just not something I do.  The doors remain closed, and the unit remains cold.  I think this has covered about all of the inquiries except one…

eIMG_8657…Donna asked if I had a designated wine chilling drawer.  Well, no, Donna, but if you look closely you will see a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream lying on it’s side.  Does that count?  I suppose I could use one of those empty vegetable bins for that purpose.  :)

 

When Billy, the owner, came in to help with the final push into place, he said that he was working on an estimate for someone that had read my blog and wanted a frig installed.  Can you believe that?  Well, I immediately said that since I had written the post I should receive a  10% advertising discount!  Cory then piped in and said, “Hmm… I think it’s going to take me 10% longer to finish this job!”  Ha Ha!  I think I like this business!

 

Well, if you’ve made it all the way through this post you have a lot of patience…sorry it’s so long.  The guys filled my fresh water tank today because it’s supposed to get down into the 20’s tonight, so I guess I’d better go out and disconnect the water hose.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

26 comments:

  1. WOW, that's a great looking fridge!

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  2. Looks great, I would love to replace my RV fridge with a regular one.

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  3. Good post!

    Sip a bit of Bailey's for me. It used to be a winter night favorite!

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  4. I love the depth of the shelves on the door. I always hated the fridge in my 5ver - I think it was Dometic - and the TC has a Norcold. Compared to a residential style fridge they leave a lot to be desired.

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  5. They did a good job on the frig. It was us who inquired about a frig swap out but as it looks our space will not allow a two door side-by-side. Hope you enjoy and my wife Sandy admires your traveling by yourself. Do to my poor vision Sandy has been the primary driver of our home for several years now.

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  6. Looks like a handy install to me, just keep the things that you shouldn't eat like the chocolate bars on those top shelves. lol

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  7. Good post, Judy. It's interesting to read about how your refrigerator switcheroo was accomplished. Good to know that it can run off the inverter if necessary. Enjoy!

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  8. That's a great looking fridge, I know you will love it, and it's frost-free to boot. Also, I really like your blog pic, it's incredible.
    Take care and be safe.

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  9. Great looking fridge! The install guys did a really good job on the installation.

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  10. Thanks for answering all of the questions, I have to learn how all of this stuff works.

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  11. If you like Bailey's, give Amarula a try ... you have room for it on the top shelf of your new fridge.

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  12. A neat fridge,I doubt I would ave the room for it, but it sure would have the room for my High Life. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  13. Looks great. I think you went the right way on taking out the storage space above the fridge rather than the drawer. At least in the fridge you can see what is up there even if you can't reach it. We have the same size space so it is great so see what will fit.

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  14. Good looking logical fridge which seems to have a lot of room inside to boot. I like all that extra room in the doors. Don't think we would have the width for one though. For me, it's always reassuring to see professional people doing a professional installation.

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  15. Nice looking refrigerator, Judy. When I saw the first "installed" photo I wondered how you were going to reach the top shelf, now I know!

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  16. P.S. I like my ice cream on the schmoosy side:))

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  17. The sight of the Bailey's in your fridge reaffirms my feeling that we simply must meet up some day and cement our friendship. My Bailey's stands upright, though! :)

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  18. I'll pour a Bailey's for myself tonight in your honor, although not from a new refrigerator. Such efficiency in this style. I love to see men doing what they do best--making things work. I wonder if the boys knew how famous they would become?

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  19. I am so happy you finally found some repair men to make you smile after all your problems last year!

    What an awesome frig! But I fear a little stepper is in your future gf! Just don't get on it after sipping any Baileys!

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  20. Looks great. I am looking forward to how it works when you do not have shore power and run it on the generator or inverter.

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  21. I was a little concerned when I saw your blog titled "Reefer Update"..Being a child of the 60's, I thought your "Reefer" referral meant something else...No, I am definitely NOT tall...5'2", and somewhat "fluffy"...What time do you crack into the Bailey's...I'm in!

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  22. I like how much room you have in there! Oh and Bailey's now that's what I call a well stocked fridge. :)

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  23. One short question. How do you keep everything on the shelves when you are moving? Hope someone didn't already ask this. I didn't take time to read all of your comments.

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  24. Love the new fridge!... Since I am 5'10", I would probably go for the freezer on top, but yours looks great! Very stylish. LOVE the storage in the doors.

    I have to respectfully disagree with JB though... chocolate should ALWAYS be kept within reach!! lol

    Predicting more snow for us here in NW AL... sure hope they miss it!

    Stay safe.

    Kerri in AL :-)

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  25. What a good job well done! Glad they were able to get it in the window without having to remove the frameworks. Gotta love those rigs with BIG windows!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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