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Old 09-28-2011, 07:11 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by sdcyclist View Post
Final update:

New cooling unit arrived Thursday at 1:30 PM. I needed the rig back and on the road by mid-day Friday. RV Specialists said they would try to have it done but no guarantee. I offered to pay the tech overtime and they agreed. The new cooling unit was installed and completed by 9 PM Thursday night. I stayed with the tech to help and took pictures. After the refrigerator was fired up and documented as operational, I was back on the road to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (my camp hosting job) by 2 PM. RV Specialists did an outstanding job and my extended warantee picked up the cost. I had to pay $50 plus $300 for the overtime.

sdcyclist
sdcyclist, I am very pleased to hear you are back in service with a positive result to your cooling unit replacement. My best friend owns a 2001 Alpine which may soon need the same Amish cooling unit replacement that you just had done and if you will post your pictures we will be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,
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Old 10-03-2011, 04:09 PM   #30
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Alpine Refrigerator Cooling Unit Repair

Hi All,

I have attached a pdf of the pics.

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Old 11-20-2011, 08:35 PM   #31
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Tyler 6357, how about an update? Are ou still pleased with the replacement? Dig you go with the reman? Can a guy handle it alone? Mine is a top freezer over bottom refrig two door style. Thanks for any info you can provide. HarveyP
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Old 11-21-2011, 06:56 AM   #32
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Update

HarvyP:

Yes, I am very happy with the replacement. I also have a 2 door unit (fridge on bottom/freezer on top). Mine is 8 cubic feet with no ice maker, gas or electric power. I'm not certain what you mean by "reman", I purchased a rebuilt cooling unit from that Amish place mentioned earlier in this thread.


As for doing it alone; I think it is possible although I got a friend to help me carry it out and then back into the motor home. It might be difficult to get it in/out the door of the motor home by yourself depending on your age and fitness level, it is pretty heavy for just one person though. You could probably remove it, put it on a hand truck, wheel it over to the door, balance it on the steps and then lift it out the door from the outside by yourself if your motor home has 2 entrance doors or a window you can crawl out of. If not, you will probably need some help. Two small women could do it easily. Removing the cooling unit from the fridge and installing the new one can be done by yourself as long as you can lift 50 lbs easily. You will have to measure the fridge and the motor home enterence door to make sure you can actually get it out the door. I had to remove the fridge and freezer doors to get mine out giving me about 1 1/2 inches clearance (it was kinda tight). If the motor home door is not wide enough to get the fridge out you will have to remove a window or the front windshield to get it out which would be a pain in the butt, however I didn't have to do that. I would say that I could have done it by myself because (1) I am only 48yrs old and in good physical shape and (2) my motor home has a separate private entrance door in the bedroom so that I could put it in the doorway and then remove it from the outside.


You will need: (1) a wrench to disconnect the propane connection from the outside fridge compartment, (2) a crowbar to pry the broken cooling unit out of the unit (3) a screw driver for the screws to uninstall and reinstall the unit as well as the fridge/freezer doors and (4) a hand truck to move the unit easily. Those are the only tools you will need.You will also need a space to work on it. I did mine right in the driveway outside the motor home (use a blanket so you don't scrape it up on the driveway while you are working on it). It isn't a very difficult job, it sounds harder than it is.


Mine is working very well. The fridge gets plenty cold and the freezer freezes as quickly as the one in my house. Replacing the cooling unit is much cheaper than buying a brand new fridge. It took me about 3 hours to do everything (not counting testing the unit). I tested it by plugging it into an electric outlet with an extension cord and ran it on electric power in the driveway for several hours to make sure everything was working properly before I put it back into the motor home. Make sure you know the model number of your fridge and that you order the correct cooling unit, there are many different kinds and sizes. I did take a few pictures but I will have to upload them to my computer before I can post them here if you think that would help you.


I hope this helps. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Good luck!
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Old 11-21-2011, 09:33 AM   #33
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Tyler, thanks very much. That is exactly the sort of info I was hoping to get. I did mean a rebuilt unit in my question. I have emailed David Force, and he says to try it one more time with the thermistor unplugged from the board and on AC power for 24 hours. I hope I don't have to replace, but you gave given great advice about doing it. I would have my wife, an able partner, to help manage the moving. Thanks again, I may be writing you again, HarveyP
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Old 07-06-2012, 03:24 PM   #34
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This should have been written months ago. Wife and I manage to replace cooling unit ourselves with a couple of phone calls to David Force. We are still pleased with how it is working, has been running 24/7 since then, now over 8 months. I used David's advice and expertise to help friends get their unit running also. I will use his company again if I ever have to replace parts again. HarveyP
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