Community Forums

BTFT · 02-26-2019, 06:47 PM

This last New Years I bought two bottles of some VERY good Champagne. We drank one bottle and had one left over. It laid on the glass bottom shelf of my RV refrigerator for some time until one day while re-arranging stuff after an unusually productive trip to Trader Joe’s I shifted it to the door storage shelf standing up.

Cooking dinner that evening I grabbed something out of the fridge and pushed the door shut in my usual -shut and stay shut- style...I was greeted by the unmistakable sound of breaking safety glass which breaks as you might know with a sound all it’s own...

I gingerly opened the refrigerator door to find the carnage of my broken glass bottom shelf all tumbled into the vegetable drawer and all of the beer,Champagne and other stuff that was on the shelf now occupying places next to cabbage and tomatoes.

The Champagne of course was un-damaged. Whew!

My friend Mary and I cleaned out the vegetable drawer and the glass in the bottom of the fridge and next morning we went to the RV store to get a replacement shelf. Now I thought this might just be an expensive and difficult process requiring ordering and weeks of waiting. I was pleasantly surprised to be told by the kind young man behind the counter that he had one in stock. And it was only $19. Wow. In RV terms that is like winning the lottery parts/price-wise.

I refitted the shelf and put the Champagne bottle back on the shelf on top of a package of store-bought chilled pie dough as a shock absorber. And there it languished happily over miles and miles.

Fast forward to yesterday (about one month later). Having totally forgotten about the Champagne I was rummaging through the refrigerator to make space for yet another over enthusiastic shopping trip when I reached in and found the bottle of Bubbly. I just immediately and without remembering the last debacle put it in the door again. When I finished loading the refrigerator BAM! Crunch and the tinkle of a million tiny pieces of glass reached my ears.

I had just successfully broken the shelf a second time. My Champagne was getting more expensive by the day just sitting in the refrigerator. I had now added $40 to the cost of an already pricey beverage.

Well, repeat clean up...were getting efficient at this now...and back on the pie dough it goes.
But now we are in the vast wasteland of south central Texas with no hope of getting a new shelf. It will wait till we get back to Tucson in about a week or so.

We have already contacted that nice young RV parts salesman and he has set aside a new shelf for us.

I think I just may drink that Champagne tonight before it has a chance to increase in price again...

**JohnRR** · 02-26-2019, 10:09 PM

I hate to say it but thank you for the good laugh.

IBTripping · 02-26-2019, 10:21 PM

Funny. And the lesson is, never store champagne in the refrigerator; drink it.

Solo_RV_Guy · 02-26-2019, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IBTripping

Funny. And the lesson is, never store champagne in the refrigerator; drink it.

May every day bring you a champagne-worthy moment - even if you don't drink the stuff!

FatDog · 02-27-2019, 12:58 AM

If you moved the expensive bottle of undrunken champagne to the fridge door from the bottom glass shelf, how has it broken that bottom glass shelf twice now ?

Darwin · 02-27-2019, 01:48 AM

I had a shelf made of plexiglass at Lowe’s, works good and won’t break.

BTFT · 02-27-2019, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatDog

If you moved the expensive bottle of undrunken champagne to the fridge door from the bottom glass shelf, how has it broken that bottom glass shelf twice now ?

I often store white wine in that door space with no problem that is because wine bottles are not nearly as big around as Champagne bottles.

It is much safer actually for the Champagne to be on the glass shelf. When in the door the bottle hit the edge of the glass shelf. The Champagne bottle fits nicely in the door space but bulges out right where it hits that glass edge when the door is closed (especially a bit too enthusiastically).

Stever53 · 02-27-2019, 01:18 PM

I think that bottle of bubbly is trying to tell you something, bottoms up

Safe travels

Ray,IN · 02-27-2019, 08:28 PM

Keep remembering the up-side, the champagne bottle is intact. Some bottles have gotten so expensive the owner can't afford to drink the contents; too much investment involved.

rjreiffer · 03-01-2019, 07:03 PM

I just read your story to my wife and we both had a great laugh (unfortunately at your expense literally!)

Thanks for telling this story!

Skiddy · 03-01-2019, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Some bottles have gotten so expensive the owner can't afford to drink the contents; too much investment involved.

if he keeps going this may be one of them

Harrysait · 03-02-2019, 08:58 AM

When our shelf shattered I replaced it with Lexan, still there!

BTFT · 03-03-2019, 05:34 AM

Actually the glass shelf has been very reliable. We stack an entire 6 pack of glass bottle beer on it along with cans of soda and whatever else will fit and have never had a problem with it breaking. Even though I have dragged my trailer down the length of the Baja and to Alaska several times.

I only broke it with this bottle of Champagne being in the door where it hit the edge of the glass shelf when the door was closed.

I cant imagine a sheet of lexan or any other plastic holding up the weight I put on it without sagging horribly.

I am still thinking about when to drink this Champagne...We will be in Death Valley and Zion on our way to Alaska and maybe I'll break it out in one of those places.