OOPS! We just made a $140 mistake!

[Lorna]

Yep, we did something on the stupid side. We are "renewing" a 1977 Midas Class C. Having decided the old Dometic RM66 AC/LP fridge was too small for us (the freezer unit, not the fridge itself), we bopped down to Lowe's and bought a Haier 2.7CF electric dorm style fridge and a Haier 4.4CF electric fridge to use as a freezer (remove freezer compartment door and bump the setting up to the max). We used to use our old undercounter Sanyo refer this way and it kept stuff frozen even during 120 degree F heatwaves. So we installed the little fridge first and used 2" loose pin hinges to attach the fridge to the cabinet face frame (since the old fridge was installed the same way and hadn't fell out.. I hope). David drilled and then pop-riveted the hinge (2 per side) to the fridge then we screwed it to the cabinet face frame with no problems (please note that this was the lower priced fridge... Murphy at work). Then David attached the top hinge to the large fridge (the one we will be using as a freezer). It was when he drilled the first hole for the second (lower) hinge that he hit the evaporator line and all the refrigerant leaked out!! (Yes, we did vacate the RV until the gas dissapated.) Since it is cheaper to replace than to fix, we ripped open the side of the fridge to see where the lines ran (so we could miss them on the next one that we had to buy). It seems that Haier runs their evaporator lines on the sides of the unit, from the back all the way to the very front edge. EXCEPT for the lower 2 1/2" and the top 3" where it is just foam and apparently safe to pop-rivet the hinges into (since we didn't ruin the new fridge)! If Haier does this then most likely others do too. We chose these little fridges because they are easily replaced at a low cost and because it was the only way I could get a decent sized freezer (cheap). We keep more frozen stuff than we do "refrigerator" stuff (I admit it... I'm addictted to Schwan's Frozen food).

[Lorna]

Yep, we did something on the stupid side. We are "renewing" a 1977 Midas Class C. Having decided the old Dometic RM66 AC/LP fridge was too small for us (the freezer unit, not the fridge itself), we bopped down to Lowe's and bought a Haier 2.7CF electric dorm style fridge and a Haier 4.4CF electric fridge to use as a freezer (remove freezer compartment door and bump the setting up to the max). We used to use our old undercounter Sanyo refer this way and it kept stuff frozen even during 120 degree F heatwaves. So we installed the little fridge first and used 2" loose pin hinges to attach the fridge to the cabinet face frame (since the old fridge was installed the same way and hadn't fell out.. I hope). David drilled and then pop-riveted the hinge (2 per side) to the fridge then we screwed it to the cabinet face frame with no problems (please note that this was the lower priced fridge... Murphy at work). Then David attached the top hinge to the large fridge (the one we will be using as a freezer). It was when he drilled the first hole for the second (lower) hinge that he hit the evaporator line and all the refrigerant leaked out!! (Yes, we did vacate the RV until the gas dissapated.) Since it is cheaper to replace than to fix, we ripped open the side of the fridge to see where the lines ran (so we could miss them on the next one that we had to buy). It seems that Haier runs their evaporator lines on the sides of the unit, from the back all the way to the very front edge. EXCEPT for the lower 2 1/2" and the top 3" where it is just foam and apparently safe to pop-rivet the hinges into (since we didn't ruin the new fridge)! If Haier does this then most likely others do too. We chose these little fridges because they are easily replaced at a low cost and because it was the only way I could get a decent sized freezer (cheap). We keep more frozen stuff than we do "refrigerator" stuff (I admit it... I'm addictted to Schwan's Frozen food).

[bldrbob]

I think they run the lines that way to utilize the heat to prevent condensation on the edge of the frame.Some House units have electric heat strips to accomplish the same thing.
BOB

[lwbfl]

Good info, thanks for the tip!