Question for Vista owners, hot closet & pantry

[mikee409]

We bought a new 27PE 2018 model last year in October.
We have had time to get a feel for the rig and fixed some things the factory skimped on.
My question is, "Does the area on either side of the refrigerator get hot to the touch during operation, especially 3/4 way up to the top?"
We have a small closet on one side and the pantry on the other side.
I'm getting temps in the mid 80's to the low 90's in them.
I can see thru a crack there is only the paneling of the closet and pantry that separates them from the heating elements of the refrigerator.
I see no insulation or fire retardant material in the space the refrigerator sets in?
This doesn't look right to me. The heat is melting my chocolate chip cookies and making the food in the pantry hot.
I bought this brand of class A motor home partially for the name brand. It saddens me to see the lack of forethought from the manufacture.
I realize this is supposed to be an "Entry level Rv" but Geez give me a break, this looks like a fire potential to me.
Any one else have this problem with the heat from the refrigerator?
All I can see is to pull the refrigerator & insulate it myself at this point.
Mikee

[BirchyBoy]

We have a ‘17 Vista 31BE and it sounds like the fridge area may be the same. A small coat closet on one side and then a pantry on the other.

I have always thought that the fridge may be impacting the thermostat which is on the wall near the coat closet. I never thought about the heat in the pantry coming from the fridge. I’ll have to spend some time looking at that.

[powercat_ras]

One cheap change you can make is to buy felt discs and stack them so that the pantry door does not close as tight and leaves an air gap so the hot air has somewhere to go. And of course if there's a gap between it and the fridge seal it up with backer tube or clear tape. You will have to adjust the latch after you add the felt disks.

In my 2015 Vista 27N the pantry is next to the fridge and there is absolutely no air gap but the wall is also not insulated.

[TarasParents]

Sorry, Winnebago is not synonymous with quality. Our overhead cabinets are under the slide outs on both sides and there is no factory insulation. The dishes on one side and food storage on the other 'cook" from the sun.
You can line them with thin foil backed insulation "think house sheathing".

The most heat intrusion is thru the uninsulated front cap, you can add fiberglass batting there. Keep your chocolate in the fridge!

[mikee409]

Originally Posted by TarasParents

Sorry, Winnebago is not synonymous with quality. Our overhead cabinets are under the slide outs on both sides and there is no factory insulation. The dishes on one side and food storage on the other 'cook" from the sun.
You can line them with thin foil backed insulation "think house sheathing".

The most heat intrusion is thru the uninsulated front cap, you can add fiberglass batting there. Keep your chocolate in the fridge!

I'm seeing the quality issue you speak of. Sad thing is it wouldn't take much more effort on Winnies part to make a top notch product.

I already stuffed a 24 foot roll of pink R13 insulation in the front cap. I would have gladly paid Winnie an extra $100 to do it in the construction phase. Now we don't feel the heat radiating in from that area.

We lined the back of the cabinets with reflectix & that helps. We also used it in the pantry and closet either side of the fridge & that helps some what. We also leave the doors cracked open to let the heat disperse instead of building up in the closed space.

Next project is to remove the Fridge and add insulation to the walls of that compartment. Unbelievably there is none at all. I think I will cover the insulation with Hardy plank to finish boxing in the refrigerator compartment for another added level of insulation and fire proofing.

It's Sad for an owner?customer to have to remove the fridge from a brand new RV to do the install job right like Winnie should have done in the 1st place.
We really like our Vista, It's the perfect size for our needs & works well for us .
It's just disappointing that Winnebago went to so much effort to make the visual part of the RV appealing and short cut the areas you don't see until you actually own it and now you can't return it for a refund.
What ever happened to pride in craftsmanship.
Oh well I'll keep plugging away at the hotspots, I guess it could be worse.
Mikee

[blueridge-fl]

Before you go to the effort to remove the fridge, I suggest removing the top refrigerator vent cap and look to see if Winnebago installed the fridge according to the Norcold installation instructions. The only heat that should be coming off the fridge is over the coils on the back and those coils should be boxed off such that it creates a chimney over the coils. There should not be side paths for the hot air to rise on the sides of the fridge. There should also not be any dead space over top of the fridge where the hot air can become trapped. Since it is common for manufacturers to offer the four door Norcold as an option they build the refrigerator enclosure to accommodate either the 4 door or 2 door model and don't always install the correct baffling to build the coil chimney.

[mikee409]

Originally Posted by blueridge-fl

Before you go to the effort to remove the fridge, I suggest removing the top refrigerator vent cap and look to see if Winnebago installed the fridge according to the Norcold installation instructions. The only heat that should be coming off the fridge is over the coils on the back and those coils should be boxed off such that it creates a chimney over the coils. There should not be side paths for the hot air to rise on the sides of the fridge. There should also not be any dead space over top of the fridge where the hot air can become trapped. Since it is common for manufacturers to offer the four door Norcold as an option they build the refrigerator enclosure to accommodate either the 4 door or 2 door model and don't always install the correct baffling to build the coil chimney.

blueridge, I had to replace a Dometic in our old Newmar 4 years ago. The install instructions are most likley similar to the Norcold. From what I can see from the outside is a big No!
The heat can flow all around the refrigerator, no insulation and no baffel/chimney. Just a straight shot out the top.
If I drilled a 1 inch hole in the paneling from the inside of the closet or pantry I could stick my finger thru and touch the heating coils.
I guess Winnebago engineers think 5/32" thick paneling is a good insulation
Sad,it seems like this is typical mfg practice now days. As long as it looks good from the outside that is good enough to sell.
mikee