Securing French door refrigerator doors for travel

[bcbounders]

Hi all,

I'm the proud new owner of a French Door residential refrigerator (a Samsung model #RF217ACPN if anyone's curious) in my '05 Newmar Mountain Aire (in place of the 4-door No-Cold that came with the coach and which needed a cooling unit replacement recently). Everything about it is great, and we're totally thrilled... except for one thing: we don't know how to secure the freezer door to keep it from flying open on sharp/high-speed turns. (please... no wise cracks about slowing down... we were doing about 5 mph going around a corner when it happened! )

We have a velcro strap that wraps around the refrigerator doors that seems to do a perfect job keeping them closed... but we haven't figured out how to do the same for the freezer door. If we velcro-strapped it to the fridge doors above, it would tend to open the freezer door... the handle pulls up to make it easier to open.

So... all you out there with French door residential fridges: how do YOU keep your doors closed when traveling?

Thanks!

[AZgl1500]

Duct tape makes a terrible mess to clean up.

How about some small cabinet latches to lock the door closed at the top edge?

[Techie]

I installed a similar fridge and fashioned my own latches. You can read about and see the pix @ An RV Life | Residential Refrigerator Upgrade

[rex]

Take a look at this company, and look at part HC-85-S

Homeclick
245 Belmont Dr
Somerset, NJ 08873
888-837 5313
http://www.homeclick.com/

Check out the attached PDF for how to install it.

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by AZgl1500

Duct tape makes a terrible mess to clean up.

How about some small cabinet latches to lock the door closed at the top edge?

LOL! Although Duct Tape is easily available!

I'm not averse to the idea of small cabinet latches (and will look into what's available at some local hardware stores very soon). Just figured I'd see if someone out there already had invented this "wheel" so I could copy them flatter them with imitation.

Thanks!

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by Techie

I installed a similar fridge and fashioned my own latches. You can read about and see the pix @ An RV Life | Residential Refrigerator Upgrade

Simple and effective. Thanks for sharing that link. I may end up fabricating something similar if no one else has any pre-fab solutions that will work.

Thanks!

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by Rex

Take a look at this company, and look at part HC-85-S

Homeclick
245 Belmont Dr
Somerset, NJ 08873
888-837 5313
http://www.homeclick.com/

Check out the attached PDF for how to install it.

Rex,

Thanks! I'd seen something about a latch like this before (and may have even seen one installed on a residential fridge in a new unit on a dealer's lot sometime), but hadn't been able to find it.

I'll have to see if there's a way I could mount this to the sides of the fridge and freezer door in order to lock it closed. Certainly looks strong enough for the task... I'm just not sure I have the space to mount it securely.

Thanks again!

[KIX]

BCGounders......WE also have a Samsung French door unit. get some industrial grade velcro (Home Depot). Use the sticky back type and place the fuzzy one on the top of the freezer drawer just under the door hinges. Then loosen the lower door hinge (do one door at a time) and slide the opposing strip of Velcro under the hinge and tighten the hinge securing the Velcro. When not traveling just close the Velcro in the freezer drawer. When traveling....before securing the top doors......close the freezer drawer and fasten the Velcro to keep the freezer door from opening. If you don't understand send me a PM and I'll send you my phone number.

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by KIX

BCGounders......WE also have a Samsung French door unit. get some industrial grade velcro (Home Depot). Use the sticky back type and place the fuzzy one on the top of the freezer drawer just under the door hinges. Then loosen the lower door hinge (do one door at a time) and slide the opposing strip of Velcro under the hinge and tighten the hinge securing the Velcro. When not traveling just close the Velcro in the freezer drawer. When traveling....before securing the top doors......close the freezer drawer and fasten the Velcro to keep the freezer door from opening. If you don't understand send me a PM and I'll send you my phone number.

Kix,

Clever solution! I'll have to take a closer look at my arrangement to see if that will work for me, too. I think my model may have a screw for the refrigerator door hinge that can't be accessed while the door is still attached... you have to remove the TOP hinge, then lift the door off in order to access the lower hinge. And my top hinge is inaccessible because the fridge is so close to the ceiling.

I'm curious... when you're not on the road and have the top velcro straps closed into the freezer door, don't the interfere with the seal on the freezer door? Not that there'd be all that much loss of air/cooling, but I'm curious.

Thanks for stimulating my gray matter!

[KIX]

Originally Posted by bcbounders

I think my model may have a screw for the refrigerator door hinge that can't be accessed while the door is still attached... you have to remove the TOP hinge, then lift the door off in order to access the lower hinge. And my top hinge is inaccessible because the fridge is so close to the ceiling. You do not have to remove the door just loosen the lower hinge just enough to slide the Velcro under the hinge.

I'm curious... when you're not on the road and have the top velcro straps closed into the freezer door, don't the interfere with the seal on the freezer door? Not that there'd be all that much loss of air/cooling, but I'm curious. It probably does allow a small amount of air to leak by the Velcro but so far it's not caused a problem and can't imagine that it would.

Thanks for stimulating my gray matter!

Welcome!

[rorr1821]

Originally Posted by bcbounders

Hi all,

I'm the proud new owner of a French Door residential refrigerator (a Samsung model #RF217ACPN if anyone's curious) in my '05 Newmar Mountain Aire (in place of the 4-door No-Cold that came with the coach and which needed a cooling unit replacement recently). Everything about it is great, and we're totally thrilled... except for one thing: we don't know how to secure the freezer door to keep it from flying open on sharp/high-speed turns. (please... no wise cracks about slowing down... we were doing about 5 mph going around a corner when it happened! )

We have a velcro strap that wraps around the refrigerator doors that seems to do a perfect job keeping them closed... but we haven't figured out how to do the same for the freezer door. If we velcro-strapped it to the fridge doors above, it would tend to open the freezer door... the handle pulls up to make it easier to open.

So... all you out there with French door residential fridges: how do YOU keep your doors closed when traveling?

Thanks!

I also just recently installed a Samsung refrigerator with french doors in my motohome. My install is posted on this site. I visited a RV dealer who had a Phellan Tiffin motorhome with an OEM GE installed refrigerator. Tiffin used cabinet latches made by Southco. Tiffin placed two latches on the top and two on the bottom of each refrigerator and freezer door. Southco makes these latches in 5 lb and 10 lb pull. I used latch part number SC-4320 which is a 10 lib pull. I purchased them from www.Amazon.com from Reid Supply Co for around $4.00 each plus shipping. I installed two on the top side of the freeze door and one each on the underside of each refrigerator door. I just did this install so I do not have a report as to how they will hold while traveling. Based on the effort to open I believe they will work just find. I also used 3m indoor/outdoor heavy doubled sided tape and stainless steel #4 screws for the catch and #6 screw for the latch. Using the tape provided added holding with the screws and also aids in the installation alignment. The latch is screwed into sheet metal facing but the catch screws into plastic. I predrilled all holes and hand tightened the screws.Maybe this will work for you.

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by rorr1821

I also just recently installed a Samsung refrigerator with french doors in my motohome. My install is posted on this site. I visited a RV dealer who had a Phellan Tiffin motorhome with an OEM GE installed refrigerator. Tiffin used cabinet latches made by Southco. Tiffin placed two latches on the top and two on the bottom of each refrigerator and freezer door. Southco makes these latches in 5 lb and 10 lb pull. I used latch part number SC-4320 which is a 10 lib pull. I purchased them from www.Amazon.com from Reid Supply Co for around $4.00 each plus shipping. I installed two on the top side of the freeze door and one each on the underside of each refrigerator door. I just did this install so I do not have a report as to how they will hold while traveling. Based on the effort to open I believe they will work just find. I also used 3m indoor/outdoor heavy doubled sided tape and stainless steel #4 screws for the catch and #6 screw for the latch. Using the tape provided added holding with the screws and also aids in the installation alignment. The latch is screwed into sheet metal facing but the catch screws into plastic. I predrilled all holes and hand tightened the screws.Maybe this will work for you.

rorr1821,

Thanks for the info... that looks like a good option. I'd like to have something that was only used when I'm in "travel mode" and not something that was in use every day... but I'm used to these latches (since they're already installed on all of my drawers in the coach), so I like that!

Thanks again! Let me know how it goes if you get out on the road with the new fridge & latches!

[sparkydog]

Here's how the factory did our doors on Jennair residential style fridge. Couple of buckles attached to the doors. Hope this helps

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by sparkydog

Here's how the factory did our doors on Jennair residential style fridge. Couple of buckles attached to the doors. Hope this helps

Sparkydog,

Thanks! All ideas & solutions are welcome. Anything that stimulates my gray matter is a good thing!

Looking at my fridge now to see if this will work for me.