Thread: The Next in Line Project

Originally Posted by Slab

Very nice. Strong like Bull! You know an alternative to the oil heater is a Florida residence, just sayin!. Rojo = "Never Stop moving"

Inside my shops is cold. The wood building has 8in thick walls with full depth insulation and the metal building is double insulated so they take forever to warm up. It does look very nice down at your place when I'm watching your videos.

The first time we backed into a spot at the Goshen Springs Campground on Ross Barnett my wife tried to turn on the 120 volt side of the Water Heater to be disappointed by the smell of electrical burning. We have been using the camper but with the propane side of the water heater only. I always planned the haul in for the upgrades at some point.



I first cut the power to the 120 volt side then the 12 volt side. Then disconnected the propane supply line. After using a 24in breaker bar I was able to remove the drain plug / anode holder and drained the tank. The Anode was completely gone also the bolt that held the anode was almost completely rusted away. In the pictures above is the solids that came out of the tank when I drained it. On the limestone is the debris the wash tub caught while draining the tank, I wish I had thought to take a picture of how much came out before I dumped it.




After draining I disconnected the water lines from the inside and as I slid the unit out I had to go back and forth to insure the metal housing did not snag any of the other wires just laying across on the inside. Seeing all the control wires loose like this is not how I roll so I will use convoluted tubing to organize them on re-installation.




Of course the water connections were stuck but using a Battery Impact and 6-Point Deep Sockets I bumped them right out. The Hot Water side has a check valve so I cleaned it out before installing in the new tank.



After applying Recto Seal to the cleaned threads of each fitting I reinstalled them in the correct tank locations.



Re-connecting the 12volt control wires I used marine grade glue infused Stake-on Heat Shrink wire connectors instead of the cheaper connectors used by the manufacturer. I also started the convoluted tubing run going into the cabinet down thru the hole where the water line pass thru so its got some protection that far at least.



Wire Nuts are installed by turning Clockwise so when I strip stranded wire I like to pre-twist the exposed strands not by sliding my pinched fingertips over the copper, that adds impurities possibly to the copper but by pinching very firmly and twisting my wrist so the wire bend at the end of the insulation before making the wire nut termination. I do this till the wire is twisted all the way to the exposed end. This removes any slack in the strands so the wire nut bites equally into both the solid & stranded copper conductors. I also save my small rolls of Scotch 33 or 88 for wrapping wire nuts at the end of the task. The small roll pieces make it easier to get the roll in tight places.




All the wires are terminated and as much of the loose control wires are in convoluted tubing. Now to slide the water heater in and connect the propane line. The camper builders removed the factory water heater grommet for the propane line, reversed it, cut a notch out of it, then reinstalled it after getting the propane line nut thru the access opening. Using a big glob if silicone they sealed the reversed, notched grommet after connecting the propane line. I could do the si it was a bit of a pain to work the propane line in to the valve but it was possible without cutting on the grommet or reversing it.



The manufacturer installed a couple of screws thru the metal sides of the water heater into the aluminum frame to hold the front of the water heater centered in the open hole. I could not get a bit to drill the metal (I think a cheap alloy of stainless) without walking so I pilot hole was drilled with a long 1/8in bit. Afterwards I opened the holes with a cobalt bit and installed the screws.



The trim was rusted a bit on the bottom-inside so I sanded and painted it yesterday. I need to put a few more coats of paint today before installing the trim.

Great work! I need another nap from reading.

In our previous Motorhome I had to perform a Cooling Unit replacement in the Refrigerator. When I pulled the Refrigerator to repair it the unit had a insulation blanket. When I pulled the Refrigerator in this case there was just 2 6in wide, non-backed, wispy, bit of fiberglass strips. One on each side. The pictures show where the glue was and how little of it was used. Little insulation, little glue. The wires were as you see them here. I'm not sure why the little insulation was applied because it didn't do anything.



So Bon Temps and I was fishing when He offered some insulation He had leftover from a job at his house. Not sure what he had I went to his place instead of letting him bring it to me to check it out. Turns out the insulation being rigid white bead foam with a backing was perfect. I didn't even need to trim this first panel before installing. I usually use the 3M Heavy Duty Trim Adhesive but had a full can of the General Trim Adhesive on hand that was getting old. After moving the wires out of the way and placing the first panel in position to just stand it up I applied a heavy layer of the contact cement to both Panel and insulation. Contact cement needs a bit of time to dry before pressing the insulation in place. Once glued in place the wires need addressing.



Using a small coping saw I cut a trench to allow the two Romex wires to recess into the insulation preventing me from snagging the wires when re-installing the refrigerator.



To keep the wires secured inside the groove I use this Aluminum backed Mastic duct tape. Once the Mastic cures you can't remove it.



The same task is done to the opposite side of the opening but too many wires were in the way. I rerouted the wiring to the back of the cabinet, tie wrapping them together so just the corner of the insulation needed to be removed before installation.



I didn't have much clearance overhead for insulation so I cut a piece of this 1 inch thick foam used to make insulated fish boxes, bilge flotation, noise dampening, etc to fill the void under the cabinet. The same glue was used for the install.



How these refrigerators work is by absorption, waste heat is expelled thru a coil on the back of the fridge, the waste heat is supposed to just rise up and out of the vent in the roof. Look at all the foam sealant that was just applied randomly creating air dams causing turbulence at the vent. The new cooling unit comes with a thermostat and fan to help support proper function of the waste heat coil. Before the refrigerator goes back into this cabinet I must correct this. While replacing the roof I will have access to the roof sheathing to trim the jagged, raw, opening area left by the manufacturer. First I had to remove all the foam that was in the way which was very easy because it was not stuck to much. Just a wipe from my hand and down it came.



Here are pictures after removing the expanding foam. As you can see none of it was stuck. If you have had the pleasure of removing Great Stuff Foam from places it didn't belong you know it leaves a residue that is terrible to get off. Not here, it almost fell off.



Look at the way they did the roof opening. The roof membrane is supposed to be wrapped inside and stapled down but no they didn't even bother to cut the wood all the way around but broke off parts of it.



Here is the opening now. The Aluminum Foil Mastic Tape has sealed permanently the Refrigerator side of the opening improving air flow too. I will have a chance to correct the roof later but not the underside, that had to be done now.

Glad to see the insulation worked so well and went to a good use. Your projects are always done first class.

Bon Temps!!!

That worked good. Nice job and much better than before.

Originally Posted by BON TEMPS

Glad to see the insulation worked so well and went to a good use. Your projects are always done first class.
Bon Temps!!!

It certainly fits like you ordered it for my camper. Thanks again for the insulation my Friend. Keith's on the 6th - Tamale Time.

I bought my new Cooling Unit from JC Refrigeration a Amish Mfr who specializes in Cooling Units for Absorption Refrigerators. They have some innovations to the coolant formula, secondary fans for extra cooling of the external fins that is thermostat controlled, Fin fans for the inside Cooling Fins, etc. They specifically instruct to seal the Cooling Unit to the Cabinet without any air leaks. These pictures show how well I sealed the unit with the provided foam. Now I trimmed the excess because I am double sealing the unit with Aluminum Mastic tape. I didn't post earlier but this tape, to good stuff, is over $50 a roll but worth every penny.



The instructions say to use the provided Aluminum tape to cover the foam for aesthetics only but the Aluminum Mastic is a fully functional, Code approved Mastic for Ductwork construction. The pictures above show how I took my time and tooled down a layer of Mastic Tape over the foam for a Absolute Seal, no leaks Ever. The first picture has a 3M Squeegee for the proper installation of the Mastic Tape. Using your hands does not work like tooling, it is a must.



This is the external Fin Cooling Fan that JC Refrigeration provides. It screws to a plate that is installed under the skin and includes a thermostatic temperature disc that attaches to the coil in a strategic, engineered location to control the fans operation. The Cooling Unit came pre-marked where the fan & switch mounts. Fantastic detail.



The ARP Fridge Defend Controller is another serious upgrade the EVERYONE who owns a Absorption Refrigerator in their Camper, 5th Wheel, or Motorhome should add Now. I will post a link to their website explaining what it does but the short answer is when it is extremely hot of cold it is possibly for the Boiler to operate dry. Especially in Freezing Temps. I lost my Refrigerator in the excessive heat wave of the Summer of 2023. Had I had this unit installed I would not have lost my Fridge. Now unfortunately I was paying very close attention to their instruction and didn't let myself get distracted taking pictures. The installation of the Temperature Bulb is very specific but in the second picture you can see the leads for the the Bulb exiting near the Heater Leads.



There are not screw holes that match my control board as you can see here, I had to drill them to mount the Controller.



Due to the requirement of using the JC Refrigeration Burner Mounting Bracket my sheet metal didn't align with the existing holes and in places would not overlap in the OEM configuration. If you don't use their bracket the burner may not be centered under the Burner Tube. I had to work at it to cleanly install the metal coverings.



Some older RV Refrigerators won't even have this part. Check yours, if you don't order a retrofit kit and install it. This is another Safety Device. Recalls created this fire prevention device, it tripped on mine but only after burning my Cooling Unit up. Still prevented burning the entire storage building I rent down.



With the help of a friend I stabbed the Refrigerator back into the Cabinet for continued re-assembly and re-installation.