Running 12 volt wire through refrigerator vent

[wolverine]

Several posts mention running cable or wire through the refrigerator vent to avoid drilling holes in the roof. Would appreciate any guidance from someone who has done this to understand the best way to do it and where to fish out the wire or cable inside a Classic 31 to connect to a 12 volt source.

[Pileus]

I recently ran the antenna wire for my Sirius radio through the refrigerator vent stack. In my project, I pop-riveted a small galvanized steel baseplate (it was a bracket from Home Depot) onto the top of the refrigerator vent cover to stick the magnetic Sirius base. I drilled a hole in the top of the vent cover to run the wire straight down, since the steel baseplate covered the hole.

To run the wire down through the back of the refrigerator vent, you will need to drill a hole throgh the screen that covers the top of the vent stack. To do this, you will either have to drill through the vent cover like I did, or drill out the rivets attaching the vent cover to the roof, and re-rivet it back on when your project is over.

The trick in feeding the wire down behind the refrigerator is to snake it past the ledge on the top of the refrigerator, and then down the backside of the refrigerator over the tubing on the backside. It helps if the hole you drill through the screen on the top of the stack is toward the back of the refrigerator. After many trials, I finally succeeded in feeding the wire down by using a stiff wire with some critical bends. You have to feed the wire down from the top. When the wire finally appeared at the bottom, I attached the end of the antenna cable to the wire on the rooftop and pulled the antenna cable on down through the stack from the top of the roof. (If you cut the Sirius cable to pull it back up from the bottom, the cable cannot be spliced back together, so it has to feed from the top down). My Sirius cable was too flexible to be worked past the ledge and over the tubes, I had to use the stiff pilot wire.

I ran some shrink tubing up to the base of the antenna mounted on the roof to give it more weather (UV) protection. I sealed everthing with Sikka. The Antenna works great.

[Alumaholic]

If this is for solar panels, you may be (probably) already prewired.
So, drill out the rivets and remove the refer vent cover.
Find the prewiring if so equipped.
Otherwise, run your wiring though the screen and down the forward side (toward the tongue) of the refer compartment. Then snake it forward in the channel already provided for electrical wiring between the refer compartment and the 12 volt panel under your front sofa.
Remount your refer vent cover with Olympic rivets for best appearance.
Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy.

[wolverine]

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

If this is for solar panels, you may be (probably) already prewired.
So, drill out the rivets and remove the refer vent cover.
Find the prewiring if so equipped.
Otherwise, run your wiring though the screen and down the forward side (toward the tongue) of the refer compartment. Then snake it forward in the channel already provided for electrical wiring between the refer compartment and the 12 volt panel under your front sofa.
Remount your refer vent cover with Olympic rivets for best appearance.
Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy.

I have a 2005 Classic 31 and I believe it might be prewired for solar but I was not sure where the prewire leads were. I am considering running a 12 volt line to the roof to power a wifi antenna/router. If I remember correctly I saw some prewire solar leads in the access panel for the propane feed for the refrigerator. These wires could probably be used for running 12 volt to the roof without drilling holes in the roof which I do not want to do. Would appreciate any comments on the possibility of this modification.

[Wazbro]

I don't have any info on the prewire for solar but, if you can't figure that out you can tap into the 12V for the fridge to power a wifi antenna/router.

[silverbacksurfer]

I have a am solar package installed they have larger gauge wire than factory wire. It is going down through the refer vent . I asked the installer how he got the wire down he said they pulled the refer out. Runs down driver side on floor under corner aluminum moulding to under front couch, ties in batteries charging controller .