Repairing fridge door

[Zeppelinium]

So, I pick up a Sovereign that has been sitting in somebody's front yard for 25 years. The 10 years before that it was obviously used heavily. One of the first things I noticed was that I couldn't close the freezer door.



I thought it was just a warping of the plastic (it had sat in the sun in Big Pine, CA all that time) shape/lining of the inside surface of the door. So I took a heat gun to it and a flat piece of wood to press it back to shape.



No luck. On closer inspection, the whole door was expanded in the top to bottom direction. Damn. How to fix? Ah ha! Take it apart, cut out a elongated eye shape in the foam inside the door (along the top and bottom--easy to do with a hand-held hacksaw blade), use clamps to form the door back to something near it's original dimensions, heat the plastic liner (top and bottom, one at a time) with the heat gun, force the surface flat with a piece of wood and let it cool, then fill the now narrowed "eyes" with foam (keep the clamps on for several days--this foam will expand for a long time). Trim the foam off and replace the outer trim and, wow, you've got a door that fits and has retained it's insulating qualitities! In the right photo, you can't really see the slit on the top, but there is a new, foam-filled slit along the top and bottom edges.



So, now the GREAT news. Once I could close the door, I checked out the fridge. No workie. Went up to Cherokee RV Salvage and they said "just blow all the cobwebs out", so I got air out to the Sovereign and blew out everything around the burner (and other areas). Son of a gun, works like a charm on propane!! Once I figured out that it wasn't plugged in, it worked like a charm on 110V, too. I am not worthy...

[scf31]

I love it when a plan comes together !!!! good job !!!!

[Chaplain Kent]

Rogliniunium,

What a marvelous fix. Now you have this problem that everyone who comes in will have to see the patch and hear the story while the freezer defrosts. Maybe you could devise a second door to hold in the cold.

[lewster]

Hey Zepp,

Nice job and better documentation. I could use a guy like you around here. Wanna be an RV tech?

BTW, Where exactly is Palmer Lake? I'm headed to Breckenridge in a week or so to worjk at Tiger Run RV Resort there for the month of June. Want a visitor??

[Zeppelinium]

Ha! The repair is completely hidden behind the door face. But you can still see little ripples in the edge of the inner door skin, most of which were put there by the sun.

Airstreamers always welcome! No parking on my lot--it's covered by aluminum and you wouldn't want to challenge my driveway; it's as up as a driveway can be. However, there is one or two day parking just down the hill at the Art Center, about 400 yards away.

Palmer lake is about 25 miles north of Colorado Springs on the west side of I-25. If anyone is traveling and needs a tool or a glass of red wine, I've got you covered. Just send an email to make sure I'm around.

RV tech? Aluminum or unique models only! In Hood River, OR? Oh, gosh....I'm heading for the San Juans for the 4th, maybe I can stop by and check it out. But I'll have the Caravel "fun bubble" on that trip. I'd have to come back to Colorado and get the Sovereign if I was going to stay any length of time (and all of my personal effects, if you know what I mean).

Which reminds me of a story--a guy I knew (up in Denver, and Air Force type) went on a business trip for a few days and when he got home it was empty, like echoing. No wife, no dog, no clothes, no nothin'. After wandering around in shock for an hour, he decided to look in the basement. Hmmm, the freezer is sitting all by itself in the middle of the room. He walks over, opens it, and it's full up to the top with single huge block of ice (needless to say, the freezer was bulging and was ruined). He thought "just because she couldn't get it out the basement, that's no reason to destroy it." Then he looked more closely at the ice--frozen in it were all his clothes--it only took him a couple of days to get to his underwear....

[lewster]

Hey Rog,

I'm departing Breckenridge on 7/1 for Hood River. I'll be there for vacation 'till 8/15 or so. Too bad I just sold my house there. I had a full 50 amp, water, septic, phone, satellite TV connected RV spot right next to the house on 2 heavily wooded acres. BUT.......it's gone!

I'll be at the Bridge RV park just across the Hood River bridge in Bingen, WA from 7/9 till 8/8. Let me know if you're going to stop by. Or just pull into the Wall Mart in Hood River and give me a call (#'s in the profile). We can at least grab a beer if you're in the neighborhood!

[Angel73]

Thats funny i've never heard that one before...lol Feel for the guy tho
your project seem to be coming along....Now if only i could buy energy in a bottle for hubby maybe mine would come along alittle faster..lol

[Becky B.]

Roger,

My refrigerator door wouldn't close all the way. I used your method & it worked great! Thanks so much! This forum is the bomb!
Becky