Running wires through refrigerator vent...

[ekbruster]

Has anyone had any luck running wires through the fridge vent cover on the roof of a newer model airstream w/o removing the cover? I was able to get the wire through the mesh screen underneath it, but have had no success in getting it to drop down back behind the refrigerator to come out at the bottom vent.. Spent about 2 hours playing with it, even have a small camera in the but can't quite see how to get it down there... TIA.

[Baby Zeppelin]

I didn't have any luck and instead drilled a hole in the gray water vent right next to the refrigerator vent in my model.

Drilled a hole in the side, then another hole in the side six or eight inches lower in the closet the vent runs through. Fished my WeBoost cable through and installed the WeBoost amplifier in the closet powered by the closet light wiring. Caulked the top and bottom hole around the cable.

[sheriff1]

I’m getting ready to run the solar wiring behind the refrigerator and through the cover. I expect I’ll have to pull the refrigerator out.

[dznf0g]

I did it without fridge removal. Use a stiff wire fish tape, drill a hole in the side of the vent curb, which will accept the fridge combiner box. Fish to the SIDE of the fridge. Once fish wire appears down below, affix your heavy gauge (stranded marine) wire to the end of the fish tape and pull it up and out the hole in the vent curb.
Be sure to manipulate the solar wire away from the fridge chimney.

[switz]

We ran the wires associated with our nine 100 watt solar panels down from the roof through the refrigerator vent on our 2014 31' Classic. Was easier with refrigerator out to place the solar panel disconnect switch by the refrigerator vent/access door.

[SeeMore]

Removing the refrigerator is not a difficult task if you make a temporary table/box that is the same height as the bottom of the refrigerator. You can slide the reefer onto the support (one person task) after disconnecting the gas & electrical, and removing a few bolts & screws. This will give you full access to the cabinet interior.

I highly recommend this approach as it allows you to secure the wires to the walls and prevent loose wires from rubbing against any of the refrigerator parts while underway. The chimney is hot and the fin edges sharp, all of which can compromise the circuitry.

[dieppe9]

If you need a really good and safe (non conductive) fish tape , next time you see someone installing fiber , ask if you can have a length of the strain relief fiberglass core when they strip the fiber jacket off and land the fibers.

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by ekbruster

Has anyone had any luck running wires through the fridge vent cover on the roof of a newer model airstream w/o removing the cover? I was able to get the wire through the mesh screen underneath it, but have had no success in getting it to drop down back behind the refrigerator to come out at the bottom vent.. Spent about 2 hours playing with it, even have a small camera in the but can't quite see how to get it down there... TIA.

Here are the steps we followed to run wires from the Am Solar combiner box to our solar controller (in front, under the L couch) :
1- Order Olympic rivets to replace refrigerator vent rain cover rivets;
2- Drill refrigerator vent rain cover rivets and remove cover;
3- Remove wire mesh covering the refrigerator vent;
4- Drill two ½” holes in the side wall of the refrigerator vent facing (close to) the combiner box and install two liquid strain reliefs (Am Solar) for battery type cables;
5- Drop a solid string with a weight in the bottom right corner of the refrigerator vent when you are facing the vent with your back to the street (useful to have someone check for the arrival of the string and weight—in my case it worked on first try);
6- Drill a hole in the floor of the refrigerator access compartment (behind the fridge) to pass the string through the hole and pull it to front of trailer where the solar controller is situated;
7- With the string solidly attached, pull two battery type cables (4, 6, or 8 gauge depending on wattage to be carried) from the front of the trailer (where the solar controller is situated), under the counter and stove and trough the bottom of the refrigerator access compartment (see 6) and up the vent;
8- Pass each of the cables through their liquid strain relief in the side of the refrigerator vent wall (see 4);
9- Then pass each cable through a liquid strain relief in the combiner box, to connect them to one of the two bus bars (+ and -) thus linking them to all the connected solar panels;
10- Finally, at the other end, connect the cables to a disconnect switch (+ cable) and to the solar controller (and properly reinstall vent mesh and rain cover).

[ekbruster]

Yeah, so the nightmare is over. I was able to get a loop of the cable show over the side of the fridge, after about two hours fishing it down I got the coax end to fall, but when I went to pull it, it got lodged into the refrigerator fins and stuck, couldn't move it either way, so 6 screws later, a few plates, a 12v and gas line disconnect the fridge came out, and I was able to get it fished down where I wanted it... so NOTE TO ALL those out there, as easy as it may seem to not remove the fridge, save yourself the time (and headache) and just remove the damn thing... I pulled it out and set it on a crate, wired it up, and threw it back in. Thanks for all the insight guys, sometimes the shortest route isn't the easiest..

[FalkTheHawk]

Yeah, as other suggested this can be a nightmare. I spent many hours yesterday trying to fish a steel tape down from the vent cover in which I drilled a 5/8 hole. My application: the wire would service a retracting antenna that in built on the top of the trailer. I wanted the wire to retract into the vent space when the antenna was lowered. My plan was to attach a spring on the cable to pull it into the vent space when the antenna was lowered. So I wanted a straight shot from the roof to the external refrigerator compartment below.

I was able to fish down from the roof while my son fished up from the compartment. Even when we hooked the snakes and pulled the string down from the roof, we were not able to pull the wire (RG6) because of narrow opening. In one attempt, the wire was wrapped around various fins and coils on the refrigerator.

After spending all day on this I too have reached the conclusion to pull the refrigerator out. I think this is preferable to removing the vent rain cover and re-riveting it.

What I thought would be a ten minute process turned out to be far more involved.

[ITSNO60]

Contrary to popular belief the flat metal "fish tapes" and the nylon coiled ones are intended to be used in conduit and are very difficult to use in walls and other spaces since they are coiled and they want to make U turns. Better to use a "fish stick". There are very thin fish sticks intended for low voltage and they are very flexible while at the same time semi rigid and will fit thru a bug screen. Another trick is to use a small ball chain which you feed down and gravity will allow it to find it's way to the bottom, then attach a string and pull that thru and use the string to pull your wire thru. Don't be tempted to use the tiny chain to pull your wire, it will break. Always use 2 people when pulling, one to feed and one to gently pull, or "guide". Forceful pulling will get you into trouble with a jam up or damage to wire.
A string can be used with a nut attached for weight but can get hung up and will not fit thru a bug screen.
The best ball chain to use is a magnetic one then you can use a flexible magnet to get ahold of it in certain applications where it is hard to access. Ace Hardware sells both.
I spent a lifetime fishing wires and there are many tricks.