Refrigerator ducting

[Forrest]

The plastic ducting that runs from the countertop over the refrigerator through the uppper cabinets to the roof vent is brittle, cracked and broken. I want to replace it and have taken it to sheet metal fabricators, but was told compound curves couldn't be made. Any suggestions?

[74Argosy24MH]

If the tin shop could not replicate this, they are not very good, but this is probably not the best piece to be made of metal. It is a wide, flat piece and reinforcing ribs would need to be rolled into it or it will "drum" when you are going down the road. Unless it is covered these would look pretty crude.

If it is in bad shape, you need to do something quickly. Per the codes, this vent needs to be sealed completely from the interior of the trailer because of the possibility of carbon monoxide infiltration.

John

[Forrest]

The metal fabrication shops couldn't make it in one curved piece like the original molded plastic flue. I'm sure they could've made something similar using pieces crimped together. It can drum going down the road all it wants. After all no one should be back there to hear riding inside any how. I wanted metal because I was concerned about an ammonia fire, such as what I've read has happened to others. The carbon monoxide issue I'm concerned about too. But Airstream, at least in 1966, must not have been too concerned about it. The refrigerator doesn't stand in it's own seperate cabinet. It shares the cabinet next to the sink. The issue here as I see it is that Airstream left the back of the galley cabinets open. So, there is no closed system for the back of the refrigerator. Running on electricity presents no danger, but when the refer is run on propane the flame exhausts thru a little chiminey just under the flue, but to the side is the underside of the sink. As long as there is an up draft I doubt there would be any problem, but I'd prefer a closed environment, but without an extensive redesign and rebuild of the galley I don't see how that could be done. I'm dissapointed in the way Airstream incorporated the refrigerator into the galley.

[Action]

Can you pull it out and fix it with plastic resin and fibreglas mat? Or if it is not too bad just use the resin. This material can be obtained from a auto parts store like Auto Zone or Checker. (At least you can in the West)

Or a used one from a wrecking yard.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Forrest]

I'm in the process of using fiberglass cloth and resin to re-build the plastic flue. I've never worked with the stuff before, but will let you know how it goes. Right now the problem I'm having is where the flange is missing. I'm not sure how to go about building that part up. It seems to be working well covering and reinforcing cracks and the structure of it in general is getting stronger (I'm fiberglassing the entire flue - front and back).

[Inland RV Center, In]

The reefer vent is called a reefer scoop by Airstream.
If all else fails, they are still available. Not cheap, but still available.

Andy

[Action]

On a different job I used AL. foil to fill a hole in a plastic cover. I placed the foil on the back side of the hole and placed in some wetted fiberglas mat. The foil held in the mat while it cured. Then I removed the foil and continued the build up the first mat with alternating layers of resin only and mat and resin. Took some time to do. Then I sanded the finished layer. And painted to match.

Was not expensive. Just lots of labor.

Hope that helps.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[InsideOut]

Hey Andy ~

Are these "reefer scoops" still available for vintage units...say a '64 GlobeTrotter? If they are available, please send me a personal e-mail with the approximate cost for a new one.

Also can the replacement be done without removing the cabinetry? No big deal, we just want to know what would be involved in changing it out...

Thanks!

Shari

[Forrest]

Thanks to everyone for the discussion. I'm hearing the ducting for the refer called a flue (which is what it does) and now a refer scoop. As far as taking it out to replace it I can tell you that the overhead cabinets (roof lockers) don't have to be moved, but the countertop probably will. Once you've drilled out the rivets holding it in place it can be worked downward out of the roof lockers, but of course to move it downward means that all obstructions below have to be moved out of the way. The bottom of the scoop has an aluminum angle on it that is screwed into the bottom of the countertop.

Also, I believe now that this "scoop" is made out of PVC. This type of plastic was a hot item in the '60's and a lot of different things were made out of it. To give new flanges to my "scoop" I've been able to glue PVC edging to the "Scoop". I'll try to post some photos later.

[Forrest]

Here's a photo of the lower half of the damaged Scoop. Note the aluminum angle or bracket at the bottom, and about half way up there's a crack. I've already applied one layer of fiberglass and resin to the inside. The fiberglass fabric is sticking out from the side of the scoop.

[Forrest]

Here's the upper portion of the Scoop. This shows the damage to the flange real good.

[Forrest]

Here is a photo of the repairs I'm making to the flange that runs along the outside of the Scoop. I'm holding a section of PVC panel edging that is used to finish FRP panels. It fits nicely over the edge of the Scoop's flange. I'm just holding it there to show how it fits. The flange on the right side of the photo is purple and already has a section of panel edging glued to it. Tha'ts why it's purple. The primer is called PVC Purple Primer! It stains and will diffuse easily, so it tends to go everywhere if you're not careful. Once the PVC has been primed the PVC glue can be applied.

[Forrest]

Here's a shot of the preparation to lay up fiberglass fabric on the outside.

[Forrest]

Here's the repair - primed and ready to paint. The scoop now weighs about 3x what the original did, but that doesn't mean it's heavy since the original was so light. It is much more rigid, but still has some flexibility. The flange is much stronger now as it is about 4x thicker than the original. I didn't do too much sanding, and certainly it is far from a perfect finish, but we eventually plan on covering a portion of the outside with some type of wall paper. That will hide most of the imperfections. For now I have painted it with an almond epoxy that is similar to the original color, and reinstalled it without too much difficulty.

[lucasgrams]

Digging this thread out after years.... I vote repair. The aftermarket scoop I have has a radius which doesnt match the trailer. Too bad, it cost almost $400 Combustion air is something to take seriously .... seal those vents.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Forrest

The carbon monoxide issue I'm concerned about too. But Airstream, at least in 1966, must not have been too concerned about it. The refrigerator doesn't stand in it's own seperate cabinet. It shares the cabinet next to the sink. The issue here as I see it is that Airstream left the back of the galley cabinets open. So, there is no closed system for the back of the refrigerator. Running on electricity presents no danger, but when the refer is run on propane the flame exhausts thru a little chiminey just under the flue, but to the side is the underside of the sink. As long as there is an up draft I doubt there would be any problem, but I'd prefer a closed environment, but without an extensive redesign and rebuild of the galley I don't see how that could be done. I'm dissapointed in the way Airstream incorporated the refrigerator into the galley.

I completely agree. When I installed the new fridge in my 66 Tradewind, I took great pains to seal the exhaust duct to keep carbon monoxide out of the interior of the trailer. See Dan's 66 Tradewind Improvements (post #33) for details.

Dan