Outdoor Kitchen Refrigerators

[OldCoot]

We don't have an outdoor kitchen, but was wondering if they are all equipped with a 110v only refrig.? Was also wondering if they are, why they could not be replaced with a gas/110v unit. From pictures, it looks like the cabinets could be moved and the frig. mounted against the back wall facing out and vented out the back of the unit if the roof is not accessible.

[funkyJunk]

I would love this. I really don't put anything in mine while traveling because they weren't designed for it (beer cans everywhere!). Be nice to get a RV one in there.

[Triguy]

I would also love it if they offered an RV fridge.

My best guess why they do not is 1. the greater cost associated with an RV fridge and 2. a general unwillingness to engineer the venting.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Triguy

I would also love it if they offered an RV fridge.

My best guess why they do not is 1. the greater cost associated with an RV fridge and 2. a general unwillingness to engineer the venting.

Would think the venting out the back would be easiest thing to do, the gas might be a little more challenging. Vent just requires a sloping board to the rear if the roof is not accessible.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by Triguy

I would also love it if they offered an RV fridge.

My best guess why they do not is 1. the greater cost associated with an RV fridge and 2. a general unwillingness to engineer the venting.

x2.....matter of fact, at one point this was a topic of discussion with rvguy(primetime rep) in a thread sometime back....he was getting opinions on a new kitchen setup for outside and the two main issues were the sink draining into the black tank (no easy fix other than add a seperate holding tank just for that sink) and no 2 way refridge....

thier stance seemed to be that it was too expensive of an addition to put in and the additional cost of proper mounting/ventilation.....to which many of us said we would gladly pay a little more....but i guess most probably wouldnt .....

ill try and find the exact reasoning...

[ironj]

from the primetime forum regarding outdoor fridge

rvguy-I'm not aware of a gas refer that isn't required to vent thru a wall to the exterior. You're right, it would need to be rotated 90 degrees to face out the back I would think. The rear wall would need additonal framing for the vent. The entire frig would need to be enclosed and sealed to meet code (gas leak concerns) like your main refer. The door swing would limit what you could put on your counter (no sink and faucet adjacent to the refer )and your overhead storage would have to be reduced to allow for the door swing. We would need to run an additional gas line. It seems like access would not be easy for kids and/or shorter adults with it facing sideways. But, yes, it could be done

rvguy-I did a quick look at Camping World and saw a 2.7 Cubic Foot refer for just under $900 that is "probably" propane. I say "probably" because it didn't say that it was, but $900 would be the range I would expect for this upgrade.

In our opinion, the extra convenience is not worth the additional cost as a standard factory feature, but we appreciate the feedback.

in his defence, he did say in a recent thread regading a residential fridge inside, that he was starting to understand why we would want a 2 way outside....so maybe there is hope! LOL

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ironj

x2.....matter of fact, at one point this was a topic of discussion with rvguy(primetime rep) in a thread sometime back....he was getting opinions on a new kitchen setup for outside and the two main issues were the sink draining into the black tank (no easy fix other than add a seperate holding tank just for that sink) and no 2 way refridge....

thier stance seemed to be that it was too expensive of an addition to put in and the additional cost of proper mounting/ventilation.....to which many of us said we would gladly pay a little more....but i guess most probably wouldnt .....

ill try and find the exact reasoning...

I would think the venting would be real easy. If I had one, I would sure get the 2way frig and move it. The sink could stay where it was.

[crasher]

One of my trailers has this - it's 110v only. If you don't latch it, you can have cans everywhere!

I've never seen an rv with a gas outside refer. I guess it's possible.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

I would think the venting would be real easy. If I had one, I would sure get the 2way frig and move it. The sink could stay where it was.

as it was explained to me, once the frig was mounted/vented through the backwall, you could not just easily "move" it without some serious modifications....

and the door would have to open and swing IN towards cabinets/sink area thus eliminating the possibility of having anything permanantly mounted in the swath the door would cut costing you about 2ft of counter in an already somewhat cramped setup....

after mulling that over, i just kinda dropped pressing the idea to primetime....

and yes...if you dont at least put a piece of painters tape on the door all your beer may fall out while you travel..LOL...it should have come with a lil velcro piece like the tv in the living area had...

[RPAspey]

I just saw an outside gas/electric fridge as an option on a new camper. just can't remember which one though. wife and I have been looking at a lot of sideload toy haulers. I just can't remember who.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ironj

...and the door would have to open and swing IN towards cabinets/sink area thus eliminating the possibility of having anything permanantly mounted in the swath the door would cut costing you about 2ft of counter in an already somewhat cramped setup...

I was suggesting installing the 2way against the back wall with the SIDE of the frig against the back wall and the door opening out towards the outside of the trailer. The venting could still be done out the back by building a curved or angled chute. Access door for the bottom would be small, but possible.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

I was suggesting installing the 2way against the back wall with the SIDE of the frig against the back wall and the door opening out towards the outside of the trailer. The venting could still be done out the back by building a curved or angled chute. Access door for the bottom would be small, but possible.

yeah, i understand what you are saying...and i agree...that would be ideal......BUT, again we go back to venting...an "angled chute" as you suggest would not be sufficient...remember a propane fridge not only needs ventilation, but an area for heat extraction and dissapation. As i understand it, due to building code, you cant vent the heat into a closed compartment (and i certainly would not want the only thing between a propane heater and my kids in the bunkhouse to be a piece of luan....vented or not)...

given that, the only soultion i had to offer was to use a fridge with the cooling system on the SIDE of the fridge vs the back...which no one makes of course, but hey...its an idea?? LOL...

for the record i have seen 2 way fridges in the back of toyhaulers and such....but i have NEVER seen one either original, aftermarket or otherwise mounted in an outside kitchen type setup.....the fact that outside facing doors are required pointing the cooling system TOWARDS the trailer interior is the issue at hand....

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ironj

yeah, i understand what you are saying...and i agree...that would be ideal......BUT, again we go back to venting...an "angled chute" as you suggest would not be sufficient...remember a propane fridg...

A couple of fans would fix that problem with them interconnected with the burner. Fan doesn't energize and blow, no gas valve opens, similar to the sail switch on the furnace.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

A couple of fans would fix that problem with them interconnected with the burner. Fan doesn't energize and blow, no gas valve opens, similar to the sail switch on the furnace.

thats something that could be done by the end user...but would never happen from the factory...too much left out there in terms of potential liabiilty if regardless of how small in probability...

and i wonder how large the fans would have to be in order to extract the heat generated by those fridges....i know mine gets WAY hot in the coil area while on propane.....or how loud they would be?? and also how fast would the batteries last in doing so in a dry camping situation before the whole thing shut down?

the only way i see that even remotely happening is if the back of the unit is encased in a fire proof metal housing seperated from the trailer innards....on top of the fridge cost, i can only imagine what weight and fabrication cost this would add to the trailer for the end user...

again, im not disagreeing with you that a 2 way would be optimal, but as a business owner myself, i tend to look at the hows, whys, and potential profitibility of any change....and on top of that if the AMMOUNT of profit justifys the AMMOUNT of investments on my end.......we as owners want the manufacturers to take care of us, but in reality at the end of the day its a balancing act of making something the MAJORITY of people will like while still keeping their profit margins...

in this case, it seems to me that while a 2 way is definantly doable, the manufacturers have decided that the ammount of investment on thier end to build the unit to code, and justify that investment with the potential of increased sales or profitibility was just not there....i do it all the time....why spend 100k on something you will only make 5k on over a 5yr period?? yes its nicer, better, smarter, but ultimately i want to have a 10% ROI or better...anything less is just bad business....

sorry for the tangent...LOL...im at work and i guess my mind is on friday profitibility stats!! haha...i need to go camping!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ironj

the only way i see that even remotely happening is if the back of the unit is encased in a fire proof metal housing seperated from the trailer innards....on top of the fridge cost, i can only imagine what weight and fabrication cost this would add to the trailer for the end user...

The frig compartments are sure not fireproof on the regular rv frigs. Just 1/8" luan. If I had an outside kit. and did the frig mod, I would fab the rear compartment out of 0.030 alum sheet or some 20 or 22 gage steel sheeting.

[ironj]

no they are not.....but also the fridge innards are not sandwiched between the back of the fridge and an interior wall.....the opposite side has that fairly large louvered vent open to the outside...and even with that exposure and surface area, some units have MULTIPLE cooling fans on the exterior coils ....

22ga steel would be a good start....but remember we are talking about a trailer that barly has a 22ga frame and the rear bumper cant hold a bicycle!! LOLOLLOL.....sorry....that was funny to me!!

[RPAspey]

found it!!!! here's the link, looks like they turned the fridge sideways and vented out the back.

http://www.riversidetrailer.com/LP_Refrigerator.html

hope this helps.

[ironj]

Yep...thats the only way i can see it working....frig innards vented out exterior wall.....although as we were discussing before, in that situation you lose the cabinet where the door opens as well as functionality of the counter as well......unless you want to move everything off the counter when u want to open door.....

Im sure there are some who would be willing to make that sacrifice for a 2 way outside.....and i think its cool that at least they OFFER it as an option.......

Any idea as to cost?..... it says 'optional'......so i am just curious what they set as the price point for that?....

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ironj

Yep...thats the only way i can see it working....frig innards vented out exterior wall.....although as we were discussing before, in that situation you lose the cabinet where the door opens as well as functionality of the counter as well......unless you want to move everything off the counter when u want to open door.....

Im sure there are some who would be willing to make that sacrifice for a 2 way outside.....and i think its cool that at least they OFFER it as an option.......

Any idea as to cost?..... it says 'optional'......so i am just curious what they set as the price point for that?....

Could still mount the side against the rear wall and angle or curve the chimney to the rear with a furnace type transition and a low rpm duct fan. Not a big task, and it would eliminate the cabinet door problem.

[ironj]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

Could still mount the side against the rear wall and angle or curve the chimney to the rear with a furnace type transition and a low rpm duct fan. Not a big task, and it would eliminate the cabinet door problem.

actually i fired off an email to dometic asking about this, and thier reply was it was not a recommended installation scenario and they could not offer advice on it and i should referr to the install tech notes....(which screamed liability concerns to me)


they gave me a pdf link.....didnt read the whole thing....but seems like dometic preferrs an "open air (facing outside of trailer) vent", with a cross section of 400cm on the condensor and absorber....


1. Another unfavourable method of rear installation
is to install the air intake and exhaust grilles at the side wall of the recreation vehicle. The air-heat recirculation is very restricted which
means that heat exchangers (condenser, absorber) cannot be adequately cooled. The optional
method of an additional air vent grille installed in
the floor also exhibits an insufficient air flow duct..(seems they dont recommend cooling vents originating from the floor either)


i dont know...but it seems like to me we arent going to see a MANUFACTURER offering a fwd facing 2 way fridge any time soon.....

like i said before.....could they??? PROBABLY.....hell COULD THEY have put a ladder on the back of my lacrosse 318bhs???? PROBABLY.....is there any way to do it NOW that would work without MAJOR modification???? NOPE.....gotta love the logic they use sometimes....