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Old 05-10-2022, 10:06 AM   #1
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Household refrigerator

We own a 2014 Georgetown 360 XL which we purchased new in Oct 2013. There was a beautiful French door, bottom freezer Frigidaire refrigerator installed in it by the factory. My refrigerator is now on life support. I’ve had two repairmen to check it and both have said it has a Freon leak and it’s a closed Freon system so there is no repair.

Has anyone on this forum had to replace their factory installed household refrigerators?

If you have, who did the removal and install for you?

Did you buy a new refrigerator from an rv dealership or at an appliance store? Our refrigerator is in our LR slide so is there a weight difference from a refrigerator bought at an rv dealership or an appliance store.

Please if you have replaced your refrigerator, give me some insight.
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Old 05-10-2022, 08:06 PM   #2
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I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted! I found a Frigidaire residential refrigerator at Lowe’s. Exact size but no display in the door. They only had ONE! Lowe’s will not install any appliance in an RV. But I was very fortunate to find an RV dealership within 50 miles of where I currently am in Texas who is going to remove my broken, unrepairable fridge and install my new one on the 23rd. Not sure this one will last that long but since I have an end date I can handle it.

Apparently refrigerators are flying out the doors like birds!
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Old 05-10-2022, 08:10 PM   #3
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Not just refrigerators. A friend had to wait two months for a dishwasher for the home.

Who did you find to install the refrigerator in Texas? (curious Texan)
Glad you'll have it replaced soon.
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Old 05-10-2022, 08:40 PM   #4
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PPL in New Braunfels. I was so happy they didn’t ask me if we purchased our RV there.
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Old 05-10-2022, 09:15 PM   #5
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PPL in New Braunfels. I was so happy they didn’t ask me if we purchased our RV there.
Interesting. We have a PPL here in Houston, but we've never used them for repair. They primarily sell on concession, but seem to do a pretty good business servicing rvs.
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Old 05-12-2022, 07:36 AM   #6
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I'm interested to know how they will get it out. I have that same refrigerator and had read the only way to get it out was through the windshield.
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Old 05-12-2022, 08:31 AM   #7
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Another option to repaire the old one is to add a Line Tap Valve and add freon (assuming its a slow leak). It all depends on finding a straight section of tubing long enough to install the tap on and a repair person to do it. My FIL does this frequently on residential appliances with great sucess.Click image for larger version

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Old 05-12-2022, 09:01 AM   #8
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I'm interested to know how they will get it out. I have that same refrigerator and had read the only way to get it out was through the windshield.
Add me to this list.

Pure curiosity but I just replaced the Whirlpool refrigerator in my kitchen at home and it barely fit the doors and aisles. The interior LED strobe lights made this refrigerator useless and repair was about 50% of a replacement. The one this replaced 6 or 7 years ago still runs happily in my garage keeping pizza in the freezer and beer in the fridge. Incandescent interior lights.

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Old 05-12-2022, 10:07 AM   #9
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I'm interested to know how they will get it out. I have that same refrigerator and had read the only way to get it out was through the windshield.


According to the measurements, my husband says if all 3 doors are removed the depth is only 24 inches. So if it’s put on a dolly on its side it will go through our 28” door. Now the proof is in the pudding. So we’ll see when we have it installed on the 23rd. I’m really hoping my husband is right! I will post on here the end story.
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:09 AM   #10
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Another option to repaire the old one is to add a Line Tap Valve and add freon (assuming its a slow leak). It all depends on finding a straight section of tubing long enough to install the tap on and a repair person to do it. My FIL does this frequently on residential appliances with great sucess.Attachment 273105


If we were at home in MS where we know people we might have been able to have it repaired. But not being in familiar surroundings nobody will touch it.
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:27 AM   #11
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If we were at home in MS where we know people we might have been able to have it repaired. But not being in familiar surroundings nobody will touch it.
You found PPL and I haven't heard any bad reviews for their service. They've been around for years if that's any comfort. I think the dealership near you is newish, but they've been in Houston for years.

The residential refrigerators are just that.... ones made for a residence. The only difference in weight will be in the size and manufacturer. If you're really concerned about weight, you could look up your make/model on the manufacturer's website and see if the weight is posted. Then compare it with your new fridge. The new one is probably less heavy than the older one because lighter weight materials are usually used in newer appliances.

It's fairly common for the refrigerator to be removed through the front window. Know someone who had that done with a brand new motorhome which had a defective refrigerator replaced under warranty. Getting anyone to work on a rig is difficult right now. We had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment and they wouldn't promise repairs for an additional 3 weeks in case we needed parts. Luckily it was done in 8 days.

Do you have a firm appointment and timeline with PPL?
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:34 AM   #12
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Another option to repaire the old one is to add a Line Tap Valve and add freon (assuming its a slow leak). It all depends on finding a straight section of tubing long enough to install the tap on and a repair person to do it. My FIL does this frequently on residential appliances with great sucess.Attachment 273105
That never works with modern refrigeration systems. His refrigerator likely holds a lb or less of refrigerant, and it will only work as designed if the charge is exactly to the ounce, and in some cases the half ounce. Unless the refrigerant charge is weighed in and exact, it will always be over or under.
Besides that, those clamp on line taps are notorious for leaking themselves. They weren't even a good solution 30yrs ago. Now, an AC unit that holds a pound or two could benefit from dropping a temporary charge in without fixing the leak, but it's not really worth it on those either.
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Old 05-12-2022, 12:32 PM   #13
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You found PPL and I haven't heard any bad reviews for their service. They've been around for years if that's any comfort. I think the dealership near you is newish, but they've been in Houston for years.



The residential refrigerators are just that.... ones made for a residence. The only difference in weight will be in the size and manufacturer. If you're really concerned about weight, you could look up your make/model on the manufacturer's website and see if the weight is posted. Then compare it with your new fridge. The new one is probably less heavy than the older one because lighter weight materials are usually used in newer appliances.



It's fairly common for the refrigerator to be removed through the front window. Know someone who had that done with a brand new motorhome which had a defective refrigerator replaced under warranty. Getting anyone to work on a rig is difficult right now. We had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment and they wouldn't promise repairs for an additional 3 weeks in case we needed parts. Luckily it was done in 8 days.



Do you have a firm appointment and timeline with PPL?


Yes, date and time confirmed and they told me the date to have the refrigerator delivered to them.
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Old 05-12-2022, 12:53 PM   #14
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Yes, date and time confirmed and they told me the date to have the refrigerator delivered to them.
Excellent. Sounds like you're well on the way to getting your food cold.
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Old 05-12-2022, 01:19 PM   #15
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Just for y'all's knowledge.

We have a 2013 378XL and when I pulled the refrigerator out of its cubby hole, I had to remove all 3 doors. Easy job. I then measured the depth and found it would fit through our front door with ease. Two or three strong men could easily do it. The fridge is not heavy.
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Old 05-12-2022, 06:29 PM   #16
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Just for y'all's knowledge.

We have a 2013 378XL and when I pulled the refrigerator out of its cubby hole, I had to remove all 3 doors. Easy job. I then measured the depth and found it would fit through our front door with ease. Two or three strong men could easily do it. The fridge is not heavy.
I have a 2016 Georgetown, with residential fridge. The hose for the icemaker apparently cracked, probably from freezing. How do you unbolt these and move them? All I can see is a few screws on the bottom. Is that all that's holding them in? I just need to turn it to replace the hose.
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Old 05-12-2022, 07:57 PM   #17
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Here is the screw that lowers the fridge so you can roll it out onto a platform I bills. The screw raises the fridge and press against board which holds it in place.
I installed padded adjustable feet on the bottom of the platform. It's made like a platform about 5" tall.
I'll try to send the platform later. Click image for larger version

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Old 05-12-2022, 08:40 PM   #18
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My platformClick image for larger version

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Old 05-12-2022, 08:54 PM   #19
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Here is the threaded pads furniture foot.Click image for larger version

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Old 05-12-2022, 08:55 PM   #20
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The fridge has rollers so as to slide/roll onto the platform.
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