I do NOT have a million dollar BlueBird, or other such tank like RV. I have an older Thor on a Workhorse gas chassis.Tonight I got the new residential refrigerator into the modified cabinetry. Ignorance is BLISS! I'm fairly certain that the old Dometic would have presented the same danger of coming loose in a front impact collision, but it just "looked" properly in place from the factory.I have not mounted the new refrigerator in place with any screws; but will in the upcoming days. However, I can not, in my educated mind, think other then that both refrigerators were just missiles waiting to be launched upon a frontal collision with something smaller then a Smart Car.Like the safety chains on a Toad, I'm considering the idea of putting safety chains on the base of the refrigerator and tying them off on some part of the actual Workhorse frame.Am I just being as paranoid someone wondering if they can run the genset while driving down the road to run the roof top air???Or, do I have a reasonable concern that this new massive appliance may well likely smack me upside the back of the head in the event of a collision; especially since I have seen the lack of materials that holds this thing in place. All comments welcome, even the snarky ones if they are funny!:C

"Sprig".....I know that when I replaced the Norcold with a Samsung, the Samsung was actually lighter. Even the propane refers were bolted/screwed in. Hopefully, you've secured the base of the refer with bolts/screws. I've done three of the residential refer installs and found that securing them at the top really locked them in. On the three I did, I screwed a large tin plate (6" x 6" surface area attached with sheet metal screws) to the back corner of the refer that protruded about 1" above the height of the refer. Once the refer was in place, I went on the roof, removed the refer vent and ran a 1" x 1/8" piece of aluminum stock from the plate I installed to the framed opening of the refer vent. On two of the coaches, that frame was aluminum. Once the top was secured, the refer was rigid.I'm guessing you installed the new refer in the old cabinet. You would have to be involved in a pretty good accident to get the refer to break it's mounts and bust through the cabinet. If you were in such a crash, the refer would probably be the least of your worries.

DSDP Don wrote:...Hopefully, you've secured the base of the refer with bolts/screws. I've done three of the residential refer installs and found that securing them at the top really locked them in. ...If you were in such a crash, the refer would probably be the least of your worries.The new refer is now in the modified cabinet but not yet secured; I have two minor unexpected issues that I am working out in my mind.THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the concept of tying into framework of the top of the RV into the refrigerator. In this way, the refrigerator might actually hold the roof and walls together BETTER in a collision then the factory installation.Really a great idea that I overlooked, I owe you at least one of your favorite beverages.:B

reminds me of a used unit I saw in Elkhart many years ago, a very highly regarded name which escapes me now but it had the refrigerator against an E/W wall facing the front. I thought that every hard stop would totally scramble things inside if it didn't actually pop the door open.bumpy

In that RV a head on or flip the last thing you will worry about is the fridge

If you have ever seen pictures of a stick MH that has been in a serious accident you will quickly see that there is nothing that will make your fridge accident proof. Your MH is actually toothpicks on wheels. Why worry about the fridge?BTW: Having owned a Bluebird I will say that a BB does not fly into pieces in an accident !Moisheh

ARrrggh...Residential Refrigerator vs Physics and Collisions

moisheh
Explorer
Sep 13, 2015
If you have ever seen pictures of a stick MH that has been in a serious accident you will quickly see that there is nothing that will make your fridge accident proof. Your MH is actually toothpicks on wheels. Why worry about the fridge?BTW: Having owned a Bluebird I will say that a BB does not fly into pieces in an accident !

Moisheh
newman_fulltime
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2015
In that RV a head on or flip the last thing you will worry about is the fridge
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Sep 13, 2015
reminds me of a used unit I saw in Elkhart many years ago, a very highly regarded name which escapes me now but it had the refrigerator against an E/W wall facing the front. I thought that every hard stop would totally scramble things inside if it didn't actually pop the door open.
bumpy
Sprig
Explorer
Sep 13, 2015
DSDP Don wrote:
...Hopefully, you've secured the base of the refer with bolts/screws. I've done three of the residential refer installs and found that securing them at the top really locked them in.
...If you were in such a crash, the refer would probably be the least of your worries.

The new refer is now in the modified cabinet but not yet secured; I have two minor unexpected issues that I am working out in my mind.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the concept of tying into framework of the top of the RV into the refrigerator. In this way, the refrigerator might actually hold the roof and walls together BETTER in a collision then the factory installation.

Really a great idea that I overlooked, I owe you at least one of your favorite beverages.:B
DSDP_Don
Explorer
Sep 13, 2015
"Sprig".....I know that when I replaced the Norcold with a Samsung, the Samsung was actually lighter. Even the propane refers were bolted/screwed in. Hopefully, you've secured the base of the refer with bolts/screws. I've done three of the residential refer installs and found that securing them at the top really locked them in.

On the three I did, I screwed a large tin plate (6" x 6" surface area attached with sheet metal screws) to the back corner of the refer that protruded about 1" above the height of the refer. Once the refer was in place, I went on the roof, removed the refer vent and ran a 1" x 1/8" piece of aluminum stock from the plate I installed to the framed opening of the refer vent. On two of the coaches, that frame was aluminum. Once the top was secured, the refer was rigid.

I'm guessing you installed the new refer in the old cabinet. You would have to be involved in a pretty good accident to get the refer to break it's mounts and bust through the cabinet. If you were in such a crash, the refer would probably be the least of your worries.

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ARrrggh...Residential Refrigerator vs Physics and Collisions

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