Re: [VAL] Refrigerator removal

["Robin Leigh" <rgleigh@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Curtis,
    I removed the original Dometic from our '65 Tradewind in an attempt to
replace the electric heater element. There are carriage bolts through the
steel angle 'skids' which hold the unit to the floor: the nuts are
accessible from below by removing the screen from the belly intake vent. I
also removed the rivets through the aluminum trim on the left side (next to
the coach door in our Airstream). The refrigerator was removed with the
counter top attached. There are several screws fastening the back of the
counter top to the vent duct and screws in a spacer between the right side
panel and the broom closet. With the gas and electrical connections loose,
it came out easily.

    It you are not replacing the refrigerator, I strongly recommend that
while you have it out, you remove the sheet metal around the boiler at the
back and inspect the tubing. Ours was heavily rusted; I cleaned it up and
repainted it with engine enamel. It stopped smelling on new paint after a
day or two. The local Dometic dealer confirmed that rust is the main threat
to longevity of older units.

    OBTW- I was unable to replace the electric heater because the shell of
the original was very tightly bound in its tube. It was not worth the risk
of damaging the boiler tubing by using force to remove it. The previous
owner had installed a smaller element, but it burned out, presumably because
it did not contact the tubing around it well enough to transfer the heat.

    Good Luck,
    Robin Leigh.