kimberwarden
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17' 64 Oasis
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Post by kimberwarden on Apr 22, 2016 11:17:52 GMT -8
I know this is the opposite of what most people want to do, but my refrigerator doesn't work. Has anyone ever converted their refrigerator to an ice box? I've never looked at an ice box closely, but it seems like I'd need a place to put the ice and a drain. Or I could use dry ice instead. Any suggestions?
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Post by danrhodes on Apr 22, 2016 12:42:31 GMT -8
I feel like filling your small trailer with CO2 might not be a good idea. Here's the inside of mine... The hose attaches to a nipple on the ice tray and drains through the floor.
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ladywendolyn
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1964 Golden Falcon
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Post by ladywendolyn on Apr 22, 2016 13:35:27 GMT -8
I know some people just put a couple of frozen milk jugs or a bag of ice in the bottom. There is nothing stopping you from doing that, but if you want it to drain you will need to drill a hole through the bottom and add tubing..
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Apr 22, 2016 14:55:19 GMT -8
The evaporationg CO2 needs an outlet as well. It is heavier than air, so the drain and hose would work for this, too. I have been a bit underwhelmed the few times we have used CO2, so we are back to ice. You can certainly use jugs of frozen water, then use it for drinking. We prefer commercial block ice. It seems to have less air in it and lasts a bit longer. We do let it drain, though, because although it's not a big difference in time, ice does melt more quickly when it's in water. So do consider drilling that hole, and let us know what you decide.
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Apr 23, 2016 2:55:23 GMT -8
I began the process of doing just this with mine a while back. The Astral fridge propane system tested out good, but those old coils were just not going to work. It never did cool below ambient temperature. I hated to tear into it and destroy its original shape, but it was pretty worthless like it was. My idea was to keep the original unit and door facing in the cabinet. I pulled out the coils and the freezer section. (Also saved the propane system as well.) Now it is not toting around the dead weight of the coils. I didn't get photos of the process, but I drilled through the bottom of it and used a bulkhead designed for a boat sidewall drain. It was a bit larger than I wanted, but still only about a 3/4" tube. One problem with the idea, the bulkhead opening is above the floor of the fridge by about a quarter-inch. I haven't finished (or tested) the design, but plan to run the drain tube straight through the floor, which will put the drain somewhere near the wheel well. I used some scraps that I had around of some styrofoam insulation board to fill in around the body of the unit as tightly as I could. Obviously one would not need to go to these lengths to use the fridge with ice blocks, but removing the coils also removed the freezer space and the weight.
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