kmacafee
Senior Member
I've only had my Eagle Camper 6 months, but I've spent almost 20 nights in it. And during that entire time, the 3 way fridge was a great source of aggravation. It would not stay lit, cooling was sporadic and to top it all off, no freezer for ice which is absolutely required for gin and tonics. I researched options here and on other sites, and I could not find anyone who had completely removed it and used the space for something else. So, I went ahead and documented the process of converting that space to useful storage with the end goal of being able to reverse it down the road if needed.
One of the biggest concerns is -- when the fridge is out, aren't there 2 big holes in the side of your camper. There are and here is what I did to fix that.
This is what you see after the fridge is removed. The propane line snakes into the cabinet above the furnace and is pretty much inaccessible without ripping the cabinets apart so I simply plugged it.
When FWC cuts the side of the camper, they leave a flap of metal. The two aluminum vertical supports you see support the small fridge vent fan which was removed. I utilized the flap to help seal the hole and the moved one of the supports to provide support for a plate to fill the hole from the outside.
There is a rather large hole behind the top vent for the fridge. In addition to the flap which I bent down and secured with screws, I made an aluminum plate to cover the hole and screwed it to the vertical supports. It was sealed with caulk around all edges.
I wanted to completely seal the inside so that whatever I used the space for would be dry and insulated from the outside. I made a frame on three sides inside the box and then created a panel that would be screwed to that framing. I used 2 panels of 1/4 particle board and sandwiched some closed cell foam insulation between them for insulation. Reusing some of the Reflectix that surrounded the fridge, I covered the outside surface as added precaution.
Some paint to freshen up the inside and I now have a fairly large space in which to store a variety of things. We're thinking a few clear tubs for cloths and other personal items should work. My wife is making a web door to keep everything in place on the road.
And from the outside, it all looks stock. Everything is reversible in the event I sell the camper or want to reinstall a different fridge.
As for the ice cubes, I have a fantastic National Luna Fridge with a freezer that I will be installing shortly. Stay Tuned!!!
One of the biggest concerns is -- when the fridge is out, aren't there 2 big holes in the side of your camper. There are and here is what I did to fix that.
This is what you see after the fridge is removed. The propane line snakes into the cabinet above the furnace and is pretty much inaccessible without ripping the cabinets apart so I simply plugged it.
When FWC cuts the side of the camper, they leave a flap of metal. The two aluminum vertical supports you see support the small fridge vent fan which was removed. I utilized the flap to help seal the hole and the moved one of the supports to provide support for a plate to fill the hole from the outside.
There is a rather large hole behind the top vent for the fridge. In addition to the flap which I bent down and secured with screws, I made an aluminum plate to cover the hole and screwed it to the vertical supports. It was sealed with caulk around all edges.
I wanted to completely seal the inside so that whatever I used the space for would be dry and insulated from the outside. I made a frame on three sides inside the box and then created a panel that would be screwed to that framing. I used 2 panels of 1/4 particle board and sandwiched some closed cell foam insulation between them for insulation. Reusing some of the Reflectix that surrounded the fridge, I covered the outside surface as added precaution.
Some paint to freshen up the inside and I now have a fairly large space in which to store a variety of things. We're thinking a few clear tubs for cloths and other personal items should work. My wife is making a web door to keep everything in place on the road.
And from the outside, it all looks stock. Everything is reversible in the event I sell the camper or want to reinstall a different fridge.
As for the ice cubes, I have a fantastic National Luna Fridge with a freezer that I will be installing shortly. Stay Tuned!!!
