My wallet has a major hole in it keeping up with unexpected repairs on my bus.
I have had to buy a new 50DN alternator, a regulator for my generator, and now a new fridge for the bus all in the past week. All told over $2,000 in unexpected expenses. I have the money, but it still hurts. The worst part about the fridge is removing and reinstalling the side window to get it in the bus.
Never fails. Had a wheel bearing go out on our suv last week. Yesterday hit a turkey, which took out a headlight.😡
Know whatcha mean about spending $$$$$. We're throwing 5 grand at a new home central hvac system. That will push back the planned inverter purchase among other things. Oh the joys of owning a home...
My friends and I are thinking about alternatives to trying to get a new fridge into the bus for this year. We might just leave it in the bus and put bags of ice on the top shelf of the broken fridge.
We also have a trailer with power while on the road so we might get a used fridge to throw in there for the stuff we need while actually camping.
Yeah Brian I can relate, I am over $1300 into trying to get my bus started with new 8D's, 39MT, and some new cables!
And still no start
:( BK :(
Quote from: Busted Knuckle on September 14, 2020, 10:56:21 PM
Yeah Brian I can relate, I am over $1300 into trying to get my bus started with new 8D's, 39MT, and some new cables!
And still no start
What are you doing for income these days since you seem to be out of the bus business?
I ordered a new fridge to pick up at the local warehouse as delivery is ten days out. I am going to cut the old one in half to get it out the door. If we end up not getting the new fridge in before my trip we'll just use some coolers and a dorm fridge I have. We also have a chest freezer in the trailer if need be.
"I am going to cut the old one in half to get it out the door"
Are you going to get the new one in the same way? ;D ;D ;D
Be careful of the ammonia.
Jim
BK did you check your Neutral switch on the passenger side of auto transmission to see if it is getting power? I had one of those cube fuses in the back electrical box at driver side rear bulkhead go bad and there was no power there.
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on September 15, 2020, 12:22:27 PM
Be careful of the ammonia.
It is a household fridge. The charge has either leaked out, or the compressor is bad. My friend is a refrigeration tech and he declared it dead. It has no electronics and the compressor was running, but no cool.
I believe I can cut it while not hitting any refrigeration lines.
Quote from: Fred Mc on September 15, 2020, 12:06:33 PM
"I am going to cut the old one in half to get it out the door"
Are you going to get the new one in the same way? ;D ;D ;D
I am thinking about cutting up the fridge so I can take it to the warehouse with me to drop off for recycling when I pick up the new fridge. It will take me at least an hour and a half to make an extra trip to the warehouse to drop off the old fridge for recycling. If it takes me an hour and a half to saw up the fridge I won't save any time.
I will take out a side window to get the new fridge in.
I don't know how you are going to saw it up without hitting any lines. It's not the freon I would be concerned about, but the oil running or spewing out if it still has any pressure or not left. You should put some plastic down and have rags ready to catch it.
Here's a video of another fridge being cut in half for removal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ga_Jkyw-0
Quote from: chessie4905 on September 15, 2020, 04:08:10 PM
I don't know how you are going to saw it up without hitting any lines. It's not the freon I would be concerned about, but the oil running or spewing out if it still has any pressure or not left. You should put some plastic down and have rags ready to catch it.
It appears that all the lines run up the back. This is a total plain Jane fridge that has none of the fancy stuff like the latest fridges. I would just cut down the middle of the sides. My refrigerator tech friend thinks all the lines go up the back.
I am going to see if I can bring the old fridge back for recycling when I get back from my trip instead of doing it at the same time I pick up the fridge. That means no cutting up the old fridge. I have some people coming over Saturday morning to help with the fridge project.
Brian,
Reminds me of my themesong- from a popular 1970's show.
"Gloom, Despair and Agony on me
Deep, Dark Depression, Excessive Misery
If it weren't for Bad Luck I'd have no Luck at All
Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me."
I will detail my latest Bad Luck Story when I see an end of it, but it has/is more costly than your little $2k bump in the road bus story-- Ha Ha!!
Hint --my story involves Hateful Idiot Neighbor & Zoning Board.
Quote from: richard5933 on September 15, 2020, 04:19:31 PM
Here's a video of another fridge being cut in half for removal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ga_Jkyw-0
I watched that video and the cutting in half of the fridge is so quick that I think I am going to do that. I figured it would take a long time so I was going to take the old one out the window when the new one goes in.
A while back I cut up a full sized 2 door fridge into pieces small enough to stuff in the garbage cans. An angle grinder with a 6" zip blade makes short work of it. Afterwards I learned that the reason it quit cooling was because the motor for the external circulation fan had frozen up. Kind of an expensive mistake there.
Jim
Sawzall bi metal blade.
" When it rains it pours"
LOL! When I get done hopefully by fall I am gonna welcome a good Rain storm to wash off all the Sh_t I have been through (2X's is always a charm) with the engine that came in my bus ::)
How much do
Shop towels cost? ;)
Quote from: Van on September 16, 2020, 11:32:31 AM
" When it rains it pours"
How much do
Shop towels cost? ;)
Not NEAR as MUCH AS 2 ENGINES! (unless you bought a 53' trailer load!);D BK ;D
Quote from: Busted Knuckle on September 16, 2020, 12:03:16 PM
Not NEAR as MUCH AS 2 ENGINES! (unless you bought a 53' trailer load!)
;D BK ;D
Heck I just now spent over 60,000 Pennies for a hand full of gaskets and cam bearings from PC Industries Lol! ;D
It ain't over
til it's over
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on September 16, 2020, 08:44:54 AM
A while back I cut up a full sized 2 door fridge into pieces small enough to stuff in the garbage cans. An angle grinder with a 6" zip blade makes short work of it. Afterwards I learned that the reason it quit cooling was because the motor for the external circulation fan had frozen up. Kind of an expensive mistake there.
My external fan, interior fan, and compressor were all running. The issue is the air coming out was barely cold and the condenser coil was room temperature.
Did you have it checked by a refrigeration repair company? May be low. They are a sealed system, but they make taps to connect into it.
My friend is a refrigeration tech who looked at it and said it wasn't worth fixing. He didn't put any gauges on it since it is a sealed system. My friend works on the refrigeration systems at grocery stores and such so he works on much bigger systems.
It didn't seem worth spending $150 to $200 to get a tech out to look at a $600 fridge. A lot of the refrigerant lines were heavily rusted. We get alkaline dust in the bus every year that can cause rust. I need to start cleaning the fridge when we get back.
Glad you checked. Nothing like a new reefer anyway. Especially if there is a wife.