Installation of Isotherm Cruise 130 Refrigerator

A member asked me (in a PM) for details of my installation of the Isotherm Cruise 130 DC-only compressor fridge that I bought to replace my Norcold N300 3-way fridge that ruptured and tried to poison me. So I figured that I might as well share publicly. As shown in my signature, this is in a 2005 FWC Hawk.
Ummm....I'm really not a handy-man (as my workmanship shows ) , but I know how to figure things out, and it's functional.

(Full disclosure: this is actually a re-installation 3 months after I bought the CR 130 from XPMarc. When I picked up the fridge from Marc July 4th weekend I was in a hurry, and the method we used to secure it in the box was not optimum. But I figured I'd re-do it when I got home...and, sure enough, just 3 months later I did it! )

This is the empty plywood box that's left when the Norcold N300 is removed (after removing the propane tubing that fed it fuel):


This is a close-up of the bottom of the empty box:


This is a close-up of the top of the empty box:


Securing the fridge in place.

Seems like the feet would be a likely place to secure at the bottom. Unfortunately, the feet are stainless steel, so after dulling one bit I bought one intended for SS and succeeded:


Then drove a screw through the hole into the plywood bottom:


It was kinda tight to get the screw on the right in place 'cause the door was in the way...but I had to have the door in place because I wouldn't be able to put the door back on after the fridge was in the box:


There was empty space between the top of the fridge and the top of the box, so I put a piece of 3/4" thick wood in place as a shim:


There is a strip of metal frame across the top-front of the fridge, and I used that frame as a mounting/securing point:

(Originally there was frame around the sides, too, but there was no room to fit that in the existing space, so we removed it.)

Frame screwed into the shim:


Installed!

Looks like it was made to fit here, doesn't it! And yet, this CR130 has 50% more interior volume than the N300...must be some kind of super-dimensional space-warp involved.

I took a photo of the back of the Cruise 130 before I installed it -- pretty simple: 2 wires:


The instructions said that the power leads should be connected directly to the battery, so I decided to follow those directions rather than using the existing dc wires that had connected to the Norcold. This meant I had to thread wire from the fridge location over to the battery, but that wasn't hard.

I need to seal up some open gaps around the edge and top...maybe use some strips of closed-cell foam and/or Reflectix that I have...

Don't sell yourself short,the install looks good.Now you are a professional .Do you ever see some of the work the "pros" do? Not much better and way more $$$.

Good luck with the new unit.

How is the kitty doing?

Frank

Don't sell yourself short.The install job looks good.Remember now you are a professional reefer installer.Do you ever look at the jobs that the pros do?
good luck with the new unit.
Frank
ps how's the kitty doing in the camper?

Thanks...Maybe I can use my new-found talent to supplement my income in retirement (cash-only, under the table, of course)

I gave up on trying to convert my indoor/outdoor house cat to a camping cat -- for now, anyway. I should have started a month or two ago...and there's not enough time to get her to not hate vehicle travel -- I leave town in a couple of days for a 2-week camping trip.

Nice write up MarkBC...thanks. It was my PM requesting more information.

Does your door open the oposite of the way the door on your old Norcold opened?

Also, you mentioned you removed the side frame due to fitment issues. Was that a simple procedure like unbolting the side frames....or did you have to be more creative and cut them off?

The freezer compartment looks very small compared to the Norcold...but that might be misleading since you state that the overall inside dimensions are much larger. Is the freezer comperable to the one on the Norcold?

How difficult was it to remove the propane line and cap it off? What special parts need to be ordered?

Sorry for all the questions.

The fridge looks awesome. Let us know how it works out for you.

Does your door open the oposite of the way the door on your old Norcold opened?

Yes. It could be switched, but XPMarc convinced me that this way was better -- it allows me to reach in and open the door from outside the camper, so I can grab stuff out -- or load in perishable groceries after shopping -- while standing outside on the threshold. It seems like it would be inconvenient to access from inside the camper, but actually it's been fine. But, as I said, the door is switchable if one wanted to.

Also, you mentioned you removed the side frame due to fitment issues. Was that a simple procedure like unbolting the side frames....or did you have to be more creative and cut them off?
We didn't have to cut anything...I think there were just a couple of bolts/screws, but I don't remember for sure.

The freezer compartment looks very small compared to the Norcold...but that might be misleading since you state that the overall inside dimensions are much larger. Is the freezer comperable to the one on the Norcold?
The freezer is smaller than the one in the Norcold -- which is kinda strange considering how much bigger the non-freezer section is -- but it's not as small as it seems. (Before I bought this fridge I looked up the manufacture specs and compared them to my measurements of the Norcold, but I don't have those numbers anymore.) The fridge -- and freezer -- is deeper than the Norcold, which is the "magic" that enables a much-larger fridge to fit in the same height/width box. It would be nice if the freezer was bigger...but it's big enough to carry all the frozen meat, homemade chili, etc, I'd ever bring with me. The only issue is that it's too short vertically for most ice cream containers...I'll have to bring ice cream bars and take them out of the box.

I gotta ask, why did you select a DC only fridge, rather than an AC/DC unit? I am currently contemplating a switch from my old Dometec, (sp) 3 way so I can get away from the leveling issue and increase my propane tank lifecycle. I assume your new unit is good to operate to about 30 degrees off level. Is that correct?

I gotta ask, why did you select a DC only fridge, rather than an AC/DC unit?
If I plug my camper into AC the AC is charging my battery, and the fridge is running off the battery...so I didn't see the necessity.
I read that the AC/DC versions just have an AC-to-DC converter included, not a compressor-motor that can run off AC or DC....so AC/DC didn't seem that special.
And...I'm hardly ever in a situation where I have AC, anyway, when I camp. One of the great abilities of this kind of fridge is that they get cold very fast, so it's not necessary to pre-cool overnight or anything like that...so I won't have it plugged in much pre-camping, either.

I assume your new unit is good to operate to about 30 degrees off level. Is that correct?

Yes...and it says "and greater for short periods". This is actually sold for marine/boat use, so you can still run it in a gale with big swells!

Mr. BC, thank you for your reply!