2012 Hawk base model - adding engel sr70 and wave 3 heater

[Boarderxm7]

Hey all, after countless hours on this site I've finally decided on doing some modifications to my used 2012 Hawk found on Craigslist recently! I previously owned a finch on my taco and upgraded to hawk/tundra when I found the hawk on CL. My Finch was dialed in with no need to change anything, 3 way fridge and atwood heater worked great!
On the other hand, my new hawk has the ice box and no heater...deal breaker for the wife. After my research I'm reluctantly deciding to install an engel sr70 where the ice box is myself. I'm hoping it's not too difficult to do but any suggestions from people who have done this would be amazing! My reason for the Engel is that I don't want to deal with adding vents to the exterior. Same reason for choosing the wave 3...that and the new atwood require some cabinet modification I don't want to mess with.
My wife has safety concerns about the wave 3 being that we have a dog and 1 yr old....thoughts on this?
If we do go with the wave 3, is this an easy install? Best spot to mount knowing that the dog sleeps below? Could it be placed on the countertop/on top of stove with added legs when in use and stored away when not? Any help on these mods I plan to take on with zero experience with this stuff is much appreciated!!!
Also, I haven't purchased anything yet so if you have a reason/suggestion for going another route then I'm open if it makes sense!

Thanks in advance and looking forward to some valuable advice...this website is gold for it!

 

[EDR]

Not sure how much the Hawk has changed between ‘07 and ‘12, and shell vs. a built camper, but, when I pulled out my ice box the 12VDC wiring and 120VAC plug for the refrigerator we’re already in place. I installed a portable compressor refrigerator in the same opening.

In my camper, the 12V wiring was coiled up and mounted on the side wall behind the ice box. The 120V receptacle was hidden below the stove inside the cabinet. In addition, the propane line for the refrigerator was also behind the ice box and just capped off. I rerouted the propane line, added a shut off valve and quick disconnects and have a 10’ hose that allows me to move my Wave 3 wherever I want it. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but planned to set it up on top of the stove lid.

Good luck with your mods.

 

[craig333]

I'm not sure why the Engel doesn't need venting. Still produces heat right? Roasting the dog is definitely a concern with the wave. Mine is perma mounted and the dog sleeps fairly close and on high its too hot. The flex hose is nice so you can move it around but I"m wary of any heat producing appliance that isn't locked down. Stuff happens.

 

[tailwalk]

Hey all, after countless hours on this site I've finally decided on doing some modifications to my used 2012 Hawk found on Craigslist recently! I previously owned a finch on my taco and upgraded to hawk/tundra when I found the hawk on CL. My Finch was dialed in with no need to change anything, 3 way fridge and atwood heater worked great!
On the other hand, my new hawk has the ice box and no heater...deal breaker for the wife. After my research I'm reluctantly deciding to install an engel sr70 where the ice box is myself. I'm hoping it's not too difficult to do but any suggestions from people who have done this would be amazing! My reason for the Engel is that I don't want to deal with adding vents to the exterior. Same reason for choosing the wave 3...that and the new atwood require some cabinet modification I don't want to mess with.
My wife has safety concerns about the wave 3 being that we have a dog and 1 yr old....thoughts on this?
If we do go with the wave 3, is this an easy install? Best spot to mount knowing that the dog sleeps below? Could it be placed on the countertop/on top of stove with added legs when in use and stored away when not? Any help on these mods I plan to take on with zero experience with this stuff is much appreciated!!!
Also, I haven't purchased anything yet so if you have a reason/suggestion for going another route then I'm open if it makes sense!

Thanks in advance and looking forward to some valuable advice...this website is gold for it!

Hey Boarderrxm7, did you ended up getting the Engel? I got my Hawk (2013) last year and enjoying it a lot. It came with an ice box and I guess it's time for an upgrade. I would probably go the same route, Engel SB70F, for the same reason of not having to cut exterior vents.

The installation manual says it does require ventilation. It shows that the ventilation air comes in at the bottom and goes out at the top of the fridge. Heat can be an issue but will definitely help on those cold nights.