[C320-list] Refrigerator Rack Fix - $0.42 Plus Tax

[Robert E. Sloat]

I have hull 894 (2002) with the very large top loading refrigerator.  The wire racks have been falling out of the grooves or ledges they fit into.  This has been reported by others on this boars.  It seems that the walls of the refrigerator creep apart over time leaving a wider space for the racks to fit into.  A contributing factor is that the installers may have cut the racks on the short side and just a little creep causes the problem.  My racks were wide enough that when one end was flush against one side of the refrigerator the other end was only 1/4-1/2 in. over the other groove or ledge.  Weight on the rack would deflect it often resulting its slipping out of the groove or ledge at one end.

Catalina uses 1 ft. wide wire shelving with small rails on the front and back for the refrigerator racks.  They are installed upside down so the rails point up to keep items from falling off.  Cut off ends of the shelf support it in the refrigerator.  

My initial planned fix was to buy some wire shelving from a hardware store and cut larger shelves to solve the problem.  I could not find any that had both the front and back rails like the ones Catalina uses, so I improvised and ended up with the absolutely lowest cost project ever on my boat.  It only took about 10 minutes to fix 3 racks.

The $0.42 plus tax solution was to buy two feet of heavy rigid polyethylene tubing (3/8 in. OD X 1/4 in. ID).  This is the smallest length my hardware store would sell.  I used about 6 in. of tubing for each shelf worked on.  The cut off ends of the racks that hold them in place are approximately 1/4 in. OD.  So I just, removed the protective end caps from the cut off ends on each side of the the rack that support the rack. and slid appropriate length tubing over the cut off ends until the tubing is flush against the rack.  This extended the width of the rack so it would stay in its groove or ledge.  If done right the tubing keeps the rack centered in the groove or on the ledge with the metal cut off ends supporting the rack.  The plastic coating on these ends gets moved a little since the tubing is a tight fit.  The length of the tubing varied depending on the spacing between the vertical wall of the refrigerator and the end of the tubing.  For the top racks, you need to leave enough space so the rack can be inserted into the grooves.  The bottom racks just sit on a ledge so you can make the tubing end closer to the wall of the refrigerator.

Cutting and trimming the tubing is very easy with a pocket knife and a cutting board.  I had to do a little trimming of the tubing in order to get the top racks to fit into the grooves in the refrigerator.

So far the top and bottom racks have loads of soda and beer cans on them and none has let loose since the fix about one month ago.

If there is a large gap between the rack and the walls of the refrigerator this solution may not work, but the gap on my racks was just enough to let the racks come out only occasionally.  The tubing is very stiff and as long as it keeps the rack from sliding all the way to one side of the refrigerator allowing the other side to fall it works.

If your gap is large you can buy corner brackets for shelving (Rubbermaid makes them) which are a few dollars each.  They are metal, around 4 in. long and 1 in. wide, fit on the smaller wires of the shelf and extend outward.  They fit so weight on the shelf would keep them in place.  You might have to cut the ends with a hacksaw and tape the rough end. A nylon tie would keep them from moving around if you slid the rack around.

Now a cool one from the middle shelf of the refrigerator.

Does any one with this refrigerator configuration make ice cubes in those weird vertical trays?  I stopped making any drinks with ice from these things a few days after commissioning in 2002.  Chilled gin, vermouth and olives are good enough for straight up Martinis.

Bob Sloat
Savannah Hull 894