[C320-list] Refrigerator Rack Fix - $0.42 Plus Tax
Paul Rickman
ilove2sail at verizon.net
Thu Jul 15 13:30:31 PDT 2010
To fix this problem on my 657 I bought some wooden dowels and used some small
hose clamps
to connect them to the shelf.
Paul
Affinity 657
Bay Bridge Marina
________________________________
From: Robert E. Sloat <resloat at comcast.net>
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Sent: Thu, July 15, 2010 4:14:56 PM
Subject: [C320-list] Refrigerator Rack Fix - $0.42 Plus Tax
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
More information about the C320-list
mailing list