Fridge repair help

[wjholter]

Hey Folks. I have a 44v14 with the 12 volt ever chill refrigerator. The bottom drawer slides broke and now the drawer falls to the ground when fully extended. They’re molded plastic, great design right?

Lippert and Alliance have both told me to pound sand even though this rig is less than a year old (under “warranty”) and this damage occurred just by normal use. I think the issue is that it’s not a part that can be replaced, the whole unit would need to be replaced.

Any ideas on a repair for this?

 

[Todd F]

Hey Folks. I have a 44v14 with the 12 volt ever chill refrigerator. The bottom drawer slides broke and now the drawer falls to the ground when fully extended. They’re molded plastic, great design right?

Lippert and Alliance have both told me to pound sand even though this rig is less than a year old (under “warranty”) and this damage occurred just by normal use. I think the issue is that it’s not a part that can be replaced, the whole unit would need to be replaced.

Any ideas on a repair for this?

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Maybe an automotive fiberglass cloth and resin to repair the area. I used the same to repair my cracked and broken plastic saddleboxes in the under storage area. Way more solid and rigid than the plastic alone was.

 

[wjholter]

Maybe an automotive fiberglass cloth and resin to repair the area. I used the same to repair my cracked and broken plastic saddleboxes in the under storage area. Way more solid and rigid than the plastic alone was.

gotcha. do you have a photo to share? interested to see what that would look like.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Wow...did someone fall/sit on the freezer drawer while it was open? That seems like a lot of weight was put on the slide to cause it to break like that.

 

[BryanValRox]

Hey Folks. I have a 44v14 with the 12 volt ever chill refrigerator. The bottom drawer slides broke and now the drawer falls to the ground when fully extended. They’re molded plastic, great design right?

Lippert and Alliance have both told me to pound sand even though this rig is less than a year old (under “warranty”) and this damage occurred just by normal use. I think the issue is that it’s not a part that can be replaced, the whole unit would need to be replaced.

Any ideas on a repair for this?

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Not sure what might have happen there(no judgement).
Looks to thin for plastic welding or hot staples.
Thinking outside of the box, any chance you could square off the ends and somehow cut a piece of composite lumber and secure it in place some how to restore the track? Might not look the prettiest, but done correctly it could prevent a unit replacement. Just a thought.

 

[wjholter]

Wow...did someone fall/sit on the freezer drawer while it was open? That seems like a lot of weight was put on the slide to cause it to break like that.

No that’s the frustrating part. The freezer was full of food but one time we pulled it out then it would t go back in. It would go back because the plastic had cracked. What you see is what happened when trying to get it unstuck and put back. But nothing specific happened to cause it to crack other than being thin plastic

 

[wjholter]

Not sure what might have happen there(no judgement).
Looks to thin for plastic welding or hot staples.
Thinking outside of the box, any chance you could square off the ends and somehow cut a piece of composite lumber and secure it in place some how to restore the track? Might not look the prettiest, but done correctly it could prevent a unit replacement. Just a thought.

I was thinking along those lines too. Might be worth it. You can’t really see this area unless you take the drawer out so aesthetics aren’t too much of a concern. Thank you!

 

[Bozo]

Looks to me like an epoxy fix is in order. No set method, you’ll have to figure out what to uses for filler. Chances are, the fix will be stronger than the parent material.

 

[Socal-Paul]

Looks like the plastic was filled with foam, perhaps you can use a window seal foam then shape after it cures covering the foam with the epoxy. I would test check the epoxy on the foam before applying.

 

[M and E]

Hey Folks. I have a 44v14 with the 12 volt ever chill refrigerator. The bottom drawer slides broke and now the drawer falls to the ground when fully extended. They’re molded plastic, great design right?

Lippert and Alliance have both told me to pound sand even though this rig is less than a year old (under “warranty”) and this damage occurred just by normal use. I think the issue is that it’s not a part that can be replaced, the whole unit would need to be replaced.

Any ideas on a repair for this?

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If you want to pay someone, take it to a marine shop (if you are close). A good one can work wonders with any shape of plastic or fiberglass...with today's marine construction it is a requirement for those shops to have those skills. If you want a DIY solution, shoot over to a boat repair forum. The contributors there will have found a way to DIY what the shops charge to complete. Hope it helps!

 

[wjholter]

Looks to me like an epoxy fix is in order. No set method, you’ll have to figure out what to uses for filler. Chances are, the fix will be stronger than the parent material.

Yea i think you're 100% right there