The 15th International Portafold & Ansfold Gathering) (i.e. 2024)

Our annual gathering will be returning to the Newbury Retrofestival.

So put the dates 9th, 10th & 11th of August 2024 in your diary now and get those dates booked off work early.

Show Address: Newbury Showground, Priors Court, Hermitage, Thatcham, West Berkshire, RG18 9QZ

Don't book direct with the show organisers it will cost you more money, just contact me (07771544419) to get your pitch saved.

Fridge & cupboards

Anything you've created that didn't come out of the factory.
Post Reply
txfsealord
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat, 05 May 2007, 9:24 pm
Location: Pulborough, West Sussex

Fridge & cupboards

Post by txfsealord » Sun, 13 Apr 2008, 6:46 pm

Hi all, heartened by the success of the chassis additions, I've decided to adapt the hull to accept a proper gas fridge. The lockers on the n/s at the back had already been chopped about by previous owners, so this was the chosen site. Our kitchen mounts on a folding trestle above this. I cut the floor of the locker behind the n/s wheelarch & lowered it 3/4" at the inboard edge where it's protected by the adjacent chassis rail. By altering the feet of a standard Dometic 30ltr gas & 12v fridge it's just possible to store it in this locker, protruding up inside the folded l.h. caravan side panel. Because the available space is trapezoidal in 2 of the 3 planes, the fridge feet are at an angle of 10deg. from the horizontal when the fridge is standing on a level surface. When in use, it is supported on a fabricated cradle made of very light-gauge sheet steel which cancels the weird angles so it stands vertically under the cooker. I have still to devise the hot-air outlet, I want to include a moveable damper so I can redirect the exchanger heat (but not the exhaust fumes) into the caravan when it's cold, but outside on a hot day.

It's a bit finger-in-the-air, this one; my wife's very keen but I'm hoping I've not bitten-off more than I can chew!

As there's only the 2 of us, I've also made some folding cupboards which bolt-in to the space above the o/s/r lockers when the van's erected. This will reduce the amount of effort spent chasing stuff round & round when switching from night to day use, I hope.

Next use will again be the Morris Minor national rally in June, unless I get it done before that. Watch this space..........

Steve Lord

txfsealord
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat, 05 May 2007, 9:24 pm
Location: Pulborough, West Sussex

Fridge Pictures!

Post by txfsealord » Fri, 29 May 2009, 3:41 pm

The pictures of how I built a gas powered fridge into my Ansfold:
Dometicfridge001.jpg
1. Shows fridge snug beneath folded LH side.
Dometicfridge002.jpg
2. Fridge stowed, van erected.
Dometicfridge003.jpg
3. The enlarged locker with aluminium angle-section member along its outboard edge. This has the fixed plumbing & gas-taps attached, & slots above to accept the lugs locating the fridge cradle & locker-lid hinge.
Dometicfridge004.jpg
4. The fridge sits in its stowage at a considerable angle, the better to align with the folded LH side which clamps fridge against movement when travelling.
Dometicfridge005.jpg
5. View from n/s/r corner of caravan, looking forwards & inboard, showing extra depth required in fridge-locker of 1 1/8".
Dometicfridge006.jpg
6. Fridge-locker, looking towards n/s/r corner. The 2 red bungs are for water input (pump) & waste, being larger than their pipes they allow extra air in under fridge when it's running. The top face of the lockers, which has had to be cut back, is stiffened with 1" x 1" x 3/16" aluminium angle. This also gives added support to the side-panel hinges, & carries a convenient bracket for the gas-taps.
Dometicfridge007.jpg
7. Back of the fridge. Shows base which is at an angle to the casing, necessary to reduce overall height towards the rear of the van, when stowed.
Dometicfridge008.jpg
8. Left-hand side of the fridge. This angle reduces height required at the outside of the locker, to prevent the need to lower the whole of the locker floor. The 2 angles together "translate" to the fridge top face sitting snugly under the folded side at exactly the correct angle, so folding the 'van down clamps the fridge in its locker, as seen in picture 1. In use the fridge stands exactly vertical, of course; the weird base-angles are cancelled by corresponding angles to the mounting-base shown in picture 9.
Dometicfridge009.jpg
9. Fridge cradle, made from an old Dexion shelf.
Dometicfridge010.jpg
10. Cradle in position.
Dometicfridge011.jpg
11. Viewed from above. The long black pipe is also gas-hose & has the cooker pipe on the end of it.
Dometicfridge012.jpg
12. Through cutaway footwell side.
Dometicfridge013.jpg
13. Was it all worth it?.....manky-looking pipe on top is the fridge exhaust. Making this shape & getting it to lock safely in place was the hardest part of the whole job.
Dometicfridge014.jpg
14. Must do some of that finishing off one of these days......
Dometicfridge015.jpg
15. Looking rearwards. Bracket above on wall is for fire extinguisher.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users