# Drilling through Fridge



## Gags (Apr 9, 2019)

I'm building my curing chamber and am hesitant to drill through my fridge, I'd hate to hit a line.  Here's the fridge, I wondering if anoyone has an idea if I can drill through the right side, for my extension and probe lines?

I also tracked down the schematic but I'm no expert and can't make out if the condensation loop in on the left or right.


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## daveomak (Apr 9, 2019)

Fire up the refer...  Spray water on the inside and outside....   Where it frosts over, you have cold coils....  Where it evaporates, you've got the heat dump coils...


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## Fueling Around (Apr 9, 2019)

You have a Camco RV unit?
Not an appliance tech, but can usually figure out things from good clues.
The condenser loop is baffling in the illustration.
Condenser is warm side of the refrigeration loop versus the evaporator that is the cold side.
A warm loop is used to control condensation around the doors.

Did you open the back to see where the lines are routed?


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## mike243 (Apr 10, 2019)

The lines run around all of the door facings,its hard to say where the routing goes but spraying water any where wont do anything but get water every where. Take a sharp punch and gently push thru the plastic liner where you want to put a line thru,it will stop when it hits metal. If you got thru till you think its the outside metal then you can push a drill bit thru, most fridges have the condenser coil mounted on the bottom of the unit but freezers have it ran under the skin on the sides and tops. on those with the door open and unit running you can feel the sides and tops and the heat is easy to tell where the loop is. I work on fridge and freezers for a living and most of the lines run up the back and down the center divider section along with the electric lines. But like I said sharp punch will push thru the plastic liner and the foam insulation. If its old it may have a metal liner vs a plastic but not a lot of those left around.


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## Gags (Apr 10, 2019)

Ya, It's a Camco unit.  I have not opened up the back to see where the lines are but ya I was thinking the same thing,  I'll cut a whole trough the plastic than push through the insulation until I hit the metal exterior, hopefully.
Thanks for all the replies, fingers crossed.


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## SmokinAl (Apr 10, 2019)

mike243 said:


> The lines run around all of the door facings,its hard to say where the routing goes but spraying water any where wont do anything but get water every where. Take a sharp punch and gently push thru the plastic liner where you want to put a line thru,it will stop when it hits metal. If you got thru till you think its the outside metal then you can push a drill bit thru, most fridges have the condenser coil mounted on the bottom of the unit but freezers have it ran under the skin on the sides and tops. on those with the door open and unit running you can feel the sides and tops and the heat is easy to tell where the loop is. I work on fridge and freezers for a living and most of the lines run up the back and down the center divider section along with the electric lines. But like I said sharp punch will push thru the plastic liner and the foam insulation. If its old it may have a metal liner vs a plastic but not a lot of those left around.



Hey Mike, 
I'm in the process of making a small curing chamber out of a 3.6 cu ft. beverage cooler. It has a glass door & I think it will be just the right size for me. I need to do the same thing, cut a hole in the side, but it looks to me like all the refrigeration lines are in the back & the electric wires are in the top. Do you think there are any in the sides?
Al


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## daveomak (Apr 10, 2019)

Al, if you have a non-contact therm, scan the sides to see if there is a temp difference that would pinpoint any coils....


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## SmokinAl (Apr 11, 2019)

daveomak said:


> Al, if you have a non-contact therm, scan the sides to see if there is a temp difference that would pinpoint any coils....



Thanks Dave I will give that a try, I have an infrared thermometer.
Al


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