Kingham Fridge Door.

I have a 2016 Kingham. The fridge door is hinged from the front of the van, meaning I have to stand by the bed to access the contents. Every other Kingham I have looked at has the fridge handed the other way, i.e, access is from the sink side of the fridge. Much easier to use! Has anyone else have a Kingham with the fridge fitted this way round?

Can you not swop the hinge side, older fridges were easy, don't know about newer ones.

no, hinges are part of top panel containing electronics.

I would hazard a guess that there isn't a fridge made where the door opening cannot be reversed. We have two fridges by different manufacturers, in a panel van and a caravan, and both allow for this change. The hinges on both models are pegs (top and bottom) which fit into holes in metal brackets. The brackets are secured within the plastic surround and are removable.
Keith

David,
I have a Kingham 2017 and yes the fridge door opens the same as yours from the bed side. Can be annoying but have got use to it.

Paul

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

KMRTOPAZ wrote:I would hazard a guess that there isn't a fridge made where the door opening cannot be reversed. We have two fridges by different manufacturers, in a panel van and a caravan, and both allow for this change. The hinges on both models are pegs (top and bottom) which fit into holes in metal brackets. The brackets are secured within the plastic surround and are removable.
Keith

Keith, I thought this, but our Dometic (which has the bed behind it as in the Kingham) is 'handed' withnthe hinge on the rear (bed) side so it can be opened from kitchen side....
it's 'handed' because the freezer opening 'handle' is an indented one which is part of the fridge design and could not be changed....I'm sure there is a different handed version of the same fridge but this door cannot be changed.
what I will say though is that, if this fridge were handed the 'wrong' way. getting into it would be far more than annoying and it would be changed...

Most fridge doors with handle "indents" can be reversed by turning them upside down, since they have an indent both top and bottom for just this purpose.

They usually use the pegs mentioned by Keith (above) so it's worth checking for screw holes on the opening side of the door to see if the brackets into which the pegs fit can be moved to the other side.

Difficult to explain, but if there are brackets holding those pegs to form the hinges, I would expect a "mirrored" set of screw holes on the other side so the door can be reversed.

Does the Kingham have a Thetford N3000 series fridge. If so full instructions for handing the door are given in the Installation Instructions available here.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I did originally look at the fitting instructions about reversing the door, but they were for a different model within the range. If I purchase a new fridge it can be ordered with a kit to reverse the door. This means swapping the control panel from left to right, relocating the door locking catch, as well as changing over the hinges. Icoulding find just a kit on its own. Just annoying having a take out food, put on floor, close fridge, pick up food to put on worktop. If it was reversed I could use the pullout shelf.

Hi David, which model of fridge is fitted to your Kingham, is it not a N3097, the same as the one on our Broadway. Ours is hinged on the right and looks as if it is relatively easy to change over by swapping over the catch with the blanking plate at the other side and moving the hinge pins over, I don't understand what you mean about the control panel as that is above the door.
Disregard what I've said if it is a different model and ours is the way we want so not actually reversed it.

Mike

You can change the handing of the fridge door on the Thetford N3097 according to their website. Now I know it is possible I will explore the possibility of doing so at the weekend. 

Paul

Mike187 wrote:Hi David, which model of fridge is fitted to your Kingham, is it not a N3097, the same as the one on our Broadway.
Mike

This is the crucial question Mike.

David may not be aware that Messrs A/S (and no doubt others) change the equipment fitted, and some design details, fairly frequently. It's therefore often of little use to state the year and model of van, since a change could have happened at any time during the year.

Also a good many vans are built in one year and not registered until the next, so in order to get a speedy and accurate reply it's essential to give as much specific detail as possible about the item which is at fault.

Hope this helps

Paul O wrote:You can change the handing of the fridge door on the Thetford N3097 according to their website. Now I know it is possible I will explore the possibility of doing so at the weekend. 

Paul

Let me know what you find Paul.
My door sags when I put bottles in the door that stops it closing at the bottom, wondered why the fridge was getting warm, I have to remember to lift the door with my foot when closing it, just wish SWMBO could remember as well.
Looking closely at the hinges, on the top one there are two spacers but non on the bottom,I need to get the door off to put the spacers on the bottom.
Think whoever assembled it must have had an off day.

Maybe not off days Barry. It might not have been the assembly monkeys this time. 

Ours was perfect for several months, but then it dropped like yours and I had to take it off and juggle with the spacers. I assumed it was due to the proliferation of potholes and generally rough roads that had strained the hinges, and made them drop a fraction.

It was a bit fiddly, but not a difficult job.

Gromit wrote:Maybe not off days Barry. It might not have been the assembly monkeys this time. 

Ours was perfect for several months, but then it dropped like yours and I had to take it off and juggle with the spacers. I assumed it was due to the proliferation of potholes and generally rough roads that had strained the hinges, and made them drop a fraction.

It was a bit fiddly, but not a difficult job.

OK Gromit, give me the info as to how to remove the door, mine is a Thetford N3097, I can't see the point of spacers on the top hinge, they do not do anything, think it was just laziness on their behalf, easier to put spacers on the top due to gravity if assembling the fridge vertically.

I would normally just go for it and replace anything I may break but as I am away for a week in Norfolk on Friday, I only have tomorrow to sort it and I hate going away with a problem on my mind.

Today I modified the grey water waste tap to a 500mm swivel out tube, now I should be able to access the drains without shuffling the van too much and easier to remove the drain cover.

AndyRoyd wrote:

Gromit wrote:Maybe not off days Barry. It might not have been the assembly monkeys this time. 

Ours was perfect for several months, but then it dropped like yours and I had to take it off and juggle with the spacers. I assumed it was due to the proliferation of potholes and generally rough roads that had strained the hinges, and made them drop a fraction.

It was a bit fiddly, but not a difficult job.

OK Gromit, give me the info as to how to remove the door, mine is a Thetford N3097, I can't see the point of spacers on the top hinge, they do not do anything, think it was just laziness on their behalf, easier to put spacers on the top due to gravity if assembling the fridge vertically.

I would normally just go for it and replace anything I may break but as I am away for a week in Norfolk on Friday, I only have tomorrow to sort it and I hate going away with a problem on my mind.

Today I modified the grey water waste tap to a 500mm swivel out tube, now I should be able to access the drains without shuffling the van too much and easier to remove the drain cover.

The instruction for removing the door and handing if required are in the instalation instructions which can be downloaded here.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

PLOUGHLIN wrote:

AndyRoyd wrote:

Gromit wrote:Maybe not off days Barry. It might not have been the assembly monkeys this time. 

Ours was perfect for several months, but then it dropped like yours and I had to take it off and juggle with the spacers. I assumed it was due to the proliferation of potholes and generally rough roads that had strained the hinges, and made them drop a fraction.

It was a bit fiddly, but not a difficult job.

OK Gromit, give me the info as to how to remove the door, mine is a Thetford N3097, I can't see the point of spacers on the top hinge, they do not do anything, think it was just laziness on their behalf, easier to put spacers on the top due to gravity if assembling the fridge vertically.

I would normally just go for it and replace anything I may break but as I am away for a week in Norfolk on Friday, I only have tomorrow to sort it and I hate going away with a problem on my mind.

Today I modified the grey water waste tap to a 500mm swivel out tube, now I should be able to access the drains without shuffling the van too much and easier to remove the drain cover.

The instruction for removing the door and handing if required are in the instalation instructions which can be downloaded here.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Yes I looked at that but it does not work on my model

I'm not sure which model ours is Barry.

I'll have a look tomorrow, but that probably won't be soon enough to help you.

I would be inclined to open the door a few inches and give it a bit of an upward heave. Judiciously of course, or it might come off in your hand!! 

I'm only guessing, but if it has dropped due to gravity you may be able to do a temporary fix with a modicum of brute force. It will either work or it won't, and either way you will have lost nothing.

Worth a try?? 

My Kingham has a Thetford fridge from the N3000 range. Model N3097. It is possible to change the opening side of the door with a door swing kit. Circa £90 and you have to remove the fridge from the housing to change some of the parts. Think I will leave it as is.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I wasn't going to comment on this thread seeing as it doesn't apply to my van, but I can't help wondering why a simple job such as reversing a fridge door has become so complicated, not to mention expensive.
I've reversed many doors on household fridges and tall fridge/freezers in my time, from different manufactures, none needed any extra parts.
Al.

AndyRoy wrote:
Let me know what you find Paul.
My door sags when I put bottles in the door that stops it closing at the bottom, wondered why the fridge was getting warm, I have to remember to lift the door with my foot when closing it, just wish SWMBO could remember as well.
Looking closely at the hinges, on the top one there are two spacers but non on the bottom,I need to get the door off to put the spacers on the bottom.

 How strange: went to pack our fridge before a trip, only to discover exactly the same thing has happened. Not enough time to do a proper job so may simply wedge a cork between the floor and the underside of the bottom hinge, so as to lift it a mm.  Wonder why it's happened now?

Cymro

On the Dometic fridge there is a inverted top hat washer that the top hinge pin sits in. Mine has worn and split allowing the door to droop, so could be a top rather than bottom problem?

Removal and replacement is too fiddly so I live with it.