Anybody tried to remove the wardrobe cabinet?

Good evening,

I would like to access the cables that are coming from behind the wardrobe cabinet of our Warwick XL.
I can't figure out how to do it. Anybody tried removing the wardrobe cabinet?

I am trying to access the aerial cable that goes from the roof to the hole behind the cable. The idea is to remove that cable and reuse the hole to route a cable for a new solar panel all the way down to under the bench (where the EC500 is installed)

Cheers
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I recently did something similar, up to a point, with the same type of wardrobe construction in the Kemerton. I needed to get cables from a roof-mounted WiFi antenna into the wardrobe. I fitted the WiFi antenna in place of the Teleco Wing Antenna, located above the wardrobe. I didn’t dismantle the wardrobe and don’t recommend you try. AS build their cabinetry without intending it to be removed easily.

You say you plan to remove the aerial cable and use the same route to the hole in the wardrobe. If you’re also planning to remove the TV aerial and use the same point of cable entry through the roof then you could use the coax cable as a draw wire to pull through the solar cable. I can give you more detailed advice on drawing through cable in this way as it’s not as straightforward as it sounds in confined spaces and in what may well be a restricted (ie tight) cable route.

Best if you first confirm your intentions regarding the roof-mounted aerial and then I can offer more detail if you wish.

Tim

I’ve now read your post today on the Warwick modification thread and can see you’ve removed the TV aerial, and are having problems getting the coax cable to move.

The cable most likely makes a right angle as soon as it enters the van from the roof, then is routed across the roof space for several centimetres before it drops down behind the wardrobe. I found the roof space part of the cable route to be extremely tight, and compressed further by insulation behind the wardrobe top panel. Do not try to force the cable by pulling harder as you’re likely to break it; there isn’t much tensile strength in coax.

To resolve this problem I created an access hole in the wardrobe top panel (the flat section, not the curved area) directly underneath the TV aerial centre. I determined this position on the wardrobe panel by careful measurements, repeated several times using different datum points to cross check and minimise errors. Once I was confident I knew the centre position I used a 60mm hole saw to cut the access through the wardrobe top panel. You’ll need a very short drill bit in the hole saw otherwise you risk drilling through the roof with it if you’re not lined up with the TV aerial hole. 

Once I cut the hole in the wardrobe top panel I carried on through the headlining material and its backing plywood that was directly underneath. With these surfaces removed I could access the insulation to remove some of it and expose the coax cable underneath. It was only at this point that the cable had enough space to move.

Unless the coax is easily pulled between the access you’ve created and the hole further down your wardrobe, I suggest you take an intermediate step and tie a strong nylon cord to the coax, pull that through and then use the cord to pull through the solar cable. The scenario you have to avoid is the solar cable parting company with whatever you’re using to pull it through while it’s still behind a panel. Taking this intermediate step reduces that risk.

This is how I pulled through the WiFi antenna cables. Once I’d done so I took the circular piece of wardrobe panel from the hole saw, made a cut-out on its circumference for the cables and glued it back in the wardrobe top panel, taking care to align the wood-grain effect.

Hope this all makes sense!

Tim

Have a look for my post on installing solar , I did not remove the wardrobe  but I did remove the angled roof panel

FreelanderUK wrote:Have a look for my post on installing solar , I did not remove the wardrobe  but I did remove the angled roof panel

---- Update. Found your post :-) ----

I tried to search the forum for the post you mentioned but I could not find it. Do you have a link?

Anyway, in the meanwhile, I went ahead with a metal cutter and worked my way through the four side screws.
I finally managed to remove the upper section of the closet (maybe this is what your post is about) and was able to access the areal cable.
Unfortunately, it seems that it has been anchored somewhere inside the ceiling.
Anyway, now I have good access to the area behind the closeth and I will manage to deal with the cable
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Kemerton-bath wrote:I’ve now read your post today on the Warwick modification thread and can see you’ve removed the TV aerial, and are having problems getting the coax cable to move.

The cable most likely makes a right angle as soon as it enters the van from the roof, then is routed across the roof space for several centimetres before it drops down behind the wardrobe. I found the roof space part of the cable route to be extremely tight, and compressed further by insulation behind the wardrobe top panel. Do not try to force the cable by pulling harder as you’re likely to break it; there isn’t much tensile strength in coax.

To resolve this problem I created an access hole in the wardrobe top panel (the flat section, not the curved area) directly underneath the TV aerial centre. I determined this position on the wardrobe panel by careful measurements, repeated several times using different datum points to cross check and minimise errors. Once I was confident I knew the centre position I used a 60mm hole saw to cut the access through the wardrobe top panel. You’ll need a very short drill bit in the hole saw otherwise you risk drilling through the roof with it if you’re not lined up with the TV aerial hole. 

Once I cut the hole in the wardrobe top panel I carried on through the headlining material and its backing plywood that was directly underneath. With these surfaces removed I could access the insulation to remove some of it and expose the coax cable underneath. It was only at this point that the cable had enough space to move.

Unless the coax is easily pulled between the access you’ve created and the hole further down your wardrobe, I suggest you take an intermediate step and tie a strong nylon cord to the coax, pull that through and then use the cord to pull through the solar cable. The scenario you have to avoid is the solar cable parting company with whatever you’re using to pull it through while it’s still behind a panel. Taking this intermediate step reduces that risk.

This is how I pulled through the WiFi antenna cables. Once I’d done so I took the circular piece of wardrobe panel from the hole saw, made a cut-out on its circumference for the cables and glued it back in the wardrobe top panel, taking care to align the wood-grain effect.

Hope this all makes sense!

Tim

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Unfortunately, in our Van, the areal was not installed just over the closet but in a space between the closet and the ceiling lights. So cutting a hole there is not an option. I would be too visible. But as you can see from the pictures I have posted below I manage to access tge cable behind the closet.
Thanks anyway

gobsmacked wrote:

FreelanderUK wrote:Have a look for my post on installing solar , I did not remove the wardrobe  but I did remove the angled roof panel

---- Update. Found your post :-) ----

I tried to search the forum for the post you mentioned but I could not find it. Do you have a link?

Anyway, in the meanwhile, I went ahead with a metal cutter and worked my way through the four side screws.
I finally managed to remove the upper section of the closet (maybe this is what your post is about) and was able to access the areal cable.
Unfortunately, it seems that it has been anchored somewhere inside the ceiling.
Anyway, now I have good access to the area behind the closeth and I will manage to deal with the cable
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Near enough to how I did it , I put a couple of blocks of wood in behind so I could screw the panel back in place in case I have to remove it again