We bought our 2014 Big Horn in early 2014 and were excited to have a residential fridge rather than an RV fridge. I was looking forward to not having to defrost every 3 to 4 weeks and having more food storage. The icemaker / water spigot was an added bonus. Then the troubles started. Heartland did not install the fridge with anything to keep it in place. There were a couple wood screws about 2" long that had been run through a hole in a bent piece of sheet metal from the fridge and into the floor to hold the unit. The screws actually had less than 1/4 inch penetration into the wood as the sheet metal would not reach the floor. After a few moves the fridge broke loose and started to walk out of it's mounting location since it's on wheels. This caused the water line for the icemaker to move as well and it started to leak. The leak didn't show right away as the line was routed behind a closed cabinet wall. The water finally migrated out and I shut off the line at the shut off valve under the sink.
The final result is that the entire slide room floor is trashed and will have to be replaced. The slide will have to be removed and the floor replaced with remounting all of the cabinetry and appliances in the 14 foot slide. Because Heartland did not secure the appliance it will cost about $7800 depending on if there is no further damage to the main flooring of the rig. So far insurance is covering the majority of the repairs but they will not pay to mount the fridge properly. I will have to pay for fabricating some means of keeping it in place. Until everything is completed I won't know for sure but I have been told that I am looking at just under $1000 out of pocket for the deductible and fabricated fridge mount. The mounting setup is almost equal to the deductible and is not covered by insurance. That also doesn't include the fact that we will be out of our home for up to 2 weeks.
If you have an icemaker, keep in mind that lines are rather fragile. The good sam extended warranty excludes ANY damage to wood in an RV. Other extended service contracts may do the same. Your only other recourse is your regular RV policy, at least if you buy full timer coverage.
I would sincerely recommend that if you have a residential fridge installed, look to see what is holding it in place. They come on wheels so that folks can move them for service / cleaning and they will move in a RV during travel if not secured properly. I found out the hard way and since the rig is well out of warranty I don't figure that there is any recourse through the factory for their lack of engineering acumen.
If you have an icemaker installed I suggest you shut off the water supply and use a stand alone counter top icemaker so you do not encounter the issues that more than a few of have had with water leaks. I still like the frost free aspect of the fridge but it will remain a dry fridge since the leak.
The final result is that the entire slide room floor is trashed and will have to be replaced. The slide will have to be removed and the floor replaced with remounting all of the cabinetry and appliances in the 14 foot slide. Because Heartland did not secure the appliance it will cost about $7800 depending on if there is no further damage to the main flooring of the rig. So far insurance is covering the majority of the repairs but they will not pay to mount the fridge properly. I will have to pay for fabricating some means of keeping it in place. Until everything is completed I won't know for sure but I have been told that I am looking at just under $1000 out of pocket for the deductible and fabricated fridge mount. The mounting setup is almost equal to the deductible and is not covered by insurance. That also doesn't include the fact that we will be out of our home for up to 2 weeks.
If you have an icemaker, keep in mind that lines are rather fragile. The good sam extended warranty excludes ANY damage to wood in an RV. Other extended service contracts may do the same. Your only other recourse is your regular RV policy, at least if you buy full timer coverage.
I would sincerely recommend that if you have a residential fridge installed, look to see what is holding it in place. They come on wheels so that folks can move them for service / cleaning and they will move in a RV during travel if not secured properly. I found out the hard way and since the rig is well out of warranty I don't figure that there is any recourse through the factory for their lack of engineering acumen.
If you have an icemaker installed I suggest you shut off the water supply and use a stand alone counter top icemaker so you do not encounter the issues that more than a few of have had with water leaks. I still like the frost free aspect of the fridge but it will remain a dry fridge since the leak.
