3670RL Storage Improvements & Floor Vents - Montana Owners Club

Bill and Ann · 01-25-2005, 04:36 AM

Here are a couple of pics. showing the additional storage areas I made under the Frig. and the Stove. I also added panels to the blanks on the sink cupboard. I changed the floor vents to ones which we can open or close as needed. The vents came from Lowes.
http://community.webshots.com/album/259563891tcqHLT

vickir · 01-25-2005, 04:57 AM

How great you posted this today! We're going to Lowe's today to buy the stuff we need for Steve to do the under-stove thing.

sreigle · 01-25-2005, 05:03 AM

Bill, thanks for these pictures. They're very timely. We are planning to go to Lowe's in a couple of hours to get what we need to do this, so these pictures came in at the perfect time.

Question for you - did you find the drawers ready-to-go at Lowe's or some other store or did you build them yourself?

We don't have the room under the fridge. Ours has two horizontal pieces below the fridge that are flush with the surrounding cabinets. The "opening" between them, where the panel is that can probably be pushed out, is only about two inches high, if that. Did yours have more room? Those flush pieces appear to provide some support so I'm reluctant to mess with them.

Thanks.

Bill and Ann · 01-25-2005, 05:17 AM

Steve & Vicki: I purchased a piece of oak. 1x8x6 and made my own fronts. The area under the frig in the 3670 is empty. Some units have the converter or inverter (whatever) Some have the furnace. The space is not available on all units. The stove area is ok though. You can check by lifting the stove and peeking in. I didn't use drawers as it would take too much room. Ann just washed the floor under both units and puts the pots and pans on the linoleum floor. The fronts have hinges on the bottom of each panel and I used the same type of clips which keep the drawers closed.
The panels I made for the sink counter are just glued on with liquid nails.

rames14 · 01-25-2005, 01:04 PM

Bill and Ann -

Nice touches. We have to wait for a Lowes. Not big in Chicago yet.

mperk · 01-26-2005, 02:43 AM

Great idea!!! I have a 3670RL and I have made the new fronts for the cabinets and would like to know where you got the stain color. Was it a custom match or is it something that can be purchased off the shelf?

Bill and Ann · 01-26-2005, 02:57 AM

rames14: The oak is actually cheaper at Home Depot. I would have purchased it there but they were out of stock. Oak is a lot more expensive in Tx. than Canada but Ann couldn't wait to get the storage space.
mperk: The stain is off the shelf. MinWax Classic Oak Satin.

Chuck and Carol · 01-26-2005, 04:33 AM

Gonna get Chuck to work on our vents. Too much dog hair going down there. Will be able to close the one at the bottom of the stairs. That is where the dog sleeps.
After our Spring thaw, probably June

, I will look for spots for more storage. Chuck thanks all you guys for these ideas.

Carol

sreigle · 01-26-2005, 04:54 AM

Thanks, Bill. Unfortunately, as fulltimers I no longer have access to the tools to make the doors. However, while at Lowe's yesterday we talked with someone and got a brochure. They can make the doors for us. They are a bit pricey but not unreasonable and when that's the only option....

We bought some spring loaded hinges I hope will work.

Our fridge appears to be closer to the floor than in your pictures. Ours has two horizontal pieces under the fridge with a "gap" inbetween of maybe two inches, at most. This "gap" has the panel behind it I assume can be pressed out. However, two inches is not enough access. Did yours look like this? I'm reluctant to remove the horizontal pieces since they appear to be supporting the fridge box. Just wondering if yours was different than this. I can take a picture if it would help. Neither the funace nor the converter nor the water pump are in that area. Maybe I can see from outside what's under there.

Thanks.

Sunshine · 01-26-2005, 04:55 AM

I think there are filters you can get for the furnace vents. Seems I just saw some in a catalog not too long ago. We get so many catalogs though and I usually pitch them after a run through, that I don't remember where I saw the filters. Maybe they would be available at Lowe's or Home Depot though.

gungho · 01-26-2005, 05:53 AM

I have seen them at ( vent filters ) home depot with the furnace filters.

rames14 · 01-26-2005, 01:55 PM

Bill and Ann -

Nice modifications. Some more great ideas.

Bill and Ann · 01-27-2005, 03:14 AM

sreigle: Steve, I don't have a lot of tools with me either. I usually take the measurements of the pieces I need when I go the Lowes or Home Depot and get them to make the cuts. The first three are usually free and .50 for each additional cut. A lot cheaper than buying the tool. I bought myself a palm sander for xmas which I will leave in our shed in Tx. when we go home, and sanded down the bevels and rounded the corners on the fronts. A little slow, but what the heck, I am retired with nothing to do but play golf.

sreigle · 01-27-2005, 03:24 AM

Thanks for the ideas, Bill. I had taken the sizes of the openings we want to cover but realized when there that works only for under the stove, for us. There's another place I want to do the same thing, add an area for storage. That's under the bottom desk drawer (3295rk). In that location I want the width of the new door to match the width of the drawer fronts that will be just above it. So I need those measurements, too. I think we're going back to Lowe's tomorrow. If they can't meet my needs, Home Depot is right next door.

Bill and Ann · 01-27-2005, 04:13 AM

sreigle: Steve you might ask how much a palm sander would cost to rent to complete the work yourself. Probably cheaper than having them made.

sreigle · 01-27-2005, 11:23 AM

Another good idea, Bill. Thanks. It's 30 miles to the Lowe's and Home Depot so I have to factor in the travel cost to return the sander, too. I'll see if there's a rental place that's closer.

BillyRay · 01-27-2005, 11:37 AM

very nice! we have a fuse panel and circuit breaker box under our frig...so can't do it. we did have wasted space over the microwave though and we did the same thing. you would think they would use all availible space when they built them.

nkwist · 01-27-2005, 04:29 PM

To keep dog hair and other "stuff" from going down the floor vents, I went to the local hardware store and bought a couple of feet of screening. Cut pieces about 1 1/2 inches larger than the dimensions of the openings. Remove the vents, put down the screening and replace the vents. Less than 5 minutes per vent and less than 10 cents each. Works great.

Norm

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