Melbourne kitchen drawers

[Mellonracing]

2020 Melbourne 24L. The two kitchen drawers located under the cook top have shaken loose. I took them both completely out and saw that they are both connected to a common “skeleton” frame. That frame was only held up by two small wood screws that were supposed to anchor into the plywood wall. Those small screws barely went in 1/4 inch! For reference, I only had very lightweight plastic dinnerware and utensils in the drawers. I’ve been RVing for many years and know enough to keep the weight as low as possible. So I know it wasn’t excessive weight that stressed the frame. Has anybody else run into this problem? The call to Jayco Customer Service didn’t yield any help. They were supposed to send a build schematic but never did. I have to remount this frame somehow but I can’t use deep screws that could potentially pierce the outside skin from the inside.

[Pfflyer]

I would hope there would be some space for framing or insulation before a screw would hit the outer skin. Can you glue and screw?

[Mellonracing]

Originally Posted by Pfflyer

I would hope there would be some space for framing or insulation before a screw would hit the outer skin. Can you glue and screw?

That’s the info that I needed from Jayco. I need to know how thick that wall is so I can correct their installation shortcomings. And getting glue or construction adhesive back there would be a colossal pain in the neck, literally. From my general life experience, there should have been six screws in there, three on the upper part and three on the bottom. And the screws should have been a sufficient length to actually bite into the wall. And I can’t build additional support from the floor because the furnace is in there.

[Pfflyer]

I have found several build quality issues in my 2016. Jayco was more responsive when I called but it has been at least 4 years since I last called. If your layout is like mine, the fridge vent and furnace exhaust is on that side so if you pull the covers you can get an idea how thick the walls are. You should be ok with a screw 1/4" longer than the support. What you are screwing into is probably 1/8 thick. With the vent covers gone you should see that you have plenty of extra room before you get to the outer skin. I would add some glue if you can as well.

[Mellonracing]

Originally Posted by Pfflyer

I have found several build quality issues in my 2016. Jayco was more responsive when I called but it has been at least 4 years since I last called. If your layout is like mine, the fridge vent and furnace exhaust is on that side so if you pull the covers you can get an idea how thick the walls are. You should be ok with a screw 1/4" longer than the support. What you are screwing into is probably 1/8 thick. With the vent covers gone you should see that you have plenty of extra room before you get to the outer skin. I would add some glue if you can as well.

Great idea. I’ll give that a shot. Even though it will be a pain, I was thinking of using construction adhesive of some type in addition to more screws when I try to remount the drawer frame.

[bluztoo]

Mine pulled off too - same deal. I've found numerous places in the construction of the coach where very few screws were used. Kind of amazing but I've got to get back there to that plywood too.

[Happy wife / happy life]

A little trick I learned when using glue and screws. If you pre drill your holes just a little larger than the screws your using to attach the frame to the panel you will be less likely to split the frame wood. Make sure to drill threw the frame only. It will also make the frame to panel fit much tighter and the glue will do a much better job. Now I’m going to go out and check the drawer frames on my TT.

[TnK]

We just started puting items into our 2022 unit yesterday. I never thought to check the frame to wall connection…
Oh good…now I have something new to be paranoid about. ������

[Stavman]

It's a house constantly in an earthquake

Act accordingly