Cooking with Gas
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Cooking with Gas typographic blue fire illustrative title in uppercase letters form within a black border box next to a small fire stove burner slot image
A close-up photograph view of three fire stovetop burner slots
How to replace that old, outdated cooktop with a modern version — in under an hour
By Bruce W. Smith / Photos by the author
T

here’s a lot to be said for retaining ownership of an older RV, not the least of which is they have “good bones,” a solid build — and can be picked up for not a lot of money.

One place they tend to come up short, though, is in aesthetics. You don’t have to go back to the shag-carpet days of the GMC motorhome (built from 1972 through the ’78 model years, for those keeping score) to find looks that haven’t aged well. And, in the case of appliances, neither are they anywhere as efficient as those built today.

When the crew at Carrier RV Service in Eugene, Washington, was charged with replacing the three-burner cooktop in a customer’s well-cared-for 2008 Monaco Diplomat motorhome, appearances admittedly had something to do with it — “It didn’t go with the other upgraded appliances in the galley,” admitted Teresa Carrier — but it also had one burner that was inoperable, and finding replacement parts for the outdated and long-discontinued Atwood High Output gas stove was becoming a tougher task.

The owners of this 2008 Monaco Diplomat motorhome were tired of the old slide-in cooktop and wanted something nicer looking — and with sturdier grating and better burners.
The owners of this 2008 Monaco Diplomat motorhome were tired of the old slide-in cooktop and wanted something nicer looking — and with sturdier grating and better burners.

As the Carrier team demonstrated — we stuck around for the swap — replacing the Dometic for a new Suburban 3600A RV cooktop ($455 MSRP) was fairly easy — but it wasn’t quite the “slide-in replacement” anticipated.

Yes, replacing an older OEM cooktop is, for the most part, a fairly easy job, requiring little more than a few open-end wrenches and a cordless drill-driver (or Phillips screwdriver), and possibly a small finish handsaw or oscillating multi-tool if the replacement stove is slightly larger than the original cooktop. However, in this installation the new stove ended up being an inch-and-a-half wider across the face and a ½-inch wider along the sides.

A new slide-in gas stove being slightly different in size than the unit it’s replacing is a common occurrence, according to the technicians at Carrier; a little trimming of the galley’s Corian countertop and birchwood facia took care of the fit issue. Start to finish, it took Tony Salazar, Carrier RV’s shop manager, just under an hour to make the swap. When it was done the customer was quite pleased, saying “Now we’re cookin’ with gas!”

Want to tackle the job yourself? We followed Salazar every step of the way to show how the RV slide-in cooktop replacement is done.

The first step is to shut off the propane at the tank. The grill assembly is then pushed backward and lifted up to remove from the base of the unit.
The first step is to shut off the propane at the tank. The grill assembly is then pushed backward and lifted up to remove from the base of the unit.
Two wrenches (13/16-inch & 5/8-inch) separate the gas feed line from the stove manifold. A ½-inch pipe plug is installed into the feed line to prevent any gas seepage as the rest of the install is done.
Two wrenches (13/16-inch & 5/8-inch) separate the gas feed line from the stove manifold. A ½-inch pipe plug is installed into the feed line to prevent any gas seepage as the rest of the install is done.
Two wrenches (13/16-inch & 5/8-inch) separate the gas feed line from the stove manifold. A ½-inch pipe plug is installed into the feed line to prevent any gas seepage as the rest of the install is done.
After the gas line is sealed off, then the four wood screws that hold the stove to the counter are removed. Once the mounting screws are removed the old cooktop can be easily lifted out and sent to the RV scrapyard.
After the gas line is sealed off, then the four wood screws that hold the stove to the counter are removed. Once the mounting screws are removed the old cooktop can be easily lifted out and sent to the RV scrapyard.
After the gas line is sealed off, then the four wood screws that hold the stove to the counter are removed. Once the mounting screws are removed the old cooktop can be easily lifted out and sent to the RV scrapyard.
In this installation, the OEM gas line was connected inside the cooktop. The line had to be repositioned because the new cooktop gas line feed is external at the rear of the unit.
In this installation, the OEM gas line was connected inside the cooktop. The line had to be repositioned because the new cooktop gas line feed is external at the rear of the unit.
Salazar used a 9/16-inch open-end wrench before he started the install to turn the gas feed fitting on the Suburban cooktop to a 90-degree angle to match the position of this Monaco’s cooktop LP-gas line.
Salazar used a 9/16-inch open-end wrench before he started the install to turn the gas feed fitting on the Suburban cooktop to a 90-degree angle to match the position of this Monaco’s cooktop LP-gas line.
The new cooktop is set into place. It didn’t fit perfectly into the existing space because the facia was 1-1/2 inches wider and ¾-inch deeper than the unit it was replacing, as well as ½-inch wider along the sides. Minor modifications were needed.
The new cooktop is set into place. It didn’t fit perfectly into the existing space because the facia was 1-1/2 inches wider and ¾-inch deeper than the unit it was replacing, as well as ½-inch wider along the sides. Minor modifications were needed.
Salazar cut a 24-inch-long length of aluminum — the same width as the replacement cooktop — and clamped it in place to act as a trim guide to give a straight cut across the facia when using his reciprocating multi-tool.
Salazar cut a 24-inch-long length of aluminum — the same width as the replacement cooktop — and clamped it in place to act as a trim guide to give a straight cut across the facia when using his reciprocating multi-tool.
A reciprocating multi-tool makes short work of cutting the facia and Corian countertop so the new cooktop will drop into place. This install required making four small notches, two on each side, to allow clearance for the Suburban’s side mounting protrusion to clear the factory countertop cutout.
A reciprocating multi-tool makes short work of cutting the facia and Corian countertop so the new cooktop will drop into place. This install required making four small notches, two on each side, to allow clearance for the Suburban’s side mounting protrusion to clear the factory countertop cutout.
A reciprocating multi-tool makes short work of cutting the facia and Corian countertop so the new cooktop will drop into place. This install required making four small notches, two on each side, to allow clearance for the Suburban’s side mounting protrusion to clear the factory countertop cutout.
Once the new cooktop fit the space, Salazar re-installed the gas feed line, then sprayed gas leak detector fluid on the fitting and turned the gas back on to ensure there were no leaks.
Once the new cooktop fit the space, Salazar re-installed the gas feed line, then sprayed gas leak detector fluid on the fitting and turned the gas back on to ensure there were no leaks.

Once the new cooktop fit the space, Salazar re-installed the gas feed line, then sprayed gas leak detector fluid on the fitting and turned the gas back on to ensure there were no leaks.

Once the gas line is checked, the Suburban three-burner slide-in cooktop was pushed into final position.
Once the gas line is checked, the Suburban three-burner slide-in cooktop was pushed into final position.
Quite often replacement cooktops are sent with sheet metal mounting screws instead of wood screws. Only use wood screws for mounting a cooktop into the cabinetry.
Quite often replacement cooktops are sent with sheet metal mounting screws instead of wood screws. Only use wood screws for mounting a cooktop into the cabinetry.
Always remove the clear plastic covers from the new stove before lighting the burners! You might think this should go without saying, but Salazar has seen more than one customer make this mistake.
Always remove the clear plastic covers from the new stove before lighting the burners! You might think this should go without saying, but Salazar has seen more than one customer make this mistake.
The final installation gives new life to an older RV galley. The Suburban slide-in cooktop is robust — and the style is modern.
The final installation gives new life to an older RV galley. The Suburban slide-in cooktop is robust — and the style is modern.
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