Hi 🙂
I have a Dometic 3-way refrig in the camper. I usually put it on battery while we are driving to the campsite, and then plug it in right away once we arrive. This most recent trip was a 3.5 hour drive, and the refrig was empty while driving (food in the cooler). I put the food in the refrig and switched to electric at the site. We had pretty warm weather (low to high 90's) and the cooler didn't seem to be keeping cool, even at the highest setting. Is this to be expected in that kind of heat? Or should I get it checked out? I had a thermo in there, but it broke on this trip so I couldn't gauge the temp. On the last trip out, however, it was working and was just barely in the happy range with it cranked to the highlest setting. It was also hot then...
Thanks!!!
These type fridges have a very slow recovery after opening the door. It really is best to work out of a cooler for things that you will be using a lot. Maybe take the days meals out of the fridge in the morning, and put them in the cooler. That way your other foods will keep better. I also heard that they cool better using propane versus electric. Might try that next time out.
The fridges need all the help they can get. 3.5 hour precool is nowhere near enough to get the insides down to a workable temp. Most here will suggest you plug in your fridge at hour 24-48 hours in advance. Then it will do a much better job.
Like other have said, adding a fridge vent fan to the back makes a huge difference. I can freeze things in my fridge even when the temp outside is in the high 90's.
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When at the campground on a very hot day run the fridge on propane. It is the most efficient source. The fins in the back of the unit work like a heat sink. They absorb warm which makes cold. An empty fridge has nothing to cool down. Keep a couple of bottles of water in the fridge between trips. This will help cool it down quicker. I turn mine on 48 hours before leaving. Also campers need to be level at home when you turn the fridge on and level at the camp site.
Steven
All very good suggestions so far. I don't think it can be stated enough that you need to start cooling the fridge 24-48 hours in advance and the fridge works most efficiently when there is something inside.
Adding a 12 volt fan, at least, and baffles to be most effective are almost mandatory to get the most out of the little PUP fridges. On really hot days I would also pull both covers on the side of the PUP and leave them off.
I haven't installed a fan on the Niagara yet, and we saw hot weather the last couple of trips and the fridge did fine. I don't know if it's a difference due to the size or what, but I'll add the fan just for the insurance.
John
Thanks, everyone, for all of the advice!! I had no idea I should be cooling so far in advance...will definitely do that. The fan sounds like it would be a great help too.
I'm going to sound like a wimp now, but I get nervous even thinking about using the propane :-[ I know it's somewhat irrational, but I have this crazy fear of propane things blowing up...
Went camping this weekend. Around 100 outdoor temp. I realized shortly before we left that I never did the fan mod in my fridge. So I quickly went to WalMart and bought 2 fans like this:
I put both of those in the bottom of the fridge compartment pointed upwards toward the cooling vents. I also picked up an indoor outdoor weather station. I put the outdoor in the fridge. At no point during the weekend did the temp get above 45 degrees. It was really impressive. Oh, factor in that my AC died on the FIRST day. We had fans moving air in the pup but it was a tad warm this weekend. ;D
I will certainly be doing this mod in a perm fashion once I get my pup back from the dealership.
If you're afraid of the LP. Pack the frig with a few frozen 2 liter bottles of water 24/48 hours to "condition" the frig just like you would to your cooler.
These 3 ways work with an ammonia system. It's not like the frig in the house with a compressor; that uses Freon.
It's a heat exchange system. It withdraws heat. In the absents of heat is cold. It pulls heat from items inside the frig and dissipates the heat out the back coils. The more heat you remove from the coils the more efficient your frig will be. That's what the fan in the back will help with.
Ps. That is why the LP works best; it's the hottest.
All great replies so far. One thing that I haven't seen yet is to make sure that the back side refridge compartment is clean. Wipe cobwebs, dust etc. from fins and pipes on refridge. Also if your top vent is screwed on like ours was. Remove it occasionally and clean that area as well.
On our Viking the refrdge had stopped working completely. We went for years just using the refridge as a dry food storage cabinet. After reading up on this site and others. I removed the top vent cover and found that some of the insullation around the refridge had moved and fallen on top of the fins. I pushed it back in place and the refridge worked great even after several seasons of no use.
Without getting into the physics of heat transfer too deeply to explain it all, when you are chilling your fridge put something in it with some mass (weight)to get cold. Air only in the fridge is a poor conductor of heat/cold and will only give up so much heat, you need something in there with some mass. As has been stated above, a couple of freezer packs, some cold bottles of pop or water or frozen packs of meat will greatly aid the fridge in cooling down.
LP is really a very safe item, if you follow the safety rules for each appliance. My dad worked in the propane industry for 25 years and never once got burned by a propane flame. His advice, " read the manual, follow the directions explicitley, if you still have doubts, check with a reliable popup service center- make an appointment and have them show you how on YOUR pup, then while still there practice!" And always, always, pay attention to the little details, like a clean compartment, your hands being clean too-and not with hand sanitizer, that stuff has alcohol in it and is flamable,- USE SOAP AND WATER.
A tip: after the pup has been in storage or not used, it may take more time to get propane through the lines to the fridge, so do not get discouraged if it doesn't light right away, it will, as soon as enough fuel is there. Oh, and that rotten egg smell of propane, that is to let you know the gas is coming out. When you have the gas through the line, you will smell it. Let go of the knobs, allow some ventilation, then go throught the ignition sequence. Once you see a nice blue flame, it is lit. BUT it may not stay lit, if there is any more air in the line. So, go back and check it in 15 minutes, then in an hour. At that point, you should feel the heat at the exhaust vent.
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