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RE: Fridge Issues

Started by Tim5055, Jun 08, 2003, 04:09 PM

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Y-Guy

Sep 28, 2003, 07:05 PM
 We took a quick last minute trip Friday.  No time to precool the fridge, just grabbed the camper and headed to a nearby campground.  We had electric hook ups so I set the fridge to A/C and max #9.  That evening it still didn t seem very cold.  I am use to setting the fridge on #4 since #9 would freeze things.  But this time it just didn t seem to be working correctly and getting as cool. Its been in storage since February.  I did switch to Propane and that seemed to help a bit, but still wasn t as cold as I would like.  I am wondering if I have a problem or if others have the same issue when its warm out.

Tim5055

#1
Jun 08, 2003, 04:09 PM
 Y-GuyOK, I m going to stick my neck out here, mainly because I have not read the owners manual (it s in the pop up).
 
 I thought the round dial (1 - 9 setings) only effects LP gas operation.  On electric I thougt it had no real temp control??
 
 

Y-Guy

#2
Jun 08, 2003, 04:15 PM
 Y-GuyThanks Tim, unlike our Niagara the Kiwi has the digital controls on the fridge on the inside of the camper.  To the best of my knowledge and experience the 1-9 setting work on both propane and A/C.
 
 Since it has worked so well in the past I am almost wondering if enough dust/dirt got in the vent on the roof or something.  I just can t imagine the precooling would have made such a huge difference, but maybe I m wrong.  
 
 Still baffled.

Tim5055

#3
Jun 08, 2003, 04:43 PM
 Y-GuyOK, I was thinking about the Niagara[:)]

Gone-Camping

#4
Jun 08, 2003, 10:00 PM
 Y-GuyI don t know about the settings, but I d have turned on the gas before leaving to help get it pre-cooled. I m one of the few on this board that actually recommends against running with the gas lit, but there are times when it just has to be, especially with the Hybrid s (no 12vdc option)....

SheBantam

#5
Jun 11, 2003, 08:32 AM
 Y-GuyI try to hook up the electric three or 4 days ahead of hooking up the trailer and turn the fridge on, this allows it to cool.  Also I found that Blue Ice makes a big difference. If you have room in the freezer at home for 4 0r 5 of them, keep them frozen, and put them in the camper fridge right before leaving, if there was no time to pre-cool.
 
 It takes the Bantam 2 to 3 days to cool down with out the help of the blue ice. The blue Ice will also keep things cool when you travel.
 
 Also keep blue ice in the freezer of the fridge and change them out in my coolers, saves on $$ for ice.

ckkevin

#6
Jun 11, 2003, 12:22 PM
 Y-GuyI hate to even admit this but the first time we took our hybrid out, I didn t plug the shore power plug in tight enough to get a good connection.  
 
 We set up camp and left for several hours.  Everything seemed to work before we left.  The lights came on. The radio worked but of course these are all powered by the battery also.
 
 It wasn t until we returned latter and tried to turn on the A/C that I figured out  I had no electricity and the fridge was not cooling.[:o]  I have learned now to check the flashing " set me"  clock  on the microwave to verify we have electricity.
 
 Just one of those lessons I have learned.[&:]

SactoCampers

#7
Jun 11, 2003, 12:49 PM
 Y-GuySpeaking of fridge issues, when we were at the beach a couple weeks ago I decided I would try the fridge on propane even though we were using the cooler. I could get it to light, but it wouldn t stay lit. Any thoughts?

campertime

#8
Jun 11, 2003, 03:08 PM
 Y-Guysteve - we have always precooled our fridge so I guess I can t help. I can tell you  that it takes 5-6 hours to cool down the fridge. I plug her in the night before our trip so she gets a good 8 hours of cooling time. [:)]
 
 Try cleaning the vent and the coils with a vacuum or compresed air and see if it helps.

Y-Guy

#9
Jun 12, 2003, 03:16 AM
 Y-GuyThanks all for the feedback, I think I ll wait to call for any service on it until we go out again and I have a chance to precool it as we usually have.  I think I will clean things out just to make sure the blowing dust hasn t clogged anything up.  I know it hasn t been tampered with since its stored in a police impound yard (gotta love friends).  
 
 Brian, did you have any wind that might have been blowing it out?  I assume you had already used other propane so the lines were primmed by then.  Is there any type of adjustment that regulates the flow that might be turned down to low?

LKaskel

#10
Jun 19, 2003, 11:30 PM
 Y-GuyThe last issue of Pop Up Times has a good article on camper fridges and how they work.  Based on what I ve read they work by heating the liquid in the system and by the pressure this creates the liquid flows through the system.  Unlike our fridge at home the uses a compressor (motor) that pushes the freon through it s system.  If yours did not seem to cool then either the heater did not heat correctly or maybe it lost some of it s liquid from the system.  I have found on really hot days I put a small fan blowing on the back of the fridge and this helps the heat transfer allowing the fridge to cool better.

Y-Guy

#11
Jun 20, 2003, 04:05 AM
 Y-GuyThanks for the reply.
 
 The general consensus from some other hybid owners and general TT/RV owners that I ve posted to is the precool made a big difference and with some warm items (soda, wine, etc) in the fridge on the hot weekend it was just to much to get it cooled down.  With the size of the fridge/freezer compared to our PopUp I guess I was expecting to much to quick.  I ll see how it goes on our next trip out.

Wayfarer

#12
Jun 25, 2003, 11:24 PM
 Y-GuyOur Rockwood Roo has a Dometic Fridge (guess all RV s do?), but this one is different and much better than the last two we had (one in a Casita and one in Coleman Utah.)  Anyway, it is preset - no thermostats, etc., to adjust.  You just turn it on and if you are hooked up to electricity it automatically runs on elec; if not, it automatically runs on propane.  The freezer cools to a consistent zero and the fridge part to 40.  So far, so good.  We turn it on usually about 24 hours before leaving and try to have everything we put in it precooled.  When travelling, if we stop for gas I will pull over away from pumps, go inside and just turn fridge off so as not to have any flame near pumps, then pull to pumps and fill up, then stop on the way out or first chance I get and turn fridge back on inside camper.  The propane has electronic start so no pilot lights are involved.  Hot water heater is also Gas/Elec and selects automatically like the fridge.  Sure beats having to fuss with lighting those pilots on a wet and windy day or night!
 

NCSunshine

#13
Jun 26, 2003, 01:34 AM
 Y-GuyI hate to even guess at this but on some fridge s the lower the number the cooler and on others the higher the number the cooler.  Just a thought.
 
 Never mind just re-read the post and you said it froze at #9[&:]

Y-Guy

#14
Jul 13, 2003, 09:06 PM
 Y-GuyFridge Update
 Well we went out yet again camping in 100 degree temps with no opportunity to precool the fridge and worse yet our propane regulator was leaking so we wouldn t have use of it for the fridge.
 
 However this time we had made (4) 2-liter bottles of frozen ice water.  Put a couple in the fridge and two in the freezer when we arrived.  By that evening we could tell how much cooler it seemed, and by morning anything in the freezer was again frozen solid.
 
 Precooling is defiantly the issue, but by adding the extra ice it really helped the unit cool down quickly.
 
 Thanks for all the tips and advice.
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