N-Trouble
California
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Joined: 12/02/2005
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My fridge does a great job of quickly getting cool when I turn it on while its sitting in front of my house. I can load it up with food and it will still hold temp just fine for as long as I have it parked. After taking off and arriving at my destination a few hours later my freezer will be thawed out and the fridge temp has climbed by about 15-20 degrees. In order to get it to cool back down it seems like I have to pull everything out and throw it in an icechest. By the next morning my fridge and freezer is working fine again and I can put everything back in for the rest of the trip and it stays cool. Its only while going down the road that I have problems. Is it common for RV type fridges to not work well while moving? Is it the rocking back and forth? Or possibly venting issues that are caused by the 60MPH winds blowing by the vents??? Looking for any suggestions to keep my fridge cool while underway
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2oldman
Indio CA
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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Probably blowing out the flame. You might try running it on electric if possible and see if that's true. Many folks don't run the refer at all while on the road, but it doesn't thaw, so I don't follow that part.
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doughere
Mooresville NC
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Joined: 10/27/2005
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You need to give a lot more info. Reefer make/model/age. Are you using 115AC at home or propane. Is your unit set up for auto-changeover if you are using 115AC at home and LP on the road. Does the reefer thaw if you are trying to use LP while not moving??
Movement on road is absolutely fine. Flame should not blow out at highway speeds. Unit should not thaw in two hours under any normal circumstances.
Regards,
Doug
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N-Trouble
California
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Its a Dometic (not sure what model) installed in a 2004 Weekend Warrior Superlite. I can run it on either LP or electric while parked and either mode works just fine. Fridge gets down to ~40*. Its not until I get going down the road for few hours on LP that temps rise (50-60*). I have no way of running it on electric while going down the road.
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Road Runners
Tampa Bay, Florida
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Joined: 12/19/2001
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When you unplug your external electrical cord do you check to see that the propane jet is actually burning and, if it is burning, does it stay burning after you have driven down the road a ways.
It sounds to me like your propane flame does not light or it is lighting and then going out.
'05' F-250 Power Stroke
'00' 30' Cameo Fifth Wheel
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doughere
Mooresville NC
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Making a stab!!!
When you are in driveway and running it on LP, are you plugged into 115VAC running your converter? If you don't have 12VDC, most Dometic reefers won't run!! ie. is your battery dead, and/or is the 12VDC in your umbilical cord normally feeding your unit 12VDC while on the road dead(at this moment mine is)
Did you have the dometic modifications done, did it start after that?
Is the flame up to snuff; its hard to tell, as it looks just like a pilot flame on most appliances. It is pretty evident that if you actually have the 12VDC needed, that the flame is not high enough while there is air cooling the system down, or the flame is getting blown out at speed. Are the shields properly installed to keep the air from blowing out flame.
Not an exhaustive list of possibilites, but some things to ponder; hope it helps.
Regards,
Doug
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J Walker
Oakton, Va
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Joined: 06/12/2003
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If the propane is not lighting you should see the Check light come on. I have observed that my refrigerator warms quite a bit on the road when not on, but in the same amount of time it warms little when parked. My conclusion is that there is some air circulation that affects the refrigerator when driving. It is possible in your case that your refrigerator is on when driving but you are getting too much air circulation. The water drain tube and the door seal are the main candidates in my opinion for air circulation. I put the end on my water drain tube in a cup filled with water so air cannot get in.
Jim Walker
2000 34' Damon Ultrasport DP
2009 Malibu
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CA Traveler
Sun Lakes, AZ
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Joined: 01/03/2004
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Quote:After taking off and arriving at my destination a few hours later my freezer will be thawed out and the fridge temp has climbed by about 15-20 degrees. This suggests significant air leaks at the door seals.
2004 Holiday Rambler 36 Endeavor PST with ISC 330 Cummins
2004 Honda CR-V
Bob
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N-Trouble
California
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I have two 6v batteries that are always at full charge so no low battery issues. I have also done routine maintenance on the burner and believe it is working properly. Like I said it cools down quick and has no problem holding temperature (even in hot weather) as long as I'm not moving. 90% of the time I am always on LP before I leave and the unit is fully cooled the night before I leave. I also agree with some other that it sounds like a circulation problem. I would think even if the flame went out going down the road that the temps shouldn't be rising as fast as they are if everything was sealed up. Its almost like the cold air is getting sucked out of the unit as I'm going down the road. I found another post about a guy who had a similar problem and it wasn't the door seal, but rather the seal on the backside of the unit. He ended up having to pull it out and use some refridgeration tape on the backside of the unit to seal it up and it seemed to fix the problem.
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dougrainer
Carrolton, Texas
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Joined: 06/11/2007
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There is an evaporator pan under the refer coil fins inside the refer. On the backside is a white plastic hose that drains that water. Check that hose and either plug it up or install the end in a cup of water. That hose is a direct air input to the refer and will cause the refer to suck in the outside air in transit. As old as your refer is, you really need to verify that that plastic hose is NOT deterioated where it attaches on the back of the refer and needs replaced. This would NOT affect the freezer section. If both sections rise in temp then the next solution would be what you posted----Pull the refer and reseal the cooling unit to the box. Are you the original owner? I wonder if someone replaced the cooling unit and did not seal it correctly before you purchased the RV if you are not the original owner.
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