Top of Refrigerator cabinet is hot when running frig on gas

[BTempone]

Is it normal that the cabinet behind the stovetop that the refrigerator is mounted in is hot when the frig is running on gas?

[RivetED]

The refrigerator in most RV's, including Airstreams, works by heating an ammonia solution. When it's operating on gas, AC, and on some units DC, the rear of the refrigerator gets hot.

The short answer is Yes, being hot in that area is most likely 'normal'. The definition of hot vs very warm is open for debate.

[davincent]

As RivetEd posted, heat from the refrigerator is transferred to shelf above it and into the trailer. I insulated underneath the shelf accessed by the top exterior hatch. I used fiberglass insulation covered by a piece of aluminum dryer vent that I cut, or disassembled lengthwise, trimmed to fit, and screwed into place. One less heat source when using the AC.

[Mollysdad]

People find that fridges that don't have a roof vents seem to trap the heat. There's a lot of mods done with muffin fans to keep the air moving. That would be one solution.

[waninae39]

it may seem counter intuitive, but cooling devices work by moving energy ie heat.

what ever lowering of temp inside , results in a higher raise in temp outside.
No system is anywhere near 100% efficient

you can help it by using a fan to move the heat outside the As frame.

the same as your fridge at home.
often new home fridge have the coil near the floor and not the back.

help your home fridge by removing the dust underneath. the dust can hamper air flow

[CDONA]

The cabinet above my fridge I leave open to help cooling, because it traps heat

[skyguyscott]

Indeed, I have often wondered if anyone has ever invented or built some sort of heat exchanger to take advantage of the heat generated from the fridge to help heat or maintain the temp of the hot water tank. Why let all that "free" heat go to waste -- especially in an RV?

[Msherw]

As has been discussed here, our RV fridge uses ammonia and a heating elements driven by 120vac/12vdc/LP. All work well (12vdc will drain batteries rather quickly) but all produce heat to the ammonia. The end result is the ammonia absorption circuit removes heat from one side (fridge interior) and deposits it into the outside.

It can be felt on top of a 22FB fridge cabinet. Turning on the red fan switch will help stir up the waste heat to move outside via the louvers but it does not get rid of the warmth on top.

I use the cabinet warm spot to host various edibles that do best warm like bread, fresh cookies, grab and go stuff. It seems like a waste not to use it somehow...

[Halford1]

Can use the warm area as food warmer.

[davincent]

Opening the refrigerator hatch cover and/ or using a fan will definitely help disperse the heat buildup faster. The piece of aluminum I used over the insulation is curved, helping to remove any heat that could buildup and get trapped at the top of the compartment.

[Silvr_Bullet]

Some Sports have a small fan in the panel accessible from a road side panel. I replaced mine it was making a screeching sound. The fan is temperature activated but a switch inside the Airsteam needs to be on. Very inexpensive new fan available on Amazon, also easy to change out here’s a photo hope it helps you.

[BTempone]

where did you tap in for power?

[Silvr_Bullet]

Photo of the existing power connection

[BTempone]

to DAVINCENT. Did the sheet metal dryer vent and insulation fix the problem? if so, I will do the same. Please advise

[drjudy]

1985 30’ Excella:
Disassembling and reinforcing the cabinet next to fridge (which was replaced by PO); “new” fridge is deeper as evidenced by floor tracks having been moved into the hall area. Noticed:
1. Plastic cover in back which channels hot air up to vent is MELTED where an adjacent vertical pipe is HOT (on AC and using fridge as our house fridge just went on the blink) and 2. The 1/4” board that was next to this spot is browned and the fake medium oak contact paper is burned/peeling. Need a fire-proof fix.

[waninae39]

i could not find room to add a curved metal plate as posted. the fins were too close.

i used tubular foam to fill the gap behind the fridge and the ext wall.
then i added thick alum tape to guide t hot air up rewards the ext vent

[davincent]

Originally Posted by BTempone

to DAVINCENT. Did the sheet metal dryer vent and insulation fix the problem? if so, I will do the same. Please advise

Yes, shelf above fridge is now room temp with fridge running. Easy and inexpensive fix.

[waninae39]

that is a great idea
it was very easy to make and install

i used a piece of 6" galvanized ducting
cut it to 5.5" x 22"

i also cut a 23" piece x 2" and folded to 135 degrees. i screwed it into the board above the fins to hold the curved panel. the top edge just fits right behind the door opening
bing, bang boom, i was done in a few minutes.
yesterday i sealed the open area behind the panel with foam and metal tape
i then sealed the area from yesterday to ensure no hot air would go behind the panel.


wed 2 small muffin fans arrive, i will mount them below the fins and point up so the air goes around the curved piece and out the side door

[waninae39]

i added a dual muffin fan to help cool the fins and blow the air into the direction of the new curved baffle

i had extra 1/8" aluminum strip that i used to mount the fans to and also use as a bracket. they are double side taped to the wall and two screws for good luck

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by BTempone

Is it normal that the cabinet behind the stovetop that the refrigerator is mounted in is hot when the frig is running on gas?

Yes, it's normal. Remember, when the fridge is on gas, theres a pilot light and then a flame when the system calls for heat, so the heat you feel is normal.