Simple Survey on Fridge Performance While on Propane

[RocIngersol]

Hello Basecampers, RocIngersol here with additional refrigerator performance results based on several modifications.
Please see attached pictures (as they say pictures are worth a thousand words…) for the modifications that I made to the outside vents behind the propane tanks.
This is what I did:
1. Removed the black plastic propane tank cover.
2. Fitted the propane tanks with a vinyl cover with a strap underneath to hold it on while traveling.
3. Installed a “Snip the Tip” rheostat thermistor on inside the refrigerator (just search google for pictures and instructions).
4. Fabricated and installed a removable (using wing nuts) rain shield for the upper outside refrigerator vent while the vehicle is under tow.Handmade a quick prototype shield out of aluminum, riveted and painted (the prototype & paint job could be better).It took ½ hour to take pictures/measurements, 1 hour to think about a simple design, 1.5 hours to build and paint with simple tools, and installation took about 1 hour.I will have a local sheet metal shop make a proper part.
So, with the shield on, on propane, vehicle stationary or while traveling, refrigerator performance: +/- 3 degrees at a 38 degree set point (this took 4 days to fine adjust the refrigerator rheostat thermistor) with outside temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 degrees F.Outside skin temperature at the front refrigerator vent opening ranging from 90 to 130 degrees F.The newly installed fan (TSB 172) never turned on.
Most likely I will leave the shield off as it really doesn’t rain that much here in Arizona, and if it looks like rain prior to travel, the shield is easy to install with wingnuts. The lower outside vent is protected by the propone tank/cover.As another fyi, I used stainless steel hardware.
Anyways, it appears I am on my way to making the refrigerator perform – when it gets really hot here in Tucson I’ll shoot out additional temperature results.
Regards,
RocIngersol

[YoungishJedi]

So, the only major change you made was removing the black tank cover?

[RocIngersol]

Answer to modification question.

Made two (2) major changes:

Removed Black Tank Cover, and

Removed Refrigerator factory thermistor (inside refrigerator) and replaced with Variable Rheostat thermistor ("Snip the Tip". Search google for additional information).

Regards,

RocIngersol

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by BkroadTravlr

Just got Wallie back from the dealer service dept. after having them do the service memo on the fridge. They added insulation around the fridge, baffles at the coil and another fan for air movement. They also added another battery to take care of the additional power draw. There was a die cut seal put over the gap where the vent fits into the access opening. Work was also done to prevent rain water from entering the living space.
I will have to wait to see if the fridge cools better, but the additional fan noise may be a problem. Could someone post again the info on the silent computer fans. I may want to replace the factory fans at some point. I also don't like the idea that I will have to destroy the seal if I need to access the fridge compartment. That seems like a short-sighted solution.

Thanks for this update in the BC Issues thread. I am taking the liberty of replying here, in hopes that your question about a quieter fan may find a more focused audience here. FYI the new search function above with the blue border works great, and here are the results for "fridge fan quieter" --

https://www.google.com/search?q=frid...=airforums.com

This thread looks familiar but I have not read it again:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...-11811-11.html

Good luck!

Peter

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

. . . The BC fridge never worked properly, froze everything even with adjustments and the noise was never going away.
. . .

Thanks for your post on the BC Issues thread. [click on orange arrow in quote to see the full post]

Sorry for your and others’ troubles.

Another Basecamp bites the dust!

[Gail Miller]

Hey guys ... I haven't checked in for a while. Is anyone's refrigerator working properly yet ... I haven't had the latest 'fix' done, that adds the fans and extra battery. Anyone had that done and all is well with the fridge??

[Trae and Ann]

Originally Posted by Gail Miller

Hey guys ... I haven't checked in for a while. Is anyone's refrigerator working properly yet ... I haven't had the latest 'fix' done, that adds the fans and extra battery. Anyone had that done and all is well with the fridge??

We had ours fixed about 5 months ago and it kept temp just fine in 80 degree weather for the high. Took it out a few weeks ago where it stayed in the 30’s all day and dipped into the 20’s that night and it did not to freezing anything stayed at around 32 degrees. Just need to wait for the Texas summer to see how it holds up in the real heat of the day.

[AThiker66]

I had the frig fix done in December when I took my BC in for its annual warranty inspection. I haven’t tried it out yet as it’s still cold here. I’m planning a trip in April where I’ll head down to the Deep South. I’ll report back then on the results.

[YoungishJedi]

We are waiting on 2 more parts to arrive at the local dealer before they can do the work. It should be ready for our week long boondock trip in SoCal this April. We shouldn't have extreme temps but it should still be a good test.

[randsfl]

posted at longer forum first

i thought frig was a little flakey but seemed to work fairly well first year - out about 100 days in all - extreme weather only at big bend but we usually move after 2 days and we were on hookup all but 3 or 4 days of trip

as stated i will take stats this next trip in apr may june - fla ga (across country) with weeks in ariz and utah and back to fla - should get some hot weather

one interesting thing - had into dealer in jan for backdoor fix - it has been replaced once and serviced 2 other times - they replaced locking rod this time - as someone mentioned i noticed it had to be a proper rain to happen not too hard and not to little - the interesting thing was the dealer didn't ask about or offer any service on frig

[randsfl]

had long recap but forum timed out i guess

i guess i am going to try little things - some from suggestions - i am not going thru them again but feel free to message me

i think the driving problem of heat and airflow can be mitigated some but never fixed with design of BC

i think when camping in heat with hookup you can do things to mitigate problems

I think as of now hot weather boon docking would be one day at a time thing until some fixes (maybe smaller unit in cabinet - less heat more airflow and cooling)

thanks a good luck all - reid

[randsfl]

someone on other forum - put up idea based on if u have solar

replace frig with 12v compressor frig - have 2 lith batteries and s/b good to go

theres the obvious of not being happy with what we bought and having to spend more

and I'm guessing this costs a little but are there any other negatives i am missing

im not versed in these issues

thanks all

[Trae and Ann]

Ok I know I said things seemed to be going ok with our fridge after our last trip but this time out we have been hooked into electric for about 26hours and it is only cooled to 45. We had temps in the 80’s but for the most part pretty mild so no I am thinking this is still going to be an issue. Question has anyone replaced their fridge with another option? I thought I remember talk about a marine type fridge to replace... anyone gone that route?? I hate to invest that kind of money but really if it would make such a difference I may consider. I am really starting to think that this is one of those things that is never going to be exactly right.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Trae and Ann

.... Question has anyone replaced their fridge with another option? I thought I remember talk about a marine type fridge to replace... anyone gone that route?? ....

Yes, this is a long thread but if you read upwards, you can find my original references to this blog post in which I describe replacing our Dometic RM2351 with a Vitrifrigo.

We are very happy with it and we live in Houston, so we are in very warm conditions most of the year. It's been in our rig almost a year now with no problems and no failure to cool (we don't have a BC but we have an older Interstate which used the same model of propane fridge as the BC... both of our Dometics had the same types of problems being described in this thread).

Back when I wrote that blog post, I complained about poor customer support on Vitrifrigo's part. It's an Italian company with minimal presence in the U.S. Vitrifrigo eventually found my blog post and contacted me to supply this additional contact information for anyone who might need assistance:

Shryl Conner
Marketing & Sales Support
Phone: +1 (954) 979-7737
Fax +1 (954) 979-7740
Email: Shrylconner@vfamerica.com
VITRIFRIGO AMERICA LLC
2200 NW 32nd St. Suite 1200
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Web: www.vfamerica.com

[Gail Miller]

Originally Posted by randsfl

someone on other forum - put up idea based on if u have solar

replace frig with 12v compressor frig - have 2 lith batteries and s/b good to go

theres the obvious of not being happy with what we bought and having to spend more

and I'm guessing this costs a little but are there any other negatives i am missing

im not versed in these issues

thanks all

Unfortunately, I think that is going to be the solution. AS put the cheapest fridge in the Basecamp, not even one you can adjust the temp on, so they are never going to do anything but offer useless fixes. I too hate to spend the money for the marine fridge and lithium batteries, but it's probably the answer to so much frustration. I just need someone to offer model numbers, etc. for replacement(s) and I'll probably do that.

[Gail Miller]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Yes, this is a long thread but if you read upwards, you can find my original references to this blog post in which I describe replacing our Dometic RM2351 with a Vitrifrigo.

We are very happy with it and we live in Houston, so we are in very warm conditions most of the year. It's been in our rig almost a year now with no problems and no failure to cool (we don't have a BC but we have an older Interstate which used the same model of propane fridge as the BC... both of our Dometics had the same types of problems being described in this thread).

Back when I wrote that blog post, I complained about poor customer support on Vitrifrigo's part. It's an Italian company with minimal presence in the U.S. Vitrifrigo eventually found my blog post and contacted me to supply this additional contact information for anyone who might need assistance:

Shryl Conner
Marketing & Sales Support
Phone: +1 (954) 979-7737
Fax +1 (954) 979-7740
Email: Shrylconner@vfamerica.com
VITRIFRIGO AMERICA LLC
2200 NW 32nd St. Suite 1200
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Web: www.vfamerica.com

Part of the Basecamp's fridge problem is the vent being behind the propane tanks. I assume your camper isn't vented that way and instead has the chimney vent? Will that present a problem with the Vitrifrigo? How is yours vented?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Gail Miller

Part of the Basecamp's fridge problem is the vent being behind the propane tanks. I assume your camper isn't vented that way and instead has the chimney vent? Will that present a problem with the Vitrifrigo? How is yours vented?

I realize that the structural configuration is different across both Dometic installations (in the BC vs. first-gen Interstate). However, based on our experience with two successive Dometic RM2351 fridges, my suspicion is that this persistent failure to cool represents a problem that resides in significant measure with the fridge design itself rather than with the venting design.

We left the original combustion-fridge chimney in place in our Interstate. There was no reason to attempt a structural removal (it would be a BIG job!), plus we have a combiner box installed in the upper part of the chimney to convey our solar system wiring, so we needed to retain some sort of conduit regardless of our fridge type. That part ain't broke, so we didn't fix it. If anything, it might help enhance heat rejection out the back side of the Vitrifrigo.

To say the same thing a slightly different way, I suspect that our original chimney represents venting overkill within the context of the Vitrifrigo. I didn't research what the Vitrifrigo's *minimum* venting requirement was, because I had no need to, being already in possession of a functional maximum. Anyone contemplating a BC installation should, indeed, research this question. Vitrifrigo probably has a published spec. Lewster's (Lew Farber's) observations would also be valuable because, IIRC, he has done numerous refrigerator swaps for people. It was through that work that he came to formulate strong opinions as to his preferred brands.

[randsfl]

could use any info or help

i plan to replace my elec/gas with 12v compressor type - i also, have solar so i think this is good option - ill add second battery

I'm trying to make sure i am not missing something- the vents arnt critical for exhausting gas and heat from flame at that point will they give enough cooling

any info or comments appreciated from members - i have sent out some messages directly, also

thanks all reid

[ToddA]

Our fridge takes a while to cool on electric only but eventually gets there. When using gas and electric it will get too cold and almost freezes.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by randsfl

could use any info or help

i plan to replace my elec/gas with 12v compressor type - i also, have solar so i think this is good option - ill add second battery

I'm trying to make sure i am not missing something- the vents arnt critical for exhausting gas and heat from flame at that point will they give enough cooling

any info or comments appreciated from members - i have sent out some messages directly, also

thanks all reid

In #337 above, I recommended researching that in the BC context. I didn't need to do that research because of my situation.

Generally speaking, compressor fridges are apparently (or at least reportedly) less sensitive to the venting issue, but the manufacturer of each different fridge likely specifies minimum requirements.

For instance, The FitRV (the Adinaros) originally had a propane fridge which they hated, and so they did this same mod. They vented their replacement fridge, which is much larger than the Dometic 2351, into the interior of their rig, rather than out the side. That could never be done with a propane fridge. If you want to get a feel for how this kind of job plays out as a DIY project, FitRV's YouTube series is a good place to start.