Freezer working great but our fridge is barely cold to touch...

[Bas&Wen]

There are probably all kinds of forum string on this...

Anyway, our fridge has been plugged in and operating for about 2 weeks. There`s lots of ice in our ice tray but the fridge does not seem to be cooling.
Our fridge is a 1994 dometic with AES system. We are currently on shore power, and the fridge cooling range is already at the coldest level(5).

Any ideas from out there why this is happening......

Thanks,

Bas&Wen

[AIR-Quarius]

in ours (if this helps) the freezer gets all icey and all that. Then down below behind a second door is the 'fridge'. In the fridge is a radiator looking package that gets cold too (sometimes ices over) It is never really super cold in this part, but cold enough to keep food good. You know we do not even have a light bulb in there to wonder if it goes off or on !! ha ha!

[SSChanger]

We have a '94 Excella 1000 that had the same fridge, but a PO replaced it (~$1500). The new unit works great. Maybe it's time????

[ArtStream]

Hi Bes&Wen,

Welcome to the Forums!

Before you rush out and spend your hard earned cash and suffer buyers remorse, how about some temperatures as references.

Terms like "Great" and "very cold" aren't really helpful and can be misleading.

I have placed one of those wall clocks on my wall which display TWO temperatures, one at the clock and the other from a remote sender. I've placed the remote sender in the fridge compartment, so now I know what's going on in there at all times.

I can tell you this,
1. Fridge temp depends on the outside temp.
2. The evaporator system, which is how these fridges work, is very very sensitive to leveling. I've watched the internal temp rise by 5 degrees by bringing the level up by just 1/2 bubble front or sideways.

I replaced the "Coils" in my 5 year box, cost me less than $400.

My summer temps(70-92) run average:
Freezer: 5-17 degrees.
Fridge: 29-40 degrees.
I also have a fan mounted under the top exhaust vent, with a thermostat and manual on/off switch.

I find that I get 5 degree lower temps on propane than I do using AC, which is really 12v DC.
(Running you fridge on your battery will kill the battery in a heartbeat)

To help the fridge along, I freeze water bottles in the freezer at night, and place them in the fridge during the day.

Also, driving down the road decreases the efficiency of the cooling unit, the wind turbulence in the cooling compartment effects the flame. (save the propane on/off during travel discussion for another thread or add the already beaten to death posted thread)

I've provided a DIY coil replacement HowTo you can find at: Airstream Central - Info for Airstream Owners or by clicking on the "Articles" tab on the top of this page

So how bout we all report back with temps, please include outside air temps along with the internal fridge numbers!

Keep cool

Michael

[ArtStream]

Any temps to report....

[Dave Park]

So in effect, there's nothing wrong with your refer (the system IS cooling) but there's an efficiency problem.

From easiest to hardest:

1. Is it level?
2. Is there appropriate electrical/gas input?
3. Is the flue clear of obstructions?
4. On gas, is the burner clear and free?

And things you can do:

1. Clean the burner
2. Install or upgrade a fan to improve efficiency (see dtbw's fine thread)
3. Check the flue/burner are free of webs, wasp nests etc - the bugs do love the gas!
4. Park in the shade!

[mhilley]

I suggest you buy one of those battery powered fans that sit on the bottom shelf of the refer, We had a like problem and the fan did help.

[Splitrock]

Originally Posted by mhilley

I suggest you buy one of those battery powered fans that sit on the bottom shelf of the refer, We had a like problem and the fan did help.

What's this? What model, year refrigerator? Do you mean a fan installed inside? Or in the back? What fan? Which way is the fan installed? Blowing up? down? across? Why won't cold air go down by itself?

[Mainstream]

The same thing happened to me and it was because the boiler was loseing too much heat.
The boiler insulation may need replaced. If a lot of heat is excapeing the unit won't cool down. Feel the outside metal of the boiler. If it is very hot to the touch, then too much heat is excapeing and the boiler is not doing it's job. It should only be warm to the touch. If it is hot to the touch, then take the metal wrap off the boiler and reinsulate with fresh new insulation. It will make a world of difference in it's abilty to cool.

[pienjim]

This past week during a trip through west Texas and NM where outside temps reached upper 90's and 100's the fridge barely managed to keep the temp in the mid 40's. Overnight it would get down to 37 or 38. In order to maintain what cooling we had, we only opened the fridge when absolutely necessary. (we kept our beer and water bottles in a cooler in the back of the truck!) Michael, next time I'm going to try your ice block trick.

Paula

[mhilley]

Re: battery powered fan for inside of refer...Camping world has them but I have seen them in other places. They sit on the bottom shelf and blow the cold air up. I think that is the problem - the cold air settles to the bottom. They use two "D" cells and are inexpensive. They look like a small squirrel cage blower. My wife's lettuce was always freezing (lettuce is chick food!) and the little fan solved that issue as well.

[Splitrock]

Originally Posted by mhilley

Re: battery powered fan for inside of refer...Camping world has them but I have seen them in other places. They sit on the bottom shelf and blow the cold air up. I think that is the problem - the cold air settles to the bottom. They use two "D" cells and are inexpensive. They look like a small squirrel cage blower. My wife's lettuce was always freezing (lettuce is chick food!) and the little fan solved that issue as well.

Nice tip! Thanks!

[SSChanger]

Checked mine last weekend in very hot weather (over 100 degrees) and found the following measurements:

Lower compartment cooling aluminum fins--28 degrees
Interior of the fridge--51 degrees
Freezer: -6 degrees

The suggestion to switch to propane worked well too.

I checked our regular fridge at home, and it does keep things cooler, but with a much more sophisticated fan system instead of aluminum cooling fins only. I concluded the fridge is directly affected by opening and closing the door, especially in hot weather (duh!!). Imagine all of the cold air flowing downward to the floor each time the door is opened. I like the fan idea.

[ArtStream]

SS, sound like the coils are working just fine. To me, your door seals are leaking. Visually give them a eyeball, also see if you can slip a postcard between the seals and reffer body. As for the fan inside, I hard wired a "HARD DRIVE" pancake fan and mounted it to one of the racks.

Stay cool....