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Old 08-28-2016, 07:13 PM   #1
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Fridge just doesn't cool well

Evening everyone,

Our new 27FB International just doesn't seem to want to get cold and stay cold while we are out in about. We have it on auto, and it will only go to 50 degrees, and we make sure the thermostat is clipped to the last blade inside. Then overnight one night it will go to 38.

We have the temp number set to 4 (1-5) are the options. We live in Florida so I am wondering if is heat on the side of the camper. We do have the optional side awning on that side as well.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rich
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:25 PM   #2
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No doubt sun on the fridge side of the camper affects cooling. Try to park with that side north if possible, deploy the awning over the fridge if you have one on that side, and prop open the fridge vent door (a clothes hanger makes a prop) for more air flow (those louvers are very restrictive).
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:28 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KariRich View Post
Evening everyone,

Our new 27FB International just doesn't seem to want to get cold and stay cold while we are out in about. We have it on auto, and it will only go to 50 degrees, and we make sure the thermostat is clipped to the last blade inside. Then overnight one night it will go to 38.

We have the temp number set to 4 (1-5) are the options. We live in Florida so I am wondering if is heat on the side of the camper. We do have the optional side awning on that side as well.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rich
Well, the standard things to look at are:
  1. Is it level? This can be critical with some models
  2. Is there enough space around the goods in the refer to allow air to circulate completely?
  3. Do you have any of the small 12V fans in use inside the refer? Use of these can make a tremendous difference.
Having said that, you are in one of the hotter states. Ask friends and neighbours when you camp how their results are. 50°F sounds like not-so-good performance.

I think overloading is the most often heard cause of poor performance. How is the interior doing on yours?
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:57 PM   #4
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We recently purchased a 2005 30' BH and on the first outing we ran into the same problem with the fridge. Ended up being due to the fact that the level gauge was off. Once back home I made sure the unit was level and it worked great. In our 81 not being level did not cause the fridge to not cool so that was new to me.
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:59 PM   #5
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Humidity makes for poor cooling also, and Florida has plenty of it.

If you can install 12v fans up top in the chimney, or put a small 110 fan inside the rear hatch/compartment , blowing upward, it will help. There should be an extra 110 outlet where the frig is plugged in.
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Old 08-28-2016, 08:04 PM   #6
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Another thing to check. I've seen a couple of these where the fridge door switch was not moving enough to turn off the fridge light (inside the fridge). I think these are still incandescent lights and will produce substantial heat if on when the door is closed. And sometimes it may shut off and sometimes not.

Close the fridge door very slowly and see if it shuts off.
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Old 08-28-2016, 08:39 PM   #7
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We have a 2012 Classic. We live and camp in Florida. Our refrigerator does as you described and here is my thoughts. Also, we have 2 fans inside. As the temperature rises inside the trailer, the refrigerator temperature rises as well. Nighttime, as the interior cools, so does the refrigerator. Other than trying to keep the inside cooler we haven't found anything that helps with cooling the refrigerator. Awnings deployed in sun seems to help overall. Will be interesting to see if there is a solution presented on this thread.
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Old 08-28-2016, 08:48 PM   #8
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5 is the coldest setting so try that, you can also move the temperature sensor up and down on the aluminum fin its attached to and see if that helps.
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Old 08-28-2016, 08:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KariRich View Post
snip >>> the thermostat is clipped to the last blade inside. << snip >>

We have the temp number set to 4 (1-5) are the options. << snip >>

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rich
Slide the clip as high as possible on the blade. It makes several degrees difference on my fridge, top to bottom.
Why are you not setting the t-stat to 5?
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Old 08-28-2016, 09:24 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
Another thing to check. I've seen a couple of these where the fridge door switch was not moving enough to turn off the fridge light (inside the fridge). I think these are still incandescent lights and will produce substantial heat if on when the door is closed. And sometimes it may shut off and sometimes not.

Close the fridge door very slowly and see if it shuts off.
Doug has a good point. The bulb gets quite hot. We have had a plastic bag melt when it was up against the light fixture.

You can try putting your hand on it when you open the door. If it feels plenty warm, you know it has been on while the door was closed.

And FYI, there is a reason for the bulb to be hot. For Florida in the summer time, it won't matter. But in near freezing weather, the fridge hardly ever has to run. That allows the freezer to get too warm. So the circuit board has a bit of logic that runs a timer. If a certain amount of time goes by (I think 35 minutes for some models), it turns the light on. That warms the inside, which causes the thermostat to trip, which causes a cooling cycle to run. This cools down both fridge and freezer compartments.

We have burned out two of these bulbs in under 300 nights of camping, because we have spent a lot of time where the nighttime temps have been near, even below, freezing.

Also FYI, there is no thermostat or temperature sensor in the freezer compartment.

Besides our cool-weather camping, we've camped in 100 degree daytime temperatures and our fridge has always stayed under 42, usually around 40. So it sounds like your unit has a problem.

Does the food in your fridge feel like it is cold enough? Are items in the freezer frozen solid? There is chance the temperature read-out is wrong. You could check by putting a separate thermometer in the unit.

Another thing: Are you plugged in to shore power? If so, the fridge is using its electric heating element to operate the cooling system. Maybe your electric heat element is not performing well. You could try switching the fridge to LP mode to see if it cools better that way.
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Old 08-28-2016, 09:34 PM   #11
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Hi. We have a 2015 27FB and camp in full Florida sun (with the street side awning extended), fridge set to 5, and have not had trouble maintaining sub-40 degrees in any conditions so far, including a recent 95 degree high humidity stay in the Keys. We do pre-chill the fridge in storage before we head out. So I don't think your experience is normal. Best of luck finding a solution, Joe
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Old 08-29-2016, 11:45 AM   #12
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We set ours to "5" unless we are in moderate weather (70 degrees or less) and camped in the shade. We never use 1-3. As far as I'm concerned, dometic could drop the lowest three of the five position settings and just have "L" and "H". Floridians like us should use "H". Even on "5", on hot days or when the sun hits the fridge side of the trailer directly the fridge reports temps over 40. I always set to "5" for traveling regardless of the weather. When it's really hot and sunny (let's say... driving west on a July afternoon in Texas) we put ice in 1 gallon baggies in the freezer at night, move them to the fridge before take off and put them back up top before bed. Bottom line: ammonia evaporation refrigerators are not too efficient... we only use them because they can be run on propane, not because they are great at cooling.
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Old 08-29-2016, 03:33 PM   #13
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take a look at Dinosaur Electronics Thermistor Adjuster, we installed one in our Dometic RM3762 and now run the refrigerator on #3 setting we have not seen less than 36 degrees in refrigerator and 0 in freezer, on propane or electric.
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Old 08-29-2016, 05:43 PM   #14
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I added a large 12V slow turning computer fan behind my fridge to keep air moving up the chimney ($10 on eBay) and a battery operated fan inside the fridge. These two small additions made a dramatic improvement. On our 100 degree central Texas days my 8 cubic feet Dometic fridge never gets above 37 degrees inside.
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Old 08-29-2016, 06:06 PM   #15
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Rich, have you checked the condition and operation of your fan/ventilation system on the backside of your reefer? Do you have a switch on the front or side of the cabinet to switch the vent fan ON and is it running?

Here's the installation brochure. Note that the recommended placement of the fan depends upon whether you have two metal upper/lower ventilator louvered doors...or if you have a rooftop vent. Figure 4 is what most later model Airstreams have...two metal doors, but your 27 Int's may be different...see the pdf file: (don't be mislead by conversations that argue whether the fans should "push" or "draw" the cooling air.... Dometic is clear about that matter, ...it's dependent upon the type doors and vent-exits on your trailer.):
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...yD64RkUab-DsAw

Notice also, that there is a baffle which directs the incoming/lower air up against the back of the reefer below the condenser fins.

Hope this helps.
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Old 08-29-2016, 08:21 PM   #16
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I really recomend the 12v small inside fan ... makes a huge difference also be very careful as most foods need to be below 39-40f .
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Old 07-22-2018, 07:48 AM   #17
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Found this thread after 5 days boondocking in our ‘18 Intn’l Serenity and experiencing poor refrigerator performance. Lot’s of great ideas here! Is there a particular 12v fan you would recommend for inside the fridge?
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Old 07-31-2018, 07:53 PM   #18
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Can someone make a recommendation (link maybe?) on a muffin fan they’ve had success installing on the back of a dometic refrigerator in the vent compartment. My model is RM 8505.
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Old 07-31-2018, 10:09 PM   #19
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In case you are still experiencing the problem

I have had this problem twice while running on gas. Most recently this spring while on a trip.

If you fridge works on electricity, then you know the cooling unit is good.
If it does not work on gas or electricity, the cooling unit could be bad.

For gas cooling this is my experience.

1. Make sure you have good gas flow from the tank to the regulator, if the tank is not full, fill it, check the little pigtails for leaks, I have had those go bad, resulting in the tank safety valve curtailing the flow out of the tank. (part of my problem this spring)

2. Make sure the tank selector valve is pointing to the tank where you turned the valve on.

3. Your regulator is probably good, but they can fail. You can make yourself a manometer (google it) to check the pressure using some tubing, a board and a yardstick.

You need 11 in of water minimum to get effective cooling. There is a gas pressure test port on the gas solenoid. A dealer can quickly check this for you, and adjust or replace the regulator in case you do not wish to make a manometer or do gas line plumbing. If you have kids, this could be a good science project, as are most things that break on an RV.

4. Do the periodic maintenance as called out in the refrigerator manual. You did keep the manual didn't you? It tells you how to clean the orifice, the burner tube, and the flue. Contamination is frequently the problem due to dirt or small bugs that get into the burner assembly, or rust or carbon build up on the burner tube and in the flue. This is easy to do if you follow the instructions in your manual to avoid damaging the orifice.

As you are cleaning the burner remember this important tip which you will not find in the manual but all experienced Airstreamers know: DO NOT USE YOUR WIFE'S TOOTHBRUSH TO CLEAN THE BURNER SLOTS! Wives hate fridge burner cooties on their tooth brushes.

Also: Turn off the gas the refrigerator and disconnect the 110 V and 12 V to the fridge. The 12 V will not hurt you but the 25,000 volts from the igniter might give you a start. Remember to put it all back when you are done cleaning. You will be in a hurry at this point to see if your fridge works but it will take at least 12 hours to find out so just slow things down and put it all back nice. Make this cleaning an annual event. A
clean fridge is a cold fridge. (2nd part of my problem this spring)
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Old 08-01-2018, 02:48 AM   #20
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As noted, this is an old thread, and there are plenty of more recent threads with various ideas, including these for "fridge cooling fan" --

https://www.google.com/search?q=frid...com&gws_rd=ssl

Happy trails,

Peter
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