Vitifrigo

[RandyNH]

Originally Posted by Hoonanea

Hi Randy — they are set up like this. Fans are in the top door. Bottom door has no fans.Attachment 306210Attachment 306211

I missed that you posted the pictures, that install is perfect for it's purpose, so long as theyre drawing air out (not in) then any problem your having shouldn't be related to ventilation.

Is the top vent above both the heat dissipation rack and the compressor on the back of the fridge? If not then you may need to create a path to draw air across that area too.

[extiger]

Yes, that is the model I have in my AS.

[Hoonanea]

And update on the situation with the Vitrifrigo. . .

Yes, the top vent with the fans is drawing air out of the refrigerator cabinet and both the compressor and the aluminum heat dissipation fins are at the very bottom of the unit.

I performed a test at the recommendation of an authorized Vitrifrigo service tech. I removed the cover on the back of the thermostat and used spade connectors to join the two wires leading to the thermostat. This allowed the compressor to run indefinitely w/o the thermostat in the equation.

After a 2.5 or 3 hours, the refrigerator compartment had dropped to 31 degrees and the freezer was at -5 degrees. So this shows the refrigerator is *capable* of cooler temperatures.

I summarized all of the test info and sent it to Bruce Sutton at the distributor location for Vitrifrigo in Pompano Beach, FL. He was happy to send me a new thermostat to try. FedEx delivered it yesterday and when I return home from my business trip I will install it and repeat the test. Fingers are crossed that this finally settles the issue.

[Hoonanea]

Rocinante — there have been two Vitrifrigo models that I’m aware of discussed recently in this thread. The DP2600IXD4 that you have correctly linked to and the smaller DP150IBD4 that is in the most recent comments. Sometimes these are referenced as DP2600 and DP150 for brevity.

[my3sonsdad]

I'm considering replacing my 75 Argosy original Dometic with a Vitrifrigo DW2600 model which is larger (taller). Does anyone have any experience installing these in a vintage AS or Argosy? I'm wondering if I need to retain the PVC style chimney/roof vent or do these types of refrig's operate better with vent to the side. Removing the vent might actually provide some additional height clearance to work with.

[Hoonanea]

I don’t have experience installing in an Argosy or vintage AS but I just did one in my 2012 International. They do require some venting and for me, it was easiest to use the two side vent doors I already had from the gas absorption refrigerator. I don’t know that side venting is any better than top venting — or the reverse, for that matter. You just need to have some kind of venting in place to let built-up heat from the compressor to escape. If closing off the top vent to reclaim space and adding side ventilation is easier in your situation, I think you’ll be fine.

[Hoonanea]

And while I’m at it. . . a while back I had reported problems with my brand new Vitrifrigo and felt it was not cooling like it should. I had some testing planned that got delayed but eventually got it isolated to the thermostat — something a few of us suspected based on the behavior. I’m happy to report that Bruce Sutton had no problem sending me a new thermostat under warranty and I installed it myself. A test run with the new thermostat was terminated when the freezer was at -4 and the refrigerator was at 31 with the dial set to the coldest setting. I certainly won’t want the refrigerator that cold but I’m glad to know the capability exists.

[my3sonsdad]

Thanks for the feedback & good to hear the positive outcome.