Defrosting Fridge

[Softshell]

1994 Excella here.

How does one go about defrosting freezer?
Do most of you keep your units on high.

I do if I want the refrigerator to stay cold.

Thanks

[Protagonist]

Same as any othr unit. Transfer the contents to an ice chest. Turn it off and let the ice melt. Place a towel in the bottom to catch any meltwater.

Defrosting the freezer while the fridge stays cold isn't going to happen.

[TG Twinkie]

I use a hair drier when power is available. Place towels under the heat exchanger.

[RickDavis]

Remove the food , put a fan in there and leave the door open. Usually takes about 15 minutes so the frozen stuff doesn't have time to thaw before we put it back

[lewster]

Niether Norcold nor Dometic suggest using an external heat source (AKA hair dryer or heat gun) to accelerate the defrosting process. In fact, they caution against it as too much concentrated heat can and will warp your inner plastic liner in your fridge box.

Their suggestion is to either leave the door open with a towel at the bottom or place a large pot of hot water in the fridge and close the door, again with a towel at the bottom.

And definitely NO ICE PICKS!!!!!!!!!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by lewster

Niether Norcold nor Dometic suggest using an external heat source (AKA hair dryer or heat gun) to accelerate the defrosting process. In fact, they caution against it as too much concentrated heat can and will warp your inner plastic liner in your fridge box.

Their suggestion is to either leave the door open with a towel at the bottom or place a large pot of hot water in the fridge and close the door, again with a towel at the bottom.

And definitely NO ICE PICKS!!!!!!!!!

But a large pot of hot water IS an external heat source…

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

But a large pot of hot water IS an external heat source…

I'm sure they were referring to a directional heat source like a hair dryer. A pot of hot water will not do any damage to your interior plastic, but I get your drift..........

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by lewster

I'm sure they were referring to a directional heat source like a hair dryer. A pot of hot water will not do any damage to your interior plastic, but I get your drift..........

Yeah, I was just funnin' with you. As long as the pot of hot water isn't actually steaming hot, it shouldn't hurt the plastic.

[Silver Hawk]

Plastic melts at 325 degrees - water boils at 210 degrees at sea level - 197 at our place in the mountains.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Silver Hawk

Plastic melts at 325 degrees.

I'l take your word for it. I don't know the actual melting point of the plastic in a refrigerator. I do know that if there's any possible way to damage the plastic accidentally with a pot of hot water, I'd be the one to do it! And probably scald myself in the process.

[TG Twinkie]

I have not had an issue with melting any plastic. But, I don't just lay the hair dryer in the refer and let it run.
Like most things. When used with "moderation" no damage will occur.
It doesn't take long for the ice to melt and just slide off of the heat exchanger.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Mark910234

1994 Excella here.

How does one go about defrosting freezer?
Do most of you keep your units on high.

I do if I want the refrigerator to stay cold.

Thanks

Others have already answered about defrosting - If you have to keep your refrigerator on HIGH even in moderate weather check the door seals. Old ones do lose some of their flexibility and may need to be replaced. Also if your door is misaligned it might not seal all the way around. One old test (that worked better when the seals were latex rather than the newer compounds) is to take a dollar bill and close the door on it, then try to pull it out from the seal. If it pulls with no resistance - that's a loose spot.

Also - children need to be reminded that RV refrigerators don't recover as fast as home ones, so they shouldn't open the door 20 times a day or leave it open while pulling out 7 or 8 ingredients in a leisurely manner. Get what you want, and immediately close the door.

Paula

[richinny]

i've done the hair drier, hot water, and just let it sit with the doors open. the thing i find the best help is to not let the frost get too thick. when the frost isn't bad the defrost time is very quick and the recovery time is quicker too.