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Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 09:21 AM

I just returned from 3 nights at Nails Creek SP at Lake Somerville. Afternoon temps over 100 all three days with a top of 104 yesterday afternoon. All in all, the trailer performed excellently except for a new AC problem.

I hiked in the mornings and evenings and got a lot of reading done the rest of the time. I took my folding kayak, but forgot a key part so I didn;t get out in the water.

I made the msiatake of turning down the thermostat on my refrigerator and it froze my salad makings at over 100 degrees outside. I think this is darned good performance for an adsorption refrigerator.

My AC kept the trailer very comfortable in a mostly sunny site at 104 degrees running on medium speed. I was quite happy about that.

What I was not happy about is that the thermostat on my AC has apparently failed and the compressor now runs full time. That was fine during the day, but it turned the trailer into an icebox as soon as the sun went down. The temperature knob on the AC has been acting funny for a while, requiring very different settings for the same outside temperature. On this trip, even with the knob set at full warmer, it was a two blanket night.

Guess it's back to the dealer

Safari Tim · 08-08-2003, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pahaska
I made the msiatake of turning down the thermostat on my refrigerator and it froze my salad makings at over 100 degrees outside. I think this is darned good performance for an adsorption refrigerator.

That happened to me as well. Although it was at night when the outside temp dropped.

So my question is this. Don't these fridges have thermostats? Why should our lettuce in the fridge freeze?

We also had orange juice slushes as well.....

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Safari Tim

That happened to me as well. Although it was at night when the outside temp dropped.

So my question is this. Don't these fridges have thermostats? Why should our lettuce in the fridge freeze?

We also had orange juice slushes as well.....

My guess is that the thermostat is at the outer shell which is conducting some outside heat so that the thermostat thinks the box is warmer than the interior of the box really is. The salad in question was on the shelf right by the fins and that part of the box may have been a lot colder than where the thermostat is located. My thermometer, hanging on a shelf below the fins, said the box was in the "safe zone" at the time.

sjptak · 08-08-2003, 03:55 PM

I LOVE orange juice slushes. The colder the better. Life IS good!!!!

Frozen lettuce, well that's another whole story. Ever notice how it thaws out brown???

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sjptak
Frozen lettuce, well that's another whole story. Ever notice how it thaws out brown???

I lost about a third of the package of lettuce. Fortunately, I had an unopened package lsewhere in the box that didn't freeze. That tells me that even though I had a battery fan circulating air in the refrigerator, the temperature isn't particularly even throughout.

I had put a cold pack in the freezer and one pack and a pitcher of ice water in the refrigerator part to initially cool down. I always put a couple of tea bags in the pitcher to make refrigerator tea. After 24 hours, there was still some ice in the pitcher of tea. I think that is remarkable in 100+ degree weather.

sjptak · 08-08-2003, 06:03 PM

Is that you can build a fire, ie propane, and make things cold. I have a very hard time understanding the principle behind the whole thing. Its kinda like making ice cream at the camp with no electricity, only some ice and salt along with the cream and sugar and a bit of vanilla, and, viola...ICE CREAM.

I guess I don't have to understand it, just as long as it works. If it stops working, all I have to do is attach a picture and ask this forum and I have an answer. Can't get no better than that!!

87MH · 08-08-2003, 06:36 PM

John:

My Mach 3 (original) bit the dust.

In the morning, as soon as help shows up, the Mach 3 comes down and a new 15,000 BTU goes up. Bottom line, your welcome to the thermostat/switch/heat unit/bowere -- and so on.

Trash comes Friday, let me know if you can use anything.

87MH · 08-08-2003, 06:38 PM

Bowere???

Obviously a brain fart -- I have no idea what I was referring to.

norbert · 08-08-2003, 06:40 PM

John.....
At your age you should remember the old servels.......

norby.....

norbert · 08-08-2003, 06:44 PM

the vodka goes in the freezer...not the lettuce...

norby.....

norbert · 08-08-2003, 06:48 PM

any feedback on the efficiency of the add on fans,both inside and out.....useful or a waste of money?
\norby.....
im goihg to camping world tomorrow....

87MH · 08-08-2003, 07:00 PM

I put a fan in the back of the fridge, blowing up to help exhaust the heat -- didn't help a bit. I am still perplexed by the poor performance of my 3800. While up on the roof getting the Mach 3 ready to pull, observed that the seals around the 'fridge exhaust were in bad shape. I was going to pull the fridge from the inside to acess the upper exhaust for inspection, but with the seals bad, (and the scaffolding still up) I think I will drill the rivets, pull and inspect the vent and upper exhaust area from the topside, and reinstall with new sealant.

On the 3800 -- Dinosaur redid my boards (both upper and lower). I have not yet reinstalled them. Supposedly there was a wrong size resistor installed on the main board -- go figure.

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by norbert
any feedback on the efficiency of the add on fans,both inside and out.....useful or a waste of money?
\norby.....
im goihg to camping world tomorrow....

Both fans are absolutely useful. On my old Scamp, the outside fan got me a few degrees on hot days. My International; came with an outside fan. What I used on the Scamp was a surplus computer fan at $5. The inside fan helps keep the temp equal throughout the box. I have both.

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 07:19 PM

The heat wave is broken. I'm listening to a nice rain outside and a lot of thunder in the distance. The next week will be mid-90s with 30% or more chance of rain every day.

Austin had what appears to be a microburst a while ago. A lot of trees down in south Austin. Not surprising after a day of record heat.

Wouldn't you know it ... I get home from 4 100+ days of camping and it is cool and raining this evening. I think I will go sleep in the trailer because I love to hear rain on the roof. I slept under a flat tin roof as a bot and I still love the sound of rain.

Not only did the AC and the refrigerator work well, but the Silverado brought me home in the heat without the temperature needle moving from its usual spot.

norbert · 08-08-2003, 07:28 PM

thanx john...you still evaded the servel question.....

i pretty much figured the inside fan would help somewhat, also the number of times you dont open de do helps.....dont you know....
and also 87...seals are important....i wouldnt run with the lp on (in which case if you did you wouldnt need the backside fan...johns reply seems to cinch...warm weather camping go with the fan...cold weather....why bother.....
norby....

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by norbert
thanx john...you still evaded the servel question.....
norby....

Actually, I don't know whether I ever saw a Servel.

We had ice boxes and went from them to an electric box with a great big coil on the top. I have no idea who the manufacturer was; maybe it was Servel. It held all of 3 ice cube trays, so we had to ration cubes in hot weather for our family of 5.

thenewkid64 · 08-08-2003, 08:07 PM

I have always added an exterior fan to my units. They do make a difference. I had added a large 2.4 inch CPU fan in the 76 Argosy. In the 78 I built a bracket and am intsalling 3 old computer power supply fans. Total draw about 1.25 amps. They will be right under the upper cooling fins. I should have no cooling issues with the fridge no matter the ambient temp.

**Stefrobrts** · 08-08-2003, 09:09 PM

I know we've discussed this before, but I'm still having a hard time picturing where exactly you are putting these fans and where they are blowing to (or on). Please try to make it obvious for me if possible

I can get my hands on computer fans easy, and I'd love to have to worry about my lettuce freezing - so far that hasn't been in issue!

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stefrobrts
I know we've discussed this before, but I'm still having a hard time picturing where exactly you are putting these fans and where they are blowing to (or on). Please try to make it obvious for me if possible I can get my hands on computer fans easy, and I'd love to have to worry about my lettuce freezing - so far that hasn't been in issue!

The inside fan is one I bought from Camping World (most RV places have it). It runs on 2 D-cells that usually last me about a season. I place it on the bottom of the refringerator and make sure there is some clear space above it so the air can circulate.

If you look at the back of your refrigerator, you will see a finned radiator near the top of the back. The outside fan needs to move air through those fins. The fan can be above or below the fins, blowing upward. It doesn't need to move a whole lot of air; the refrigerator is designed to work on the thermal currents caused by the hot air rising. Any fan moves more air than the thermal currents.

My refrigerator doesn't have a roof vent, so the outside fan simply blows air out of the upper louvers.

Pahaska · 08-08-2003, 09:22 PM

I just looked at today's weather on the net. We set a new record for July ... 110 degrees at Camp mabry in Austin. Probably a couple of degrees cooler out there in the hills, but not very much cooler. My 4 tons of AC was running continuously in late afternoon.

Thanks to the rain, it is pretty nice out there at the moment.