If the fridge cools at all -- is it good?

[2partners]

Hi summer travelers,

We just returned from a great 2 month trip around our beautiful country. Our Dometic RM3962LSSX fridge in our 2016 Classic was iffy when the ambient temperature got above 80 degrees and was too warm (mid 40's to mid 50's) when the temp went much beyond this. I have installed a factory fan kit for the condenser that includes a computer type fan (muffin) and thermostat that I have wired to a 3 position switch to operate either automatically or manually. This didn't seem to help much, if at all, so, I temporally installed a much larger 120v household fan at the bottom pointing up toward the condenser that moved quite a lot more air and this also made no noticeable difference. There are posts saying these fans, both interior and exterior, have made a substantial difference. Not the case here. I think I've done all the recommended things to improve/diagnose performance --checked the light inside, checked the door gasket, obstructions in the chimney, moved the thermistor up, tried to keep the fridge side of the trailer in the shade, made sure it was level, installed interior thermometers to more accurately monitor temps, tried both sources of energy (A/C and propane) etc.). I've read forums and other info on the subject and I don't think(?) I've missed any of the simpler possibilities.

I have also read that if the cooling unit overheats this can ruin the unit and it will need to be replaced. What I'm wondering is, can the cooling unit be made less effective but still work somewhat if it's been slightly overheated?

On a compressor fridge the evaporator should be frosted from side to side (totally). On this Dometic fridge the fins in the fresh food compartment are frosted on the right side but there are a few on the left that are not. Does this indicate a problem on an absorption fridge?

I understand that absorption fringes don't work as well as a compressor fridge. We have had a few SOB's before our AS purchase. I don't remember having this problem, at least not to this degree. If we have to replace the fridge we will. It would be good to know if my question above regarding partial failure is a possibility so we can try to avoid this in the future.

Thank you,
Chris

[drboyd]

Has it ever worked well?

[2partners]

Originally Posted by drboyd

Has it ever worked well?

drboyd, thanks for your question. The fridge has worked okay for us at lower ambient temps. Only recently have we been in high temps and this is when the fridge failed. I spoke with a service man at Los Angeles Airstream this morning and asked him the same question I posed in my thread. He said that yes, it is possible for the cooling system to overheat and become less effective but still work at lower ambient temps. He recited the symptoms they have experienced when this happens and they are very similar to the symptoms we are having. So, it looks like we need to replace the fridge. We bought the AS used. The original owner purchased it new from LA Airstream and rarely used it. He bought the AS and never moved it off the lot storing it outside in direct summer sun. I wonder if this is when the problem could have occurred.