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Old 08-01-2013, 08:23 AM   #1
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Lesson Learned .... I Think

Hi,

recently back from a 1 week trip out to the east coast in Canada. Weather was absolutely fantastic ... but was also the cause of a problem.

Temp was 34 Celcius (low 90's fahreneit), I was boondocking on the water's edge with no shade whatsoever, did a 5-hour day trip and came back to the boondock area. My absorption fridge got above 41 F and I simply couldn't get the temp do go lower. The freezer section was fine, the issue was the actual fridge section. I thought I had an issue with the thermistor, but once I got home and to cooler temps the fridge temp got back to where it should be.

I literally had to throw out a lot of food since I didn't want to take a chance on food poisoning. The lesson I learned was during periods of high temps, don't bring frozen food to cook, bring freezer packs that can be transferred into the fridge section during the day and re-frozen at night - this would've helped quite a bit.

I also tried using a 12V fan to blow air across the the absorption piping from bottom to top but that didn't help (mainly b/c I think the temp had gotten too high by that point). I always use an internal fridge fan to circulate the air and use a wireless thermometer to monitor the temp (i.e. I don't need to open the door and let more cool air out in order to check the temp.).

How do you keep your fridge temps in the proper range when the outdoor temps are hot and there is no shade (even the awning was tried)?
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Old 08-01-2013, 09:12 AM   #2
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Are you level?
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Old 08-01-2013, 04:26 PM   #3
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If not mistaken when refers start to go out they will freeze items in the freezer but can't maintain correct temperature in the refer compartment. My refer seemed to struggle so I bought a small ice chest to keep drinks in and from not opening the door so much that greatly improved conditions in the refer compartment .
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Old 08-01-2013, 05:04 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Ramblin View Post
Are you level?
When travelling, it doesn't matter, but the boondocking area was level. I always check with a large level for my Class B and a smaller one inside the fridge.

Age could be a factor too, since this is the original fridge from 2004. I'm doing another trip for one week in September so I'll see how the fridge behaves. Carrying a separate cooler may be a temporary solution for me but don't want to do that all the time - I'd rather repair the fridge if that's the issue.

Thanks for your input ...

Cheers,

Steve
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Old 08-01-2013, 08:12 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by scubastevee View Post
When travelling, it doesn't matter, but the boondocking area was level. I always check with a large level for my Class B and a smaller one inside the fridge.

Age could be a factor too, since this is the original fridge from 2004. I'm doing another trip for one week in September so I'll see how the fridge behaves. Carrying a separate cooler may be a temporary solution for me but don't want to do that all the time - I'd rather repair the fridge if that's the issue.

Thanks for your input ...

Cheers,

Steve
The reason I asked about you being level is, another poster recently found that his fridge would not cool if he was just 1.5" out of level. Once he leveled, it cooled fine.
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Old 08-01-2013, 08:23 PM   #6
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Before you spend any money on it.

Try the 'Muddypaws Mod'.

Assuming that your thermistor is on the fin take it off, open it up a bit and put it back about where it was with a single layer of styrofoam (insulation), like from a coffee cup, between the fin and the flat surface of the thermistor.

Did this to mine about 6 months ago and it consistently runs ar 34 in the refer and an incredible -15 to -20 in the freezer. 90F days are kind of the norm here.

Another avenue is to install an adjustable thermistor. Www.snipthetip.com

Good luck!
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Old 08-01-2013, 08:28 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muddypaws View Post
Try the 'Muddypaws Mod'.

Assuming that your thermistor is on the fin take it off, open it up a bit and put it back about where it was with a single layer of styrofoam (insulation), like from a coffee cup, between the fin and the flat surface of the thermistor.

Did this to mine about 6 months ago and it consistently runs ar 34 in the refer and an incredible -15 to -20 in the freezer. 90F days are kind of the norm here.

Another avenue is to install an adjustable thermistor. Www.snipthetip.com

Good luck!
So what size jackhammer do you use on the ice cream?
My fridge runs at 34 but the freezer is around +1 to -0.5 degrees. Are you sure you're not seeing -1.5 to -2.0?
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Old 08-01-2013, 08:30 PM   #8
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It is probably a Norcold.
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Old 08-02-2013, 01:43 PM   #9
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Hi,

it is a Dometic 3-way. No jackhammer required but now I am reminded of another issue that happened (again, my mistake) that contributed to rising temps.

I didn't have the propane valve fully opened and didn't notice that the fridge's propane indicator dropped from "green" to "yellow" until hours after the fact.

Thermistor positioning & wiring was something else I checked. It's a cylindrical type and don't see how it could be opened up.

Appreciate the responses but ... where exactly can I purchase a jackhammer?

Cheers,

Steve
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Old 08-04-2013, 04:08 PM   #10
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As a thread ending post .... re-tested the fridge and let it cool down overnight for about 12 hours total. Got down to 24F so nothing wrong with the fridge, just mistakes I made where the fridge needed a substantial time to cool down during my trip - and that time was too long to keep the food from going bad. Next time I know what I should do.

Again, thanks to all that responded!

Cheers,

Steve
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