Wall gets warm next to fridge?

[nomad95]

I have a 1995 nomad TT. I turned fridge ( dometic ) to propane and fired it up. I don't know why I did this but I touched the wall on left side of fridge.
Not the fridge wall . The camper wall. It was warm. opened cabinet above and the wall was even warmer . I switched it back to electric. My question is . Is there a fan to take heat out of fridge compartment ?
Or do you think I have a hole in exhaust piping ? It didn't run more than 20 mins. Doesn't seem safe to me. I am going to take cover off on roof and look down to see if there a blockage or something in there .
If anyone has had this problem I would like to know what the problem was. Thanks nomad

[MtnTrek]

You'd be prudent to indeed inspect the rear region of your absorption refrigerator.
There could very well be a fan back there to aid in upward draft. They are optional in older models, required on many.
There is probably a small flue chimney like tube with a screw like baffle in it, above the burner assembly. Mud-dobbers, (wasps) and spiders love nesting in gas appliances. Anything is possible especially on that vintage unit.
That side rear area will generally get warmer than ambient temp. Most will have some type of insulation there, fiberglass non-combustible, and heat shields.


Good luck.

[RVGuy1966]

sounds like an elf is living in the walls....

[nl_keystone]

I just started having an "issue" where my fan is cycling over and over again. Out of curiosity i checked the wall today and noticed it is warm also. I am inclined to think that may be normal in 90 degree weather but i may get up and check the vent tomorrow. Does anyone know if the vent can easily be removed for inspection or will i need to re-caulk etc after removal?

[nomad95]

checked for a fan this weekend . there is no fan installed. its probably to old. i will have to look into installing one. until then i will run it on ac power.

[jacwjames]

My Norcold came with a set of fans but improve performance of the frig I added another fan at the base with a snap disc that turns it on and off. Seemed to help. This is similar to what I installed, I had enough room in the back.
Valterra Fridge Cool Exhaust Fan Fans Refrigerator Boat RV 5th Wheels camper New | eBay

If you have a roof vent you could also add a couple pancake type fans up there.

[09 harley]

Most RV 's don't have exterior fans. I would add two Corsair computer fans at the top vent with a bracket you would have to make. Tie this in to an ARP fridge controller with fan controller and this will turn on the fans when your fridge is producing coolant. Lots of fridge installations sure poorly done and the draft needs to be improved. He fans will make a big difference and if you want to go all out install a Fridge Fix inside for the final modification.
Good luck