Dometic Refrigerator/Cooling time

[ToledoCharli]

In process of arranging and setting up new THOR-A.C.E. coach. We turned on a/c and ran other appliances off and on including the refrigerator. Refrigerator set on auto. We were in CW parking lot and running generator. After getting ready to leave after approx 3 hrs I felt the freezer and it was definitely getting cooler. The frig portion still seemed very warm. I was told refrigerator might take 6-8 hours to cool. and that propane would cool faster. Correct or mis-information. Thanks for your help.

[JC2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToledoCharli In process of arranging and setting up new THOR-A.C.E. coach. We turned on a/c and ran other appliances off and on including the refrigerator. Refrigerator set on auto. We were in CW parking lot and running generator. After getting ready to leave after approx 3 hrs I felt the freezer and it was definitely getting cooler. The frig portion still seemed very warm. I was told refrigerator might take 6-8 hours to cool. and that propane would cool faster. Correct or mis-information. Thanks for your help.

You should definately feel some coolness in the fridge at 6-8 hrs. At 18-24 hrs, the fridge portion should be in the 30's and the freezer at 0-10. I would try and put off leaving for 24hrs so if the fridge isn't working correctly it can be looked at by the dealer. Don't be in a rush. I would also get a battery operated digital thermostat with a remote sensor and place it in the fridge so the temp can be monitored. The freezer could have a hanging thermometor. With all the fridge problems occuring today, a little planning would now be advisable.

[RustyJC]

If starting from ambient temperature, it could easily take 24 hours for an RV fridge to cool down to operating temperatures. 3 hours ain't gonna do much of anything, and 6-8 won't do much more.

Since an RV fridge uses heat as its energy source, most will cool better on propane than on the 120VAC electric element since there's generally more heat energy available with the propane burner.

Rusty

[frankdamp]

I fired mine up yesterday on propane (it's been open all winter). Within 3 hours, the freezer was at -20F and thr fridge section at 34F. Nothing in either compartment except the thermometer. Mine's a Scandinvian-built Dometic.

[RV Wizard]

This is a very open ended question since there are so many variables. Long answer short - the hotter it is, the longer it is going to take a perfectly working unit to cool down to proper operating temperatures. I recommend a 24 hr period before you want to put cold or frozen food into the unit. Make sure the refrigerator is level or moving down the road when it is turned on.

[bob109]

I discovered a little trick which gets my Dometic to a cool temp rather quickly. I place several "Blue Freezer Blocks, which I keep in my home frige and are frozen solid, into the Dometic. Three each on both of the top shelfs in the freezer/frige "kick start" the cooling process. Once underway I can leave or remove the Blue Blocks. No dripping or mess of thawing ice to deal with. Before this is done I've already started a stove burner to purge the LP line of any air and have the frige switch in the auto position