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mre · 02-16-2018, 02:34 PM

We took delivery of a new coach this week. It’s an all-electric coach with residential fridge. Having owned a home most of my adult life, I have found that the cooling coils on the fridge’s we’ve owned tend to very dirty and dusty. Even now with just us two and no pets, the coils still get dirty. As such, I have and still due, clean them somewhere between one and two years.

Though I have never owned a residential fridge in any of my previous RVs, I would expect that the RV fridge’s cooling coils would get dirty also and probably at an accelerated rate based on how dusty my previous RVs got inside. I ask the dealer during the walk-through about this and he had no real advice. He went on to say that he was not aware of any ever being clean and nobody has ever asked the question. He did say that the fridges are very securely fastened to keep them from dislodging and that they would be difficult to remove.

Has anybody ever cleaned one and if so how? Any other opinions?

Old-Biscuit · 02-16-2018, 06:39 PM

Those replacing RV Absorption Fridges with Residential Fridges have access to backside via exterior panel/vents.

To be quite honest..........
Only can remember actually cleaning fridge coils in S&B when fridge had to be pulled out due to OTHER problems. ie: updating 120V AC Outlet or in order to get to dead mouse
And yet they worked for 10/15/20 years

GoneToTheDog · 02-16-2018, 06:52 PM

Wow! I pull mine out and clean it about every 6 months.

BFlinn181 · 02-16-2018, 06:56 PM

In our home, I try to pull the refrigerator out and clean the coils and the surrounding area at least once a year. I'd do the same in the RV if living in it full time or after much use of the fridge.

ThePowells · 02-16-2018, 08:59 PM

IDK, but I can already see that I am going to have to create something to slide the fridge onto to get behind it.

Gadget Man · 02-17-2018, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePowells

IDK, but I can already see that I am going to have to create something to slide the fridge onto to get behind it.

An old milk crate was the perfect size/height when I pulled mine out.

Waiter21 · 02-17-2018, 06:18 AM

Some of the new friges don't have condenser coils, They attach the tube to the side walls of the frig and it acts as the heat exchanger for the condenser

Take a look, in the back, if you don't see a coil then this is whats going on..

The 10 cu ft haier that we're looking to install is like this.

Fiesta48 · 02-17-2018, 07:41 AM

Vacuum as much as possible then blow it out, stand back for a dust storm.

mre · 02-17-2018, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waiter21

Some of the new friges don't have condenser coils, They attach the tube to the side walls of the frig and it acts as the heat exchanger for the condenser

Take a look, in the back, if you don't see a coil then this is whats going on..

The 10 cu ft haier that we're looking to install is like this.

Thanks I will look at that. The fridge is a 19cf Whirlpool.

mre · 02-17-2018, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

Vacuum as much as possible then blow it out, stand back for a dust storm.

Thanks. I have already giving that some thought. I have actually thought of taping old bed sheet around the whole fridge area to catch as much dust as possible. I also thought of using my electric leaf blower.

Fiesta48 · 02-17-2018, 08:00 AM

I've also installed A/C filters in front of coils but this does reduce cleaning frequency.

mre · 02-17-2018, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

I've also installed A/C filters in front of coils but this does reduce cleaning frequency.

I thought of that, but my 11 year old home Whirlpool side by side, draws air from the back and exhausts it from the front. I will have to check and see what fridge in the coach does. So if this is the case with the RV fridge, it won't work.

BFlinn181 · 02-17-2018, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waiter21

Some of the new friges don't have condenser coils, They attach the tube to the side walls of the frig and it acts as the heat exchanger for the condenser

Take a look, in the back, if you don't see a coil then this is whats going on..

The 10 cu ft haier that we're looking to install is like this.

The condenser coils are often tucked underneath. The last two refrigerators we've had in our home have been this way. A fan blows the heat out the front. Just because you don't see coils on the back, don't think they're built into the metal skin.

Most refrigerators are mounted in enclosed cabinets. A sidewall condenser would need to be exposed to air circulation to remove the heat. How does yours get rid of the heat? Does it vent out the back through the old evaporative fridge vents top and bottom of the refrigerator space? Or is the heat added to the thermal load inside the RV? (This is what most residential compressor fridges do in an RV installation)

In this study by Purdue, they mention that 32% of the heat returns to the refrigerated box.

Not the efficiency I'm looking for in a refrigerator.

falconman · 02-18-2018, 09:20 AM

The coils on our Whirlpool are on the bottom and partially accessible after removing the lower grill. I bought a flexible cleaning brush and can clean those near the front. Pulling the unit out is the only way to get to all of them.