Fridge Temp

[thedusty]

Our fridge has a temp gauge at the top. During the day it's been about 68 and the Texas sun has been shining on the side of the trailer. Family opens and closes it here and there to grab out food.

It's been sitting at about 44 degrees. Anyone else pay attention to this?  If so, what temps do you see?  Overnight when left alone it gets down to 31.

[charliem]

Our fridge has a temp gauge at the top. During the day it's been about 68 and the Texas sun has been shining on the side of the trailer. Family opens and closes it here and there to grab out food.

It's been sitting at about 44 degrees. Anyone else pay attention to this?  If so, what temps do you see?  Overnight when left alone it gets down to 31.

[font size="3"]Seems about par. Try to minimize openings. Plan entries so as not to keep door open while deciding what to get out. A small blue cube battery powered fan inside will help circulate air.

[a href="http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-A10-2606-FridgeCool-11-28-Switch/dp/B002N5W8Q4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458948451&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+refrigerator+fan"]http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-A10-2606-FridgeCool-11-28-Switch/dp/B002N5W8Q4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458948451&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+refrigerator+fan[/a]

If you have an option don't have the sun shining on the fridge. Watch for ice buildup on the inside cooling fins; defrost if necessary. On setting 5 the fridge should get to 31-32F overnight. Daytime temps will run 40F or slightly above if used heavily. It is very difficult to catch up during the day. If you measure it the freezer temp should run 9-15F or so. Due to the way it works the freezer will actually be colder when the fridge is working hardest to cool the lower section. [/font]

[thedusty]

Ok thank you. Sounds like we are on par. Didn't have much choice with the sun sadly.

[gbpack]

On our recent trip to Florida, we used setting #4 and the fridge temp fluctuated between 35 and 38 degrees, and the freezer was always around 6 or 7 degrees (we have a small thermometer in the freezer). This was true even for the few days where the outdoor temp was in the low 80's. If you need to turn yours up a notch in order to get the fridge temp cooler, then try that. Once in a awhile (on the hotter days) we could hear the sound of a small fan running behind the fridge unit. We assumed that it was some sort of a cooling fan to keep things cool back there. Overall, we were very impressed with how the fridge/freezer unit functioned and performed, and with how many things we could get in both areas.

[thedusty]

On our recent trip to Florida, we used setting #4 and the fridge temp fluctuated between 35 and 38 degrees, and the freezer was always around 6 or 7 degrees (we have a small thermometer in the freezer). This was true even for the few days where the outdoor temp was in the low 80's. If you need to turn yours up a notch in order to get the fridge temp cooler, then try that. Once in a awhile (on the hotter days) we could hear the sound of a small fan running behind the fridge unit. We assumed that it was some sort of a cooling fan to keep things cool back there. Overall, we were very impressed with how the fridge/freezer unit functioned and performed, and with how many things we could get in both areas.

I'm running it like CharlieM mentioned and it's set to 5 right now. It's the morning and it's at 31 degrees.

During the day my wife, son and mom keep opening it and closing it to get food. I may keep some of those frozen ice packs in the freezer and put them in the fridge during the day to boost the cold. Not sure if that's a bad idea though. I also need to look into the little fan.

[peislander]

Another tip is to, whenever possible, pre-chill food before putting it into the RV fridge. For instance, perhaps something you aren't going to eat for a few days can be frozen at home and be left to defrost in the rv fridge -- keeping things cool at the same time.

As an alternate to the battery-operated cube fan charliem referred to, I installed a 12v one that takes up less room & is hard wired as per the pic below. >> [a href="http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/1209/added-12v-fridge-fan"]You can see the thread about the mod here[/a] <<

[thedusty]

Another tip is to, whenever possible, pre-chill food before putting it into the RV fridge. For instance, perhaps something you aren't going to eat for a few days can be frozen at home and be left to defrost in the rv fridge -- keeping things cool at the same time.

As an alternate to the battery-operated cube fan charliem referred to, I installed a 12v one that takes up less room & is hard wired as per the pic below. >> [a href="http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/1209/added-12v-fridge-fan"]You can see the thread about the mod here[/a] <<




[img style="max-width:100%;" style="" src="http://s30.postimg.org/yngufbws1/fridge_fans.jpg"]

Oh wow this is great. I like this idea a lot. I will check this out.

I just put one of those plastic frozen ice packs in the fridge. I'm going to keep some in the freezer at night and pop them in the fridge during the day. We will see if that helps. Also, I need to convince my family to be a little more efficient with the fridge use.

[mitch]

I use one of these to keep the air moving and my fridge always seems cold enough to me.  I leave it running 24/7 and a pair of batteries seems to last forever.  It's not as fancy as the mod shown above but it works.

http://smile.amazon.com/Valterra-A10-2606-FridgeCool-11-28-Switch/dp/B002N5W8Q4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459010026&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+fridge+fan

[thedusty]

I was thinking about this a little. I looked on Amazon for some USB fans that appear like simple computer fans. I was thinking of putting these in the fridge along with a simple rechargeable lithium ion lipstick sized battery pack. I have several of these battery packs. It's all very small.


120mm Dual Ball Bearing USB Powered Case Fan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LHRN86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_T8U9wbSHMXTRX

I would ultimately like to do that permanent mod above but this could be a decent stop gap.

[peislander]

[quote timestamp="1459023583" source="/post/19910/thread" author="@thedusty"]I was thinking about this a little. I looked on Amazon for some USB fans that appear like simple computer fans. I was thinking of putting these in the fridge along with a simple rechargeable lithium ion lipstick sized battery pack. I have several of these battery packs. It's all very small.


120mm Dual Ball Bearing USB Powered Case Fan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LHRN86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_T8U9wbSHMXTRX

I would ultimately like to do that permanent mod above but this could be a decent stop gap. [/quote]It could be even simpler to just get a 12v fan and install it with a switch...  >> [a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=12v+fan"]12v fans at amazon[/a] << Probably the smaller the better.

[thedusty]

Thank you. I'll need to look at it closer. You guys tend to be more handy than me. But I'm looking forward to learning.

Good news is today I had the family be more efficient with the fridge and we were also gone a few hours from the site. When I came back the fridge was sitting at 32. I've also had an ice pack sitting on the top shelf which may have helped fight against Texas sun.

[gbpack]

Yes, the 5th setting can actually be quite cool (even to the point of freezing). If the door isn't opened a lot and/or you're not sitting in the sun, then setting #4 might be good for those times. It's great that there are a number of different settings to choose from!

[thedusty]

You're right. I'm just pleased it can maintain the lower temp if it's left alone. I was getting a bit worried. I will likely will get a fan setup just to make it more efficient.

[charliem]

[font face="arial" size="3"]A few words on fridge operations and different settings. As with most small cooling devices, the thermostat (control) does not control the cooling power. It only controls when the device stops cooling. So the fridge is running a maximum power until it reaches the set temperature, then shuts off. On the Dometics in CLs the #5 setting is about 32F, the #4 about 37F, and so forth. Overnight, with little use and no solar loading, the fridge will usually reach these set points and go into a cycling mode.

At the start of day everything in the fridge is at the set temperature. But door openings, warm outside air, and the rising sun cause the fridge and its contents to warm up. The number of degrees it warms  is roughly the same regardless of the starting temperature within limits. So if your usage/environment causes a 5 degree warmup it will be the same 5 degrees starting at 32F or 37F. You will end up at 37F or 42F respectively, and so on.

The ammonia absorption system in the Dometics is, at best, weak. It will seldom recover during daytime with the opening and external heating present. So my point is start cold if you want to end cold and maintain suitable food temperature. General refrigeration practice recommends 40F or lower for food storage, though this is not a hard rule. IMO, letting the fridge cool to 32F at night gives more daytime margin than higher settings.  Some items near the cooling fins may occasionally freeze so placement is important. Don't put lettuce next to the fins. Yogurt, cheese, and 12oz cans of beverage, etc. will not be damaged. Also, do not over pack the fridge. It needs air circulation, natural and/or forced. [/font]

[furpod]

One thing that can be done is to use a small ice chest for drinks.. we found that kept us out of the fridge quite a bit. We make ice in the freezer to keep the ice chest topped off.

Edit: also we use a very efficient ice chest.