2019 Rockwood A122SESP - First RV Experience

[rm.777]

I bought a Rockwood A122SESP a couple of weeks ago and just took it out for the first time for 5 days. It was an unexpected trip (family emergency), but so nice to have my own space. It was the first time towing any kind of RV and it was super easy to hook up and tow. No problem setting up. A little snafu with the water pressure...there was some debris in the aerator. Once we figured that out, the water pressure was great.

The only problem we had was that the refrigerator was getting up to almost 55 degrees during the day time. We tried running it on both propane and then switched to electricity and had the same issue. It was in the mid 90s during the day. I'm guessing that had something to do with the high temps in the day time. At night, the fridge would get to the high 20s. So, we used a cooler instead of having all of our meat/produce go bad.

Is this normal to have such a big fluctuation in fridge temp? Anything I can do to change this? I've read everything I can find on here and it looks like adding some kind of fan to cool the back of the fridge might help. Also, any other tips on the A122 would be appreciated. Thanks, in advance, for your advice.

[Wiscampsin]

If your fridge is too tightly packed it won't cool properly. Absorption type fridges need some room between items in the fridge. Was the fridge side of the camper facing the afternoon sun? Have you adjusted the slider on the cooling fins?


You could try a fan on the inside to help circulate the cool air.


I really like the color of your Tacoma!!

[rm.777]

Originally Posted by Wiscampsin

If your fridge is too tightly packed it won't cool properly. Absorption type fridges need some room between items in the fridge. Was the fridge side of the camper facing the afternoon sun? Have you adjusted the slider on the cooling fins?
Attachment 207539

You could try a fan on the inside to help circulate the cool air.
Attachment 207540

I really like the color of your Tacoma!!

I didn't know there were cooling fins on this fridge. Are they on the inside or outside of the fridge (I have the camper folded down right now...so can't look inside for a day or two). The fridge was on the sunny side of the trailer on the hot days.


The fridge didn't have anything but a few cans of soda and some butter in it this past trip due to the fluctuation in temp. I'll remember not to space items too closely in the fridge the next time we try to use it. And...I will definitely get one of the fans to circulate cold air.



Thanks!

[bikendan]

Your 3-way fridge may not have fins, like the one in the pics.
Mine didn't.

[CGK]

If your fridge has fins, you might consider a fan like this: https://rvcoolingunit.com/Dometic-3-...-P5661663.aspx. I put one in my last TT, and it really seemed to help keep the temperatures more consistent (and cooler) throughout the fridge. You may also want to check to be sure there is a working fan in the area behind the fridge that will move air from the bottom vent through the top vent. Most RVs seem to come with these - especially when both vents are on the side of the unit - but if yours was the lucky one to miss out on that fan it could help as well. Good luck!

[rm.777]

Originally Posted by CGK

If your fridge has fins, you might consider a fan like this: https://rvcoolingunit.com/Dometic-3-...-P5661663.aspx. I put one in my last TT, and it really seemed to help keep the temperatures more consistent (and cooler) throughout the fridge. You may also want to check to be sure there is a working fan in the area behind the fridge that will move air from the bottom vent through the top vent. Most RVs seem to come with these - especially when both vents are on the side of the unit - but if yours was the lucky one to miss out on that fan it could help as well. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the vents and make sure there is a working fan behind the fridge. I will try to remember to update this thread when I've tried a couple things mentioned above after the next camping trip.

[pgandw]

I started a thread, http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ge-104964.html, several years ago about getting the Dometic 4223 fridges to work the way they should. Some other folks contributed, and when I combined their ideas with what I had already done, the fridge would get below freezing in a matter of hours in any weather in any mode. I had to continually turn down the amount of cooling on gas or AC (you can't control cooling on DC, but I could turn the fan I installed off).

The major problem is that FR doesn't follow Dometic's installation instructions very well. People assume the fridge is installed properly, and it's not. So it can't perform the way it was engineered to do.

The biggest difference maker is to install a computer case fan to exhaust air out the upper vent (I tie-wrapped mine to the vent). The other essential is to use a battery-powered wireless thermometer to measure what the temp inside the fridge really is. The Dometic 4223 does NOT have a thermostat, nor is it thermostatically controlled. It runs continuously at whatever setting the AC or propane is on. So the info from travel trailer owners is often wrong.

Read the thread, and follow what your fellow A-framers discovered. The high wall A-frames have a more conventional RV fridge, but even that has installation issues.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
prior: 2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[rm.777]

Originally Posted by pgandw

I started a thread, http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ge-104964.html, several years ago about getting the Dometic 4223 fridges to work the way they should. Some other folks contributed, and when I combined their ideas with what I had already done, the fridge would get below freezing in a matter of hours in any weather in any mode. I had to continually turn down the amount of cooling on gas or AC (you can't control cooling on DC, but I could turn the fan I installed off).

The major problem is that FR doesn't follow Dometic's installation instructions very well. People assume the fridge is installed properly, and it's not. So it can't perform the way it was engineered to do.

The biggest difference maker is to install a computer case fan to exhaust air out the upper vent (I tie-wrapped mine to the vent). The other essential is to use a battery-powered wireless thermometer to measure what the temp inside the fridge really is. The Dometic 4223 does NOT have a thermostat, nor is it thermostatically controlled. It runs continuously at whatever setting the AC or propane is on. So the info from travel trailer owners is often wrong.

Read the thread, and follow what your fellow A-framers discovered. The high wall A-frames have a more conventional RV fridge, but even that has installation issues.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
prior: 2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

Thank you for the info on the other thread. I’ve read it through and will install a fan to vent the air out the side vent. I got the wireless thermometer this week.