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Old 06-10-2018, 12:34 AM   #21
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Also... make certain that you 'push' the door closed. Ours doesn't close completely until we push on it firmly.
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Old 06-10-2018, 01:42 AM   #22
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I have also noticed that if you open the door frequently in hot weather, it will "lose its cool", and take a while to cool again. We usually try to decide what we need from inside, before we open the door, and remove it quickly. If you keep a thermometer inside, you will notice that your temp will go up from around 35 to mid 50s after a few times of opening the door. Takes 4-6 hours for it to drop back into the 30s. A world of difference between a home refrigerator and one of these.

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I installed a Digital Thermometer from Amazon. I mounted it on the side of the fridge and monitor the internal temperature. We liked it so much, I bought one for the home fridge.

Amazon: AcuRite Refrigerator/Freezer Wireless Digital Thermometer
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Old 06-10-2018, 05:48 AM   #23
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Hi everyone. We recently bought a 2004 Isata 25 foot Motor Home. It is in GREAT shape. It has a Dometic refrigerator. The Freezer portion works great and cools really fast. The refrigerator portion isn't working. Someone told me today to take it out and turn it upside down for a day or two. Is that a thing? Or just nonsense? I just ordered the replacement fridge. We are new to the whole RV world so looking for options. He also told me they put a residential fridge in their 5th wheel, but they don't put many miles on it. Thanks in advance for all of the helpful advice.

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If your Freezer is working "Great" you have no issues,and DON"T take the refer out and turn it "Upside Down"! To speed up this Slow process to Cool Down the Refer part just install a Little Computer Fan on the Fins of your Refer! Do a Search at the Top for "Computer Fan for Inside RV Refer",100s of post on this! They cost Under 20.00$ and run off the 12V light supply! Youroo!!
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Old 06-10-2018, 05:54 AM   #24
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Mount a couple of computer fans to the back of the frig. down at the bottom just above the burner.
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Old 06-10-2018, 06:08 AM   #25
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Lots of great info in all the posts and totally agree if the freezer is getting cold there is nothing wrong with the refer. Absorption refers work from the top down. One recommendation that I can make which I did not see ( or perhaps missed) is to make sure your unit is level or as level as possible when cooling.
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Old 06-10-2018, 08:24 AM   #26
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All great info.
A level unit and patience are key.
We keep our rig plugged in to shore power at home and use the fridge as overflow when we purchase more food than usual for a family get-to-gether so it's always cold and ready to go.
A small fan inside the fridge and a computer fan or two outside to help move the heat from the coils and up the chimney will do wonders. To save the guesswork, I also use the fridge/freezer temperature transmitters rk06382 mentioned.

I personally think for what these refrigerators cost the manufacturers could at least offer the fans as an option, especially for use in warmer parts of the country.
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Old 06-10-2018, 08:49 AM   #27
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All fridges work by removing heat energy. The more cold mass in the fridge, the more heat energy it can absorb. An empty RV fridge has very little mass and hence can not absorb much heat energy therefore it heats up fast. A fairly full ( of cold items) can absorb much more heat energy and will warm up much slower. The issue with absorption fridges is they are much less efficient in removing the heat energy added to the fridge by opening the door etc hence they recover slower. Minimizing the time the door is open and reducing the introduction of warm items will go al long way toward improving the cooling.
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Old 06-10-2018, 09:54 AM   #28
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The specifications for the Dometic fridge in our 2011 Georgetown state that the fridge can be installed in a cabinet with zero clearance on the sides and top. The cabinet it's installed in had some clearance on each side and around six inches on top. When the sun hit that side of the rig, the space around the fridge would heat up to at least 120 degrees, effectively putting the fridge inside an oven.

On our first trip in August, the fridge ran on propane with the burner running continuously and the fridge temperature never getting below 50 F during the day. The dealer fixed the problem by filling the air spaces around the fridge with insulation. The fridge has worked perfectly since then.

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Old 06-10-2018, 10:59 AM   #29
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Mount a couple of computer fans to the back of the frig. down at the bottom just above the burner.
Slightly off topic, but...

How do you keep the burner and controls area so clean? That's beautiful!
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Old 06-10-2018, 11:08 AM   #30
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Slightly off topic, but...

How do you keep the burner and controls area so clean? That's beautiful!
Just wipe it out and blow the debris out once a year before we head to FL for the winter.
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Old 06-10-2018, 01:08 PM   #31
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No one has mentioned what temp they were their refrigerator to maintain. The trip we are on now our refrigerator is maintaining 40 to 44 degrees. DW believes in previous years it was cooler.
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Old 06-10-2018, 01:39 PM   #32
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You've probably started another debate, but I think 35-40 deg F is the usually accepted range.
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Old 06-10-2018, 03:37 PM   #33
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No one has mentioned what temp they were their refrigerator to maintain. The trip we are on now our refrigerator is maintaining 40 to 44 degrees. DW believes in previous years it was cooler.
Anything over 40 is NOT considered "refrigeration"... you are letting bacteria grow. "The temperature in a refrigerator should be 40 °F or below throughout the unit, so that any place is safe for storage of any food. Raw meat, poultry, and seafood should be in a sealed container or wrapped securely to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.Mar 23, 2015"

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal...afety/ct_index
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Old 06-10-2018, 03:52 PM   #34
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WOW. Thank you everyone for all the good info. I’m going to chat with the RV shop first thing in the morning. I like the fan idea. I’ll let you know what he says.
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Old 06-10-2018, 03:58 PM   #35
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An hour isn't nearly long enough based on our first few trips.
Here's the best information unless you really have a malfunction. We turn our refrigerator ON (on Auto so on electricity since it's plugged into 50a service) about 24 hours before we pack it for a trip. We have no problems.
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Old 06-10-2018, 04:19 PM   #36
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No one has mentioned what temp they were their refrigerator to maintain. The trip we are on now our refrigerator is maintaining 40 to 44 degrees. DW believes in previous years it was cooler.
Inside the refrigerator section, at the top are a set of aluminum fins.

On the right side should be a white plastic sleeve clipped onto one of the fins.

Slide it up to get the reefer colder, slide it down to get it warmer. Im betting it slid down when she cleaned it after last camping season.
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Old 06-10-2018, 04:22 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by rk06382 View Post
I installed a Digital Thermometer from Amazon. I mounted it on the side of the fridge and monitor the internal temperature. We liked it so much, I bought one for the home fridge.

Amazon: AcuRite Refrigerator/Freezer Wireless Digital Thermometer
Attachment 175283
That is slick. We have two very old school analog stainless steel bracket thermometers, one in the freezer, one in the refrigerator. Can't see them without opening the door though.

If ever they crap out I will replace with one like yours.
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Old 06-10-2018, 04:43 PM   #38
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Inside the refrigerator section, at the top are a set of aluminum fins.

On the right side should be a white plastic sleeve clipped onto one of the fins.

Slide it up to get the reefer colder, slide it down to get it warmer. Im betting it slid down when she cleaned it after last camping season.
Kind of like in Post #3?
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Old 06-10-2018, 04:46 PM   #39
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Kind of like in Post #3?
AS a matter of fact, Precisely as in Post #3.

Thank Goodness my description was sufficient to allow you to make the connection
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Old 06-11-2018, 03:14 PM   #40
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Yes, we turn ours on when we get to the campground and then don’t put anything in it until the next morning. Also the freezer is always the first to start feeling cool.
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