How cold should the freezer be?

[5er_tom]

We have a 2013 Rockwood (8289ws) and the freezer does not keep things frozen solid. The temp gauge shows 18 degrees. I think it should be much colder, perhaps below 10 degrees.

Am I off base here ?


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[youroo]

Ice cream should be (Rock Hard)! If not keep adjusting! Youroo!! I don't know what (F/C#) is needed!

[Evereddie]

Freezer should be 0 or colder. Refrigerator 40 or lower but not lower than 35 or food and drinks will start to freeze.

[5er_tom]

Thanks all. We'll take it in Monday morning. It is still under warranty.


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[OldCoot]

With 2 internal fans, 2 external fans and control set on 2 out of 5 (Norcold) ours maintains 5° to 7° in the freezer and 33° to 35° in the frig.

[Dennis and Julie]

Your fridge should be between 33 and 42. Your freezer should in reality be -10 or colder but that won't happen in your Rv. I'm happy if mine is below 10 everything stays frozen. Have have thermometers that show the safe zones and adjust for fridge temp. Sometimes everyday depending on outside temperature.

[Terier]

The freezer should be close to zero but within a few degrees either way would be OK. 10 degrees or higher sounds like a problem.

This will sounds silly but make sure the door is shut completely. I had a problem with ice cream melting and it was due to user error (me). Listen for the click and suction sound. Look for signs - are all items semi thaw or just the stuff on the side of the door?

Of course it doesn't hurt to check the temp with a different thermometer.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Terier

The freezer should be close to zero but within a few degrees either way would be OK. 10 degrees or higher sounds like a problem.

This will sounds silly but make sure the door is shut completely. I had a problem with ice cream melting and it was due to user error (me). Listen for the click and suction sound. Look for signs - are all items semi thaw or just the stuff on the side of the door?

Of course it doesn't hurt to check the temp with a different thermometer.

I would say 20° and higher would be problem. 10° is plenty cold for a freezer.

[Terier]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I would say 20° and higher would be problem. 10° is plenty cold for a freezer.

This is a valid point and I agree that 10° is OK for the freezer. With a previous background in restaurant & food safety I still consider freezer temps above 10 to be in the danger zone. In the world of RVing I would still likely use food that was kept at slightly higher than the health dept. acceptable range for freezer to be at zero +/- 10° if I felt the item was still safe. I would rather not have the slighter warmer temp be my starting point.

[PhoneDude 8289]

I have the Dometic fridg Mod 2652 with mods like what OC is running. Freezer temp stays between 0 and 7*, box will stay around 35 to 38* unless DW gets into it too often or leaves the door open too long. Max outside temps have been in the mid 90's, should hit close to 100* in the next week or so we'll see how it does it triple digits. What started me modding the thing was a high pitch squeal from the cheep fan Dometic put behind it. More air flow better cooling.

[jevanb]

I fired up the refer today for the first time this year, with a laser my freezer is at -4, but I have the canopy out and the side wall is in the shade

[5er_tom]

The refer is dying a slow death. The freeze can get down to 15, no more. The refer stays cold enough. The problem is we cannot use it on propane since I have smelled ammonia twice (a very bad sign!) which is flammable. We are traveling, so we turn it off when we tow. Once at a campground it runs on electric. I have closed the valves on both propane tanks.
We are spending 5-6 days in Brainerd, MN, in early July and will have a FR dealer there resolve the issue. The refer is still under warranty. Wish we could wait until the Goshen Rally, but need it fixed ASAP.


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[Terier]

Good idea to get it taken care of. If you are questioning it now you likely will continue to wonder about it. Besides smelling ammonia is a good warning sign too.

I'm lucky with my fridge because it get cold fast. Yesterday I headed to the beach for a night of dry camping. Upon arrival at camp around 4 pm the freezer was about 50 and fridge was about 60 before discovering I had turned off the propane in error. I recheck the fridge after a couple of hours and at 6:30 pm my freezer was -5 and fridge was 35.