We have taken our new TT out now a couple of times. Our problem is not the refrigerator, but the freezer. The refrigerator seems to work fine at keeping the items cold, however, the freezer doesn't seem to keep up to par, and there doesn't see to be a way of adjusting the temperature just for that. We have freezer/refrigerator thermometers in both and can not seem to get the freezer up to a "safe" temperature for frozen foods. I've seen several comments on the refrigerators, but anyone else having a problem with the freezer?
Do you have a slider temperature control in the refrigerator? If so, slide it upwards further. It should control both units. Make sure you don't get too cold in the refrigerator so things like vegetables and fruit don't start freezing.
Thank you for your reply! We actually slid it all the way up, refrigerator was then too cold, however, the freezer neer got cold enough. It wasn't stuffed full, and we turned it on two days in advance before leaving. We did not continuously open it either. We even changed the freezer thermometer to check that it was working ok, and it measured the same as the original. (Not to mention the little icecream cups that we had in there were soft and melty at best ).
So the freezer is not cold enough, yet the fridge part will freeze your salad?
Check the freezer door seals
Check the floor of the fridge to ensure levelness (Fridge needs to be absolutely level for liquid ammonia to flow back to the boiler)
Check the defroster is turned off (switch in freezer door - some units).
Check the ammonia boiler for a yellow stain, (leaking ammonia).
Does this only happen on AC power, Propane only, or both?
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
OMGosh! You are the Bomb! Lol! Pictures and all! We will be going out later today and checking all your suggestions! We have not had an opportunity to run the fridge on propane yet, but we will try that out. Newbies to all of this, didn't think we would run into something like this being a brand new TT. Thank you for the suggestions and we will try it out to see if we can get this figured out before we leave again!
We have taken our new TT out now a couple of times. Our problem is not the refrigerator, but the freezer. The refrigerator seems to work fine at keeping the items cold, however, the freezer doesn't seem to keep up to par, and there doesn't see to be a way of adjusting the temperature just for that. We have freezer/refrigerator thermometers in both and can not seem to get the freezer up to a "safe" temperature for frozen foods. I've seen several comments on the refrigerators, but anyone else having a problem with the freezer?
Are you keeping your freezer as full as you can ???
We keep ours full by keeping ex ice in it !!!
Actually, the answer to your question is: No. I did not have it full, as I thought that the air may have to circulate to keep the items cooler. This is definitely a learning thing for us!
Sorry it took a bit to get back to everyone, but our internet service has been wonky. Checked the seals with a dollar bill...all secure. Floor of fridge is level, bubble of level was dead center. No defroster switch, no stains. Still haven't check the propane vs. electric, will be doing that soon. Freezer was not packed full, but have learned something new on that one and will try that the next time around. I did contact our dealership and spoke to the guys in the shop. Was told by them there is no way to adjust the freezer. Glad it's all still under warranty, perhaps we just got a refrigerator that doesn't work right. We will be taking it in once again for warranty work, and I will have that on the list for them for sure if all else fails!
I knew that about the home freezer, but not the TT one. It seems to be so different. Next time I will use a bag of ice in it for sure. We always take our own water and make ice before going, but next time I will just get a small bag of ice instead of just using some icecube trays! Thanks!
Yes! That would be very easy to do for us also! A couple Zip Lock bags full of ice that can be used while camping would be very easy! Thank you for the idea!
Yes! That would be very easy to do for us also! A couple Zip Lock bags full of ice that can be used while camping would be very easy! Thank you for the idea!
I think we mad about 12 bags last week before we headed out,,, we filled our coolers & took about 6 bags with us !!! As I said I do not like paying for frozen water !!!
And that makes total sense! And with two grandkids that are with us in tow, who enjoy alot of ice in their drinks, it would be very convenient and easy to do! (Not to mention saving a few bucks in the meanwhile.)
Actually, the answer to your question is: No. I did not have it full, as I thought that the air may have to circulate to keep the items cooler. This is definitely a learning thing for us!
RV fridges are less efficient than home fridges so they take longer to recover after being opened. Heat energy enters he fridge every time the door is opened. In order to maintain the temp, that energy must be absorbed by something. Being smaller, there is less mass to absorb the heat and the temp rises faster. If the fridge/freezer is full of cold /frozen items, there is more mass to absorb the heat and the temp rise is less. A little space for circulation is good, but the more mass you have in the fridge/freezer, the more efficient it will be. If close to the end of your trip and the freezer is almost empty, you can always add a bag of ice.
Thank you so much for your reply also...And that makes total sense! I will make sure to bring a -lot- of ice next time and try to avoid the disappointed looks of the grandkids by serving them their mushy icecream cups!
RV fridges are less efficient than home fridges so they take longer to recover after being opened. Heat energy enters he fridge every time the door is opened. In order to maintain the temp, that energy must be absorbed by something. Being smaller, there is less mass to absorb the heat and the temp rises faster. If the fridge/freezer is full of cold /frozen items, there is more mass to absorb the heat and the temp rise is less. A little space for circulation is good, but the more mass you have in the fridge/freezer, the more efficient it will be. If close to the end of your trip and the freezer is almost empty, you can always add a bag of ice.
Don't ya just love watching someone standing with the fridge door wide open,,, trying to decide what they want !!!
Kinda like the folks that hold the glass doors open @ the grocery store while they read the labels !!!
Both compartments of the refrigerator should reach their temperatures even if they are empty. If they are empty, as stated before, the cold air will flow out pretty quickly and the temperature will go up. If there's food in the compartments, the cold from the food will quickly cool the air that has come in.
What temperatures are you seeing? What is the outdoor temperature and what is the temperature inside your RV? The freezer should get below 20 F and the refrigerator should get below 45 F. Sometimes my freezer gets to single digits and the lower compartment gets below 40 F. This happens if it is full or empty.
Once I ran the refrigerator overnight to cool it and the next morning I remembered I needed to change the light bulb. I lost all the cool air in the lower compartment. I had to wait a while for it to cool down again before I put food in it.
If your refrigerator, like mine, does not have the "Climate Control" switch that is shown in Herk's post, you can just disconnect the heating element at the light switch. You can pry the plastic drive rivets out to remove the light switch assembly. Just push the pins out of the rivets, which lets the fingers go back into the hole, then drive the pins back in to reset the rivets. The heating element is to keep the frame from sweating and is more of a problem because it unnecessarily uses 12 volt power when you are boondocking, but it does add a little to the heat load on the refrigerator.
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RamblerGuy
2011 Sunseeker 3100
2016 Ford Edge Toad
The thermometers that we have in both the fridge and freezer have "red" zones that you are to keep the temp within for "safe" food keeping. I can't tell you the exact temp because I have always just made sure to keep it in the "zones". To answer your questions about outside & inside temperatures: The maiden voyage was snowing and sleeting outside the entire time. It was cold We kept the inside around 68 degrees according to the thermostat. The 2nd time we took the TT out, it was running about 75 degrees in the morning, 50's at night. We did not run the heat, nor the air conditioning. Got the same results. We don't get into the fridge or the freezer except to get things out quickly, and I have even told my grandkids they have to know exactly what it is they want before getting into it. (We had been told before that it takes awhile to get it cooled back down once opened). I have started the refrigerator 2 days before we left on both trips. Sorry if I've overloaded here, but I wanted to make sure I answered your questions! We so appreciate all the help! Thank you! And BTW love that you added the picture too! That helps
Refrigerator's Freezer Not Cold Enough
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