Dometic Frig Cooling Question

[Augustpilot]

New 2017 rockwood 2906ws with Dometic frig. Brought home this afternoon plugged in to 110. Cooling using auto which puts on electric. The freezer seems to be cooling down fast, frig not so quick. I know it is much bigger space. Will it cool quicker using propane? Outside behind the frig by the grill you can hear a noise which I assume is the gas inside cooling. Sounds like small motor. First to admit I know very little how the Rv frig works. Looking for others experience. Thanks.

[TURBS]

May take 12/24 hours to completely cool down.
If the freezer is cooling down so will the fridge, as the fridge and freezer are basically one in the same.
You probably hear the cooling fan in the back.




2015 Columbus 320RS
2008 2500HD Duramax
2015 nights camped "34"
2016 nights camped "14"

[rockfordroo]

It would help if you posted the model number. Here's a short primer:

1. Temperature control: Inside the fridge, upper right hand side, there is a long pointy thing called a thermistor. It's inside a white plastic clip that's clipped to one of the cooling fins. Sliding the clip/thermistor UP increases cooling; sliding it down decreases cooling. Sometimes the thermistor slides down inside the clip, so check that. Raise it up as high as it can go; you can always drop it down if the fridge gets too cold.

2. Noise by grill: Some fridges have a fan installed to aid in pushing cooling air up around the coils behind the fridge. These are usually installed in fridges that are installed in a slide, because they don't have a roof vent, but an upper vent on the side of the slide. That could be what your hearing. A lot of folks without this fan add their own to improve cooling. Some replace the Dometic fan, if they have one, with better fans. Usually 120mm computer fans.

3. Make sure TT is level. Fridges need to be level to work properly.

4. Cooling on propane: Some people think their fridges cool faster on propane, some think faster on electric. Who knows?

5. Cooling speed: These fridges operate on an ammonia absorption principal. No moving parts, just uses heat to make the gas go round and provide the cooling. They are not great for actually cooling stuff; they really just keep stuff cold. Stuff you put in it should be cold already if possible. Many people turn them on the day before they leave to go camping so they are cold when they leave. They'll load it up with cold stuff then. They will get colder faster if you have stuff in them (thermal mass).

6. Operation while traveling: About 50% (guessing) of RV'ers travel with their fridges operating on propane.

[DavidBo]

Absorption style refrigerators take a very long time to cool off, whether on gas or electric. The air doesn't circulate through a cooling coil like your home unit, everything is static. I found the back of the wall of the freezer to get cold first, and that took over an hour. I left it going overnight and by morning everything was plenty cold.
A thermometer for both the freezer and fridge is a good investment. They also make little fans that help circulate the air in the fridge to keep the temperature more even.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by DavidBo

Absorption style refrigerators take a very long time to cool off, whether on gas or electric. The air doesn't circulate through a cooling coil like your home unit, everything is static. I found the back of the wall of the freezer to get cold first, and that took over an hour. I left it going overnight and by morning everything was plenty cold.
A thermometer for both the freezer and fridge is a good investment. They also make little fans that help circulate the air in the fridge to keep the temperature more even.

X2 on thermometer. This is the one I've got:

AcuRite® Digital Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer with Temperature Alerts - BedBathandBeyond.com

(Stay away from Taylor - they're junk).

Here's an inside fan:

Dometic Refrigerator Deluxe Fan to Increase Cooling Inside with Metal Grill | eBay

Google RV fridge fan and you'll get others; some operate on batteries, some like this one you have to wire up to the light circuit or run wires down through the drain line.

[Augustpilot]

It is cooling fine this morning. It does have cooling fan as frig is in slide out

[rockfordroo]

Great!

[Croaker]

They cool better if you put something in them.

They work by removing heat and cool much better if you add something cold like beverages from your home refer.
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[awellis3]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Here's a short primer: ...

Good job, Rock.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Here's an inside fan:

Dometic Refrigerator Deluxe Fan to Increase Cooling Inside with Metal Grill | eBay

Google RV fridge fan and you'll get others; some operate on batteries, some like this one you have to wire up to the light circuit or run wires down through the drain line.

Thanks for the link Rockfordroo! I was in the process of kludging something together with a little USB fan, but I like this better. Just ordered one, I'm interested in how well it works.

[markb422]

You can use any indoor outdoor thermometer with a sending unit to prevent oppening the fridge to often to check the temp. I keep frozen half gallons of water in the home freezer and put them in the rv fridge and freezer when I first turn it on to help cool it faster. I take them out as I pack the food which should already be cold.

[dmchapman]

Reagarding thermistor position... Just yesterday I was reading the operating instructions and at the end found two sentences. The thermistor capsule should be centered in the holder (clip). The holder should be centered on the far right-hand fin. Then slide the clip up for colder, down for less cold.

[MikeFerg]

I know this is somewhat off target, but our driveway is not level, hence when we pack for a trip, we cannot start the fridge. I have found that putting a bowl of ice in both the fridge and freezer work great to get the temperature down when we finally leave and let the cooling take place while on the road. Works fine for us.