Keeping the Fridge Cool

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KerryT

Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2016
Posts
5
Location
Dallas, TX
We are full timers and move around quite a bit.  Sometimes there is no shade and the temperatures outside can get pretty warm.  I watch my refrigerator temp like a hawk and hate it when it climbs up to 40+.  Does anyone know of a way to shield the side of the RV that the fridge is on?  Needs to  moveable and fairly easy to put in place.  Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. 
 
I do interior fans as mentioned but also installed the ARP fans that go behind the frig and gets hot air out.  It also adds a huge safety factor with an automatic shut off aside from the fans.  The ARP adverstisement is on this page, above.
 
If sunshine alone on the sidewall makes the interior fridge temperature climb above 40, I would suspect there is a fridge problem.  Your fridge should be able to maintain 33-38 degrees at ambient temps up to about 100.  It could be poor sealing around the back of the fridge or missing/wrong baffles in the "chimney" area where the waste heat rises and exits. RV manufacturers are all too likely to do an improper fridge installation like that.

A roll-up window awning is the only other method I can think of.
 
You may also want to try the "dollar bill test" on the fridge seals to see if you door seal is keeping all the cold in. Take a dollar bill and close it in the door with half sticking out. Now pull on it. You should feel resistance when pulling on it. Check several places all around the door seal.  If it pulls out easily anyplace, you may need a door seal replacement, or a door adjustment.
 
Thanks for all the ideas.  I will probably try several of them to try to cool my fridge down in warm weather.  Starting with the Dollar Bill Test.  Lol
 
I try to park in hot weather so that the refrigerator side of the motorhome gets morning sun, but not afternoon sun.  Other option is to face north or have a tree on that side.  I am also considering hanging some black mesh on that side, but am still experimenting on how to do that.  I think the solution is two small hooks from which I can loosely hang some black mesh to give it some shade. 
 
Opening the door to check the temperature surely doesn't help either. Opening the door loses a lot of cooling and takes forever to come back down with RV reefers. By having a plan where stuff is placed in the reefer, you can get the stuff you need in and out quickly. Does that sound like a great plan? If so, please tell my wife about it. She opens the door like a teenager looking for a snack.  :mad: (Thank goodness she doesn't participate in the forum.  :D )
 
A fan blowing a small amount of air upwards past the cooling coils on the rear of the refrigerator can work wonders.

In cool weather, the heat from the coils sets up a chimney affect, drawing in cooler air from the bottom vent while the warmer air rises and carries away the refrigerator's waste heat through the roof vent.

In hot weather, there isn't enough difference between the ambient air temperature and the temperature of the refrigerator's cooling coils to set up the convection flow, so the air becomes stagnant and can't carry away the refrigerator's heat, bringing the cooling process to a halt.

All it takes is a little bit of airflow across the coils to restore the refrigerator's cooling.  You can use a small 120 volt clip-on fan attached to the lip of the lower vent and set to blow air upwards across the coils to test the concept, then replace it with one or two 12 volt muffin fans for a more permanent installation.
 
I was hoping someone would have replaced the roof vent with a solar powered vent to help draw the heat out, only cause I was thinking about doing this and wanted to know their results. Anyone?
 
I put 4 120mm computer fans above the refer to suck the hot air out.  Made a huge difference.  I never run it on a setting higher than 4.

You might get some benefit from the Muddypaws Mod.  Zero cost.  All you need it a styrofoam coffee cup.  Instructions are somewhere on this site.  (search will find it)
 

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