Refridgerator and 104^ heat

[JETent]

Left the PUP fridge on for the last 48hrs. +104^ during the day, upper 70's^ at night. AC running all night (7p-8a), off all day til 7p. Four beers kept in fridge during that time were "cool to the touch" at best. Fridge set to highest/coldest setting during that time...This is a Dometic(sp) unit in an 08 Fleetwood E3. I thought the beers would be cold (perhaps not ice), but was disappointed that the fridge was just "luke cold". Are this PUP refrigerators wimpy, or is mine failing? The owners manual talks about having to thaw out the unit in some cases, but I don't see this thing even dreaming of ice.

Whats up? Thanks always PUP portal for sharing the knowledge and experience.


Later,
JT

Onward.

 

[NYgranny]

These fridges don't operate like your house fridge. The best they are able to do is about 30-40 degrees cooler than the outside temp. We had ours get warm on us last weekend, and it was only in the 90s.We bought ice and put everything back in the cooler. The fridge 3works fine in more moderate temps.

 

[poncho62]

An exhaust fan for the compartment behind the fridge would help some....Old 12 volt computer fans work great for this

 

[moneeleann]

I've had this same issue here in oklahoma. It just isn't the right type of fridge to handle the heat. I even improved the baffle and added the fan, and it still won't get below 50.

We're going to just replace it with a dorm fridge.

 

[hammer1234]

Echo what others have said and would add that if it's a 3 way to make sure you are running on propane.

My 3 way fridge runs OK on AC but in hot weather I have to run it on propane.

 

[Full Circle]

As well as the fan mod mentioned above, i'd probably throw in a couple of frozen water bottles to help cool things off.

 

[gusbell]

Make sure you have everything cold before you load it too. If your putting cool or room temp items in, it's making it work that much harder.

Search Frig Mod and you will see the baffle and fan improvments people have made. They do make a big difference.

 

[Hawkester]

These units are not the standard compressor type as in our homes and require four every important elements:

Heat Source- An absorption refrigerator has to create heat to produce the chemical reaction that thus cools the unit
Air Flow-Approx 200cfm of air flow (per Dometic) to carry away the heat produced. Also on the inside of the unit a small fan helps with even cooling
Level-Far more critical than one would think to ensure the unit coolant circulates properly due to natural circulation (no pumps)
Average Outside Air Temp-this greatly effects the ability to cool, any refrigerator is affected by this and if you get a 45* difference, then your doing great - even with the best mods.

We stayed in SC last August, the temps were 103/80 and even with my two fan mod blowing air thru the back, the best I could do was about 42*. At night it would recover and during the day we would loose.

Because we took 10 Sr. High students on this trip I packed a tall dorm frig and even than struggled being in the heat. We kept the unit outside and out of the sun but during the day, 50* was the best she could do.

I would think your unit is fine, a fan mod would help, but if it's over 95* outside, think European beer.....

 

[Orchid]

I bought a little fridge thermometer for mine so I could be sure it was safe temps to keep food. Keeping the AC going in the pup and running the fridge on propane, it should do fine.

If you have the pup plugged in at home, it may not be getting enough current. It uses so little propane to run and gets much colder. I would absolutely use that method when it's really hot outside.

 

[Travelhoveler]

Four beers kept in fridge during that time were "cool to the touch" at best.

That's how the British tend to serve their beer, a little cool but not cold. Maybe next trip, take some Bass Ale?

 

[bearman512]

All the fan mods are great but if the sun is directly on the refridge side it will not be enough unless you put some sort of sun shade there. I do this without the mods and add 1 frozen bottle of water. The bottle will stay frozen for 3 to 4 days. Leveling is very important! I have a bullseye level on the bottom of the fridge and adjust level after the top is up. I have been on the Lake here when the temps were 100+. If you want to keep beer cold put it in a ice chest as your pups fridge cannot take opening and closing so often if you drink beer like me.

 

[TX_F2]

Since we both live in this frying pan known as Texas and deal with the same temps, here is what I do when going camping:


1) Plug in empty fridge to outlet in garage (our Niagara gets stored in the garage) & run off electric 24 hrs before leaving

2) Put all camping groceries that need to be refrigerated / frozen in house fridge 24 hrs before leaving

3) In the morning right before we leave, I put one of those RV circulating fridge fans: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-refrigerators/rv-refrigerator-fan.htm
in the fridge and then load the fridge and freezer with food from house fridge

4) *** Then I either switch fridge to run on propane or battery (My TV has a charge line) on trip to campsite ***
(Some say this is dangerous & not to do it, some say they do it all the time, it's up to you)

5) If it's really hot (like it has been lately here in TX), when I arrive at the campsite, I switch the fridge to propane for the
duration of the trip.


The food in the fridge has always been cold whenever I do this, including camping in 100*+ temps here in TX.


Oh yeah, this is just for food in the fridge that will have you only opening the fridge occasionally such as when making meals. Due to design, these RV fridges loose too much cool air when frequently opened and can not recool the interior quickly..

We put ALL drinks in the cooler. Yes, in this TX heat 20 - 30 lbs of ice in the cooler might only last for 1 day, but the drinks (and beer ) will still be nice and cold in the ice water until you buy some more ice to put in the cooler.

 

[Bama Camper1]

An exhaust fan for the compartment behind the fridge would help some....Old 12 volt computer fans work great for this

just installed one last night and it really made a difference

 

[azbirddog42]

Do the fridge mod and all will be well...Trust me , I live in Arizona, the gateway to [email protected]# . 110 in the day and 90 at night.....

 

[Yak]

That's how the British tend to serve their beer, a little cool but not cold. Maybe next trip, take some Bass Ale?

What they call "cellar temperature"

 

[JETent]

Do the fridge mod and all will be well...Trust me , I live in Arizona, the gateway to [email protected]# . 110 in the day and 90 at night.....

Is that Reflectix tape? How/where did you place additional insulation around the pup fridge? Mod exhaust fan is a common mod, your pictures help me to visualize a solution. Thanks, JT Onward.

 

[papachaz]

i'm going to do the fridge mod one day next week. is the baffle really necessary? i'm debating whether i'll have to take the counter top off inside or if i can remove the vents outside and do it from there. i have a couple of computer fans already to use, being that i had my own computer shop at one time