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Jeffrey H Lomb → Boondockers Welcome (subscription service): July 18, 2020Hi folks, I'm a newbie and could use some advice. I recently purchased a 2014 Keyston -- It has an Atwood 6 Cu Ft refrigerator and I'm having trouble keeping the fridge under 55 - 60 F when in the sun. I've replaced the Thermister, added 2 fans on the coo... moreHi folks, I'm a newbie and could use some advice. I recently purchased a 2014 Keyston -- It has an Atwood 6 Cu Ft refrigerator and I'm having trouble keeping the fridge under 55 - 60 F when in the sun. I've replaced the Thermister, added 2 fans on the cooling side (side vent & roof). Is this a common problem with these Helium refrigerators. I'm really thinking of replacing the unit with a residential Avanti 7 Cu Ft. -- Any thoughts?
John winoJuly 18, 2020
Time to put fans in back side of Refg look on youtube for get help on fans ck all of them then make your plans to do. You can do it just take your time but look at of the people on you tube ok.
Jeffrey H LombJuly 20, 2020
I've already added 2 fans (see above)
Glamping JeepersJuly 18, 2020What is the outside temp? Gas absorsion ammonia start to struggle above 90-95F. Good airflow up and out the top on the back of the frig and also adding fans inside the frig helps alot. I have three interior thermometers on my fridge and they vary as muc... moreWhat is the outside temp? Gas absorsion ammonia start to struggle above 90-95F. Good airflow up and out the top on the back of the frig and also adding fans inside the frig helps alot. I have three interior thermometers on my fridge and they vary as much as 12° depending on where they are placed. Look at RV cooling unit warehouse for some good circulating fans less
Jeffrey H LombJuly 20, 2020Outside temps greater than 70 deg seems to greatly affect. Although today is one of the first days that it's been cloudy -- Temps around 84 F -- and the fridge seems to be around 45 - 46 F -- Sun baking the roof might be causing a lot of my problems, will... moreOutside temps greater than 70 deg seems to greatly affect. Although today is one of the first days that it's been cloudy -- Temps around 84 F -- and the fridge seems to be around 45 - 46 F -- Sun baking the roof might be causing a lot of my problems, will have to wait and see when I get out camping in the woods in the next week or so. less
Glamping JeepersJuly 20, 2020I have three thermometers in my fridge and none of them read the same. Try moving your thermometer different spots in the fridge and see if you get different ratings. Also keep in mind opening the door of the fridge drops the temperature dramatically. We ... moreI have three thermometers in my fridge and none of them read the same. Try moving your thermometer different spots in the fridge and see if you get different ratings. Also keep in mind opening the door of the fridge drops the temperature dramatically. We try to keep the storage that is in the doors of the fridge full of soda pop or water to help hold the cold inside the fridge. It is best to keep the fridge about 2/3 or 3/4 full if possible along with the fan inside to circulate the air that way you have more equal temperature with the fans and the volume of food or water also helps maintain the cold for when you open the door. We try to stock our fridge so that when we do open the door we know right what we want to get it out quickly and close the door to reduce the temperature loss. This may seem like a lot of work but it really isn’t once you get used to doing it just like when you were dry camping and conserving water it’s
just forming new habits less
Jeffrey H LombJuly 18, 2020I've already placed 2 fans in the back of the unit -- an intake on the side vent and an out-take on the roof. They are Titan thermostatically controlled 12v fans and they have been running constantly -- On temp is 65 F
As I said, the unit will ge... moreI've already placed 2 fans in the back of the unit -- an intake on the side vent and an out-take on the roof. They are Titan thermostatically controlled 12v fans and they have been running constantly -- On temp is 65 F
As I said, the unit will get down to 44F when in the shade but if it sits in sun at temps greater than 7- F -- it fails
2 thermometers -- both reading the same less
Jeffrey H LombJuly 18, 2020
I guess what I'm asking from people that go for extended periods of time and are in areas that are not always optimal "Shade" do you have problems keeping the Fridge at temps lower than 40 F
Glamping JeepersJuly 20, 2020
A residential is good only if you always have electrical hookups or a very large battery bank and huge solar system. They draw 15-20 amps which is up to 2400 watts. We use propane as we dry camp as much as possible to reduce costs.
WeMustRV July 20, 2020
I have two resi fridges. The main one is a 23 cubic ft Kemore Elite and. The one in the basement is a small 3 ft fridge. Combined when cooling they draw 2 amps max. I do have 4 240 amp hour batteries.
Glamping JeepersJuly 20, 2020That is very different information from what I looked up and quite an improvement. It does appear that during defrost cycle it takes 6 to 700 watch for 30 minutes. I went camping one long weekend with two other coaches that had residential refrigerators. ... moreThat is very different information from what I looked up and quite an improvement. It does appear that during defrost cycle it takes 6 to 700 watch for 30 minutes. I went camping one long weekend with two other coaches that had residential refrigerators. They both had 400 W of solar and they both had to run their generator about two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening in order to keep the batteries up. It sounds like then with a big solar system like 1100 W a residential fridge might be a possible option even Boondocking but I will need to do more research. Thanks for your input as I am always willing to learn less
WeMustRV July 21, 2020If I run totally off grid I can run 10-12 hours with the fridges running and some DC lighting and 1 120V TV(TV and lights not running continuously). Then I do have to run the generator for a couple hours to bring the charge back up to full. I ... moreIf I run totally off grid I can run 10-12 hours with the fridges running and some DC lighting and 1 120V TV(TV and lights not running continuously). Then I do have to run the generator for a couple hours to bring the charge back up to full. I do not have solar at this time that will be my next addition. I am surprised with solar they still had to run the generators that much. Could be they were running other loads as well. We do keep lods very minimal when off grid. I have no experience with Solar on board so not trying to offend anyone. less
Glamping JeepersJuly 21, 2020I can’t really be sure but they might have made some coffee in the morning. I do know most all the cooking was done outside and there was no need for heat or AC. I know they did not watch TV. I have been talking to a guy that builds solar systems and he d... moreI can’t really be sure but they might have made some coffee in the morning. I do know most all the cooking was done outside and there was no need for heat or AC. I know they did not watch TV. I have been talking to a guy that builds solar systems and he did say that it is almost impossible to get the 100% full charge that they are advertise unless they were perfectly aimed at the sun on a perfectly clear day and that any shade or cloudiness really hurts the performance of solar. less
RV Fishing Adventures July 21, 2020We have two rigs, one is a 5er and the other is an Airstream - both with nearly identical Dometic fridges. Our fridge in the 5er kept things frozen and cold when we only had one AC in the Texas heat for 4 summers. We had a little trouble when it was abo... moreWe have two rigs, one is a 5er and the other is an Airstream - both with nearly identical Dometic fridges. Our fridge in the 5er kept things frozen and cold when we only had one AC in the Texas heat for 4 summers. We had a little trouble when it was above 90 degrees but it was a "soft ice cream" type issue. It would get up to about 28 degrees in the freezer.
In our Airstream, it never has an issue even in the heat - AND, it's 7 years older than our 5er. Granted, the Airstream is better at keeping the inside cooler even without AC. The 5er gets unbearably hot without AC (10-20 degrees above outside temps, even with full venting).
So my take on this is that it's more the inside temp than the outside.
Have you tried adding insulation inside the fridge cabinet? If there isn't much or it's thin, try adding reflectix/radiant barrier to the inside of the cabinet. That should keep the cool in and the heat out better. Also, if your fridge is in a slide and you have no slide topper, try rigging something to keep the slide cooler above the fridge... We actually got a piece of this aluminum covered foam and put it on that part of the slide... Stuffed it in at an angle so it could stay dry underneath and then put a board on it to keep the wind from blowing it out. less
Bruce & Dorothy July 22, 2020Norcold is sometimes called never cold. My 1200 unit recently went bad and I converted over to the Amish 12 volt compressor system. Kids had rock solid popsicles for the first time ever. We liked the idea of the super efficiency compress... moreNorcold is sometimes called never cold. My 1200 unit recently went bad and I converted over to the Amish 12 volt compressor system. Kids had rock solid popsicles for the first time ever. We liked the idea of the super efficiency compressor which works like your home refrigerator without the same high energy use or having to do major install for residential refrigerator. You use the same box, just change out the back. Plus converting gets rid of the flame required of the old ammonia system. We travel from the gulf coast up to near Elkhart Indiana. The Amish maker is there and did the install too. Search for JC Refigeration and they should come up. There is a great Harvest Host on a Alpaca farm about 2 hours south. Plus on the night before the install you can Boondock in their lot. less
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