Residential Refrigerator

Hello Everyone, I have a 2018 4005 and the fridge hasn’t worked correctly for most of the time I have had it. It is a Hisense residential model. The freezer works great, but the fridge won’t get below 56 degrees. Have had a new thermal fuse and windgate installed, but still not working. The last authorized repair facility to look at it said that particular model should not have been installed in an RV because it takes air in, and exhausts hot air out the back of the fridge. With no room to breath the fridge won’t get cool. They say that the correct model for an RV would be one that breaths in and out the front side. That doesn’t explain why it worked for the first few trips I took it out and then the problems started, though. Seems like it would not have ever worked if this information were true.

So so my question is does this make sense to you guys?

Also, if I need to replace this fridge, what models of residential units are working for you?

thanks for any help!
 

LBR

Well-known member
Hello Everyone, I have a 2018 4005 and the fridge hasn’t worked correctly for most of the time I have had it. It is a Hisense residential model. The freezer works great, but the fridge won’t get below 56 degrees. Have had a new thermal fuse and windgate installed, but still not working. The last authorized repair facility to look at it said that particular model should not have been installed in an RV because it takes air in, and exhausts hot air out the back of the fridge. With no room to breath the fridge won’t get cool. They say that the correct model for an RV would be one that breaths in and out the front side. That doesn’t explain why it worked for the first few trips I took it out and then the problems started, though. Seems like it would not have ever worked if this information were true.

So so my question is does this make sense to you guys?

Also, if I need to replace this fridge, what models of residential units are working for you?

thanks for any help!

Our Hisense as performed flawlessly for 2.5 years boondocking in the desert 75% of the time.

Freezer kicks in at ~ +5° and out ~ -4°

Refer kicks in at ~43° and out ~38°
 

donr827

Well-known member
You might look at the installation booklet for your fridge. They will give you the clearance needed on all sides for the fridge to work correctly. Today a good fridge does not need a lot of clearance from walls.
 

MCTalley

Well-known member
I'm no refrigeration expert, but if the freezer section works great (I'm assuming it gets down near 0 degrees) but the refrigerator won't cool down fully, then there is something else going on. If it needed more ventilation to work correctly, I would think the freezer would not get very cold, either.

If you're out of warranty and decide to replace it, most counter depth (this part is key) residential units are usually a direct replacement. Just measure the width and height of your current one and compare sizing online.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I think most refrigerators cool the freezer compartment and use the cold air from the freezer to cool the refrigerator compartment. So if the freezer is getting down to around 0 (F) and keeps ice cream frozen solid, then you should look for vents between the 2 compartments. Is anything blocking them? Sometimes there may be a fan to move the cold air. Another possibility is that you're leaking warm air into the refrigerator compartment. Check the door seals.
 

NP_Chief

Well-known member
Might try re-arranging the contents. As mentioned above, the freezer cools the fridge in most models. Try not to put anything toward the back around the fan.
 

LBR

Well-known member
Agree with the above posts...I have both the freezer and refrigerator bugged on ours to monitor them religiously. Whenever we travel, the DW sets this monitor on our dash to view all 6 sensors in the trailer.

The refrigerator can warm up the entire time as the freezer drops down to about minus 3°, then as the freezer warms back up, the refrigerator drops to about 37-38°....a never ending loop cycle as you would expect. Occasionally this repetative cycle goes a bit wonky, and it is clear the self-defrost mode is working.

I can assure you placement of foods and cases of soda/beer will interupt the perfect cycle if they are placed all the way against the back and partially block the key refrigerator/freezer openings.
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Thank you all for your input and suggestions. The fridge is empty (as is the freezer) so there definitely isn’t a blockage. I checked the clearances and there is definitely not space around the fridge that is recommended by the manufacturer. They recommend 3” to the rear, and I doubt there is that much (I’ll check the next time I get down to the camper). The sides are recommended for 2” clearance and there is maybe 1/2” to the cabinet sidewalls. So maybe that is having an effect, but others don’t seem to be having a problem based on no other threads on the issue. I will see what remedy I get between Heartland, HiSense and the warranty company. Not expecting a lot to be honest.

Thanks again to all that responded!
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
Has the fridge been running 24/7? Ice build up inside the cold air pathway can really affect the temperature in the refrigerator section. The units are so efficient that it does not take much to muck them up. Just another possibility. My s&b unit needs to be opened up every two years to be defrosted. I disassemble it and use hot water to dissolve the ice buildup. The heating/defrosting coil does not work down the entire length of the air path.
 
Has the fridge been running 24/7? Ice build up inside the cold air pathway can really affect the temperature in the refrigerator section. The units are so efficient that it does not take much to muck them up. Just another possibility. My s&b unit needs to be opened up every two years to be defrosted. I disassemble it and use hot water to dissolve the ice buildup. The heating/defrosting coil does not work down the entire length of the air path.

I wish it had ice build up because that would mean I was using it far more than I get to! LOL! No, I get down and use it about once a month for 3-5 days at a time. The rest of the time it is in storage and no power.
 
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