Refer temp in HOT weather

[2010augusta]

The DW and I just started a two month stay in Uvalde TX, and the current weather is 104 for the foreseeable future. Our 4 door fridge is set at 5 but will only stay between 47 degrees in the morning and 58 degrees by late afternoon. We our very worried about losing food. Is this normal for the refer to get this warm in hot weather? Is there anyway to make the fridge cooler? We are running it on 50 Amp electric.

 

[katkens]

If your frig. cannot maintain 40 degrees or below its not functioning as it should and a danger of accelerated bacteria growth in your food products. Here is a link that is helpful about temps:
http://www.refrigerators.com/refrigeratortemperatureguide.aspx

 

[cjbearden]

We are on our second 1350 Dometic 4-door, which has been doing well (knock on wood) since replacement last October. In high humidity and with western setting sun shining on the fridge side, we do get some warm up but nothing for us to be concerned about. That being said, definitely would not rule out that there is a problem with yours. We do not have a 'climate' control or sensor on the fins to adjust. Sensor is located in a different place but best not to mess with if you have the 1350 model.

Check to make sure fans are running outside. Do you use a fridge fan inside? Do you have a temperature gauge to check the inside temp? We have found the digital gauge you see on top doesn't necessarily tell you what is actually going on inside. Try it on propane for a while to see if that lets it get colder.

We went through cooling fan replacements, relays replaced, etc. trying to get our original one to work. Last resort was replacement by Dometic. Talk to HL and/or Dometic to see what you should expect in those high temps and humidity.

Good Luck. Keep us informed of the resolution for your problem.

C.J.

 

[wdk450]

Things to try/check

Alan:
Did you check the switches on the door frame of the refrigerator side? One of them is labelled "Climate" which I think should be turned on for high ambient temperatures.
Are your outside fans running on the fridge outside access panel? Airflow across the cooling unit is Critical for good absorbsion refrigeration operation.
On the inside of the fridge, I have heard that moving the sensor on the fins up lowers the inside temperature.

 

[2010augusta]

The outside fans are not running... How or what do I need to do to get the fans to work? There are no switches in the refer part, there are only 3 buttons in the freezer.

 

[CrazyScotsman]

Outside fan behind fridge kicks on when temp back there gets to something like a 130 degrees. That is what Holmes on wheels guy told me at the rally

 

[wdk450]

The outside fans are not running... How or what do I need to do to get the fans to work? There are no switches in the refer part, there are only 3 buttons in the freezer.

Outside fans run on 12 volts DC. Check all fuses on fuse panel for a blown fuse. If you have a meter, check for the presence of 12 volts DC at the thermostat on the fins with wires leading to the fans. If 12 volts present, short across the thermostat, see if fans now run. if so, thermostat is probably bad.
Evaporative refrigerators need an air flow (much like a chimney flue) across the cooling elements to work properly. The slide installation does not allow the normal chimney to the roof vent that other RV refrig installations have. Our air flow is from the bottom vent panel to the top vent panel assisted by fans.

 

[2010augusta]

Well, I was looking at the wiring just now, and valia, the fans turned on. How long should they stay on? How much would it help if I installed a small 110volt fan to force air from the bottom up to the top and blow across the coils?.

 

[wdk450]

Alan:
Did you see this posting on a related thread about a mod Heartland did to make the air flow on the cooling unit better?
I would be calling Heartland Service on this one.
Below is a copy of the post.

CrazyScotsman //heartlandowners.org/images/statusicon/user_online.gif
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//heartlandowners.org/images/icons/icon1.gif
Kenny.... The crew at the rally put the insulation on top of the fridge, there was none there, thay also installed some type of baffle, so when the 12v fan kicks on, it diverts the hot air so it escapes out the top vent on the slideout. The way it was before, all the warm air was just settling between the top of the fridge and roof on the slide out
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