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Keeping Your RV Fridge Cold

by Ron deMoya
(La Vegas Nevada )

How to Keep Your RV Fridge Cold

How to Keep Your RV Fridge Cold

This Tip was submitted on our RVing Tips And Tricks Page


I read with interest, the problems you campers were having with the defrost cycle in your RV motorhome or trailer. As I sit here and watch my Norcold’s temp rising to 42* in the auto defrost mode. This is a built-in feature that most RV refrigerators have. So every 49 hrs or so it routinely goes into this mode.

So it dawned on me, WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU START YOUR REFER. !!!!

I normally start mine around noon the day before we leave and everything is great, the freezer freezes and the lower section is cold. Now if you start your refer midday then the refrigerator will start counting down and alas, 49 hrs have passed and your refer goes into defrost mode at the hottest time of the day and of course, the temps go wonky. Try this, when planning a trip, start you refer in the late evening, around 10 pm, and then when it goes into defrost it will be late at night, and in the coolest time of the day.

So if all your troubleshooting efforts are negative, then try it and see what happens. 🧐

Editor's Note: Another great way to help keep your RV's Refridgerator cold is to install a battery-operated RV Fridge Fan (Pictured Below). These fans help to circulate cold air on the inside of the refrigerator.


RV Fridge Fan


Take a look at the video below by RVing Expert Mark Polk from RV Education 101 to learn how an RV Fridge Fan can keep your RV Fridge cooling efficiently.

To instantly download the RV Education 101 Videos available from RVing Expert Mark Polk visit the RV Education 101 Video Download Store



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Comments for Keeping Your RV Fridge Cold

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2004
by: Randy

We bought a 2004 Carriage new.Have left the frig. on 24/7 an the unit lasted 12 year.Could never get a straight answer if to turn off or leave on.We kept things in there for next trip.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Dometic gas / electric fridge
by: Gregg

First, we have a Dometic fridge and we are full-timers. We live in Los Angeles County where this summer we were getting triple digit temps. Our RV is parked in full sun all day ( no type of shade at all). Our refrigerator is located in the slide-out and vents thru the wall (not the roof). When we bought the RV, the only awning was the patio awning. Due to our slide out getting beat by the sun from about 12 noon till sundown. We found that the slide-out roof and walls were absorbing A LOT of heat. Before I corrected it our freezer was climbing to about 47 deg. And the fridge into the 60's. After the corrections, the worst it got was 33 freezer and 45 fridge. Things I did, installed an slide-out awning, 3 fans on the back of the fridge, 1 fan inside the fridge and installed an extra awning rail and put a screen awning into it and draped it over the awning and outer wall to shield the back of the fridge from direct sunlight and allows us to see thru our dining room window.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Refrigerator auto defrost
by: Bill

Does a 2014 Dometic 7 cubic foot gas/ electric refrigerator auto defrost every 49 hours like your Norcold refrigerator?

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