winter challenges...AGAIN

ok thanks for the help...I understand now how it works thank you!!!;)

I called the RV place they do not do service in the winter period!
Said most likely the vent on roof needs to be cleared off that warm air is not escaping...however my vent appears to be on the side and no snow there...anybody got any ideas what is going on?

Look-up on the roof directly above your refrigerator and see the plastic vent about two feet long and 10 inches wide. That is your refrigerator vent the RV place was speaking about.

debili wrote:
ok I do not mean to sound stupid its more like inexperience but how do I block that off?

Remove the plastic covers, very carefully as they are brittle now from the cold.

Bring inside and let em warm up for a while.

Once warm, get out your 409 or similar cleaner and wipe down the insides really good. Wait for it to dry.

Now cover the inside 2/3 of the vents with duct tape ... Make sure your duct tape is warm too or it doesn't stick very well.

All done, reinstall the vents covers.

Some folks only do the top cover, some do both. If I'm planning for extreme cold, I do both.

As Wild Card said, the outside extreme cold is preventing proper functioning. Nothing wrong with the refrigerator. Think of it this way, if you were to put a refrigerator outside and leave the door open in 32 degree weather, the refrigerator compressor would never turn on, as the compressor is set to run at (say... 34 degrees). If it doesn't run, the freezer does not either. Now in time, everything in your freezer begins to thaw and melt. In essence, RV refrigerator-freezer are like that too. If the ambient temperature around them is colder than the settings, they simply don't run. About the only solution is to block the outside vents some so the temperature around the outside of the refrigerator is warmer, and there's not so much heat loss when it does try to run.

And, about your frozen items? Why not find a conventional ice chest-cooler and simply fill it, and set it outside! My goodness, in Indiana, it's been everywhere from -15 to zero for days and days now. We actually have some frozen stuff sitting outside (at home) in a cooler right now.

Good luck!

ok I do not mean to sound stupid its more like inexperience but how do I block that off?

You need to block off some of the intake grill. Extreme cold hurts the boiler from getting as hot as it needs to to refrigerate properly. Operate on gas is better as its a hotter source.