"Normal" refrigerator temps

RRTom wrote:
I have a norcold refrigerator. Unable to supply the model number right now.

I had the motor home a/c units set at 75 degrees. Outside temperature was 72 degrees. When I went into the motor home at 7:30 AM, the temperature in the refrigerator was 39 degrees. I am operating it on electric. Is this in the "normal range"?

That is very near the upper limit of 40F which is FDAs "acceptable"..

PER HERE

"When food temps begin to climb above a certain point (about 40°F), bacteria start to multiple exponentially. Not every one of those bacteria is bad—but not every one is good, either. For both the quality of your food and to reduce the risk of food poisoning, you’d be wise to keep your fridge cooled to the recommended refrigerator temperature and follow good refrigerator maintenance guidelines.
What temperature should a refrigerator be?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the recommended refrigerator temperature is below 40°F; the ideal freezer temp is below 0°F.

However, the ideal refrigerator temperature is actually lower: Aim to stay between 35° and 38°F (or 1.7 to 3.3°C). This temperature range is as close as you can get to freezing without being so cold your food will freeze. It’s also as close as the refrigerator temperature should get to the 40°F threshold, at which point bacteria begin multiplying rapidly.

Temperatures above the 35° to 38°F zone may be too high. Your food may spoil quickly, and you could set yourself up for some tummy troubles with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli.

How do you measure a fridge’s temperature?

You can purchase an inexpensive freestanding appliance thermometer online or at any home store. Place the thermometer in your fridge and leave it for 20 minutes. Then, check the reading. Are you close to the ideal refrigerator temperature, or even the recommended one? If not, turn to your fridge’s temperature control panel.

Unfortunately, not all fridge temp gauges are accurate. You may have your fridge set to 37°F, but it’s actually keeping temps around 33°F or even 41°F. It’s not uncommon for refrigerators to be a few degrees off the mark you set.

What’s more, some refrigerators don’t display temps at all. They let you adjust the fridge and freezer temps on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the warmest option. Without a thermometer, you can’t know what those milestones translate to in real degrees.

Once you have your thermometer and a reading, you can adjust the fridge temperature accordingly to keep the temps in the safe zone between 35° and 38°F. You can do the same in your freezer, aiming to get the temp as close to 0°F as possible.
Tips to keep your fridge cool

If you find your refrigerator temperature is flirting with the 40°F mark despite your adjusted temperature settings, you can take a few steps to help your fridge maintain the ideal temperature.

Let food cool before putting it in the fridge. Hot bowls of leftover soup or roast chicken can heat up the small space in your fridge quickly, putting the foods at jeopardy of rapid bacterial growth. To protect everything in your fridge, let foods cool for a bit (but not to room temperature—that will take too long) before covering and storing in the fridge.

Check the door seals. Gaskets around the edge of a refrigerator door keep the cold temps in and the warmer temps out. If there’s a leak in one of those gaskets, your cold air may be escaping. That can make cooling the fridge properly more difficult (and use up more electricity, boosting your monthly electric bill).

Stop opening the door so much. Every time you open the refrigerator door, you let the cold air out and the warm air in. Resist the temptation to stand at your fridge when you’re hungry, searching for a food that will cure your cravings. Instead, get what you came for, and shut the door quickly.

Keep the fridge full. A full fridge is a happy fridge. The same is true for your freezer. The refrigerator temperature can stay cooler longer and keep foods cooled best if the shelves and drawers are mostly full. Just be sure you don’t overcrowd the space and cut down on air flow. That can make moving cooled air difficult and increase the risk of warm pockets of air. (A little refrigerator organization can help with that, too.)"

However, be aware, RV fridges do not have a stellar reputation for temperature control. You might find during high daytime temps the fridge can get as warm as 50F and the same setting in the cool of the night can get below freezing in the fridge section. The temperature varies greatly with the outdoor temps which affects the efficiency of Absorbsion technology.

Installation can affect how well a RV fridge works, often fridges that are built into a slide often have temp issues since the top vent is on the sidewall and that affects how well the air moves behind the fridge and the coils on the back.

You may also find that operating on gas will often result better operation of the fridge in hot weather than electric.