thawing a cold soaked fridge

We do the winter vacation thing so our rv begins the trip frozen. The wimpy heating systems in rv's allow things to warm up very gently and they freeze at a reasonably slow rate when you remove the heat. The material today's "stuff" is made from seems to tolerate this quite well.

Synthetic lubricants and electronically controlled engines have freed the Canadian people (and eastern MT, ND, MN ) I tell ya.

On the other hand we can drive on tires for 10 + years if you protect them from UV light in the summer.

We camp at the lake in the winter to deer hunt, if its that cold we keep a cooler in the camper I set it outside put the milk and stuff in that. and always take an extra electric heater.(a good one(

The water in the fridge ammonia cooling mixture is probably gelled so until the interior of the fridge warms up enough to actually need cooling and the ammonia mixture thaws enough to no longer gel no cooling action will occur (or be needed).

Use the fridge as an ice box (turned off) or just set your stuff outside (with a marker so you can find it) :B

Kinda reminds me....moved to Norway YEARS ago, Coke machines had heaters in them.

Hi,

Thanks, I've corrected the title.

Not to be overly snarky but unthawing would by definition be freezing.

Not so sure what unthawing is.

Hi KJ,

Only a block heater. And the storage yard doesn't have power. I do have solar, and a battery bank that could power the block heater--but training the staff at the storage yard is pretty much impossible. I do have a Trik-L-Start, so the chassis battery is always pretty much full.

I use 5-20 synthetic oil (Amsoil).

I have had no issues with plastic breaking--but then I've always "warmed up" at home first. Now that I'm full timing, that is no longer possible. See my thread on heating electrically.

I don't use a television. I do keep computers in the RV--but they don't get turned on until they have been warmed to room temperatures. If I get a TV I'll do the same with it.

I do have a heater in the compartment where I store my cords, but I need to bump up the wattage.

Hi Don,

I'm curious
Never having had to deal with that sort of cold on a continuous basis

Besides the frig - how are the other electrical/appliances doing?
Do you leave the computer in the cold?
How about the TV?
Plastic and vinyl get very brittle - have you had problems with breakage?
The sinks, faucets, toilet, etc

I assume you have a block heater for the engine and a transmission heater, how about a differential heater?

Did you change the oils to very low viscosity as on 0w-5 or similar?

-5F outside here right now
While I'm sitting in nice warn wood heated house

KJ

Hi pianotuna - everything inside the insulated fridge will stay frozen until heat leaks through from the interior of your rv.

I don't think the rv fridge will warm itself up to your normal interior fridge temperature. If ambient temp around it is colder than it's set temp it does "nothing"?

i.e. open the fridge door and the interior and stored food will thaw as your rv interior warms and normal operations resume.