Too Cold to Run Fridge?
We had a family emergency this past week, which is now requiring us to spend 10+ days about 4 hrs from home. With the blessings of the local Episcopal church, we got permission to dry camp in their p...
Forum Discussion
wa8yxm wrote:
Some RV fridges come with a LAT switch (low Ambient Temp). This switch simply turns on the interior light.
The way the system works the outside will be kept warm by the cooling system's heater (I know that sounds weird but, well, that's absorption cooling for you).
Have never had a problem that needed heat outside,, Have seen commercial Absorption cooling units that survived -40.. My own survived several Michigan Winters when NOT in operation, and 11 degrees operating.
The LAT just leaves the INTERIOR 12 volt light in the refer ON. Nothing else. This fools the Temp thermistor to continue running the refer in freezing temps to keep the INTERIOR of the refer cold. Otherwise the refer would shut off due to the lack of heat it is trying to overcome. There are 2 different parameters going on here. The OP asked about sub 20 degree temps. Sub 20 degree temps will cause the Ammonia mixture to NOT percolate correctly and cooling will be degraded. You install that 60 watt light bulb at the rear coil area to warm up the cooling coils to help the Ammonia to percolate correctly. Lack of that light bulb will NOT cause any damage to the cooling unit. The cooling unit just may not perform to its best. Doug
