Forum Discussion

SidecarFlip's avatar
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2017

Does your refrigerator work well or not so good?

Curious.

Seems as though RV builders took a step backwards with ammonia absorbtion refrigerators when they decided to install them is slides and or TC's and delete the roof vent in favor of a lower access panel / vent and an upper vent on the camper wall.
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If the unit cannot get rid of the heat from the evaporator (mounted on top of the tube above the boiler), it won't cool efficiently and the same applies to a compressor fridge, if it cannot rid itself of heat it won't cool properly.

You have to have efficient heat transfer from the refrigerator cavity to the evaporator to ambient air or your fridge won't cool properly.

The roof vent is a natural chimney, allowing natural draft (warm air rises) to pull in cool air from the bottom vent and exchange it for hot air coming off the evaporator. Remove the roof vent and you remove the natural draft.

My Palomino pop up has the no roof vent but FR did install one 12 volt fan in the upper vent to suck the hot air out. Problem is, one wasn't enough so I added a second muffin fan (computer fan). That really made the fridge 'come alive'. It works as good as the residential unit in our house now.