Forum Discussion

S_Bubba's avatar
S_Bubba
Explorer
Jul 17, 2013

Dometic Americana refrigerator

We have a half size one in our trailer and frankly, it sucks. It does a terrible job keeping temperature. A/C or gas, it is about the same. It has the fan that sits in the back to remove the heat and it is working all the time. Basically when the trailer is over 80 we can't keep it cooler than 45. Freezer works like a champ.

A few random questions:

What happens if you turn the knob well past 6? I've only turned it past slightly. Can it go further, and does it make it try to get colder?

What is the average delta of most RV fridges?

Is there a good half size RV fridge?

What should I try, if anything, to make it work better?

We were dry camping over the 4th (9 days) and hit some hot temps. It was 97 in the trailer for a few days. Most of the high temps were in the 92 range. Cooled off to 60 at night. With a bag of Ice in the fridge, we could keep it right at 40.

All thoughts and comments are welcomed.
  • thomasmnile's avatar
    thomasmnile
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2013
    midnightsadie wrote:
    this might sound stupid but it saved my trip. could not get frig temp down. long story but for kicks put a boungee cord around the door ,all our cold air was leaking out the gasket.


    Typically, the freezer compartment should be able to attain a temp of 0 degrees, the fridge section, mid to upper thirties(in summer, if the sun is shining on the fridge side of the trailer, the temps could rise some). The troubleshooting chart in the owners' manual for the Norcold fridge we currently have suggests checking door gasket integrity by placing a dollar bill in the doors and closing it. If the bill pulls out easily with little/no resistance, the gasket is questionable or the doors require adjustment. It is a "sneaky" source of lost cooling and not always obviously detected. Give it a try.
  • S_Bubba's avatar
    S_Bubba
    Explorer
    Jul 18, 2013
    LeBout wrote:
    S_Bubba wrote:
    What should I try, if anything, to make it work better?


    Have you considered having it looked at by a repairman who specializes in RV fridges?


    I typically don't call repair men unless I know what is broken. The track record for diagnosing a problem is very low.
  • LeBout's avatar
    LeBout
    Explorer
    Jul 17, 2013
    S_Bubba wrote:
    What should I try, if anything, to make it work better?


    Have you considered having it looked at by a repairman who specializes in RV fridges?
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jul 17, 2013
    My Americana works great. It has no problem staying cold even in triple digits.
    I have always been careful to level the RV and I have even added extra insulation to the sides the cabinet. I also cleared away rubber roofing that was blocking part of the top vent.
    So it could be an install problem or it just may be failing for various reasons.
  • midnightsadie's avatar
    midnightsadie
    Explorer II
    Jul 17, 2013
    this might sound stupid but it saved my trip. could not get frig temp down. long story but for kicks put a boungee cord around the door ,all our cold air was leaking out the gasket.

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