winter challenges...AGAIN

You need to block off some of the intake grill. Extreme cold hurts the boiler from getting as hot as it needs to to refrigerate properly. Operate on gas is better as its a hotter source.

ok I do not mean to sound stupid its more like inexperience but how do I block that off?

As Wild Card said, the outside extreme cold is preventing proper functioning. Nothing wrong with the refrigerator. Think of it this way, if you were to put a refrigerator outside and leave the door open in 32 degree weather, the refrigerator compressor would never turn on, as the compressor is set to run at (say... 34 degrees). If it doesn't run, the freezer does not either. Now in time, everything in your freezer begins to thaw and melt. In essence, RV refrigerator-freezer are like that too. If the ambient temperature around them is colder than the settings, they simply don't run. About the only solution is to block the outside vents some so the temperature around the outside of the refrigerator is warmer, and there's not so much heat loss when it does try to run.

And, about your frozen items? Why not find a conventional ice chest-cooler and simply fill it, and set it outside! My goodness, in Indiana, it's been everywhere from -15 to zero for days and days now. We actually have some frozen stuff sitting outside (at home) in a cooler right now.

Good luck!

debili wrote:
ok I do not mean to sound stupid its more like inexperience but how do I block that off?

Remove the plastic covers, very carefully as they are brittle now from the cold.

Bring inside and let em warm up for a while.

Once warm, get out your 409 or similar cleaner and wipe down the insides really good. Wait for it to dry.

Now cover the inside 2/3 of the vents with duct tape ... Make sure your duct tape is warm too or it doesn't stick very well.

All done, reinstall the vents covers.

Some folks only do the top cover, some do both. If I'm planning for extreme cold, I do both.

I called the RV place they do not do service in the winter period!
Said most likely the vent on roof needs to be cleared off that warm air is not escaping...however my vent appears to be on the side and no snow there...anybody got any ideas what is going on?

Look-up on the roof directly above your refrigerator and see the plastic vent about two feet long and 10 inches wide. That is your refrigerator vent the RV place was speaking about.

ok thanks for the help...I understand now how it works thank you!!!;)

On mine I covered the side panel with duct tape (on the inside). I also plugged in a low wattage bulb in the fridge 120V outlet to generate a little heat in there. Worked at -20F.

RV Fridges don't have a compressor, they work off an ammonia mixture that circulates in the cooling unit by heat. They actually remove warm air from the inside of the fridge versus sending cold air into the fridge. In very cold temps like yours the cooling unit can gel up and not circulate, therefore it is not removing the warmer air from the fridge any longer. With some RV fridges, once this happens the fridge may have to go through a reset procedure. Some will just start working when the outside temp warms up and the cooling unit is not gelled up anymore. Putting a light bulb on the cooling unit can help keep it from gelling up as can blocking the vents, although I am not a fan of blocking vents because if you it gets warm out and you forget to remove the blocking it can burn the cooling unit up. Another option is to use heat tape on the cooling unit that is thermostatically controlled to come on at about 34 degrees. You can get that at almost any hardware store in our area but I don't know about in the Southern states. Good luck!

I didn't want to have to clean up my vent cover with all that sticky duct tape residue on it so I found a couple thin plastic place mats at a Dollar Store. Then like others suggest, I brought the cover inside to warm up, than used the place mats to cover the vents and taped them in place with packing tape. Tape peels off very easily and leaves no residue the next spring.

Tape of about 1/2 to 3/4 of the vents on the outside of the fridge. Put a 75 Watt incandescent light bulb in the back near the bottom. Do not let it touch any thing.

Should cure your problem.