Fridge frost up?

[Licreek]

Hello all. We are living full time in our 36' DP. We are new to this via hurricane Irma which put us on the road full time. We are in that steep learning curve and I would first like to thank everyone who has helped me with my questions from poopy paper to best space heating. All of your feedback is greatly appreciated and I even got my sat tv problem resolved so my DW is getting happier with our new life on the road. So with that said I have another stupid question. The cooling vents in our fridge ice over about every 2 or 3 weeks and I have to defrost the whole unit. It cools great. I wondered if there's any tricks to making it go longer? I think the big problem is my DW and son like to stand and look in it with the door open, sometimes until the warning buzzer goes off. Anyway any tips will help!! Thanks again and Merry Christmas to all, Lee

[StuckinTracy]

Licreek wrote:
I think the big problem is my DW and son like to stand and look in it with the door open, sometimes until the warning buzzer goes off.

My tip for that would be next time you catch one of them setting off the alarm, THEY have to defrost it the next time. 🙂 My wife and I lived in our 5th wheel for 4 months (mid Oct - mid Feb)until we found a house to buy. There was a couple of feet of snow on the ground most of the time so lots of humidity from tracking snow in. I only once had to defrost the fridge or freezer section.

[doxiemom11]

If you are in a high humidity area, every 3-4 weeks seems normal as I have also experienced that at times. Hot and humid is worse. Standing with the door open, or opening it a lot isn't helpful. Also make sure to let leftovers cool before putting in the frig, and, make sure all food is covered. Do you have a refrigerator thermometer? If not, get one. It's also possible you have the temperature set for much colder than you need which would keep the frig running more and it will frost/ice up the fins faster. Your refrigerator should be below 40. We keep ours at the 34-36 degree range.

[Hank_MI]

dougrainer wrote:

Rice wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
Because it doesn't solve the problem, it only delays it by a month or so. What will happen is where the fan is will be no frost, but the rest of the fins will be covered. Moving the fan only moves the spot of no frost. All the time the freezer will be building up frost which will need to be taken care of.

Did you try one of the clip-on fans? Because the fan does solve the problem in my refrigerator.

Since getting the clip-on fan, I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten frost on any of my fins, and moving the fan over for a day always fixes it, and then I move it back. And it happens only in places like Seattle in the winter, where the conditions are terrible for refrigerator/freezer frost. Otherwise, I don't have only a spot of no frost.

I have a 4-door Norcold, but I would think that would actually make it worse because there's a much bigger area of fins to frost up, but it doesn't happen. So I think it would work really well in a smaller refrigerator.

The freezer still has to be defrosted (and more frequently in damp weather), but I don't expect the fan on the fins to affect that.

While you think the fan solved your problem, it does not. Your Norcold has a built in defrost timer system that shuts the refer OFF every 49 hours until the Temp Thermister reaches 39 degrees. Then it comes back on. This shut down allows the ice/frost build up to slowly melt and drain out the back to the rear drain pan. Your fan helps speed up this process. Doug

Not sure how it didn't solve the problem. He added a fan and now doesn't have frost buildup. I've had frost buildup, added a small battery fan and no frost buildup. You normally don't have your fridge set to temps below freezing. When not in cooling mode the above freezing air circulating defrosts the fins. Even at 39 degrees if there's enough frost and no air movement not all the frost will melt. No fan, frost, fan and no frost but you claim that doesn't solve the problem. Still don't understand.

[Rice]

dougrainer wrote:
While you think the fan solved your problem, it does not. Your Norcold has a built in defrost timer system that shuts the refer OFF every 49 hours until the Temp Thermister reaches 39 degrees. Then it comes back on. This shut down allows the ice/frost build up to slowly melt and drain out the back to the rear drain pan. Your fan helps speed up this process. Doug

Well, my fins used to frost up, and since having the clip-on fan, they don't any more, so I consider the problem of fins frosting up solved.

[DownTheAvenue]

Licreek wrote:
I think the big problem is my DW and son like to stand and look in it with the door open, sometimes until the warning buzzer goes off.

That is the main problem. The refrigerator is just like the old frost type from many year ago- leave the door open and frost builds up! We have been spooled by the frost free refrigerators.

[BUB1988]

We live in Tampa and full time. I have experimented with the cooling settings on our fridge. It is a Dometic 2 door. As others mentioned leaving the door open and fully packing the bins causes frost quicker. What I have found is that having the unit on 3 instead of 4 or 5. Everything stays frozen, or cold on 3 and we can go about 6 months without having to defrost. Since we live in Tampa we do have to run the AC all of the time, but we do have a few days when we can leave the windows open. Even with the humidity we don't have an issue with frost.

[wa8yxm]

I currently use a pair of computer type fans and move them every few days.

But.. As I posted the plan is or the assembly fan-led and so on at the top eventually.. I anticipate good results with that one based on the design and what is happening now.

Still.. As I also said. This is normal We have been spoiled by "Frost Free" Jobs.

DO you know how they make 'em "Frost Free"?

They put heaters in them to defrost it every cycle or every day.

[dougrainer]

Rice wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
Because it doesn't solve the problem, it only delays it by a month or so. What will happen is where the fan is will be no frost, but the rest of the fins will be covered. Moving the fan only moves the spot of no frost. All the time the freezer will be building up frost which will need to be taken care of.

Did you try one of the clip-on fans? Because the fan does solve the problem in my refrigerator.

Since getting the clip-on fan, I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten frost on any of my fins, and moving the fan over for a day always fixes it, and then I move it back. And it happens only in places like Seattle in the winter, where the conditions are terrible for refrigerator/freezer frost. Otherwise, I don't have only a spot of no frost.

I have a 4-door Norcold, but I would think that would actually make it worse because there's a much bigger area of fins to frost up, but it doesn't happen. So I think it would work really well in a smaller refrigerator.

The freezer still has to be defrosted (and more frequently in damp weather), but I don't expect the fan on the fins to affect that.

While you think the fan solved your problem, it does not. Your Norcold has a built in defrost timer system that shuts the refer OFF every 49 hours until the Temp Thermister reaches 39 degrees. Then it comes back on. This shut down allows the ice/frost build up to slowly melt and drain out the back to the rear drain pan. Your fan helps speed up this process. Doug

[Executive45]

Have the DW and DS take turns defrosting the unit. That will encourage them to think before opening the door. I used hot water and a baster instead of the hair dryer. Geeze, I have no hair left. :).....Dennis

[Hank_MI]

We have the small battery fan, sits in corner of bottom shelf. While out in the Dakotas and Wyoming we had frozen eggs on the top shelf and warm beer on the bottom. It's pretty dry out there so frost wasn't an issue. The fan evened out the temps. While in Southern FL. for a few months, hot and humid, even temps and no frost buildup. Two months and we didn't have to defrost at all.

[Rice]

John&Joey wrote:
Because it doesn't solve the problem, it only delays it by a month or so. What will happen is where the fan is will be no frost, but the rest of the fins will be covered. Moving the fan only moves the spot of no frost. All the time the freezer will be building up frost which will need to be taken care of.

Did you try one of the clip-on fans? Because the fan does solve the problem in my refrigerator.

Since getting the clip-on fan, I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten frost on any of my fins, and moving the fan over for a day always fixes it, and then I move it back. And it happens only in places like Seattle in the winter, where the conditions are terrible for refrigerator/freezer frost. Otherwise, I don't have only a spot of no frost.

I have a 4-door Norcold, but I would think that would actually make it worse because there's a much bigger area of fins to frost up, but it doesn't happen. So I think it would work really well in a smaller refrigerator.

The freezer still has to be defrosted (and more frequently in damp weather), but I don't expect the fan on the fins to affect that.

[wa8yxm]

Gee, I remember when all Refrigerators did that (Back in the days before Frost Free).. It is normnal. YOU CAN however reduce the frosting. I have and plan on doing more later..

https://smartrvproducts.com/works/ is the product I plan on adding later.

[John_Joey]

Rice wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
There are ways to avoid some of it. One is using a 12V fan on the fins. Best for the short term RV'ers not so much for FT/PT'ers.

Why isn't a fan on the fins a good idea for fulltimers?

Because it doesn't solve the problem, it only delays it by a month or so. What will happen is where the fan is will be no frost, but the rest of the fins will be covered. Moving the fan only moves the spot of no frost. All the time the freezer will be building up frost which will need to be taken care of.

Think of it this way, if the solution was so easy don't you think Norcold would have done it already? A fan does circulate the cold temps around better and that was the real reason I used one.

[mockturtle]

Come out here to dry Arizona. Problem solved. 🙂