I am living in my travel trailer full time which is permanently parked on a lot. Due to health reasons, I’m no longer traveling on the road. My RV style refrigerator is sick. I need to replace it and I am thinking about replacing it with a residential 10 cu ft refrigerator. However, I read someplace or someone told me that the compressor on a residential refrigerator will shut off at temperatures below 40°. Does anyone know if this is true? If I slip the new residential refrigerator in the hole left by the RV type refrigerator it will be exposed to the outside air temperature by the vent in the roof as well as the vent on the side of the travel trailer. Is it necessary to close off these vents and insulate the outside wall of the travel trailer? I do know that there must be some ventilation for the compressor which I assume will be vented inside the travel trailer.

Close the vent off. No worries about temp until well below freezing.

theoldwizard1 wrote:Close the vent off. No worries about temp until well below freezing.Bingo! When installing a residential frig you block off the outside vents. That is what we did on a previous swap out.

Don't just close off the vents but insulate. Since the residential fridge will need airflow around it, the vent and lack of insulation would let a lot of cold air into the RV. Lots of folks over on another forum where I'm a moderator have done the conversion and are very happy with it. Be sure to research the reliability and customer ratings on the new fridge you are considering.Sorry about your health issues.RobPS: we have a factory-installed residential fridge and have experienced temps in the teens without any issues at all.

Where are you?In northern Florida where mid 20's is very cold, just blocking off the vents is likely quite viable.In Minnesota, where mid -20's is very cold, it may not be enough...of course, you probably don't want to winter there in an RV anyway.

X2 on noy only close off the vents but add insulation.Vents to the outside are not needed for residential fridges and in cold weather exposes them to the cold outside air which can play havoc with how the fridge T stat senses the need for cooling.

Residential refrigerator outside temperature below 40°

ScottG
Nomad
Jun 14, 2022
RCMAN46 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
Dutch_12078 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
When it gets down to 40, or roughly the temp set point of the fridge area, the fridge wont run enough to keep stuff in the freezer section frozen.
I don't think the fridge "shuts down" but it has no reason to run at those temperatures.

The inside of the fridge temp is the controlling factor regardless of the outside temp. A residential refrigerator installed in an RV has three sides exposed to the inside temps, with only the back having some exposure to outside temps. Our fridge has worked fine with outside temps down to -4 deg.F and just the lower vents blocked off. LP/electric absorption fridges are much more effected by outside temps, both unusually high or low.

The OP is talking about his fridge being in 40 degree temps - around all sides. At least that's the way it's written.
My point is, if it's colder on the outside of the fridge than it is on the inside, it's not going to run because it doesn't have to!

I believe the OP was asking about a standard residential compressor refrigerator. Not sure why RV absorption refrigerators have been introduced in the discussion.

Either way, it's the same principle.
RCMAN46
Explorer
Jun 14, 2022
ScottG wrote:
Dutch_12078 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
When it gets down to 40, or roughly the temp set point of the fridge area, the fridge wont run enough to keep stuff in the freezer section frozen.
I don't think the fridge "shuts down" but it has no reason to run at those temperatures.

The inside of the fridge temp is the controlling factor regardless of the outside temp. A residential refrigerator installed in an RV has three sides exposed to the inside temps, with only the back having some exposure to outside temps. Our fridge has worked fine with outside temps down to -4 deg.F and just the lower vents blocked off. LP/electric absorption fridges are much more effected by outside temps, both unusually high or low.

The OP is talking about his fridge being in 40 degree temps - around all sides. At least that's the way it's written.
My point is, if it's colder on the outside of the fridge than it is on the inside, it's not going to run because it doesn't have to!

I believe the OP was asking about a standard residential compressor refrigerator. Not sure why RV absorption refrigerators have been introduced in the discussion.
ScottG
Nomad
Jun 14, 2022
Dutch_12078 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
When it gets down to 40, or roughly the temp set point of the fridge area, the fridge wont run enough to keep stuff in the freezer section frozen.
I don't think the fridge "shuts down" but it has no reason to run at those temperatures.

The inside of the fridge temp is the controlling factor regardless of the outside temp. A residential refrigerator installed in an RV has three sides exposed to the inside temps, with only the back having some exposure to outside temps. Our fridge has worked fine with outside temps down to -4 deg.F and just the lower vents blocked off. LP/electric absorption fridges are much more effected by outside temps, both unusually high or low.

The OP is talking about his fridge being in 40 degree temps - around all sides. At least that's the way it's written.
My point is, if it's colder on the outside of the fridge than it is on the inside, it's not going to run because it doesn't have to!
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jun 14, 2022
ScottG wrote:
When it gets down to 40, or roughly the temp set point of the fridge area, the fridge wont run enough to keep stuff in the freezer section frozen.
I don't think the fridge "shuts down" but it has no reason to run at those temperatures.

The inside of the fridge temp is the controlling factor regardless of the outside temp. A residential refrigerator installed in an RV has three sides exposed to the inside temps, with only the back having some exposure to outside temps. Our fridge has worked fine with outside temps down to -4 deg.F and just the lower vents blocked off. LP/electric absorption fridges are much more effected by outside temps, both unusually high or low.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jun 14, 2022
RCMAN46 wrote:
" But, the T stat in a fridge is located in the fridge compartment.. "

It very possible there is also a thermoset in the compressor area.

Our fridge very clearly does not have a thermostat in the compressor area, nor would one be needed since the compressor is controlled by the temperature inside the fridge, not outside of it.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 14, 2022
Gdetrailer wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
TenOC wrote:
However, I read someplace or someone told me that the compressor on a residential refrigerator will shut off at temperatures below 40°. Does anyone know if this is true?

You read or heard wrong. Used the same fridge in the shop in multiple homes/locations from Phoenix AZ to 8500' in the Rockies. Year round 120deg down to stints well below freezing (not below zero, but consistently below freezing for extended periods).
It kicked the bucket 2 years ago. Purchased new in 1995.

I believe it is one of those things that depends on the design of the fridge. But, the T stat in a fridge is located in the fridge compartment.. Fridge compartment gets too cold (below normal fridge temps of 34-38F) and the T stat will not call for cooling and stuff in the freezer now can partially to fully thaw out leaving you a mess to deal with at the least.. At the worst, thawed food in the freezer going bad and then refreezing without your knowledge..

Now for a beer fridge in your garage, no big deal, no harm, no foul, food items that are perishable, not so much of a good idea.

Good point. Not a refrigeration specialist, but makes sense.
Although the “beer fridge” frequently has food in it and the freezer always does.
Just never been a problem. Maybe “newer” fridges are less tolerant of low temperatures?
The one I had was about a 1996 model plain white 2 door whatever. And the one that replaced it a couple years ago is basically the same , except for a big huge dent in it and a bent hinge and probably no more than maybe 15 years old!
ScottG
Nomad
Jun 14, 2022
When it gets down to 40, or roughly the temp set point of the fridge area, the fridge wont run enough to keep stuff in the freezer section frozen.
I don't think the fridge "shuts down" but it has no reason to run at those temperatures.
RCMAN46
Explorer
Jun 13, 2022
" But, the T stat in a fridge is located in the fridge compartment.. "

It very possible there is also a thermoset in the compressor area.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jun 13, 2022
I did block the lower fridge vents when I installed our residential fridge, but added no additional insulation. We've seen little difference in the fridge/freezer temps with outside temps ranging from the 90's down to -4 F.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Jun 13, 2022
Grit dog wrote:
TenOC wrote:
However, I read someplace or someone told me that the compressor on a residential refrigerator will shut off at temperatures below 40°. Does anyone know if this is true?

You read or heard wrong. Used the same fridge in the shop in multiple homes/locations from Phoenix AZ to 8500' in the Rockies. Year round 120deg down to stints well below freezing (not below zero, but consistently below freezing for extended periods).
It kicked the bucket 2 years ago. Purchased new in 1995.

I believe it is one of those things that depends on the design of the fridge. But, the T stat in a fridge is located in the fridge compartment.. Fridge compartment gets too cold (below normal fridge temps of 34-38F) and the T stat will not call for cooling and stuff in the freezer now can partially to fully thaw out leaving you a mess to deal with at the least.. At the worst, thawed food in the freezer going bad and then refreezing without your knowledge..

Now for a beer fridge in your garage, no big deal, no harm, no foul, food items that are perishable, not so much of a good idea.

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Residential refrigerator outside temperature below 40°

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