RV inside Temperature and Refrigerator temperature

Sadly they do not use "Super insulation" an inch or two of Super Insulation and so long as you keep the door closed an cup of ice cubes would never melt (Ok perhaps not quite that good) And the fun thing is super insulation is super easy to make

Aluminum foil/paper/aluminum foil/paper repeat 1000 times. Or there abouts

Since they use more normal stuff.. Yes the temp OUTSIDE the box will affect the ability of the cooling unit to keep the INSIDE cool The hotter it is OUTSIDE (Both inside and outside the RV) the harder the cooling unit has to work. and eventually it can no longer keep up.

THis is why the old joke
When you chocolate bar melts in the fridge.. It's August, and you are in Arizona.

dougrainer wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
Absolutely. You didn't say what your year/make/model was of the RV or Norcold (or I didn't go digging for it?), but my DC0061 definitely works harder when the coach's interior ambient temp is higher.
I see it's a DSDP. Assume it's not a 7 cuft Norcold? :B

I should have put that info on my post. I will edit the post and update that info. It's a Norcold 1200 in a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star

No worries. I just got off my lazy butt and did a little profile digging. :W
My "absolutely" still stands. Hot inside coach, fridge works harder to maintain temps.

In propane mode I can only reach about 39 degrees with approx 80 degrees inside the coach (testing cooling unit)
In electric mode I can only reach about 38 degrees, but if the inside temp is around 90 degrees, can only get to approx 40 degrees in electric 42 in propane.
It's in storage doing this test and I can't run the generator or have a hookup so it's really warm inside the unit, but trying to determine if the frig is working right.
I probably need to get it out and plug it in a 50 amp where I can test with normal inside livable temps.

Interesting, should be the other way around with propane being the colder of the 2 because the propane flame is emitting more BTU's in heat than the Cal Rod is.

Another wives tale. BTU's are BTU's. They design the 120 and LP to operate the same and have the equivalent BTU's. That said, there ARE factors that would lead someone to believe LP is Better.
1. the input 120 LINE voltage is subpar(below 115 volts). That would cause the 120 element to NOT operate at the correct BTU's, but that is a supply fault and not a refer fault.
2. LOW LP pressure would cause cooling problem versus 120.
Bottom line is, BOTH LP and 120 will operate the refer the same as long as the Line voltage is at spec and the LP pressure is at spec. I ALWAYS test refers on 120 volts for any operational problems. The only time I use LP is when there is a LP operation complaint.
IF you suspect 120 line voltage problems, then put the refer on LP, as it will cool better. Doug

Doug is absolutely correct on what he says above - at least regarding what I've seen in our 6.3 cf Norcold RV refrigerator.

We store our RV right out in the backyard of the house on hookups all the time, so I can test anything, anytime right here at home. Our Norcold refrigerator gets right down in temperature - in both it's refrigerator section and freezer section regardless of outside temperatures - on either propane or electric. It's vent is in the RV's roof right above the back of the refrigerator where the outside air intake is down below at the back of the refrigerator - which I believe is the correct way to install these refrigerators in an RV.

Our unit has adjustable temperture via a 5-position switch, so I can even maintain a freezer temperature of 0 degrees if I wish. HOWEVER, my only complaint is there is no adjustment for the DIFFERENCE between the refrigerator section's temperature and the freezer section's temperature.

Ideal food storage temperatures are 38 degrees in refrigerators and 0 degrees in freezers.

I can get either temperature in our RV's Norcold refrigerator by setting the adjustment switch - but not both at the same time. A setting that results in around 38 degrees in the refrigerator results in the freezer being around 10 degrees, and a setting that results in around 0 degrees in the freezer results in the refrigerator being around 32 degrees.

I've discussed this previously in the forums, and no one has responded on how to modify this temperature difference ... at least in Norcold propane/electric RV refrigerator models with the 5-position adjustable temperature switch on the front panel, like ours.

kmb1966 wrote:

DFord wrote:
Are you level both front to back and more critically side to side?

Are the fans in the back operating properly?

yes. we are on concrete level slab, jacks down, and leveled
its hot outside, and inside temp is 90.
Inside the fridge 2nd shelf is 40. Freezer at 5

Make sure you test the temp with a glass of water and NOT the air temp in the refer or the temp of the shelves. You can get an actual temp of the evap fins if you go into the on screen diagnostics. The evap fins will be 10 degrees cooler than the actual temp of the water in the refer. Also use a digital thermometer. Do not use an IR thermometer. Doug

SidecarFlip wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
Absolutely. You didn't say what your year/make/model was of the RV or Norcold (or I didn't go digging for it?), but my DC0061 definitely works harder when the coach's interior ambient temp is higher.
I see it's a DSDP. Assume it's not a 7 cuft Norcold? :B

I should have put that info on my post. I will edit the post and update that info. It's a Norcold 1200 in a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star

No worries. I just got off my lazy butt and did a little profile digging. :W
My "absolutely" still stands. Hot inside coach, fridge works harder to maintain temps.

In propane mode I can only reach about 39 degrees with approx 80 degrees inside the coach (testing cooling unit)
In electric mode I can only reach about 38 degrees, but if the inside temp is around 90 degrees, can only get to approx 40 degrees in electric 42 in propane.
It's in storage doing this test and I can't run the generator or have a hookup so it's really warm inside the unit, but trying to determine if the frig is working right.
I probably need to get it out and plug it in a 50 amp where I can test with normal inside livable temps.

Interesting, should be the other way around with propane being the colder of the 2 because the propane flame is emitting more BTU's in heat than the Cal Rod is.

Another wives tale. BTU's are BTU's. They design the 120 and LP to operate the same and have the equivalent BTU's. That said, there ARE factors that would lead someone to believe LP is Better.
1. the input 120 LINE voltage is subpar(below 115 volts). That would cause the 120 element to NOT operate at the correct BTU's, but that is a supply fault and not a refer fault.
2. LOW LP pressure would cause cooling problem versus 120.
Bottom line is, BOTH LP and 120 will operate the refer the same as long as the Line voltage is at spec and the LP pressure is at spec. I ALWAYS test refers on 120 volts for any operational problems. The only time I use LP is when there is a LP operation complaint.
IF you suspect 120 line voltage problems, then put the refer on LP, as it will cool better. Doug

Have you performed a propane system maintenance. On mine they tested the propane pressure, cleaned out the flue, cleaned the burner assembly, adjusted the flame, and all the other little things related to optimum performance. One thing they did tell me is most RV refrigerator's propane functions are often a bit out of whack due to no maintenance.

My refrigerator is an old Norcold 682 and it's cools great regardless of interior temp. When I had to pull the refrigerator to access the cabinet space on it's side, I realized the insulation around the refrigerator shouldn't even be considered insulation. So I added new insulation on the sides, the top and the bottom. I also had the chimney and add on fans redesigned to optimize the flow. Even if it's 100 degrees in the RV, the refrigerator will still cool to the mid 30's. Don't underestimate the loss through the sides, top and bottom of the refrigerator due to poor insulation.

After several weeks of testing my Norcold 1200, I have determined that the unit is performing much better in electric mode, than propane. The propane is lit and I can see a blue flame, but it is not cooling near as well as it does on electric mode. In electric mode, it can reach 35 degrees overnight but in propane mode, only 40

kmb1966 wrote:

DFord wrote:
Are you level both front to back and more critically side to side?

Are the fans in the back operating properly?

yes. we are on concrete level slab, jacks down, and leveled
its hot outside, and inside temp is 90.
Inside the fridge 2nd shelf is 40. Freezer at 5

Nothing wrong or out of specs with those numbers.

SidecarFlip wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
Absolutely. You didn't say what your year/make/model was of the RV or Norcold (or I didn't go digging for it?), but my DC0061 definitely works harder when the coach's interior ambient temp is higher.
I see it's a DSDP. Assume it's not a 7 cuft Norcold? :B

I should have put that info on my post. I will edit the post and update that info. It's a Norcold 1200 in a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star

No worries. I just got off my lazy butt and did a little profile digging. :W
My "absolutely" still stands. Hot inside coach, fridge works harder to maintain temps.

In propane mode I can only reach about 39 degrees with approx 80 degrees inside the coach (testing cooling unit)
In electric mode I can only reach about 38 degrees, but if the inside temp is around 90 degrees, can only get to approx 40 degrees in electric 42 in propane.
It's in storage doing this test and I can't run the generator or have a hookup so it's really warm inside the unit, but trying to determine if the frig is working right.
I probably need to get it out and plug it in a 50 amp where I can test with normal inside livable temps.

Interesting, should be the other way around with propane being the colder of the 2 because the propane flame is emitting more BTU's in heat than the Cal Rod is.

I agree. most of the time propane mode cools slightly better, not slightly worse, but in this case it is just opposite.

DFord wrote:
Are you level both front to back and more critically side to side?

Are the fans in the back operating properly?

yes. we are on concrete level slab, jacks down, and leveled
its hot outside, and inside temp is 90.
Inside the fridge 2nd shelf is 40. Freezer at 5

My clipper fridge is wonderful. Doesn't matter how hot outside or inside, the fridge works great on both 120 and propane. Always cold. Never an issue. Knock on wood. It's 44 years old.

On the other hand, my FnR fridge can't cool down if the inside temp is too high. Propane is actually worse in this case than the 120. However, if I cool down the inside temp with the AC, then the fridge cools down well in both modes (propane cooler than 120) regardless of exterior heat. As I don't camp in hot temps, but live in hot temps, I just have to use the AC when I precool the fridge before a trip. Then it's fine as I head into cooler climes.

I have added the exhaust fan, the interior fan, and reflectix to the outside wall behind the fridge. They help a bit but can't compete with 90+ temps. This fridge is 21 years old and has a side vent rather than top vent.