Better LP-only fridge?

[briandunning1]

We have the standard little Dometic 3-way fridge in our Starcraft 10RT popup. We only EVER use the gas, as we only do remote dry camping. The fridge is never cold enough and worse it's unreliable, frequently going out and very hard to light or relight -- you probably know the drill.

I've searched around online and haven't found a better option. Is there such a thing as a dedicated LP-only compact fridge that might be colder and more reliable than the Dometic?

[Drumkicker]

Side vent refrigerators have problems with heat being removed from the condenser/absorber section of the cabinet as they usually rely on heat transfer via the heat rising and have no fan assisted induction of air. The hot air has to escape on a horizontal plane in stead of a vertical plane like a roof vent offers. Poor air flow results in poor heat removal. I had the same problem with a side vent Dometic in my camper slide out mounted refrigerator. After spending over $800 to replace the cooling unit a second time I added an ARP controller with fans. It should save my unit from overheating in the future but it also made a huge difference in efficiency. I can start the refrigerator at home now and it takes less than 2 hours to achieve 0-10 degrees F in the freezer section and 38-40 in the refrigerator. It has never been able to do that before. I don’t have big temperature swings anymore either. Although my Dometic has a small 12v fan below the condenser it never came on until ambient air temp was around 90F and by then the refrigerator section was near 55F and the temperature didn’t come back down until cooler night time conditions.

If you are having propane ignition problems you should also clean your flue and check the igniter gap.

Finally keep the refrigerator level. If off level the ARP will save it from overheating but it still needs to be level to operate correctly.

[atreis]

briandunning1 wrote:

atreis wrote:
look into 12V compressor fridges and solar on the roof. I went this route and love it.

So, as I said, I do have solar -- I have a 150W panel but I already use its output for the house batteries. If I added an additional 60 amp-hour daily load, my back-of-the-envelope says I'd need an auxiliary 27H battery and an additional 150W panel (not sure if I have room for it). What did you need to do to accommodate the load?

Your calculation sounds about right.

I camp dry nearly all the time, and sometimes for long periods, and also want to be able to run the furnace. I have 340 watts on the roof and 420 AH storage. That's way more than needed for the fridge. The 12V compressor fridges are very efficient.

[briandunning1]

atreis wrote:
look into 12V compressor fridges and solar on the roof. I went this route and love it.

So, as I said, I do have solar -- I have a 150W panel but I already use its output for the house batteries. If I added an additional 60 amp-hour daily load, my back-of-the-envelope says I'd need an auxiliary 27H battery and an additional 150W panel (not sure if I have room for it). What did you need to do to accommodate the load?

[time2roll]

My pop-up fridge worked tons better after I installed a baffle to force most air to flow through the fins or the cooling unit. If you have extra space in the compartment you need to do the same. These pop-up fridges don't have much rise in the chimney so it needs to be tightened up to direct all airflow through the fins.

[briandunning1]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I think I'd be putting in a Danfoss compressor fridge however. You'd be amazed how well they work.

Interesting, I hadn't heard of this, thanks. But the power draw described in the article greatly exceeds what I'd have available for it. Too bad.

[beemerphile1]

Poor refrigerator operation in popups is common. The installation is the problem. Due to low sidewalls the upper vent opening is too low. Also, often there is a large gap between the wall and refrigerator fins.

Do research on baffles and fans. It is a frequent conversation on popup forums like http://www.popupportal.com/.

[bartlettj]

The gas fridges rely on the air flow the manufacturer provided when the trailer was designed and built. If there is a problem with the design of the trailer then a new unit won't help you. You can try corrective action like others suggest. I had the same fridge in my old Fleetwood popup and it always worked perfectly for me.

[atreis]

Those are actually good refrigerators. If the other suggestions here don't work and you really do want a different option, look into 12V compressor fridges and solar on the roof. I went this route and love it. (Running the wiring on a pop-up could be an interesting exercise. Perhaps have a connector, and insert an additional length of wire when the roof is raised.) Much better temperature control, very efficient, and more space inside the fridge. It is a pricey option though, so whether or not it works for you might depend on how long you keep things. I tend to keep trailers and other vehicles for ~10 years or more, so the price gets amortized out over a long period of time.

[Chris_Bryant]

Sounds like it needs cleaning and the lp pressure checked- those should easily maintain safe temps on lp.

[profdant139]

Brian –

There is a Dometic flame baffle kit that will keep the fridge lit – check out this thread:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25701378/page/2.cfm

I made my own version of that kit, but it is not any better than the one sold by Dometic.

I also added a flue deflector, so that the hot air would be guided up past the coils and out the vent:

Deflector

Finally, I added insulation (and incidentally storage) around the fridge to keep the fridge cooler:

Insulation and some storage

These are not difficult projects, and I think you will soon notice a big difference. Let us know if you have any questions.

[SidecarFlip]

Might need a 12 volt computer fan installed in the upper cavity / vent to force the airflow through the backside.

I think I'd be putting in a Danfoss compressor fridge however. You'd be amazed how well they work.

[enblethen]

Pop-ups need good ventilation. Make sure there is not a void on the top by the upper vent.
There is not much better LP fridges.

[donn0128]

Nope. But have you cleaned the burner,chimney and other stuff? Those little refers seem to be very reliable. As an alternative you could use a 12v compressor refer