Dometic refigerator not cold in hot weather

[JCR-1]

My dometic frig runs fine in cool/cold weather but when temps get up there is just stays cool. I moved the thermistor sensor inside and exposed more of it to the air but still not great at getting things cold inside especially the freezer.. Any ideas?? I heard an fan helps??

[Old-Biscuit]

JCR-1 wrote:
My dometic frig runs fine in cool/cold weather but when temps get up there is just stays cool. I moved the thermistor sensor inside and exposed more of it to the air but still not great at getting things cold inside especially the freezer.. Any ideas?? I heard an fan helps??

Couple of things.....

First:
The tip (just the tip) of thermistor should protrude from top of clip.
Thermistor senses the FIN temp......not air temp
So slide that thermistor back down into clip

Second:
Moving the thermistor *Up/Cooler----Down/Less Cooler*
That will have a minor overall affect on food compartment temp (4-6*F) and ONLY if your model of Dometic does NOT have an adjustable temp control on upper panel (Auto Temp)

Thirdly:
RV fridges that follow ambient air temps (get substantially warmer) have ventilation issues.
Majority of those issues are due to RV MFG. NOT following Fidge Mfg. installation instructions that define clearances/baffles/lack of dead air space etc for proper draft.

Fans in outside compartment can help.
Baffles......tight clearances etc can help
BUT if RV MFG. had just followed the instructions to begin with most 'lack of cooling issues' wouldn't exist

[MitchF150]

I've found that running on gas is best (for me) for keeping the fridge cold and it seems to recover faster after opening the door multiple times.. I do keep my beer in the fridge, so it gets opened often.. 🙂

I will also run the air conditioner, keeping the inside cooler and that helps a lot too.

I was in Eastern Wa recently and it was in the mid-upper 90's and my fridge would hold 38* even with my beer runs.. 🙂

Mitch

[rvten]

You fridge will run colder on propane than electric.
Moving air up and out through the chimney works well also

[2oldman]

dadmomh wrote:
Do you tend to load the frig more fully in the summer months? I found that was a huge mistake.

x2, yes, air circulation is especially important in our fridges.

[dadmomh]

Do you tend to load the frig more fully in the summer months? I found that was a huge mistake. I tried to take food for more days than I should have to avoid Wally stops. Wrong idea. Leave good air circulation and maybe that will help.

[2oldman]

Is refer on the sun side? That makes a big difference too.

[xteacher]

Yup, we added a fan on the outside, venting out of the fridge vent cover, and it's made a world of difference in both of our little campers.

[downtheroad]

I got mine from this outfit...very helpful guy if you have install trouble or questions. He has kits for inside the frig and for outside.
He also lists on ebay

Poke around here......RV Cooling Fans

[midnightsadie]

fans can make a big difference , if you don,t have exhaust fans on the outside ,get some and install. that heat in the back needs to go, I can turn my frig into a freezer in 12hrs.

[JCR-1]

What is the name of the kit on ebay.. ? Appreciate the info

[downtheroad]

kohai
You drive with your frig on!!! (so do we)
You do realize that we are risking the lives of our families and the lives of everyone else on the road...:B

[stickdog]

Is it in a slide? If so you need to check if the vent fan in the back is functional. Many add additional cooling fans as all of the absorption refrigerators have this problem in hot weather.

[kohai]

JCR-1 wrote:
My dometic frig runs fine in cool/cold weather but when temps get up there is just stays cool. I moved the thermistor sensor inside and exposed more of it to the air but still not great at getting things cold inside especially the freezer.. Any ideas?? I heard an fan helps??

Fans do help. You can get battery powered ones or there are mods on ebay that let you add a fan and tap into the 12v of the fridge.

I actually use both just because I already had a battery fan when I added the mod. I also keep a bottle or two of frozen water in the fridge as well and I drive with the fridge on (let's avoid that debate, it has been done to death).

I hear altitude also effects a propane fridge and being level can too. Overfilling a fridge can also cause cooling challenges.