Fridge/freezer not cold enough

[lizzie53]

The fridge and freezer on our Compass Rallye 650 does not seem to be getting cold enough - is it just the exceptionally hot weather we're having? The fridge seems cool, but the stuff in the freezer is not quite solid, the ice cube tray has some cubes frozen solid other cubes semi solid!! Luckily the site where we have our seasonal pitch has (free) fridge and freezers available for campers to use so if we need to we can use them, wondered if something - like a thermostat - had gone? The vents from the fridge freezer back into the awning which, despite having the sides down, is still very hot.
It all seemed fine on tuesday when we switched the electric off when went home, we came back last night but this morning I noticed the food I had brought back with me wasn't quite frozen. The freezer wasn't full so I've put a carrier bag with books/papers in to fill the air space. I'd appreciate any help! (I don't mean help to read the books!) Thanks!

 

[Sproket]

Hi Lizzie
Have a read of this on how to keep your fridge working efficiently in hot weather.....
You can buy a kit fridge fan ventilator kit to help it work more efficiently....

 

[otherclive]

I fitted a fan unit behind the fridge for when we are in southern France or nowadays Wales! It can run on auto, or I can switch it on and off manually. It is very quiet and does improve the fridge somewhat but above 30 deg C external most fridges will suffer a performance drop off. We tend to empty the freezer section and then prop the door open so it helps keep the main cabinet a bit cooler.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Lizzie
Have a read of this on how to keep your fridge working efficiently in hot weather.....
You can buy a kit fridge fan ventilator kit to help it work more efficiently....

Your Royal Woosie Jester

Do you think the Thetford fan kit could be used on my Dometic fridge?

The cooling fins inside the freezer compartment frost up . Performance then drops and SWMBO magnums go soft !
Clearing the fins improves matters. Why is that I wonder?

 

[Damian]

Quote " Clearing the fins improves matters. Why is that I wonder?"
There should be NO frost or ice on the fins
.The temperature sensor is located on the fins, and if covered in frost or ice,the fridge thinks it is cold enough and stops working until the frost melts
Also the freezer compartment should NOT be crammed full of items,there MUST be room for air movement around the compartment.

As for the heat at the moment, the fridge will be struggling to work at all as they are built for operation in temps of up to around 32 degrees.C.
At the moment we have shade temps of close to 30, with sun temps out of shade (which is where your van is) of up to 40 or more, and if enclosed in an awning, up to 60 or 70C

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Damian

The freezer compartment can be removed. Making a larger fridge. Is this part of the problem of frosting up?

I shall make sure I check the fins daily when away the next few weeks,
She gets serviced in October. Is there anything my dealer can do to improve matters?

 

[Sproket]

Oh dear DD.....
It's no joy having a soft magnum

One of the problems is when frozen goods partially thaw before entering the freezer.
This brings un-needed humidity into the environment, which results in frost.

If possible,
Always put items that should be in the freezer into the same bag or coolbox more so when the weather is like this.
This will make sure the cold items stay colder for longer before being put into the freezer compartment. =
No more floppy magnums

I can't see why it won't work on your Dometic fridge, as it is only a computer fan with a thermal switch.
Same idea from Reich 12v universal fan with heat sensor

Some people fit two

 

[Damian]

Hi Dustydog, if you just want a fridge with no freezer facility,then removing the freezer seperator will provide that , and the instance of frosting should diminish.

In the current weather you can remove the vent covers from outside the van to allow more air to circulate, and a fan placed on a table blowing in the lower vent will help to remove the heat from the cooling matrix.
The quicker the heat can be dissipated the better in this weather,but in cold conditions you need some heat retention.
There are fridge fan kits available, if there is room to mount them,with thermostatic switches to control them.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Same idea from Reich 12v universal fan with heat sensor

Some people fit two

hi Sproket, looking at the fan it seems a very expensive type of computer fan!! obtainable at any IT store for about £4 not sure about the temp sensor though maybe thats the expensive bit!!!

 

[lizzie53]

Thanks for replies. Last night when it was a bit cooler I checked the contents and they seemed a bit more solid. We've got a little air conditioning/fan unit at home so I'll bring that back next time we go home and set it going in the awning in the region of the vents and see if that makes a difference. Of course being retired we can stay here in the sun a bit longer so that might not be for a while - sorry all you young workers!! (By the way I've seen floppy Magnums - not a pretty sight)

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks Damian and Sproket.

I'll get a fan kit and fit it whilst away next week. The Reich universal kit looks good to me. Ok may be more costly than a total DIY but for an idiot like me it does come with all the bits I need.

 

[Gozza]

hi Sproket, looking at the fan it seems a very expensive type of computer fan!! obtainable at any IT store for about £4 not sure about the temp sensor though maybe thats the expensive bit!!!

Probably the caravan version is ruggedised to stand the freezing temperatures it'll be exposed to when the caravan is left outside all winter - a fan designed to go in a PC doesn't have to cope with this so the plastic itself, plus wiring connections, motor brushes etc can be designed to be a lot less rugged - and therefore cheaper!
If you don't have time to fit one of these, you can probably improve the efficiency of your fridge just by taking the vent covers off and cleaning out the dust and other debris that will have gathered in there, restricting the airflow. I discovered this the hard way when my fridge at home stopped working earlier in the week! ten minutes with a screwdriver and a hoover (other domestic cleaning appliances are available) and all was ticketyboo again

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

I have a couple of old computer fans and was looking to instal them inside the top fridge vent. The main problem comes down to sourcing a reasonable priced thermostat. The only one I could find in Maplins was a self build kit.

 

[Dustydog]

I have a couple of old computer fans and was looking to instal them inside the top fridge vent. The main problem comes down to sourcing a reasonable priced thermostat. The only one I could find in Maplins was a self build kit.

Hi Clive
I cheated and went the Sproket route and have ordered the Reich kit which seems to come with everything.

Damian suggests mounting it on the bottom rather than the top.
Hot air rises.

Why were you thinking of going for the top vent

 

[Robtel]

I have a couple of old computer fans and was looking to instal them inside the top fridge vent. The main problem comes down to sourcing a reasonable priced thermostat. The only one I could find in Maplins was a self build kit.

Hi Clive
I cheated and went the Sproket route and have ordered the Reich kit which seems to come with everything.

Damian suggests mounting it on the bottom rather than the top.
Hot air rises.

Why were you thinking of going for the top vent

Hi DD,
I fitted one of the ready made fridge vent kits a few weeks ago before we went off to France on holiday. I had fitted one to a previous van and found it did help in high temps. The fans are recommended to be placed inside the top vent blowing outwards, as you say hot air rises. I read Damien's post about placing a fan at the bottom vent and took that to mean placing a desk top fan on a table or something and blowing air into the vent, something I have done previuosly when I didn't have the vent kit. I have read about some people who have installed two separate kits, one in the lower vent blowing in plus the outward facing one in the top vent. I did ask Damien his opinion on that a couple of years or so ago and he didn't recommend using the two.
Even with the top kit this year in France at times the freezer was still struggling a bit, but considering the pitch we were on had no shade, temps were up at 35+ and that depending on time of day the side of the van with fridge vents was getting full blast of the sun I wasn't surprised. It would have been worse without the vent fan I'm sure.
I bought the kit rather than go down the route of separate parts from the likes of Maplins because electricty and I don't get on (even 12v), got an electrician friend to fit it as well. Bought mne online from outdoorbits, but all the prices seem to be similar.

Rob

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Rob

That's all very useful, thanks.

I'll see what the instructions say and where the best mounting points are.
I had envisaged a blowing fan would generate more cooling air than a suction one but I guess the important factor is to get cool air rising over the fridge fins.

 

[Damian]

The reason it is recommended tofit at the bottom of the fridge is to help the coolant return to its liquid state before going back into the heater area to be turned back into a gas.

The important areas of the cooling system are at the top, and that area needs to be fairly hot,certainly enough to burn your fingers at the flue end, gradually reducing as the coolant condenses on its way back to the heater.

In extreme heat conditions, such as we are having now, the coolant can remain gaseous and not circulate correctly and the fridge "stalls" in a complete gaseous state, until the temp is reduced and the condensation cycle returns to normal.

 

[Sproket]

After leaving our van on a pitch for a week till we went back to the site the inside of our fridge was showing 20c

So I took the vents off & set up a fan to cool the back of the fridge & get it working again

By morning it was down to 0c inside

Have now got this to fit ......

This twin fan unit that can run automatically or manually......

 

[otherclive]

I fitted a Vento fan some 4 years ago when we went to the south of France. It's very useful especially with it having a thermostatic setting and a continuous manual option. I found when the weather gets hot its better to leave it in manual as otherwise it was switching in and out very frequently.