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Old 07-13-2018, 08:40 PM   #1
steamboatscott
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couple RV fridge questions

Never used the fridge in our popup but getting ready to do so in a new hardside travel trailer. A few questions for the crowd so I'm educated instead of guesing out in the middle of nowhere while boondocking:

1. Is AC or LP faster for cooling, or are they about the same? This would be for pre-cooling the night before, or more importantly the day of departure if I forgot the night before. Would love to hear how long you've noticed it takes to get to proper temps on either setting (ours is a 6 cu ft model).

2. How level does a new Dometic RV absorption fridge need to be? And, does that apply to AC and LP, or just LP? The manual doesn't say, but just mentions something about the floor looking straight/even. My street is fairly steep (bubble level off by 4 - 8 levels depending on exactly where I park). Driveway is even worse.

3. I'd like some clarity on the little tstat that clips onto the silver grates in the back of fridge. Is it purely the position of the end of that hose? Or, does the little clip that attaches it to the grates matter at all?

4. Do any of you travel with food in the fridge/freezer? I'm NOT talking about leaving it running on LP, but rather having food and pre-frozen ice packs in there during transit. My concern is items bouncing around while on bumpy roads and cracking the inside of the fridge.

Many thanks in advance for your answers/advice.
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Old 07-13-2018, 08:44 PM   #2
stolly23
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The sliding clip is new to me so waiting to hear what others say.
We always fill up our fridge before traveling and turn on the fridge a few days before leaving as we start to stock it up.
Never had an issue with traveling with a full fridge. Hope some of this helps.
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Old 07-14-2018, 02:08 AM   #3
tech740
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Takes a day or two to cool my 8cu ft if it is empty. Put cold stuff in and it cools in an hour or so. The tstat you are referring to is a thermistor. The higher up the fin you go the colder the fridge gets. We travel without fridge and freezer full every trip no issues. We leave it on auto and when we unplug at home the gas turns on. When we get back home it is always plugged in so that we can keeps items in the fridge between trips.
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Old 07-14-2018, 04:21 AM   #4
DVPete
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They need to be fairly level. The less level, the less they work. I can't run mine at my house because of the slope of the street/driveway. I tried once and failed. Not only did it not work, when I got to where it was level it still wouldn't work. I had to turn it off and wait a few hours and then turn it back on to get it to cool down. Doesn't matter if you use AC or LP, it still has to be level. The only difference between AC/LP is AC uses an electric heater for the heat source where as LP uses a flame. The rest of the cooling process is the same.

I can get my fridge below 40f and freezer below 20f in about 3 hours using LP with outside temps around 60f. We probably have the same fridge.

The little clip on the fins does nothing to change the temp in my unit. I've done all the checks I've seen in this forum but no change.

I load up my fridge prior to departure from home. Runs on LP while traveling. That's what they're designed to do. No issues and I've driven on some pretty rough roads.
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Old 07-14-2018, 06:24 AM   #5
ctbruce
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steamboatscott View Post
Never used the fridge in our popup but getting ready to do so in a new hardside travel trailer. A few questions for the crowd so I'm educated instead of guesing out in the middle of nowhere while boondocking:

1. Is AC or LP faster for cooling, or are they about the same? This would be for pre-cooling the night before, or more importantly the day of departure if I forgot the night before. Would love to hear how long you've noticed it takes to get to proper temps on either setting (ours is a 6 cu ft model).

2. How level does a new Dometic RV absorption fridge need to be? And, does that apply to AC and LP, or just LP? The manual doesn't say, but just mentions something about the floor looking straight/even. My street is fairly steep (bubble level off by 4 - 8 levels depending on exactly where I park). Driveway is even worse.

3. I'd like some clarity on the little tstat that clips onto the silver grates in the back of fridge. Is it purely the position of the end of that hose? Or, does the little clip that attaches it to the grates matter at all?

4. Do any of you travel with food in the fridge/freezer? I'm NOT talking about leaving it running on LP, but rather having food and pre-frozen ice packs in there during transit. My concern is items bouncing around while on bumpy roads and cracking the inside of the fridge.

Many thanks in advance for your answers/advice.
1. LP cools faster. I turn it on the night before and load it in the morning.
2. 3 percent slope. In an 8 foot wide trailer you can have a difference of 24 inches and be fine. Front to back or side to side.
3. This has been covered. Doesn't matter if the tip or the slide are moved, they are relative to each other. Up is cooler, down is warmer. Move the slide clip, not the thermistor in the slide.
4. All the time. Never a problem. And we do keep it running on LP while driving.
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Old 07-15-2018, 08:43 PM   #6
DVPete
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctbruce View Post
2. 3 percent slope. In an 8 foot wide trailer you can have a difference of 24 inches and be fine. Front to back or side to side.
3 percent slope in an 8 foot wide trailer would be a difference of 0.24 feet or about 3 inches (2.88" to be exact). Side to side.

Rise/Run X 100 = Percent Slope
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Old 07-16-2018, 04:10 AM   #7
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JEEZUS! Thought I left you behind. LOL!

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Old 07-16-2018, 02:32 PM   #8
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Most recommendations for level are described in degrees, not percent slope. 3 degrees is usually the max angle, but even this is too much, and it also is different for front to rear angle compared to side to side angle, and these angles are for the fridge, not the RV. This link shows the problem with a 3 degree angle for one of these fridges. https://www.arprv.com/rv-fridge-off-level.php
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Old 07-16-2018, 04:40 PM   #9
ctbruce
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DVPete View Post
3 percent slope in an 8 foot wide trailer would be a difference of 0.24 feet or about 3 inches (2.88" to be exact). Side to side.

Rise/Run X 100 = Percent Slope
Well I was close......not! You are absolutely correct sir! Give this man a cigar!Click image for larger version

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