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Old 11-27-2020, 11:56 AM   #1
Skippy38
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Refrigerator iced up

So I noticed that almost all of the metal cooling fins in my refrigerator have iced over. I have never seen that before. Any reason that they would do that? I do have it set to the coldest setting (it has a slider on the last fin to set temp) and run an interior fan to circulate the air. Maybe the fan worked too good? Thanks.
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Old 11-27-2020, 12:12 PM   #2
JRTJH
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Humidity is "increased water in the air". Your absorption refrigerator is a closed cold box. Any humidity in the warm air inside your trailer will "spill into the closed, cold box" every time you open the door as the cold air "falls out the bottom" of the open box. Essentially, every time you open the door, you replenish the water inside the refrigerator.

The evaporator fins at the top back of the refrigerator are the "coldest part of the closed box" so they will collect that humidity as condensation. To a limited point, that condensation will drip into the collection tray and drain out the back of the refrigerator and drip onto the ground outside your RV. If it's warm inside that closed box, the refrigerator system will operate to cool it down. That makes those fins "cold enough to freeze" and rather than drip into the collection tray, that condensation solidifies on the fins (freezes in place).

Just like the "refrigerator freezers of old" that ice buildup will eventually need to be thawed or as Grandma used to say, "Time to defrost the freezer"...

It's a natural occurrance in some "high humidity conditions" and can occur regularly depending on the temperature, humidity, amount of time the refrigerator door is opened and even, to some extent, the amount of free space inside the refrigerator that's available to hold "warm, wet air"...

When you "defrost the refrigerator" don't use a hair dryer or other heat source and don't scrape the fins to "hurry the process". Doing that will increase the possibility of damage to the fins or warping the "contact plate" that transfers heat away from the fins (the means by which it cools the "cold box".... Just store the contents in ice chests, let it defrost naturally and when it's defrosted, cleaned and dry, turn it back on and restock the shelves.
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Old 11-27-2020, 12:25 PM   #3
Skippy38
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Thanks John, that was a great explanation. It was raining everyday here for the last 2 weeks so the humidity was very high. I have never seen them ice over before, but there is a first time for everything. I just turned it off and am letting it naturally thaw and drain out of the drain hose like you suggested. Thanks for the quick response!!
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Old 11-27-2020, 02:04 PM   #4
wiredgeorge
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Some folks in high humidity areas run a dehumidifier; especially when it is rainy.
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Old 11-27-2020, 03:26 PM   #5
sourdough
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Skippy looks like you live in FL so you are familiar with how weather etc. goes. We were not and the first time we came to spend the winter in FL we had a similar issue; something we don't encounter in our TX climate. Figured it was humidity and bought a HiSense 35 qt? dehumidifier from Home Depot and it made a big difference. It sounds like that may be the issue plus don't know how long you've been using it, how much you use it etc. but it sure helped us.
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Old 11-28-2020, 04:33 AM   #6
Skippy38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Skippy looks like you live in FL so you are familiar with how weather etc. goes. We were not and the first time we came to spend the winter in FL we had a similar issue; something we don't encounter in our TX climate. Figured it was humidity and bought a HiSense 35 qt? dehumidifier from Home Depot and it made a big difference. It sounds like that may be the issue plus don't know how long you've been using it, how much you use it etc. but it sure helped us.
Yes we are in FL, at least for the next few months. I am thinking about a dehumidifier also and may have to pick one up. Thanks.
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Old 11-28-2020, 08:57 AM   #7
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All that humidity, bugs & moldy smell constantly is the reason we only wintered twice in FLA. Not to mention the prices to park, didn't want to buy the park just stay a few months.
We both suffer from arthritis & that high humidity in FLA only makes those joints feel worse.
Tried the RGV in Texas, coming from the windy panhandle we didn't like more wind.
So here we are in southern Arizona, nearly no humidity, no dehumidifier necessary, nearly no aching joints & no wind.
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