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Refrigerator Struggling in Heat

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Mary & Don View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mary & Don Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 8:21am
Thanks Gmandual and R & T.  I think you are both right.  The freezer is at 14 degrees this morning.  I think we'll run it on propane while we are out and give it a try.  We sure appreciate your help!
Mary
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 8:45am
Originally posted by Mary & Don Mary & Don wrote:

Thanks Gmandual and R & T.  I think you are both right.  The freezer is at 14 degrees this morning.  I think we'll run it on propane while we are out and give it a try.  We sure appreciate your help!
Mary
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote clevispin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 2:14pm
One point for everyone ... these are absorbtion refrigerators, not like your household stuff. You want to try to open them as little as possible. Grab everything you need fast and get the door closed.

Tom
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote R&T's Pod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 2:29pm
Hey Tom, will you type that last sentence again, slowy, and in large print for the benefit of the "T" part of "R&T" ?  LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kmcmurph Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 3:38pm
We just returned from a week long trip to Richmond, Indiana. Had to set up camp out in the open, temps hit 100 degrees in the afternoon. The fridge only just worked ok for us- it got cool but not really cold. I was running on electric power. I have read a bit on the pop-up sites and think I will definitely mod (fan/baffle) the back of the fridge soon.

Karl
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Phil H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 3:54pm
Forgive me for covering the basics, but you may not have noticed that the fridge/freezer has a "coldness" setting from one to five little green lights. I didn't realize I could adjust the coldness till I looked at the fridge more closely. Do you have your fridge set to the max - ie 5 lights in the hot weather?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John and Lisa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 5:06pm
Where did you tap on to 12 volts for the fan?  Is it on a thermostat that cycles based on temp or does it run all the time?  Looks like a great idea and a good way to get the temp down in that compartment. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote R&T's Pod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 5:41pm

Hey John and Lisa,   I tapped 12v power from an empty slot on the converter.  I use a 12v inline plug to connect it when I need to use it.  It is not on a thermostat, just runs until I disconnect.  When we go camping, I start the fridge a day or two before leaving, turning on the fan, and then the fan runs until we return home.  It makes almost no noise and has a life of around 25,000 hours.  Rob

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gmandual Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2010 at 7:08pm
Ammonia absorption refrigeration is a different method of refrigeration then the typical compressor based refrigeration units.   Ammonia absorption refrigeration doesn't have moving parts and since it doesn't have a compressor is less dependent on available electricity as it just needs a heat source of some kind to be able to cool.   An ammonia absorption refrigerator depends on the ammonia's ability to "boil" in the evaporator and remove heat.   Liquid ammonia enters the evaporator where it evaporates which causes the cooling we want in a refrigerator.   The evaporated ammonia then trickles down where is absorbed into water which allows the ammonia to be cleaned of other not reactive gases.   The "heat source" in your fridge (AC/DC/LP) heats up the water solution just enough for the ammonia to boil out of the water so it can be used again to cool.   The ammonia gas then goes through a separator that helps "dry" the ammonia gas.  Then ammonia gas needs to condense back into a liquid in the condenser before it can evaporate again.

Because of this design ammonia absorption refrigeration can be effected by external temperatures.   If the temperature is to cold, the ammonia gas can not evaporate in the evaporator as the evaporator depends on ambient temperature to evaporate the gas.   On the other side of things, if the temperature in the refrigerator cavity  (more specifically temperature around the condenser) is to hot then the ammonia gas doesn't condense and the flow of gas in the system slows to a halt.    Also if the temperature in the areas between the condenser and evaporator are to hot the, gas can prematurely evaporate and then not provide any cooling.   

Which is why there is a fan installed in the RPOD that attempts to blow air over the condenser when the temperature ambient air and the condenser gets to hot.   The less of a difference between ambient air temperature and the temperature of the hot ammonia gas in the condenser, the longer it takes to condense the gas, and the slower the fridge cools.    The stock fan that is part of the refrigerator installation is designed to try to move air over the condenser.    This allows for the condenser to still work even if the outside air temperature isn't much cooler then the hot ammonia gas inside the coils.

This fan isn't really designed move air through the refrigerator cavity.    Most of the air movement behind the fridge depends on good old convection.   This is why adding some baffles and maybe a fan to help move air in the cavity can potentially help with refrigerator efficiency.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote david950 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 11:28pm
Another $0.02 on the LP/AC question - the "tip sheet" my dealer gave me on delivery advises the use of LP in the summer, AC in the winter.
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