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Posted by: MRDS650
You may find in funny but this trick worked on an older camper I had. The older fridges used (I can't remember the name of the chemical) to keep every thing cold. This stuff will settle over some time. A refridgeration tech told me to pull out the fridge and set it upside down for a few days. After i did this it never worked better.
It's worth a try !!!
Posted by: Scootergptx
Only problem I have with mine is the fridge part takes a long time to get cool. Cools much faster on gas.
Have had it out in temps of 100 last summer and it worked fine then. Beside the initial cool down time.
Posted by: Scootergptx
Is the freezer staying cold, or does it cycle the temp too?
Posted by: Scootergptx
That is some good info.
Our little superlite is an 05 model as well.
My dad had a trailer the fridge went out on, and he just did as tencubed suggested. Granted this was a permanent parked trailer, but his (my dads) reasoning was the same. Much cheaper, and it had a constant 110 supply.
May be something for me to consider in the future, since we have the onboard genny too.
But, I do still have 3 years left on warranty. Here's hoping anything that happens, happens before then. (knock on wood)
Posted by: tencubed
This is not an uncommon problem with evaporation refrigeration. You did not mention the age of your trailer but often when these systems get a few years on them they start having problems keeping up with the heat load. Even new many of them are unable to do a good job when they are exposed to direct sunlight on the trailer and high ambient temperatures. Putting a small fan behind the unit, pointed up, to help move air over the coils will help some as will shading the outside of the trailer with an awning. Another trick is to keep the fridge full as this makes a larger mass that has to warm up. Bottles of water work well for this. If the unit is just a couple of years old you may have a warrantee issue.
When we were in the refrigeration business people often had this problem. The cooling unit can be replaced or rebuilt but the cost is considerable. I would routinely suggest the customer replace the absorption unit with a standard household refrigerator and run a genset as needed. For the price of replacing the absorption fridge one can purchase a regular fridge and a super quiet Honda generator and have money left over. I did this in our truck camper and run the fridge and AC on the little Honda.
I know many times people would tell me the unit had been used only a few days each year and they could not understand why it would fail. Just the nature of the beast due to the way the units work. Also, running the unit off level and/or when traveling down the road seemed to effect the longevity of these units.
As mentioned, many times absorption units will cool better when on gas. This is due to the higher boiler temperature the gas produces over the electric elements. Sometimes, depending on the design of the electric heater, part of the element will cease to function and cooling ability is drastically reduced. In these cases switching to gas shows a marked improvement.
Posted by: tencubed
One other thing I should have mentioned, be sure the vent above the fridge and the louvers in the access door are clear. I have seen mouse and bird nests that stopped all or most of the airflow.
Sorry there Faster, I'm retired and no longer do that stuff. Be quite a journey for a house call from Seattle.
Posted by: tencubed
I have heard of turning these units upside down for a few days and having them work. Tried it a few times with mixed results. Best was one that started working properly but it only lasted a few weeks. I ask the people that rebuilt these units for us about this. The tech there told me this was because many times the inside of some of the tubes would plug up with solidified chemicals, sodium bromide IIRC, and turning the unit over would sometimes dislodge these plugs. In his experience the improvement, if any, was short lived with some exceptions that lasted for extended periods. Couldn't hurt to give it a try but I would test it with the trailer setting in your driveway. You wouldn't want it to fail during your vacation.
Posted by: Faster250R
Have any of you had this problem? My fridge just can't keep up in warm temps. I have measured it up to 70 when it is hot out and the refer is on the sunside. It cools back down at night. And it does not matter if it's running on gas or electric. I have had the trailer two different places, but they can't figure it out.
Posted by: Faster250R
This problem starts even after the fridge is cold.... in the mid-upper 30's in the fridge in the morning, 55-70 by afternoon and cool again by morning.
Posted by: Faster250R
Wow... There's some information... Thanks for the detail Tencubed. Good point on the year thing, the trailer is an 05. When can ya come over and do all that stuff? I was hoping to hear something like "tighten the criposperidum gear and it will work great." The fridge is always loaded and is on the non-awning side. A fan huh?
And to answer your question Scooter, I have noted the freezer does get warmer, but it stays well below freezing.
Tactic - your problem is easy. Bring more beer... in a cooler if necessary.
Posted by: TacticZero
the problem i have is my fridge is constantly running low on beer...
