@@RVKevin We were very fortunate that our refrigerator works great and has since the day we bought the RV used. Our inspector told us a few tips like if you open the freezer and close it, you cannot open it up again right away. You have to wait a minute or two. And yep, that is true.
I'm new to camping and owning a camper. Thanks! I have some processing disorders and struggle watching some videos. I appreciate you talking slowly and clearly, but also getting to the point 👍🏼👍🏼
A couple things, I have found that the gas setting cools faster than the electric on my refrigerator. However, when the camper is sitting, air gets into the gas line. Since the stove is next to the refrigerator, I ALWAYS purge the gas to the stove burners first before even starting the refrigerator. This allows the gas to light the refrigerator more quickly. I learned 30 years ago to use an indoor/outdoor thermometer to watch the temperature drop until it is low enough to put the food in. I used to use a wired indoor/outdoor thermometer but the new wireless ones only cost about $12 and I start with putting it into the freezer. When it is cold enough, we put the frozen food in and move the temperature sender to the lower refrigerator. This is so useful that I also put one in my home refrigerator and my chest freezer. If there is a power outage, I know how much I need to run my generator to keep things cold without wasting gas. Since we often camp off the grid, I have two larger propane tanks and two of the largest deep cell batteries that fit my trailer. I also carry along a 2000 watt generator which can run my 13,000 BTU air conditioner or microwave but not at the same time. The generator is big enough to do the job and charge the batteries while not using too much gasoline. Every RV I have had has the small bathroom power vent replaced with one that is large enough to cool the whole trailer at night.
@@SlurpJ No problem for my two deep cell batteries. The high capacity fan is a direct replacement for the small bathroom fan that usually comes with all RVs. It works like a whole house fan in a home. In cold weather the fan on my propane furnace will also run quite a while just on battery power. Most RVs have a meter that lets you know the charge level of your batteries. When the batteries get low, I crank up my small generator and recharge them.
I use a Beech Lane rv box fan in my Dometic to circulate air & it makes a big difference. I transport cold/frozen foods in a cooler to camp & use some of the ice packs inside the fridge after about 2 hours of start-run time. This with the fan dramatically reduces cool down time. Cheers.
Great to know about those adjustments taking forever. I kept playing with mine as at first, the fridge area was at 19F. Also like the idea of once it is set properly, MARK IT. Thanks!
Two days before our trip, I freeze 16 water bottles and put half in the freezer and the other half in the refrigerator just to help the cold process begin.
Excellent video, Sir! Thank you for sharing about the performance testing data on the fridge. THAT is a level above the rest, to help us know the cycles and how we can better manage our own! Thank you!
Something to keep in mind is when you stop at a gas station to fuel your vehicle while pulling a camper is that a pilot/flame can be dangerous while at the pumps.
thank you!!!!! I did not know how to set temperature I cleaned the burner started it early but could not get it to cool the lower box less than 45 degrees.
You can place a penny on top of the frozen water. That way you can tell if the freezer was stopped working for very long if you are away from the camper for an extended period of time.
I have water bottles I have frozen that I throw in the night before when I turn it on to help cool it down. Then when you do load it put cold food in and frozen items and it will get cool stay cool must faster
Good video. What’s your thoughts on this? While driving, turn off the propane tank. Then plug in the AC 110 plug into a 12 volt to 110 volt inverter connected to the house battery ( that technically are being recharged by the engine alternator) thereby eliminating the chance of a propane fire. This would only be used while driving. Could run a generator but that burns extra gasoline. And if one have Solar, that too on a sunny drive will also keep the batteries charged/ topped off and the refrigerator running even at max if necessary.
I used to think it was possible. Once I learned how to install solar, I realized how impractical that really is. The conversation is roughly 10 times the power To convert 12vdc to 115ac. If you are uncomfortable running the propane, adding a 12v portable fridge to take on trips, might be a good option.
I just bought a fridge temp gauge from Lowe’s and hung it on the rack. Can’t read it without opening the fridge but I still get an idea of how it’s doing.
@@ScubaSteveCanadayeah that’s a better way. I realize now this gauge reads several degrees high vs my thermopro wireless thermometer I stuck in there for testing. You also can’t get a real reading when opening the door. It gets about a 6° increase when open the door. So yeah the wireless method is definitely better. I plan on getting one of those soon it just hasn’t been a priority lately.
I've found that it is pointless to precool the fridge before my trips. I prefer to let frozen half-gallon milk jugs do the work along with pre-cooled products. I turn on the fridge at my location, usually electric, and rotate the jugs to maintain one frozen. Maybe I put one in an outside cooler. My fridge is more efficient with propane and uses little to run for several days in the event that I don't have shore power.
I have had a parasitic of higher than normal, like 6 amps. It was on the same circuit as the heater. I, of course blamed the heater. years later, as I gave up after pulling the heater and replacing its board, I still had the draw. I have replaced my batteries and it had to be bad - Then I just put up with it as I plug in most of the time. When traveling, I just want my inverter to work so i can have a cup of coffee using the Kuriag. I replaced the inverter, still when I want the coffee, BEEEPPPPP no power to run my coffee. I was talking to a park ranger who came by---he said that, older units mine 2003 dometic, have a "Humidor" switch and it is actually a heater----hmmm I did discover a toggle switch on the underside of the top piece that you attached the temperature thing, just the other day and kinda wondered what it was, but---anyway, That switch activates a little heater. I turned it off and THAT was the draw!!!!! Who knew!!!!!--so, perhaps you want to do a video on that after you confirm it, of course! So just this morning I did not have to go out and start the Honda generator for morning Joe!!! It only took me 12 years to have this discovery!!!
You say "electrizity"! LOL Where are you from??? 😉 Seems like the RV industry might be leaning toward 12 volt only refrigeration. How do you feel about 12 volt only fridges and would you recommend replacing an absorption style with a 12 volt fridge? I'm am new (sort of) to RVs and I am exploring the Grand Design models which utilize 12 volt only fridges (which I like in my limited experience) because they don't have the fins inside that take up a considerable amount of space. What say you?
12 volt only is an option, make sure you have a large battery bank. Even an absorption fridge uses battery power. In my experience with dometic, about 2 amps 12v DC. Do a lot of research to find out which 12v only refrigerators have the least problems. If you are a full hookup camper, then battery power should not be an issue to have a good experience. Keep on camping 👍
What is the best way to turn on the propane tanks? Turn on one or both? Will the valve switch automatically, and if so, which way should I turn the valve?
Hi I have a jayfligh swift slx with refrigerator - I want to run int on a generator instead of a hook up - is this ok as I have heard its not recommended
not sure what fridge brand that is, if it was designed to be plugged into a 110v outlet then I would suspect being powered by a generator would be fine. IF the device is computer sensitive then you might need a pure sine wave inverter style generator.
Interesting that your IoT monitoring platform can’t send a notification to your phone or something like that. I see this video is a couple years old though. Anything smart enough like this out there today? So you don’t have to run a separate physical monitor?
I have a question. I recently took a long trip and our freezer was jam packed. We had trouble with the refrigerator getting too cold at its normal setting. Could that have been due to the freezer being so packed?
We have a 2020 Class C. The 120 volt side of the fridge works fine ,, the 12 volt gas side of the unit often has to be reset after running for a while.. Batteries are new, any ideas would be appreciated.
I’ve got a Norcold with the control board located between fridge and freezer. It has a digital temp setting (1 to9), can I still control the temp by moving the thermistor up or down the fins?
To run a standard absorbtion refrigerator, yes. Always 12v to run the control board. Even when on shore power. The converter in your rv does supply 12v so you don't necessarily need a battery ;)
I used to do that, and now I turn on the fridge 1 or 2 days before leaving on a trip, like the manual says, and pack as normal. Pre refrigerate all the goods before loading, and this will also help. Over packing a friar will actually prevent the contents from staying cold. Happy camping
These refrigerators will really draw the power on 110v. My experience has been that using an inverter it can draw 11amps DC or more. If you have big batteries and lots of solar panels, then maybe you could do it.
I normally consume 10lbs of propane in a 9 day period during the summer. keep in mind, that the fridge runs very little at night when temps are cooler.
I am not sure how you can keep your food food without running it all the time. There are risks with everything we do. I personally run the fridge when traveling
My refrigerator runs fine on electric and gas while plugged in to the house! But if I switch it to gas and unplug it from the house the flame goes out! What am I doing wrong???? Also my battery is fully charged!?
Interesting, I would say turn off the gas and use electric only. This way you will know for sure that your issue is only on the propane side of the fridge. Then the troubleshooting begins.
Your fridge will turn on by propane and battery,but it will take 3 to 5 days to actually get the right temperature to use for storage like almost everyone else
You can speed that up by using freezer packs and use a re-circulating fan inside the fridge section. Pack the freezer full of frozen food, leave space for the recirculating air in the fridge, never pack the fridge section full.
@@ScubaSteveCanada no good,freezer packs and frozen goods will only last no more than a few hours at a temperature of around 90 degrees(just use for storage)
Keeping a cool fridge is not only important, it is ESSENTIAL ! Let me know in the comments below, What your first RV Fridge experience was like ?
The fridge freezes everything. I Lowered the thermistor
@@RVKevin We were very fortunate that our refrigerator works great and has since the day we bought the RV used. Our inspector told us a few tips like if you open the freezer and close it, you cannot open it up again right away. You have to wait a minute or two. And yep, that is true.
I'm new to camping and owning a camper. Thanks! I have some processing disorders and struggle watching some videos. I appreciate you talking slowly and clearly, but also getting to the point 👍🏼👍🏼
I hope I have been of help to you Ryan, Thanks for watching.
A couple things, I have found that the gas setting cools faster than the electric on my refrigerator. However, when the camper is sitting, air gets into the gas line. Since the stove is next to the refrigerator, I ALWAYS purge the gas to the stove burners first before even starting the refrigerator. This allows the gas to light the refrigerator more quickly. I learned 30 years ago to use an indoor/outdoor thermometer to watch the temperature drop until it is low enough to put the food in. I used to use a wired indoor/outdoor thermometer but the new wireless ones only cost about $12 and I start with putting it into the freezer. When it is cold enough, we put the frozen food in and move the temperature sender to the lower refrigerator. This is so useful that I also put one in my home refrigerator and my chest freezer. If there is a power outage, I know how much I need to run my generator to keep things cold without wasting gas. Since we often camp off the grid, I have two larger propane tanks and two of the largest deep cell batteries that fit my trailer. I also carry along a 2000 watt generator which can run my 13,000 BTU air conditioner or microwave but not at the same time. The generator is big enough to do the job and charge the batteries while not using too much gasoline. Every RV I have had has the small bathroom power vent replaced with one that is large enough to cool the whole trailer at night.
The bathroom vent idea is a good one. Will it stay running all night off just your standard 12v battery?
@@SlurpJ No problem for my two deep cell batteries. The high capacity fan is a direct replacement for the small bathroom fan that usually comes with all RVs. It works like a whole house fan in a home. In cold weather the fan on my propane furnace will also run quite a while just on battery power. Most RVs have a meter that lets you know the charge level of your batteries. When the batteries get low, I crank up my small generator and recharge them.
I use a Beech Lane rv box fan in my Dometic to circulate air & it makes a big difference. I transport cold/frozen foods in a cooler to camp & use some of the ice packs inside the fridge after about 2 hours of start-run time. This with the fan dramatically reduces cool down time. Cheers.
Wow this has helped alot .Im in a borrowed RV and could not get the freidge to work. thanks to you ,its now working
Great to know about those adjustments taking forever. I kept playing with mine as at first, the fridge area was at 19F. Also like the idea of once it is set properly, MARK IT. Thanks!
I am really glad that was helpful.
Great tips. We are getting ready to pack our travel trailer. Good advice to have food cold and frozen before you put them in the RV refrigerator.
Great video, no annoying background music, i learn that that thing that was laying around attached to a cable is the thermistor...thanks,
The part about the thermistor slipping down because of rough road driving, I can tell this is knowledge coming from a hardened RVer.
Two days before our trip, I freeze 16 water bottles and put half in the freezer and the other half in the refrigerator just to help the cold process begin.
Excellent video, Sir! Thank you for sharing about the performance testing data on the fridge. THAT is a level above the rest, to help us know the cycles and how we can better manage our own! Thank you!
Fans that attach to the fins inside makes a huge difference. 🍸🍸
Phil, yes that is a great addition to the fridge. Thanks for mentioning that accessory. I have been wanting to add that upgrade to our rig also.
Very informative video. It seems like the fridge light stays on when door is closed
You're doing a great service. Thank you for doing this video
Best intro, change my mind.
Something to keep in mind is when you stop at a gas station to fuel your vehicle while pulling a camper is that a pilot/flame can be dangerous while at the pumps.
In other words, turn the fridge off before getting to the pumps and turn it back on as you exit onto the road.
thank you!!!!! I did not know how to set temperature I cleaned the burner started it early but could not get it to cool the lower box less than 45 degrees.
Try on gas and electric, you might find that one mode works better than the other
We used to add frozen bottles of water inside the fridge to make it easier to keep food cold and help with the load
Great tip!
You can place a penny on top of the frozen water. That way you can tell if the freezer was stopped working for very long if you are away from the camper for an extended period of time.
Great tutorial. Much thanks!
Your welcome.👍
Great video thank you for sharing your info!! New subscriber here
I have water bottles I have frozen that I throw in the night before when I turn it on to help cool it down. Then when you do load it put cold food in and frozen items and it will get cool stay cool must faster
Thanks for the information Sir.!
My refrigerator is comfortable now, it was freezing everything in there! Wow!
Good video. What’s your thoughts on this? While driving, turn off the propane tank. Then plug in the AC 110 plug into a 12 volt to 110 volt inverter connected to the house battery ( that technically are being recharged by the engine alternator) thereby eliminating the chance of a propane fire. This would only be used while driving. Could run a generator but that burns extra gasoline. And if one have Solar, that too on a sunny drive will also keep the batteries charged/ topped off and the refrigerator running even at max if necessary.
I used to think it was possible. Once I learned how to install solar, I realized how impractical that really is. The conversation is roughly 10 times the power To convert 12vdc to 115ac. If you are uncomfortable running the propane, adding a 12v portable fridge to take on trips, might be a good option.
Great video and content!
I just bought a fridge temp gauge from Lowe’s and hung it on the rack. Can’t read it without opening the fridge but I still get an idea of how it’s doing.
That's why a wireless gauge is a far better solution; no need to open the door.
@@ScubaSteveCanadayeah that’s a better way. I realize now this gauge reads several degrees high vs my thermopro wireless thermometer I stuck in there for testing. You also can’t get a real reading when opening the door. It gets about a 6° increase when open the door. So yeah the wireless method is definitely better. I plan on getting one of those soon it just hasn’t been a priority lately.
I've found that it is pointless to precool the fridge before my trips. I prefer to let frozen half-gallon milk jugs do the work along with pre-cooled products. I turn on the fridge at my location, usually electric, and rotate the jugs to maintain one frozen. Maybe I put one in an outside cooler. My fridge is more efficient with propane and uses little to run for several days in the event that I don't have shore power.
He gave me some facts a rv owner would never know tho !
Thank you, any more on video? On other problems.
Got a new camper looking forward to new videos soon
Refrigerator in a slide out on warm/hot days is very hard to keep at a safe cool temp. Fan has been added inside etc
Thank you for sharing
Absolutely
DO YOU HAVE TO TURN THE PROPANE ON EVEN IF YOUR WANTING TO USE SHORE LINE ? THANKS FOR THE VIEDO !!!
No, if you run on electricity only, my fridge would not require propane.
You're welcome.
I have the same model of Dometic refrigerator, and it will quit cooling with the 110 power if the propane is disconnected. @RVKevin
I have had a parasitic of higher than normal, like 6 amps. It was on the same circuit as the heater. I, of course blamed the heater. years later, as I gave up after pulling the heater and replacing its board, I still had the draw. I have replaced my batteries and it had to be bad - Then I just put up with it as I plug in most of the time. When traveling, I just want my inverter to work so i can have a cup of coffee using the Kuriag. I replaced the inverter, still when I want the coffee, BEEEPPPPP no power to run my coffee.
I was talking to a park ranger who came by---he said that, older units mine 2003 dometic, have a "Humidor" switch and it is actually a heater----hmmm
I did discover a toggle switch on the underside of the top piece that you attached the temperature thing, just the other day and kinda wondered what it was, but---anyway,
That switch activates a little heater. I turned it off and THAT was the draw!!!!!
Who knew!!!!!--so, perhaps you want to do a video on that after you confirm it, of course! So just this morning I did not have to go out and start the Honda generator for morning Joe!!!
It only took me 12 years to have this discovery!!!
That sir, is an awesome story. I am glad you found the culprit.
Great video !
Thank you
We’re you the one who changed out the control board ? Was it easy ?
I thought it was easy but it is plastic, so take your time removing it and it will make more sense going back in
You say "electrizity"! LOL Where are you from??? 😉
Seems like the RV industry might be leaning toward 12 volt only refrigeration. How do you feel about 12 volt only fridges and would you recommend replacing an absorption style with a 12 volt fridge?
I'm am new (sort of) to RVs and I am exploring the Grand Design models which utilize 12 volt only fridges (which I like in my limited experience) because they don't have the fins inside that take up a considerable amount of space. What say you?
12 volt only is an option, make sure you have a large battery bank. Even an absorption fridge uses battery power. In my experience with dometic, about 2 amps 12v DC.
Do a lot of research to find out which 12v only refrigerators have the least problems. If you are a full hookup camper, then battery power should not be an issue to have a good experience.
Keep on camping 👍
Kindly market these ammonia absorbtion fridges in our country as the electric bill has gone high.
I have a 1984 Norcold Electronics 838EG3. Can I run it just by 12DC and not use propane?
What is the best way to turn on the propane tanks? Turn on one or both? Will the valve switch automatically, and if so, which way should I turn the valve?
Turn both on, should not matter the direction of the valve
Hi I have a jayfligh swift slx with refrigerator - I want to run int on a generator instead of a hook up - is this ok as I have heard its not recommended
not sure what fridge brand that is, if it was designed to be plugged into a 110v outlet then I would suspect being powered by a generator would be fine. IF the device is computer sensitive then you might need a pure sine wave inverter style generator.
Interesting that your IoT monitoring platform can’t send a notification to your phone or something like that. I see this video is a couple years old though. Anything smart enough like this out there today? So you don’t have to run a separate physical monitor?
I have a question. I recently took a long trip and our freezer was jam packed. We had trouble with the refrigerator getting too cold at its normal setting. Could that have been due to the freezer being so packed?
That is a really good possibility
Is frost buildup on the fins helpful or should I drop the thermostat setting (1-5 adjustment button on the outside/above the freezer door). Thanks
Frost prevents accurate temperature regulation.
We have a 2020 Class C. The 120 volt side of the fridge works fine ,, the 12 volt gas side of the unit often has to be reset after running for a while.. Batteries are new, any ideas would be appreciated.
He said he had the same problem and said he needed a new control board.
Can you just plug this into the wall and have it work or you need to setup the 12v and propane as well?
Yes it will work on house power.
I’ve got a Norcold with the control board located between fridge and freezer. It has a digital temp setting (1 to9), can I still control the temp by moving the thermistor up or down the fins?
I would suspect yes. However I am Not a Norcold tech. Take a picture of where it was before you move it and you can put it back if you need to
Kevin my frig light is not working but the frig is. Bought a new light bulb but wasn’t the issue. What would you do next? Ty in advance
I would grab a volt meter and check for power at the light socket in case the wire has been damaged somewhere in or out of the fridge.
Mine had a dirty switch. I tapped it a couple of times and it would come on. Solved by using a cotton swab with alcohol on it. ❤️🤍💙
You can also buy a small can of electric contact cleaner to occasionally spray in that switch to keep it functioning properly
do you leave the propane on for your refrigerator when driving?
I do
Do you need battery or just propane?
To run a standard absorbtion refrigerator, yes. Always 12v to run the control board. Even when on shore power.
The converter in your rv does supply 12v so you don't necessarily need a battery ;)
I have the same fridige, mine isn't draining properly. Any suggestions? The water sits in the lower tray until it overflows.
Make sure the little drain hose is connected and that no blockages are on the outside where the house drains.
After a couple days check light comes on??😊
Yes , that is not good, have a service tech look at it for sure.
I freeze water bottles and pack the fridge and freezer with them before I leave on a trip. Is this a good practice or am I wasting my time?
I used to do that, and now I turn on the fridge 1 or 2 days before leaving on a trip, like the manual says, and pack as normal. Pre refrigerate all the goods before loading, and this will also help. Over packing a friar will actually prevent the contents from staying cold.
Happy camping
Can I also run it on solar as I have an inverter etc
These refrigerators will really draw the power on 110v. My experience has been that using an inverter it can draw 11amps DC or more. If you have big batteries and lots of solar panels, then maybe you could do it.
I am curious how much propane is used in an eight hour day with the refrigerator cycle at 30 min?
I normally consume 10lbs of propane in a 9 day period during the summer. keep in mind, that the fridge runs very little at night when temps are cooler.
Can you run you refrigerator while your pulling your trailer safely?
I am not sure how you can keep your food food without running it all the time. There are risks with everything we do. I personally run the fridge when traveling
@@4Ever4Given777 how do you connect the refrigerator power to the power station?
@@4Ever4Given777 thank you. They get emailed to me at least.
@@4Ever4Given777 can you provide me a more detailed description. I have the power station.
If you only want to run it on electricity how do you turn off the gas?
Usually turn off the gas button. Electricity should pickup from there
My refrigerator runs fine on electric and gas while plugged in to the house! But if I switch it to gas and unplug it from the house the flame goes out! What am I doing wrong???? Also my battery is fully charged!?
Interesting, I would say turn off the gas and use electric only. This way you will know for sure that your issue is only on the propane side of the fridge. Then the troubleshooting begins.
I'd check starting at the battery connection to the fuse, to the inside of the fridge with a multimeter to make sure it's getting 12V power.
Everything in this video could be used to advertise a 12 V compressor fridge.
You should show the thermistor inside the clip. Lots of ppl have no idea about it and where it should sit. It’s a Facebook question weekly
Your fridge will turn on by propane and battery,but it will take 3 to 5 days to actually get the right temperature to use for storage like almost everyone else
You can speed that up by using freezer packs and use a re-circulating fan inside the fridge section. Pack the freezer full of frozen food, leave space for the recirculating air in the fridge, never pack the fridge section full.
@@ScubaSteveCanada no good,freezer packs and frozen goods will only last no more than a few hours at a temperature of around 90 degrees(just use for storage)
I'm going to be using an ICECO fridge in my vehicle. Not an RV.
Shut the door!@ 😊