HomeMaintenance & Repair
Maintenance & Repair

Why your slide out refrigerator is not cooling

By RV Travel
3

By Dustin Simpson
Join Terry and me in our RV shop, as we explain why so many RV owners are having RV refrigerator venting and cooling issues in the high summer heat. Note that these issues only apply to the nonresidential models (LP gas units).

We keep coming across units with baffling issues with refrigerators in slide outs that have been installed too high. Let’s look into it.

Baffling installed too high from the manufacturer.

Typically we’ve had to cut the baffling down a little, as well as add some insulation, paneling, or flashing to help block off and direct the air out through the vent. We have, in some cases, added additional fans or Fridge Defend kits.

Terry has marked with green tape the area to trim down to, then cuts down baffling for proper ventilation.

We are also looking for missing baffling on the backside of their refrigerator in a slide out.

Example of upper baffling behind the upper refrigerator exterior access door.

Mostly RV owners do not find out there is an issue until the high heat of summer.

What is the baffle in a propane fridge for?

The baffle in a propane fridge directs the air over the heated condenser fins and absorber coils and isolates the rejected heat away from the top and sides of the refrigerator cabinet. The air around the heated condenser fins and absorber coils absorbs some of the rejected heat from these components.

Example from Fridge Defend – Please see their website for additional info. (click to enlarge [slightly])
We recommend for owners with in-slide-out refrigerators to visit Fridge Defend at arprv.com for additional information that will help increase the efficiency of your fridge.

Join me below as I explain why you need a refrigerator service.  

DIY tools and products:

More from Dustin

Make sure you check out my website, California RV Specialists, and our YouTube channel for more helpful information, and see our published articles on RVtravel.com and other social media pages.

RELATED

RVDT2698

RV Travel
RV Travel
Our goal at RVtravel.com, now in our 24th year of continuous online publication, is to provide a comprehensive source of quality news, advice, and information about RVs and the RV lifestyle. Our writers are all (human) RVing experts who write for you, not advertisers, stockholders or Google rankings. You won't find more valuable information about RVing anywhere else—and with no spam, ever.

Sign up for America's favorite RVing newsletter

The RVtravel.com Sunday newsletter is completely free and filled with great RV information, advice, and news written by RV experts, delivered right to your inbox every Saturday and Sunday morning. We will never sell your information and you won't ever get SPAM from us. When you subscribe, you'll get three checklists that every RVer should have as a thank you!

Our most popular articles this week:

SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR RV?
Good news! We have more than 3,500 articles in our “RV Maintenance and Repair” category, so we’re confident we can help you solve the problem. In addition, did you know you can search our website using the search bar at the top of every page for keywords or topics that interest you or that you need help with? Yep, we’ve got you covered!

Everything on sale for RVers right now. Yes, right now! Click here.

A Permanent Address for RV Freedom — Full-time RVers trust America’s Mailbox for mail forwarding, residency help, and reliable support from the road.

Previous article
Warning to stop using recalled expandable hoses immediately
Next article
Have you ever eaten Rocky Mountain oysters? Would you?

Comments

Please follow our rules for commenting.

3 Comments

Drew
10 months ago

Good article and diagrams. Fridge Defend (although I don’t have one) sure seems to be a great product with great support too. They monitor and post on all the major rv pages.

1
Neal Davis
10 months ago

Thank you for calling attention to the potential problem and supplying a solution, Dustin! Have a great day and safe travels!

0
Gary Stone
10 months ago

My Dometic 8501 works OK on 120 volts, but really struggles on hot days using the propane function when off-grid. I even added dual top exhaust fans to the existing single mid-level fan. I have thoroughly cleaned all LP orifices, the flue and get a good flame. Tomorrow I’ll check the height of the vertical baffle. I don’t think there is a top baffle. Good tips!

0