By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, our favorite RV inspector, Duane from the RV Inspection and Care YouTube channel, shares a quick tip on how to keep your RV fridge cool, even on extremely hot days.
Duane begins by explaining that typical gas/electric RV refrigerators don’t function in the same way that residential refrigerators do. They use a chemical process to cool the refrigerator and that process produces heat behind the refrigerator. If you have that heat trapped behind the refrigerator, Duane says it can simply just radiate back inside into the fridge and freezer areas.
Duane says the other problem comes with the fact that most RVs have an extremely small and compact area for the fridge to fit into, so there’s not a lot of room for air circulation.
You want hot air to move up and out the top vent, usually on the RV roof. Duane recommends installing some simple fans to help the process. For optimal results, he says to place one on the bottom blowing air up, and one on the roof sucking the hot air out.
Watch the video to see this simple solution in action. Your RV refrigerator will thank you.
If the fridge overheating is only a rare problem, Duane says a regular fan directed the right way can also help. Again, he demonstrates how in the video.
The most important thing when temperatures are high is to get that air behind your RV refrigerator moving. And that’s how you keep an RV fridge cool!
##RVDT2457
I like the idea of using a portable fan on an “as needed” basis.
In the video, around 1.59, it says see the link below for the fans. Not anywhere to be found below!
You would have to click to YouTube for those, but here are the links
RV refrigerator vent fans – https://amzn.to/2UAUCXi
➡️ Small portable Turbo fan – https://amzn.to/3hetFCx
I am a visual learner. I understand the basics of what you, and a multitude of others, are saying about moving the air. I have seen a lot of schematics of moving air around the fridge. How about showing me actual installations of the fans of which you speak?
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 I guess Duane hasn’t this problem, or it is so occasional that he never bothered permanently installing any fans. I think that Nanci additionally suggested to park so that the refrigerator vent has minimal exposure to the sun. That would tend to have cooler air around the vent. Given how little latitude one has to change how much sun exposure the refrigerator vent gets, this hint is most easily applied when boondocking and having complete control over the direction in which the RV is parked. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
If you don’t have an awning over your fridge area or don’t want to leave it out, you can always use a pop up gazebo or canopy and place it right next to your rig so that the sun is not hitting the side where your fridge is. You want to shade that part of your rig as much as possible.
Thank you, Cookie P! 🙂 Great advice! Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I also had issues with the temps variations in the fridge and freezer until I did install a dual fan system with a thermostat control from Beechlane in the lower external vent panel and inside the roof vent cover. These run based on the temp setting you choose when installing them and they have a lifetime warranty. They run on 12 v DC. I also use their mount on the fins fan system inside the fridge for better circulation. Usually running propane for the fridge / freezer and can freeze the ice cream solid for the whole trip.