Refrigerator

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dmoritz2
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Refrigerator

I have a used 2012 13 scamp.  The refrigerator does not remain a constant temp.  It ranges from 60 degrees to 30 degrees.  What is the problem.  My food is either Luke warm or freezes.

also bought new weather stripping for door.  From the scamp parts store. No directions came with the part so how do you install?

 

Earl A.
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Replacing Weather Stripping around door

"also bought new weather stripping for door.  From the scamp parts store. No directions came with the part so how do you install?"

There is a whole thread on this subject elsewhere in this forum.  Here is a direct link:

http://www.scampcamper.com/forums/replacing-weather-stripping-around-door

dmoritz2
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weather stripping

I found the thread to talk about removing old stripping but not how to apply the new.  Which direction does the seal bo?  Groove toward outside door or opposite?

D. Moritz

ManWithaVan
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Rv Refeigerator Runs Hot and Cold

The good news is that your RV fridge has the ability to get cold!

Your RV fridge operates differently from your "home" fridge, it is designed to keep your food cold. However, it is not designed with excess cooling capacity that will allow it to cool itself down very quickly if it gets warm, it is more of a slow cooling versus the quick coldness of your home fridge.

Consequently, you need to do everything you can to help it get cold and stay cold.

First off, your RV fridge works off of heat and air flow. The coolant inside your fridge is heated at the bottom of the fridge and a set of cooling fins at the top of the fridge get hot when the hot coolant moves through the system. Those (now hot) fins at the top of the fridge cause cooler air to be "sucked" up from the outside bottom vent ( behind your refrigerator) and get exhausted out of the top vent, this creates a "chimney" effect which cools the fins which allows the coolant to cool your fridge. Obviously, the cooling of the fins is effected by the outside air temperature.

So, what can we do to help the refrigerator work as effectively as possible?

Inspect the back of your fridge, remove the cover(s) and be certain the area is clean and there is nothing blocking air flow across the fins at the top of the "chimney".

Inspect the drain hose to ensure it is not blocked, when re-installing the vent cover ensure that the drain hose is not running "straight down", but, that it has an "S" bend in it which will trap water inside the hose (similar to the "P" trap on your kitchen sink) before draining to the outside of the trailer, this will keep warm outside air from getting inside your fridge through the drain pipe. Also, be certain that your condensate pan is installed in the fridge and that it is allowing the water to flow into the drain pipe (mine had been installed backwards).

Another thing to check is the "Thermistor", it's a white piece, 3 to 4 inches long,  that is clipped to the fins on the inside of the fridge. The thermistor acts as a thermostat for your fridge, it should be clipped to the right most fin inside the fridge. To adjust the temperature in your fridge, move the thermistor up (for colder) and down (for warmer).

Start with running the fridge for several hours before you leave on your trip, you want that fridge to be as cold as possible before you put your food into it. Next, only put cold food into the fridge, don't load in a six pack of sodas (or beer) from your warm pantry, put them in the home fridge before you load up the camper. If you are on a trip and have to load warm sodas in the fridge, load them up at night when the outside temps are coolest.

Also, try to keep the door closed as much as possible, open the door and get every thing out you will need for that meal, don't open it seven or eight times while you are cooking, once or twice should suffice.

Finally, operate your fridge during the hot part of the day on whichever fuel it works best on, if it operates best on propane, then run it on propane during the middle of the day and on electricity the rest of the time.

I would suggest pulling your Scamp to the house and running the fridge for a full day and checking the temps every hour or two with the fridge empty to determine how well the fridge is working, then, the next day load it full of warm beer (or soda, or water) to see how well it can operate full.

 

 

As Always,

Happy Scamping !!!

dmoritz2
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refr

sorry just a little behind in my posts.  Thank you for your advice.  Now, I just have to find all the parts that you spoke of.  Where they are located?  Will get out my manual and see what I can.  

 

D. Moritz

Earlene
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Are the new fridges different ?

We are reading this thread about this and our new one in the 13 ft does not have a drip pan or a drain tube anywhere,So my question is,does anyone know if there was a change in them somewhere along the way? This one is a 3 way..thanks in advance

Launey and Earlene

tanfam4
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Level

Good advice from ManWithaVan.  I would add to ensure the rig is level as the fridge may not work when uneven.

2012 Subaru Forester
Scamp 13 front Bunk

Greg A
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Fridge

Used to take my 13 Scamp fridge about 6 hours the night before to get to temp. Mine really only performed well on propane, so I never ran it on anything but propane. 20lb tank would last almost a month running the fridge only on propane and any cooking so not a big deal to leave it on propane. They also have 12v refrigerator vent fans that mount behind the fridge and increase air flow which can improve performance. I'll look for a link to the product.

Having it checked over by an RV fridge repair facility might be in order if none of this helps.

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2015 19 Escape

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Fiberglass-RV-4Sale

WAJourney
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Running fridge on propane

I think you just answered my question but I just want to confirm it. I'm planning a few boondocking nights on an upcoming trip with my new S-13 and I'm curious how much propane the fridge will use. Should I have any concerns? 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

WAJourney

Greg A
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Propane Fridge

If your tank is full no issues for a few nights. In our 13 just running the fridge and not much of any cooking inside, the single propane tank would last about 27 days continuous operation. I found this number out, because we used to take a 30 day trip every July when the kids were little and I would have to get the tank filled right at the end of the trip. Of course, if you cook inside or have the factory propane heater and you're using it nightly it won't go as far.

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WAJourney
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Propane Fridge

Thanks, Greg. That's exactly what I needed to know. Do you have any sense of how long the fridge would run on battery? 

WAJourney

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