Scamp 19 er fridg. Problem

[leo j.]

The Dometic fridge in my 2013 Scamp 19 (Mod.# RM2620RX) is not working well. Some times the freezer will be OK and the fridge part will be at 54degs. Other times both freezer and fridge will be warm. The unit is not working right. This unit has very few hours of use on it.
I'm hoping some one out there will have some information that can help solve this problem .
Thanks
Leo

[gordon2]

It is possible that your fridge is actually working properly. Absorption (R/V) fridges do not work like the compressor type that we are familiar with in our homes. So let’s consider that possibility first and see if we can rule it out. Is this your first time with an RV fridge?

Under what conditions was the fridge being used? What was the outdoor temperature? How long was it running and how often was it opened? Your Dometic cools much slower, and takes much longer to recover when opened, than your home fridge.

What was powering the fridge? Propane is most efficient, 120 volts is next best and 12 volts is the least effective.

Some things to try if you think that it might be working, but want it to work better, is to make sure the food you add to it is pre-chilled. Give the fridge a good 24 hours to come to operating temp. Have the fridge mostly full but leave plenty of room for air to circulate. Put a small battery operated fridge fan inside to move the cold air around. Also add a fan to the exterior vent area (a google search should help you see examples of that mod.)

How it is first thing in the morning, when it was left on overnight?

[Donna D.]

Welcome to the world of crappy RV refrigerators. They're all bad, just some worse than others. . And unfortunately they work as designed.

Depending on the age of the refrigerator, it will work better when the frig is near-perfect level. Put a bubble level on the bottom of the frig and level the trailer to that.

Do NOT overpack the refrigerator! All product inside needs airspace. Put items in the refrigerator as you buy it. Diary and protein needs to be kept cold. Fruits/vegetables need to be kept cool... put these in a cooler with blue ice (or the like) if it keeps your refrigerator from being stuffed. The freezer on the other hand works better if it's full. Even if being full means blue ice, water bottles, etc.

I always carry 3-4 half-gallon milk jugs filled with water that I put in the freezer. I start out with one of these in the frig next to the cube fan. It helps to lower the temperature (faster) and assists in general cooling. I rotate the milk jugs as needed.

AND... if you can park where the refrigerator side of the trailer is mostly kept in the shade... all the better.

Best of luck!

[leo j.]

Thank you Folks for all your help. I guess I am spoiled after owing a Casita for eleven years and not having problem one. Of course the that fridge was smaller but I can't imagine going to Florida with this one acting the way it has been this past weekend. The weather in Maine has been in the 60's during the day and 50 at night. So we will give it one more try this weekend and play it by the book. If it acts up - we will ship it off to John at Coastal R.V in Topsham Me.

Thanks again
Leo

[gordon2]

Well Leo, those outside temps would not be suspect in poor fridge performance, and if you have eleven years of experience with a similar fridge in your Casita, then I have to trust your judgement that something is not right. I still think internal (and maybe external) air circulation might be an issue, and is certainly worth trying to work on before sending it off for repair. But if its only cooling to 10 degrees or so below ambient outdoor temp then it does sound like something is amiss. I hope you keep us posted so we can learn from you experience in getting it work better and/or repaired. Wish I could offer more.

[Eddie Longest]

Leo
Go to the Casita Forum and check out the long thread on "Making the Frig. Run Better" started by Larry Gamble.
Eddie