Heat from LPG Fridge

[r_o_wws]

Hi,

In my 74 Boler 1300 I have a Dometic 211 3 way fridge.

This past week I noticed that the fridge puts a lot of heat into the lower cabinet area when running on LPG, and anything in the drawer above the fridge would get pretty hot (not enough to damage, but enough to make it uncomfortable to hold silverware for too long).

Is this normal? I do have 2 large vents in that area, but it does not feel like the heat is escaping through those - but rather into the lower cabinet area. The fridge itself gets cool inside, but the air inside the lower cabinet/kitchenette is above 50c for sure.

Opening one of the cabinet doors is usually followed by a bunch of warm air escaping into the living space. See attached picture for vent layout.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[gordon2]

When is the last time you cleaned the flue tube?

Excerpted from: The RV Doctor: Cleaning & Servicing the RV Absorption Refrigerator

The spiral flue baffle also must be removed and cleaned. It is situated directly above the burner and is located inside the flue tube. The baffle is installed from the top of the refrigerator, and the method used to secure it will vary from model to model. ...

Once the baffle is removed, the next step is to run the flue brush through the empty flue tube to dislodge any carbon deposits and rust that might be clinging to the side of the tube. These deposits could hinder the flue in its task of evenly distributing heat and drawing the flame into the tube.

[r_o_wws]

Originally Posted by gordon2

When is the last time you cleaned the flue tube?

Excerpted from: The RV Doctor: Cleaning & Servicing the RV Absorption Refrigerator

The spiral flue baffle also must be removed and cleaned. It is situated directly above the burner and is located inside the flue tube. The baffle is installed from the top of the refrigerator, and the method used to secure it will vary from model to model. ...

Once the baffle is removed, the next step is to run the flue brush through the empty flue tube to dislodge any carbon deposits and rust that might be clinging to the side of the tube. These deposits could hinder the flue in its task of evenly distributing heat and drawing the flame into the tube.

I personally have not. The PO "said" they had the regular checks done at the end of the last season. I will have to verify for myself I'm sure.
The burner does seem to operate correctly as per the Dometic manual though.

The fridge does cool, however there's so much hot air inside the fiberglass cabinet/kitchenette that it's not doing itself any favors.

[gordon2]

Well a roof vent would work better than a side vent.. but of course you have what you have. I would try a small box fan (like a 3-4 inch computer fan) to help exhaust the air out the top vent and see if that makes a difference.

[Mark Bradley]

I have a 76 13' Boler and found there will be some heat that will dissipate through the fridge enclosure to the drawer and surrounding counter. After 40 years I did some maintenance on this fridge and found it now operates to it's full potential. I had to remove the fridge to do this but it was worthwhile.

As mentioned by Gordon2 the flue and baffle should be cleaned to dislodge any carbon deposits and rust that might be clinging to the side of the tube. I bought a brush from Princess Auto to do this.

I removed the burner assembly and cleaned both the burner orfice and thermocouple.

The next step is very important as it can have a direct effect on the proper ventilation of the cooling unit. That is to clean the rear of the refrigerator. Either blow the area with compressed air or vacuum away the dust and dirt.

Unless there has been modifications to the cabinet enclosure cleaning the flue and baffle as well as the rear of the rear of the refrigerator should make a difference.