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Old 07-12-2016, 04:56 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Klem View Post
It's not a coincidence that ETI switched to a wider door in the 2017 model so they can load a refrigerator that has been historically a better performer. Time will tell.
This is for certain. It was one of the many considerations for going with flat walls, being able to use a wider door. I can only imagine how much time this will save Escape, with not having to do all the service work they did with the older fridge models. And hopefully time will prove the new fridges to be better performers, fingers crossed.
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Old 07-12-2016, 05:17 PM   #22
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We will see how it goes but I can tell you that if I have a brand new $30K trailer and I can't go camping without taking an ice chest, I will be REALLY ticked and it will certainly kill my warm fuzzy feeling about having bought an Escape.
Agree!

Feeling even better about the 2017 version - I hope!
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Old 07-12-2016, 08:39 PM   #23
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Since you are in Texas, did you get the Texas edition? I believe it has extra cooling fans installed....
When we picked up last August, we were told that no extra cooling fans were needed for the two-door. We asked about having those. Our 21' is in the Texas/Oklahoma heat and working fine, even though the outside temperatures have been above that at which it is supposed to perform. Which I understood was 90F. We are regularly at 95, for some time now.
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Old 07-12-2016, 09:05 PM   #24
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Since you are in Texas, did you get the Texas edition? I believe it has extra cooling fans installed....
I asked about the Texas fan option when doing my build sheet and was told it was no longer done because the fridge would cool just fine without it.
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:28 PM   #25
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I asked about the Texas fan option when doing my build sheet and was told it was no longer done because the fridge would cool just fine without it.
so they dropped the optional external fan for the new fridge on the new 2017 Escape models? Thought they recommended this for the southern campers....
another question for Escape might be yes it may cool just fine without it BUT would it cool better with it? ....after all that is why the external fan kit exists right?
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:57 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by thumper-tx View Post
We will see how it goes but I can tell you that if I have a brand new $30K trailer and I cant go camping without taking an ice chest, I will be REALLY ticked and it will certainly kill my warm fuzzy feeling about having bought an Escape.
How do you camp without a cooler.. or two coolers? Remember, you pack an RV refrigerator the same way as you buy the food. Protein and dairy needs to be kept COLD. Fruits and vegetables need to be cool. Are you shoving everything for every meal into the refrigerator? Or are you putting potatoes, onions, lettuce, citrus, apples into a cooler with some (blue) ice? Beer and wine are better in a cooler outside the door.... Your refrigerator isn't like some big black hole where you shove everything you want to store food. Truly.
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Old 07-12-2016, 11:19 PM   #27
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For over two years, I've been reading about how some refrigerators in Escape trailers (or ANY recreational vehicle for that matter) don't perform well in extreme conditions. My take-away is that one should just accept that the technology is not there at a reasonable price to provide home-like refrigeration as these are not compressor refrigerators. Now unless one wants to take the time and spend beaucoup money to accommodate a compressor-type refrigerator, there will--or can be--issues. Take a cooler along. I do and I don't even have refer issues.
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Old 07-12-2016, 11:45 PM   #28
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We always take a cooler, mostly for beverages, and sometimes food too.
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Old 07-13-2016, 12:42 AM   #29
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so they dropped the optional external fan for the new fridge on the new 2017 Escape models? Thought they recommended this for the southern campers....
another question for Escape might be yes it may cool just fine without it BUT would it cool better with it? ....after all that is why the external fan kit exists right?
I asked this exact question and apparently they still offer and recommend it according to Sarah, so I put it on the build sheet.

The Norcold in my Arctic Fox 990 camper had a thermostatically controlled fan on it that would come on above about 80F. That was a 6 cu ft. 2-door 2-way and it worked great. I'm hoping the new 2017 Dometic fridges work as well as that did. I figure the fan can't hurt.
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Old 07-13-2016, 12:58 AM   #30
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My 2017 21' build sheet offers the External Fridge Fan ($175) and i am absolutely getting it.

We have it in our Casita, and i think it helps when it is hot outside.

Physics being physics... i am pretty confident that it has to help, at least a bit.
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Old 07-13-2016, 03:42 AM   #31
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Just got my refrigerator fixed trailer is a 2012 so not a big deal the control panel went out. It's been sketchy for a year but would not work at all this spring. Now it's fixed and gets very cold I'm very happy but I still will bring my cooler along for beverages.
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Old 07-13-2016, 08:04 AM   #32
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so they dropped the optional external fan for the new fridge on the new 2017 Escape models? Thought they recommended this for the southern campers....
another question for Escape might be yes it may cool just fine without it BUT would it cool better with it? ....after all that is why the external fan kit exists right?
Our 21 is a 2016 model and they would not put the "Texas fan" in it. I don't know about the 2017 models. Also, this is not just about southern campers, we had to move our food to ice chest while were in southern Montana, and for the remainder of the trip.
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Old 07-13-2016, 08:13 AM   #33
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How do you camp without a cooler.. or two coolers? Remember, you pack an RV refrigerator the same way as you buy the food. Protein and dairy needs to be kept COLD. Fruits and vegetables need to be cool. Are you shoving everything for every meal into the refrigerator? Or are you putting potatoes, onions, lettuce, citrus, apples into a cooler with some (blue) ice? Beer and wine are better in a cooler outside the door.... Your refrigerator isn't like some big black hole where you shove everything you want to store food. Truly.
We are clear on how to pack a refrigerator. Agreed protein and dairy should be cold and that is the job of the refrigerator and how it worked in my last camper. We are not hauling beer and wine so no need for a cooler. There are drawers in the bottom of the RMD8555 for fruit and lettuce items. Bottom line, we have camped for years without an ice chest without a problem. Truly.
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Old 07-13-2016, 09:30 AM   #34
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I ordered the external fridge fan on Prairie Schooner and I added a fan switch on my RMD 8555 as there is a fan on the rear and the wiring is accessible.
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Old 07-13-2016, 09:56 AM   #35
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What I don't like about my ice chest is it is heavy when loaded. I keep it tied down in the back of the truck. On extended days I will drag it down to beside the trailer door. A pain you learn to live with. Some times I put it where it is most needed, inside the trailer, but that takes up valuable floor space, blocks doors.

My RM8551 4.3 (Sep 2013) has two fans in back. Does that mean I got a Texas fan without ever asking for one? I rarely heard them come on so I added a manual switch to the fridge door. If turning it on for a hot afternoon makes a significant difference I haven't noticed. By the way, Thumper, I removed my fridge freezer compartment and that seems to have helped.
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Old 07-13-2016, 11:14 AM   #36
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Originally Posted by thumper-tx View Post
We are clear on how to pack a refrigerator. Agreed protein and dairy should be cold and that is the job of the refrigerator and how it worked in my last camper. We are not hauling beer and wine so no need for a cooler. There are drawers in the bottom of the RMD8555 for fruit and lettuce items. Bottom line, we have camped for years without an ice chest without a problem. Truly.
Thumper -TX:
We picked up our 21 on 6/14/16 . Reace did the orientation for us and I specifically asked about the "texas fan". He said that ETI now includes them standard and that ours had one. He then showed us the terminal strip where the wiring for the fan is connected.

Our experience on the trip back to Nebraska was somewhat similar once we got to eastern Oregon where daytime temps got up to 85-90 Deg. The unit struggled during daytime hours, but then caught up at night. We ran propane while on the road and 120V while hooked up. Fridge never got above 46 Deg F. Freezer actually stayed below 32 Deg F and seemed to have less of a problem staying cold than the fridge. I did buy one of those cheap circulation fans they sell at Camping World.... can't say if it helped that much. Wife and I did try to minimize how many times we opened the door and how long we left it open. Also tried to be aware of keeping some space between items so air could circulate.

Based on past forum threads and complaints, fridge performance was something I was (still am) keeping my fingers crossed about. I totally agree that camper in this price range should provide a fridge that "works" in hot weather. We head out for a local camp next weekend and will see how things go. I will try to see if the "texas fan" kicks on. It should, since daytime summer temps in our neck of the woods are generally 85-95 Deg.

Overall we are happy with the camper and it has performed well. I blogged a bit about our return trip here: https://ramble4ever.wordpress.com/ Not nearly as creative or informative as others; its just meant to be our virtual scrapbook

Good luck and keep us posted.
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Old 07-13-2016, 12:15 PM   #37
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We are lucky to not have had trouble with our RMD8555, so I'm no expert, but I wonder if these newer deliveries (Viron & huskersteffy) might have poorly adjusted/defective propane regulators. As I recall from reading here, some members have improved fridge performance by having the pressure adjusted to spec by an rv tech.
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Old 07-13-2016, 07:36 PM   #38
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Came in today early at 2pm. It was 93F out. Refrigerator at 28. Shade was covering it just barely, with the rest of the trailer in full sun. By 3:30, it was 96F and refrigerator at 35, not because of the temp but because I opened the door about 25 times in that hour and a half. After that, I left it alone a while and it went to 32.

Of course, I would not have opened it that much if the temp had been higher in the first place, as it would have been if the refrigerator were in full sun.

We are using electric and have made no changes to the refrigerator. Two-door 6.7.
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Old 07-13-2016, 09:58 PM   #39
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So far having good fridge temps, in air temps in the high 80s, by managing the bars and also dosing the water cup at the back.
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Old 07-13-2016, 10:02 PM   #40
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So far having good fridge temps, in air temps in the high 80s, by managing the bars and also dosing the water cup at the back.
Sounds encouraging- that is one thing new for us to try.
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