6.7 Fridge Leaking Cold Air!!!

[escape artist]

Hi: Parker... I believe there is another hole on the side of the space, beside the smaller one in pic. #1. I couldn't believe the amt. of cold air drawn out by the MaxxFan. There must be more to it than meets the eye!!! Possibly removing the trim edge and face panel of the fridge might have to be done. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Parker]

Sorry, you weren't addressing me.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Parker... I believe there is another hole on the side of the space, beside the smaller one in pic. #1.

Hi Alf. There is a square opening there, but I'm pretty sure it's closed off. Wish I had looked a little more carefully now. The smaller hole, I inserted an 8" zip-tie all the way with no trouble at all. I wonder what kind of insulation they use in the door. If it's fiberglass it wouldn't do much to restrict the air moving about in there.

[Parker]

Tom just texted to say that only the small round hole is open. He's suggesting that some air could also leak around the top latch button, but that would be pretty tough to seal. Thankfully there's not much clearance there.

[cpaharley2008]

Mine is stock also, with fridge fan fix and factory baffle. I checked again and temp rose to 42/11 so I moved control to #3

[Klem]

Do you folks agree with keeping the temp below 40 degrees F ?

My goal, based on these guidelines, is to keep the box in the 35-38 range and accepting a door opening temp rise to get back below 40 within a couple hours.

By removing the freezer it met those goals in power #3. But I won't be happy until I have ice cubes too!
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Refrigerated Storage - from USDA site


Refrigeration increases shelf life of most products. Most importantly, refrigeration slows bacterial growth. Optimal refrigerated storage conditions can be achieved by following these guidelines:

• Maintain refrigerated storage spaces at 32-40°F
• Make thermometers readily observable, easily readable, and accurate to +3°F.
• Position the temperature sensor to register the warmest air in the refrigerated space to ensure adequate cooling.
• Establish the correct refrigerator temperature by placing a thermometer in a glass of water in the middle of the refrigerator. Wait 5 to 8 hours. If the temperature is not 38-40°F, adjust the temperature control. Check again after 5-8 hours.
• Ensure that refrigerators have enough open, slotted shelving to allow for air circulation around shelves and refrigerator walls to maintain proper food temperatures.
• Ensure that doors have a good seal and close tightly to maintain the temperature and the efficiency of the unit. Additionally, keep doors closed as much as possible.
• Keep a back-up appliance thermometer in the unit in case of a power outage. If the refrigerator is still 40°F when the power returns, the food is safe. The food should not be consumed if the temperature is held at 40°F for more than two hours.

[Kountrykamper]

If I turn off all lights and opened the door and shine a flashlight at the door latch and I can look up through this hole in the bottom and see light. I actually think I can see all the way up the door.

When we run the exhaust fan in the exhaust mode the camper is in a negative pressure even with the windows cracked because I can hear the fan noise change sound when the door is opened

It must be pulling air in the fridge from somewhere and I suspect the drain line. It would not take a lot of 100 degree air to warm the fridge.

We have occasionally had condensation on the outside of the door at the latch area but I would just wipe it off and the next day it would not be there. Probably because I was not running the exhaust fan. I would say this is definitely the cause of the condensation on the door and if Alf is feeling that much air this could be at least part of the cooling problem.

I turned on my fridge and will test it over the weekend.

Way to go Alf!!

[Klem]

Attached are pictures of the 'leaks' on the lower corner of ours. I put a straight edge on the frame and the door. The frame was perfect ... the door is bowed, the high spot is in the middle.

In time it could only get worse ... the door is so flimsy I see no way to stiffen or "adjust" it. I guess you could glue a composite straight edge?

I put a light in all 4 corners and could only see the leak in the lower corner. I visually inspected the refrigerator mounting and it all looks great.

[Kountrykamper]

Mel

Try removing the door shelfs and checking again. I found ours doing that and a shelf was binding not letting the door close properly.

[Klem]

Good tip Tom and/or Cheryl! Thank you : )

I pulled the drawer and still a little light passed until I gave the bottom of the door a little adjustment. It is sealed fine now and I realized the refrig drawer was in backward! ....

I'm going to test it more with the freezer 'in' and see if the frig fix fan works better behind the refrig then in it. I also ordered an adjustable thermistor.

[Kountrykamper]

I did the same thing. Very easy to do and not notice it.

I removed the door panel this morning. There is a slot running up the door that is for the latch rod. Mine has a little mold in it where there has been condensation. With the fan on air is coming out the latch. It does not appear that it's the drain as I had DW put finger over drain tube. I can see the hole in the bottom of the door looking in the bottom of the slot.

We have to run out for a whil and will check more when we get home.

[Kountrykamper]

This is the latch.

[escape artist]

Hi: All... With the fridge on 5 bars and no MaxxFan running over night, the fridge is down to almost 32*F. Ambient temp so far is 75*F.
Thanks for the pic's. of the door sans skin. Looks like from the latch to the bottom of the door would be a good spot for some thin closed cell foam tape!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[ChuckS]

I had a problem with the freezer door not closing tight enough causing the cold air to built ice on the coils below the freezer. Even replaced the door but it was not much better. That was in a 2010 19ft.
Chuck

[Kountrykamper]

I run a test on the fridge this morning. Fridge was 35 degrees when I started (freezer removed). I turned on the exhaust fan with only one window cracked and could feel the cold air coming out the bottom of the fridge door. Within a hour the fridge temp was up to 39.

I used some 1/4" sheet rubber insulation I had at work to fix the door problem I hope. I cut and inserted 2 strips into the channels above and below the door latch. Then I cut a star piece and placed it over the door latch. Nothing interferes with the latch and it still works smooth.

This should for sure fix our condensation problem we have had on the door. Time will tell how much it fixes the cooling issue but it has to help not to suck the cooling out of the fridge. I removed the cooling fins and and checked but could not find any air leaking except through the drain tube and where the sensor goes through the back wall.

For those that don't want to install insulation, putting a piece of tape over the bottom hole seemed to stop 75% of the air but it would still escape through the top door latch button and I could fell a little bit at the bottom coming from the frame

Simple fix that took about 30 minutes.

[Kountrykamper]

This is how the door frame comes off. Pull toward the front of the fridge.

[rbryan4]

Looks like a nice tidy job. Keep us posted on how it affects temps.

[Klem]

Nice insulation work! Thanks for the pictures.

[hotfishtacos]

I was just thinking that when it is the hottest we are often running our air conditioners. I wonder about the refrigerator air leaks when that unit is running. With the air exchange taking place is the air pressure in the trailer positive or negative? Are we drawing air into the refrigerator?....hhhmmm

[PGDriver]

Originally Posted by hotfishtacos

I was just thinking that when it is the hottest we are often running our air conditioners. I wonder about the refrigerator air leaks when that unit is running. With the air exchange taking place is the air pressure in the trailer positive or negative? Are we drawing air into the refrigerator?....hhhmmm

I believe the AC unit is a closed system and only draws and cools interior air.