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Old 09-06-2014, 04:18 PM   #21
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Donna found an interesting post in the Casita Forum: Keeping the Fridge Cool. That thread provides a list of tweaks, all of which have been discussed in this forum, but a useful summary anyway:
  • fans for exterior air flow
  • external sun shade
  • circulate air internally
  • insulate cabinet
  • open exterior vent cover or change style for better airflow

Note: The Casita Forum is only readable after signing in - accounts are free as with other similar forums.
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Old 09-06-2014, 07:11 PM   #22
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Is there an advantage to doing it this way as opposed to setting the mode to "gas"?
My goal is to run 100% on propane like I have in previous trailers. I simply light it off a day before we leave and shut it down a day after we return. Simple, we can wet or dry camp. I manually shut down the propane for ferry rides and if I feel there is a safety hazard.

People seem to feel 120 vac works a little better then propane on the 6.7 so I know I can manually plug in the 120 vac if I have it and AES will find it.

At this time I do not have solar and I don't want my tow vehicle or trailer battery being discharged trying to power the refrig.

--------------
The way I understand it the AES system tries to search for 12VDC, then 120VAC and last .. propane.

I found a number of people who feel that the AES is switching this way and that (more below) which results in uneven temperatures in the unit. Because so many folks have trouble, but it seems to me from various causes, I choose to run on propane only for a while to disable the variables of the AES system.

AES searches in that order under the assumption that there is a solar charging system capable of running the refrigerator on 12vdc.

It also 'automatically' senses the voltage on the 12V line and will disable propane for 15 minutes when it thinks the tow vehicle has shut the engine down. The purpose is to make sure the propane is shut down if you are at a gasoline filling station.
------------

I started by 'picking' gas when I started the refrig. But after reading all the posts about the refrig not working as well driving etc. and trying to understand how it switches off on voltage changes ..... I decided to fool the AES into thinking all it has is propane.

For me the AES is a variable I don't fully understand. All my other frigs we manual so I wanted to be comparing apples to apples as close as I can.

Hope that helps, Mel
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Old 09-08-2014, 12:56 PM   #23
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Any tinkerers find this issue when inspecting the fin areas? (From refrig not cooling #92)

"But at long last, we think we have found and solved the problem! Inspired by some of the banter here about the issues with the bigger fridges that Escape now is installing, we came up with a new theory regarding ours, a new test, and an easy fix. In short, we discovered that warm air was being drawn into the inside of the refrigerator box through the back of the refrigerator when the trailer was in motion. This was happening behind the finned cooling plate where there was totally inadequate sealing by Dometic."

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Old 09-08-2014, 01:49 PM   #24
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I removed the fins and could not find any leakage on our 4.3 although there were some gaps between the foam and the plastic liner. I closed all the windows and turned the fan on high exhaust. I had my wife hold incense inside the back of the fridge area while I had my head stuck in the fridge. I could not smell incense until I let my finger off the drain hole, then I could smell it. I also could not detect any air movement with a candle. I thought I had found something when I first looked at the gap but no go on ours.

I have a better picture somewhere if I can find it but you can see some of the gap in this picture.

I had already sealed the thermistor wire in the picture from the outside. It was open and not sealed when I first started playing with it but I needed a place to run a power wire through anyway.
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Old 09-08-2014, 03:01 PM   #25
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Here is the other picture I was looking for. The gap was not as bad as it looks in the picture.
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Old 09-08-2014, 06:48 PM   #26
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Well Tom it seems all these 'little' things are adding up.

Do you have a good picture of the back? I have a frig geek that will look at it closely for other ideas.

Thanks! Mel
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Old 09-08-2014, 07:10 PM   #27
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I was fixing the air leak in the door l when I did this and I took several pictures when I saw it and thought it might be leaking but after deciding there was not a leak I did not save any of the others that I can find.
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Old 11-14-2014, 08:17 PM   #28
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I almost went overkill and installed two real under-drawer drawer slides, but after I reduced the leg wobble the plastic slides binding was practically nil, so wifey said "good enough."
Very nice, that's an inspiration for me!

You showed me what was under your table so here is something new under my refrigerator
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Old 11-14-2014, 09:10 PM   #29
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Very nice, that's an inspiration for me!

You showed me what was under your table so here is something new under my refrigerator
Is that a forced-air blower setup? Looks like power for a fan at the floor level.........
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Old 11-14-2014, 09:35 PM   #30
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OK, I'll bite. An intake to draw in the coldest possible air from under the trailer to make a better convection flow of cooling air for the fridge?

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Old 11-14-2014, 09:51 PM   #31
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Very nice, that's an inspiration for me!

You showed me what was under your table so here is something new under my refrigerator
Klem,
Ok you got me too what do you have going on there?
Mark
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Old 11-14-2014, 10:01 PM   #32
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You folks are good guessers ... we are heading out for the weekend and I'll add more next week, here's a few teasers.

It's a cold air pickup, fan box, two speed fan switches above the bed, flue extension up to frig top, and a slide in extension (shiny 4" aluminum in upper left last pic) within inches of the screen. Slick finish on the wood for air flow and insulation in the box.

I wanted all fans and wiring accessible through the side vent so I can optimize the airflow without crawling under, or climbing over, the trailer.

Amazing that the stock flue releases 120+ F air between the refrig coils. (they have a kit to release it out the side of trailer).

Should cool things down significantly.

(You'll have to upload and flip 2 of the pix, I gave up on doing it)
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Old 11-14-2014, 10:17 PM   #33
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Klem,
I am in I can't wait to see and hear more on your fridge modifications. If you have them It would be great to see the before and after pictures of you modification steps.
Mark
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Old 11-14-2014, 10:54 PM   #34
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Got to pack now but I'll put them in a PDF next week and send a copy to anyone who wants one. We'll test it in February when we head south, I'd guess it will be a significant improvement

It's basically a standard Dometic install for warm climates with a cooler air pickup and no flue hole on the side of the trailer. And I wanted to control a 2 speed fan from bed .... so if I don't like the sound I can turn it down or off

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Old 11-14-2014, 11:30 PM   #35
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Been busy with my table after glancing at the bottom of it while working on the frig. If you check out page 3 of the link below you'll see my frig 'news & pix'. More coming next week back on this Tinkering Channel.


http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...inds-4828.html
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Old 11-15-2014, 12:33 PM   #36
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wow! color me impressed, Mel.
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Old 11-17-2014, 08:20 AM   #37
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Holy smoke, Mel...! I'm with Leon and Mark. My neck hurts.
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Old 11-17-2014, 11:24 AM   #38
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Holy smoke, Mel...! I'm with Leon and Mark. My neck hurts.
LOL so with all my fancy work I can't find how to flip my posted pictures ... (feeling like an 'ass'..) they look correct on my computer but the upload flopped.

I do remember someone explaining it but couldn't find it.

PS. Under the 6.7 I now have a microwave installed in the 'hole' I needed to work under the refrig. Win-win I hope. Need a few 90F days to test. We'll go find hot weather in February.

Mel K
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Old 11-17-2014, 11:31 AM   #39
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LOL so with all my fancy work I can't find how to flip my posted pictures ... (feeling like an 'ass'..) they look correct on my computer but the upload flopped. I do remember someone explaining it but couldn't find it.
Hi Klem, 'someone' here.

Photos taken with an iPhone have metadata included in the file. The metadata helps the phone flip the picture so it displays correctly (landscape or portrait). But, when you display them on a pc, the metadata is ignored -- so it displays the picture in it's 'native' state.

The way around this is to flip the photo on your pc, usually 90 degrees clockwise, then save it and upload it. Voila! The picture will appear right side up.
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Old 11-17-2014, 12:38 PM   #40
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Hi Klem, 'someone' here.

Photos taken with an iPhone have metadata included in the file. The metadata helps the phone flip the picture so it displays correctly (landscape or portrait). But, when you display them on a pc, the metadata is ignored -- so it displays the picture in it's 'native' state.

The way around this is to flip the photo on your pc, usually 90 degrees clockwise, then save it and upload it. Voila! The picture will appear right side up.
Geeze, I will try that. Make it wrong so it will be right ... Thank you!
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