Deffheads Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Hi, We have been away since last October and now starting to wonder how good the freezer compartment is as the outside temperature is in the 30's +. Should it be able to freeze fresh food or only maintain already frozen food, we always run it on gas except when driving as EHU is more expensive than topping up gas bottles. Any feedback welcome. Due back in UK soon and intend to fit a couple of fans to the top vent to assist circulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottypam Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I don’t think any Motorhome freezer is rated for freezing fresh food, whatever the outside temperature is. I think you should check the fridge instructions before doing so. You could be putting yourselves at risk of food poisoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 pottypam - 2018-07-18 7:44 PM I don’t think any Motorhome freezer is rated for freezing fresh food, whatever the outside temperature is. I think you should check the fridge instructions before doing so. You could be putting yourselves at risk of food poisoning. Sound advice. It is not clear what model you are referring to. If it is one of those that have two separate compartments, each with its own "external" door, then the freezer compartment may be capable of freezing small quantities of fresh food, but only when operating conditions are favourable. AFAIK, few, if any, of the three way freezer compartments, and capable of maintaining a storage temperature of -20C. Above that temperature some deterioration is inevitable and, if the temperature fluctuates, certain bacteria may multiply in the food. In short, RTM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 This is a topical post..... currently in the Dordogne and am very unhappy with the fridge temperature. The freezer compartment freezes ice packs etc. however the fridge, even when at max only seems to keep things cool (as opposed to be cold) as an example the milk is going off in a day or so. Reading around I wonder if I need the additional dometic fans to assist the airflow (?)- outside temperature is around 32'C - I wish I had a thermometer to guage the inside temperature, but I estimate 8-10'C (at a very wild guess). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 Why not have a poke around in local supermarkets to see if you can find a fridge thermometer. They are not always the most accurate, but will give a far more accurate of what is going on than guessing. It seems from your experience with the milk that your fridge is not maintaining the desirable 4 - 5 C range, which is risky. Otherwise, try taking off the external grilles and see if that improves cooling. These fridges will struggle a bit in high temperatures, and it can help to get that side of the van away from the sun, either with an awning, or making sure it is facing as nearly as possible north. The commonest cause of poor performance is poor installation, with the wrong clearances around the cooling fins and poor air guides to the top vent. With the grilles out it should be possible to see if the Dometic installation guide has been reasonably closely followed during installation. The fans should not be necessary in other than extreme conditions, and IMO 32C ain't that hot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 So it may have been hotter - one of the days it has hit 38'C, however it certainly isn't maintaining a temp of 5'C! I felt the top fridge vent and it is noticeably very warm, the van is currently positioned so that that side is not in the sun (indeed it is sheilded) and I have the awning out which further protects against direct sunlight (and the sun here at the moment is VERY intense). I'll pop out tomorrow to see if I can get a temperature guage (even Lidl is closed on a Sunday it seems)..... Beaulieu-sur-dordogne is certainly beautiful and at the moment, very very warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 There's an Intermarché just south on the D940, just past the camping municipal. Might be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 The dometic 3 way has five blue temp blocks at max cooling. I found out that using only three of them you have ice packs in the freezer, For me this is the reference setting and saves a lot of gas. I put five on when white wine is in their and use a jacket from the freezer and ice blocks in the wine cooler. Agree on above about food to maintain min storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 If you pass the chunnel in about 45 min whit gas valves closed, i use this procedure: Close gas valves at entry point where it is demanded by staff. Turn off your fridge when engine is off inside the train. And turn on at engine start when depart from th the train. Open the gas valves only at a safe first stop In any case the cooling is off for about 35 minutes. Have ice blocks in the freezer. Any comments welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoko8pups Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I've just got back from 3 days near Lisbon in fairly high temperatures and my electrolux 2005 one door fridge/freezer has kept the fridge between zero and five degrees on gas, zreo in the morning and five by the time we go to bed. I keep the freezer cool by taking, from home, a tupperware container of ice cubes (handy for the first G&T) And i freeze fish at home and put it in the freezer. There were still some ice cubes frozen this morning! I tested making ice cubes in the freezer and it would make them overnight but not during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Ok, so I've got a fridge thermometer (from Leclarec just down the road) it's been in the fridge for 3 hrs and it is registering 15 'C so there is definitely something a miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plwsm2000 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Is there sufficient space for air to flow around the chiller unit at the top of the fridge? My wife sometimes packs the fridge too tightly. I keep asking her to just put the beer cans at the top to help improve the air flow. This label may help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 There is plenty of space around the cooling fins. Overnight the ambient dropped to 17-18'C and this morning the fridge is at 12'C so there is definitely an issue. Something to sort when we get back, but it is a PITA as we can't store anything for longer than a day or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol170kj Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I fitted a fridge fan a couple of years ago which helped to a degree. But, this year when in 30+ degrees in Spain the fridge, like yours, was just not performing. I pondered for a while that the fridge had worked fine up until arriving at that particular site. I remembered reading somewhere that some fridges don't like being at an angle. So, looked at the van and yes it was nose down. So I spun it around on the pitch and everywhere else we visited made sure it was either level or nose up. Sure enough it worked much better and we enjoyed ice with the evening G&T for the rest of the time we were away :) We have arrived home and I have had to scrape the ice from inside the freezer compartment. Have you tried making sure the van is level? Or if nose down spin it around? HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Sean, Does the temperature control dial actually work or has the shaft possibly broken and the dial go 'round and round' without altering the setting? Ours was broken when we bought the MH and it is a fairly common failure and relatively simple to replace if broken. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourope Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 We have a Dometic like yours and have found that in very hot weather it struggles both as a fridge and as a freezer, especially in high temperatures like those you've experienced. We've found the following helps: - keep the side of the van, where the fridge vents are mounted, in shade whenever possible - fit fridge fans if possible and leave them on day and night in hot weather - regularly scrape the ice build up on the freezer blades (daily in v. hot weather) - before travelling, or at the first big supermarket you come across, buy a large bag of ice, usually about 1€, put half in the freezer and the other half double wrapped (to prevent water leakage) in the fridge and discard water on arrival at site, using remaining fridge ice for drinks. You can either leave the half that's in the freezer to go in the fridge the next day (if travelling again) or move it into the fridge overnight to ensure the fridge stays cool. At some sites they provide large freezers for customers to use. Where this is the case, put a couple of water bottles in the freezer and use those, once frozen, instead of ice bags. - run your fridge on gas as it's much more effective, however for that reason you get a higher amount of heat generated so that's where the fridge fans really help. And yes it does seem to be a waste of money when you've paid for electricity on site, but what's more important? For me it's a cold drink and food that I know is safe to eat. Hope that helps. To answer your original question, I'm not sure these devices are designed to freeze food from scratch, but we have done that when in cooler climates. Not at 30+ though. That's asking too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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