Guest JudgeMental Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Last 3 campers had either a thetford/dometic 3 way fridge,just under 100 litre capacity . Latest 2013 van has a 80 litre Dometic. OK this summer in Italy temps not as hot as usual but still up in high 20's. Usually the previous fridges struggle, this even on 230v stays real cool and on a high setting freezes content. In warmer climes usually run it on gas or remove grills and use a fan to improve performance. (have had proper fans fitted in the past) My query is: are these fridges now more efficient, or is it just that being smaller it runs better...must say Its the best fridge we have had yet. Cant see model number but here is a pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomag Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Same as mine the thing I find really annoying is there is no clicking or light to let you know its either gone out or run out of gas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ...my own experience is that a significant factor in the variable performance is the quality of installation of the fridge (which in my own experience of British and German 'vans has been pretty dire). The one installation example on my own 'vans which was exemplary, was on my Rapido (which is a good job, as it was the type where the gases initially vent into the rear void, rather than being flued directly to the outside). The installation instructions can be easily found on the Dometic (and I would assume the Thetford) website, so I'm not going to go into detail, but, to ensure good performance there needs to be the appropriate free flow of air at the back of the fridge, and the appropriate ventilation at both the top and the bottom. All this is assisted by properly sealing the fridge from the 'van interior. My general experience is that all of these guidelines seem to be ignored by converters (and it's one of the things I generally check on buying a new 'van). On my current Hobby, I was considering installing a 'fridge fan after it struggled in high temperatures in Austria. On inspecting the rear of the fridge by removing the vents, it rapidly became obvious that little attempt had been made to optimise the installation. The fridge was poorly sealed in its recess. Whilst a top sloping baffle was installed, ostensibly to deflect the hot air through the top vent, this was in poor condition (foil covered cardboard) not well sealed, and was angled downwards to the fridge from well above the vent, thereby leaving a large void for hot air to accumulate in. It did, however, have the recommended baffle to deflect air entering from the bottom vent directly over the cooling vanes. Working through the fridge vents, (which was interesting) I fully sealed the fridge in its recess (people have used silicone - I tend to use EPDM strip), I then added an extra aluminium baffle which sloped from the rear of the unit to the top of the upper vent. This actually had to be cut in half and then re-joined in order to insert it through the vent, and it was battened and sealed all round. Any hot air now has an immediate egress path through the upper vent, and shouldn't escape anywhere else. The cooling vane deflector was left in place. The installation is now as close as I can get it to the Dometic recommendations without fully removing and reinstalling, and it has performed excellently since that point (it will freeze items in the main compartment if it is turned well down!). I suspect you may simply have a 'fridge which has been better installed than those in your previous 'vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 FYI the double fridge fans ( fans actually PC coolers) work very well. Transferred one to different vans until it eventually fell apart. Hi Tommy as Robin says probably down to installation.....have noticed if I forget to swap over on to say 12v while driving and remember many hours later, fridge still really cold. Still suspect smaller size a factor. but they really are so significantly better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-08-24 11:32 AM My query is: are these fridges now more efficient, or is it just that being smaller it runs better...must say Its the best fridge we have had yet. Cant see model number but here is a pic That's the same fridge I've just had fitted, has yours got the sexy blue light? B-)...............It worked fine for our first trip out, but it was Scotland ;-)............ Although reading the instructions it said not to store medication in there?...........and the freezer compartment was for pre frozen food only...............Seem'd to freeze stuff from fresh anyway when we tried it? :-S..... Funny how its cost the same money as one of those huge American jobbies though 8-).......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 If they are running correctly, they do appear to work better, last van the fridge was very good. In current van at first it was rubbish I've now had the burner replace and it works well on max the freezer gets down to -19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The photo seems to show a Dometic RM5380 appliance https://www.dometic.com/enie/International/Site/Caravan/Refrigerators/products/?productdataid=99081 This is a modernised version of Dometic’s traditional leisure-vehicle fridge, with no thermostatic temperature-control when operating on 12V and with battery-operated gas ignition. A correctly installed fridge ought to function adequately even in fairly hot weather. (The small-capacity fridge in my 1996-built Herald cooled OK, as did the large-capacity Dometic fridge/freezer in my 2005 Hobby.) As a rule of thumb, the smaller a fridge’s capacity the greater its efficiency is likely to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve101 Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Apologies for dragging this one up again. I too have the same fridge and I am looking to make improvements to the install. My reason for this so due to a hot spell in France, even with a fan fitted it failed to a make any real impact. Since then I have insulated the top cavity directing air more specifically to the top vent. I did this as the inside wardrobe bottom was getting rather too warm, which I felt would have an adverse effect on the fridge. I have cleaned the burner and replaced the jet also cleaned the flue. I have put silver foil behind the fridge door panel and placed / wedged silver foil covered insulation under the fridge in a small gap that was there. My biggest concern is the gap behind the fridge which I feel could be effecting the airflow. From the fridge gubbins to the wall of the PVC there is around 110mm at the bottom and 95mm at the top. From looking at installation instructions it states a minimum gap of 15mm and a gap of 25 / 45 mm should have a fan. Well my gap is 4 times that! So I am considering building in a baffle at the top and bottom or reducing the gap altogether which is my preferred option. If anyone has any experience of doing this I would love to hear from you or see what you have come up with and any results that you have got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Well its nice to see that our Dear departed Judge is still being useful , maybe it would have been better to have started your own thread :-D or maybe not Im sure he would have been amused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve101 Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Well I didn't think he would mind me jumping in. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 The performance data of tempratures are in on your fridge manual and the conditions to reach them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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