My Dometic fridge works great this time of year, during the Southwest summers it struggles, but the computer fan at the upper exhaust vent helps. I’ve seen a few people put in low power consumption 12 volt refrigerators that sound interesting.

@LoveYourRV

7 ай бұрын

We have a 12VDC/120VAC fridge Nova Kool in our boat. works pretty well but even with low power rated 4.4 amps on 12V DC when running it does add up over days off grid. www.novakool.com/r5810-1 One thing I don't like at times when it's quiet is the compressor noise but maybe that's just me. I also have a portable 12V/120V fridge that is fairly noisy when running, at first I put it outside on the flybridge but sitting up there on a nice quiet evening the compressor noise was annoying, ended up keeping it in the well insulated engine bay. When RVing I put it out under the slide and we can sit far enough away from it to not be bothered.

Thanks Ray. Was having trouble w/ mine also. Come to figure out the sliding thermostat was falling down during travel. Put duct tape on the fin to stop the sliding. Seems to work now.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

Good old duct tape! :0)

I hope it works. Have a good one!

I had good success using a similar product - If I remember correctly it was called snip the tip. Installed inside Fridge; after you cut the Thermistor wires and Install their adjustable unit.

@sunroy1

8 ай бұрын

Did the same thing a few years ago. Works great now

Hi Ray, I had issues with my Dometic 2652 that came with my Cougar. Since I have 800 watts of solar on top of my RV and another 220 portable with 412 ahs of SOK battery, I went and bought a apartment sized Frigidaire that fit perfectly in where the Dometic absorption fridge was. It uses less than fifty watts and I even have more cubic space than the old one.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

I have a 50L portable fridge/freezer (about 30 watts) that I use when the solar harvest is good or when getting groceries. I often run the Dometic on electricity anytime I have extra power going to waste. But I do quite a bit of dry camping in the Pacific Northwest in early spring and late fall under thick tree cover, and with clouds, there is often close to zero solar power, so I still like having the low-power LP gas option. Oftentimes, I'm in National, State, and Provincial parks with limited generator hours, and it's a pain to have to be there to fire it up. Also, in mid-winter in the US Southwest desert, the solar harvest can be quite low, especially if you throw in a few overcast days. Mid-winter in the southwest, it gets dark at around 4:30 and cold at night, so nightly power use goes way up with TV, computers, electric blanket, furnace fan, Starlink, etc. Cheers, Ray

@SpykersB

8 ай бұрын

@@LoveYourRVelectric blanket! I didn’t even think of that, 12V? 🍻

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

No, it's 120VAC, so we need to have an inverter running for it, but it's great she can use it while watching TV or sleeping so I can keep the main heat turned down and save on propane. She gets cold at night, and I don't. We bought a small-sized one, and she keeps it on her side. The blanket power cycles and has about 6 levels; she usually only needs to put it on 2 or three. It doesn't use much power to heat just her vs the whole RV. Having to have the main furnace heating would draw about the same power since its fan is very power-hungry when on. So now I only run the main furnace much if it's below freezing, and I need it to keep the tanks and plumbing from freezing up.

@SpykersB

8 ай бұрын

@@LoveYourRV thx! Im shopping for one this sec lol 🍻

@stuartstuart866

7 ай бұрын

@@LoveYourRVAnother idea is a massage table heating pad. I just ordered one for my wife, aside from the size difference, it goes under you instead of over you. We’ll see it it works out in December when we head to Phoenix

Thanks Ray! Seems odd that the wire harness is so short. The logical mounting location would be inside the Rv.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

I guess they think it won't need to be adjusted much, easy to extend though.

I suppose I could use it to warm my 'too cold' fridge as well. - Of course, it is not too cold if it is 100F outside, but when it is in the 40's F - it freezes some things - depending where. I'd like to see a proper in-the-fridge circulating fan that runs on 12v instead of batteries - that would really even out the temperature throughout the fridge.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

I have a battery operated fridge fan that I added a small DC-DC converter to and ran a wire to the 12V power that is inside the fridge for the door light. I use it when we are in warm humid environments to help keep the fins from icing up.

@JJs-ClassC-Adventures

7 ай бұрын

I installed a fan bar with three 12 volt fans that attachs to the fins. I can run 1, 2 or all 3 fans. Sometimes, they actually cause the frig to get warmer rather than cooler. I also installed fans in frig roof vent. I have mixed results with them also. I installed the exact adjustable thermistor. It works great. I can adjust the temperature based on ambient temperature.

Just an FYI - reason for poor reviews is this: Their website says it is "For “fixed” temperature refrigerators that are not getting sufficiently cold." So this will not work on my DM2852 adjustable temp fridge.

@LoveYourRV

7 ай бұрын

Yes, it says for "Fixed" or "Automatic," which uses a thermistor. My DM2652LBX uses a thermistor for auto temp control plus a little slider for the thermistor to be moved a bit up and down, and so far, it seems to work well. Here is a picture of my front panel www.loveyourrv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Auto-Tmep-Control-Domeitc-scaled.jpg

I wonder what the resistance range of the thermistor is? It seems like adding 43k min to 86k max in series with it is somewhat high, are you sure they put the potentiometer in series and not parallel?

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

Physically the box is plugged in series but electrically speaking the pot and resistor are in parallel with the thermistor.

Ray you gotta go 12 volt fridge !

Seems like that is something that should come standard on our refrigerators. Don't you think? was that a chocolate bar I saw in your refrigerator, LOL.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

My guess is they don't for dependably reasons. Little controls like that can often get dirty/oxidize contacts over years, think scratchy volume controls on the old TV and Radios. A DIYer would know how to deal with it and clean it but not the average RV buyer so they go with the thermistor and slider method that doesn't work that well. Some fancier fridges do have a digital setting I think. Anne's Cookies and Cream bar! :)

Ray you gotta go 12 volt! You got the juice for it.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

I do have a 12V portable fridge/freezer that I use. But, I do quite a bit of camping in the Pacific Northwest under thick tree cover and with clouds there often is close to zero solar power, so I like having the low-power LP gas option. Also, in mid-winter in the US Southwest desert, the solar harvest can be quite low, especially if you throw in a few overcast days. Cheers, Ray

Hey, Can you please tell us what is the final resistance was added by the device. I could just cut my thermistor line and add the said resistor in a heat shrike tube.

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

I have it set to around 55K ohms but doesn't mean it will work the same with yours, could be slight variables in the controller board, thermistor and its placement, etc. If going the fixed resistor route I'd get a cheap kit with different values incase you need to adjust things. Also electrically the resistance is in parallel with the thermistor. Cheers, Ray

@michelp583

8 ай бұрын

Ah .In parallel ok. Do not worry, I have lots of resistors from my days as electronic technicien.

mine stays around 21* I am going to try it to see if I can bring it down I had to get a Ice chest Frig to keep my things above 33* but it is just right for my cokes

@LoveYourRV

8 ай бұрын

Is 21F the temp in the lower fridge area vs the upper freezer compartment? If so, it sounds like its running flat out without cycling off at all. Could be open thermistor or wire connection or maybe a faulty controller board.

@leonmoore101

8 ай бұрын

@@LoveYourRV In the refrigerator, everything freezes. It's good for my cokes as it makes them slushy, which I kind of like. However, I think it's running all the time as you said. I haven't put it in the thermostat that I bought.

I installed one of these with no appreciable difference in cooling. Save your money I think.

@LoveYourRV

Ай бұрын

Worked for me. The replacement thermistor I bought to replace a failed OEM one ran a little too warm but with this I've been able to dial it for exactly 34F on the top shelf.