RV Refrigerator Maintenance
Butch Jones
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| Butch and Friends in the His Man Cave |
Since the RV refrigerator has been involved in quite a few motorhome fires it is important to have a regular maintenance program for these appliances. Newer motorhomes are offering either as standard equipment or as an option, residential refrigerators. These offer several advantages other than total electric operation. These units keep the temperature at a more constant level, operate more efficiently, most have a larger interior volume, most cost less than 120Volt/gas refrigerators and they are not as level sensitive. However, they do require extra batteries and an extra inverter, in most cases.
This issue we will look at some maintenance items for both types of refrigerator. We will begin with the 120 volt/gas units. Here are some things that seem to be common for this type refrigerator.
Once a Year
1. Check the 12-volt battery system and wiring. Battery problems can adversely affect your refrigerator causing intermittent operation or dim interior lighting. Look at the battery terminals, electrolyte level, amount of charge, etc. A normal operating voltage is 10.5 to 13.5 volts DC.
2. Inspect the door seals. Clean with soapy water if they are dirty. Test the seals by closing each door on a piece of paper. If the paper can be easily pulled thru the seals they need to be replaced.
3. Check the refrigerator compartment (behind the refrigerator on the outside of the coach), make sure the area is clean and there are no soot or scorch marks on the walls or components.
4. While in this compartment check the wiring. Look for chaffed or frayed wiring, loose connections and any sings of water or water damage. The photo below shows a typical refrigerator compartment.
5. The most important thing is to keep it clean and prevent any obstructions in the venting system. That is, clean out the soot and rust particles that accumulate on the inside surface of the flue.
Road vibrations will loosen these deposits and they crumble and fall to the burner below. The finer particles fall into the burner itself, while the larger pieces remain on top of the burner and cause problems with the flame sensor. As the fine particles build up inside the burner, they will create problems with the flame and reduce the heat output of the burner. No flame, no cooling. This may sound strange, but it is true.
6. There are a few items that may be best left to a certified technician. These are checking the gas pressure, checking for gas leaks, cleaning the flue tube and burner jet and checking the LP gas safety shutoff.
Here are a few Safety Tips:
A. If your refrigerator is located between the sleeping area and the exit door keep a fire extinguisher in the sleeping area near the bed. This can be used to provide some extra time to use your escape plan and exit thru the Emergency Window(s) should an issue with the refrigerator or some other need to evacuate the coach arise. You do have a plan, right?
B. If your coach is kept inside a garage or port it is not a bad idea to unplug the refrigerator and shut of the LP tank when storing.
C. Before each trip and during the trip, look inside the refrigerator compartment and see if there is an excessive amount of heat or any evidence of any smoke or charring. Also look for melting or damaged wiring.
D. If you have a 120 volt refrigerator it just like the old RV refrigerators need time to cool down before loading them with food. So the day before a trip they need to be turned on and allowed to get to the proper temperature. This time could take from 12-24 hours.
E. Any time you are going to leave your coach after traveling or using it, place some towels in the bottom of the freezer and refrigerator portions to absorb water created as it warms and defrosts.
F. When dry camping try to open the refrigerator as little as possible to keep help keep the temperature low.
G. There are some good videos on the internet covering refrigerator maintenance. The iRV2 forum and YouTube are good sources.
Now let’s talk about residential refrigerators in motorhomes. These are becoming more popular and gaining favor with more RV owners. The trend toward a totally electric or non-propane RV is coming.
Here are a few maintenance items that will help keep your unit running properly. Your refrigerator manufacturer or RV manufacturer may have additional maintenance items so always consult the owner’s manuals.
1. The residential refrigerator will need the maintenance of your home unit and a bit more. Since it may be turned on and off more frequently than your home unit it will be defrosting so the same recommendations as seen in E above apply.
2. Even if you have a frost-free residential refrigerator it may occasionally need manual defrosting, so check the buildup of ice in the freezer periodically when it is on for an extended period of time.
3. Watch the batteries. While most coaches have dedicated batteries and a separate inverter, keep an eye on the battery condition. If you are using wet cell batteries pay close attention the electrolyte level and keep it topped off. Make sure that the batteries stay charged. If you dry camp a lot an automatic generator start system may be a worthwhile consideration.
4. Keep the area under the refrigerator clean and if possible clean behind the unit from time to time. Dust build up in the coils causes the unit to work harder to cool.
For anyone interested in replacing their RV refrigerator with a residential unit the Heartland RV owners group has put together a good booklet covering the subject. It is available online at manual.heartlandowners.org/manuals/UserGuide.
Remember, there may be additional items in the owner’s manual for your refrigerator and/or your coach, so consult them before beginning or have any maintenance performed.
