Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 18:48:23 -0700
Reply-To: Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Subject: Re: Dometic Temperature
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I was told by a Dometic Authorized Service Tech that you can expect the
RM182B to cool to only about 30 degrees below the ambient temperature inside
the van. Dometic has a web site with a technical assistance email button so
perhaps someone could get them to confirm this.
Of course it's a little more complicated than that anyway... If the temp
gets down to 30 or 40 degrees at night the air inside the fridge may drop
well below freezing... and then when the sun beats down and the van heats up
to 90 degrees say for only an hour there is still some of that residual cold
from the previous night to keep the fridge air from climbing up to 60
degrees. Of course a lot of this depends on how often you open and close the
fridge door.. especially on hot days.
I suggest that a big reason for the variation in the cooling ability
reported on the list is due to things like how cold it got the night
before.. how much mass (food) there is inside the fridge to act against
warming of the fridge air as the van air heats... weather the food was put
in there warm or cold... how often people open and close the fridge door
(allowing warm air inside)... whether the sun is beating down on the fridge
side of the van (very important).... how long it actually stays hot in the
van... etc. etc. etc. Not to mention the fact that such terms as hot, cold,
fast, slow, heat of summer, etc. are relative terms that are not
quantitatively comparable.
Bill
90 Westy Syncro
-----Original Message-----
From: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Monday, April 26, 1999 5:24 PM
Subject: Re: Dometic Temperature
>Ken,
>
>You mean when the sun beats down and drive you inside temp to 90, your
>fridge can only manage 55? It may be time for you to overhaul your
>refrigerator...I don't know the actual temperatures inside our
>refrigerator, but can say that makes ice consistently, summer or winter. A
>couple of key things to keep in mind, though.
>
>Start the refrigerator running the day before you go camping. When I start
>the refrigerator, I load ours with a couple of frozen 2 Liter bottles of
>water, to get the interior cooled down fast and cold.
>
>We also have a 12 volt Radio Shack muffin fan mounted in the left rear
>quarter directly below the main cooling area of the cooling fins. This
>keeps the air moving around the inside of the refrigerator, doing a much
>better job at cooling the entire refrigerator. Whenever our refrigerator
>is running, this muffin fan is on as well.
>
>Also, I don't think the cooling capacity of the refrigerator is enough to
>actually chill foods or drinks. We put everything in our refrigerator
>already cold. After a meal, any leftovers are placed in a large zip-lock
>bag, then left flat on the table to cool for a while, prior to placing in
>the refrigerator.
>
>Hope this helps...instructions on the fridge overhaul are in the
>archives...
>
>G. Matthew Bulley
>Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
>www.bulley-hewlett.com
>Cary, NC USA
>888.468.4880 tollfree
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ken Korn [SMTP:kkorn@JUMP.NET]
>Sent: Monday, April 26, 1999 3:41 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Dometic Temperature
>
>On our trip last week, we used the fridge on 110, 12V, and propane. All
>three
>worked BUT......the temp inside would never get more that 30-35 degrees F
>below
>the outside temp. Is there something wrong or is the Dometic a whimpy
>fridge?
>
>Ken Korn
>'82 Westy
>Austin, TX
>
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