Date:         Mon, 26 Apr 1999 20:28:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: Dometic Temps
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

This Dometic Tech was full of complete and utter hogwash. If yours works
that poorly it is broken or you are blocking the vents. My RM182B holds
at the low 40s inside when I camp in 120 degree heat that only cools
down to the 90s at night for days on end. This is with the thermostat
set at less than max to keep things from freezing to much. This is a
50-80 degree difference. My usual Baja buddy has the same results with
his Westy fridge. I have taken 1/2 gallons of milk with me and kept them
for a week in 100 degree temps. The tech's lies would indicate that my
milk should go bad in less than a day. If anyone needs help getting
their fridge to keep things COLD please p-mail me.

Mark Drillock

Davidson wrote:
>
> 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
>